AT 76, I TOOK A BUS TO SEE MY FIRST LOVE AFTER 50 YEARS – BUT FATE INTERRUPTED BEFORE I COULD REACH HER

the room.

She looked small and pale.

For one terrible moment, all I saw was the illness.

The sharp lines of her face.

The blanket pulled high.

The wires.

The unnatural stillness.

Then she turned her head, recognized me, and managed a smile.

It was her.

Older, yes.

Fragile in a way that immediately frightened me.

But still Margaret.

Still the girl who had laughed continue reading …