At the age of 78, I found myself on an unexpected journey as life decided to throw me a delightful surprise. I was having a peaceful afternoon at home when the doorbell rang, taking me completely by surprise. I wasn’t anticipating company, so curiosity led me to answer it.
To my astonishment, there stood Nathan, the very first man I had ever loved, the one who had quietly disappeared from my life so many years ago, leaving me heartbroken. It had been five long decades since he left without a word, and now, unbelievably, he was here, right in front of me.
“I want to explain everything,” Nathan began, his voice filled with sincerity. “But would you let me come in?” He looked different, with age marking his face with wrinkles and spots, and his posture less erect. Yet, he was unmistakably still Nathan, the same Nathan from my past.
“Fine. Come in,” I sighed, more out of shock than anything else, and led him into my living room.
“How have you been all these years?” he broke the silence after settling in.
“I don’t have time for small talk, Nathan. I’ve waited long enough for answers, real answers. You dodged my questions back then, and if you can’t be honest now, there’s the door,” I insisted, holding his gaze with the firmness of old wounds.
“Ok… this isn’t easy to say.” Nathan took a deep breath before continuing. “Back then, my parents were set on me marrying the daughter of one of their wealthy friends. I never wanted it. I fell hard for you, but they were against it.” He sighed heavily, recounting the past. “Whenever I went missing, it was because of her, Kiara. She was demanding and loved traveling. But my heart always returned to you.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. “I waited a whole year for you, Nathan. A whole year,” I replied with a voice choked by emotion, the betrayal still fresh even after all these years. “You were seeing someone else that entire time.”
“I promise I wasn’t!” Nathan protested, his frustration mirroring my disbelief. “With her, there was no romance. She knew I opposed the arranged marriage. Holding her hand felt inappropriate. But if I refused her completely, she’d have informed my parents about us, which could’ve been disastrous for you.”
His words rang with a deep truth that I hadn’t considered before. Perhaps he was genuine.
“So why didn’t you come back sooner?” I asked quietly.
“That year turned chaotic,” he explained solemnly. “I graduated, started a critical internship thanks to my father, and Kiara started planning a wedding I didn’t want. When she tragically died in a car crash, I helped care for her parents, who thought we were engaged. I intended to come back to you as quickly as I could.” His head dropped as though it was burdened with his past confessions.
“I’m sorry to hear that. I truly am,” I said, compassion creeping into my guarded heart. “But you mentioned you ‘returned’—when was that?”
“I came back to find you and saw you with another man at your home,” Nathan revealed, his voice lowering. “I assumed he was important to you, so I didn’t want to disturb what you’d built. For a month, I returned daily, but he was always there. Eventually, I heard you got married to him.”
“Yes, that was my late husband, Charles.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” he said, sincerely empathizing.
“What now?” I asked, intrigued yet unsure about what the future might hold for us.
“I wanted to clear the air and perhaps, if you’re willing, start anew as friends,” Nathan suggested gently.
“How on earth did you find me here?”
“I moved here in my 30s, hoping fate would cross our paths again,” Nathan explained. “After losing you, I could never truly connect with anyone else. Memories of Kiara’s passing haunted me too. I noticed your parents around 20 years ago, and when they passed, I saw that you kept their apartment. I’ve been hoping to see you ever since.”
I was deeply moved by his words. Nathan hadn’t married or started a family, all because of what transpired between us. He’d waited, faithfully, for over two decades. “Would you like a sandwich, Nathan? Let’s take a break from all this intensity,” I suggested, steering the conversation back to the present.
From that day onward, Nathan became a regular visitor. At first, we rekindled our friendship, sharing stories and laughter. But soon, the old flame of love, merely dormant until now, reignited brightly within both our hearts. Despite the years that had slipped by, our love had never truly died; it had simply been waiting for the right moment to shine once more.
