He saw her at the bus stop, her gloved hands holding her coat tight against the early evening cold. He recognized her from a distance, wondering if he was mistaken until he got closer and saw her eyes. Time had taken its toll on both of them, and he wondered what her life had become. Did she have a family, as she told him she wanted years ago? Did she have the house with a white picket fence and a rose garden, a dog and a cat and a home filled with grandkids? Did she have a husband who worshiped the ground she walked on?
He was close enough now, mingling in the crowd waiting for the bus, to see her beauty had only grown more through the years. Her long silver hair flowed in the breeze, and the lines of age were a roadmap of her life that he wondered and hoped was a life well lived with the love and happiness she deserved. They were just a few feet apart when he saw her looking his way. Did she notice him? Did she doubt herself, wondering if, after all these years apart, it was actually him? He felt a pit in his stomach as he tried to speak, but the crowd suddenly rushed onto the bus, and she was out of his sight for a brief moment until she found an empty seat, and he practically jumped over people to claim the seat beside her.
For what felt like an eternity, they stayed quiet until she softly asked, "Is that really you, Sam?" It certainly felt like a lifetime, didn't it? They took turns talking about their lives and their past when they thought they'd have a life together, but it wasn't meant to be, as he was a young man focused on his career with no time for her dreams. He whispered he was sorry, but she cut him off, saying she'd had a full life, a happy life that she wouldn't trade for anything.
Thirty minutes on a city bus, a lifetime of shared stories, and the sadness of knowing they were given this moment that would never be given to them again. As her stop drew closer, he told her he thought of her often and always wondered if, had he asked for her hand in marriage, she would have said yes, would she have given up her dreams to follow him wherever he went. She touched his face and shook her head, saying goodbye, as he watched her walk away, turning just once to see his face one last time.
For what felt like an eternity, they stayed quiet until she softly asked, "Is that really you, Sam?" It certainly felt like a lifetime, didn't it? They took turns talking about their lives and their past when they thought they'd have a life together, but it wasn't meant to be, as he was a young man focused on his career with no time for her dreams. He whispered he was sorry, but she cut him off, saying she'd had a full life, a happy life that she wouldn't trade for anything.
Thirty minutes on a city bus, a lifetime of shared stories, and the sadness of knowing they were given this moment that would never be given to them again. As her stop drew closer, he told her he thought of her often and always wondered if, had he asked for her hand in marriage, she would have said yes, would she have given up her dreams to follow him wherever he went. She touched his face and shook her head, saying goodbye, as he watched her walk away, turning just once to see his face one last time.
Mike 2026 
Mike 2026
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