Below was an address.
I looked up at Walter across the room. He was laughing with my son. Looking so happy. So innocent.
Was I about to lose everything I’d just found?
I couldn’t focus for the rest of the reception.
I smiled, laughed, and cut the cake.
But inside, I was terrified.
What was Walter hiding? Who was that woman?
Had I made a terrible mistake?
I was terrified.
I excused myself and went to the bathroom.
“You need to know the truth,” I whispered to my reflection.
Whatever it was, I couldn’t ignore it. I’d spent 12 years running from life. I wasn’t going to run anymore.
I made a decision right then.
I would go to that address and face whatever was waiting for me.
Even if it broke my heart.
I’d spent 12 years running from life.
***
That night, lying in bed beside Walter, I couldn’t sleep.
I kept thinking about the note.
What if he wasn’t who I thought he was? What if this whole thing had been a lie?
I’d just started to be happy again. I’d just started to feel alive.
What if I were about to lose it all?
The next day, I lied to Walter.
“I’m going to the library. Just need to return some books.”
What if he wasn’t who I thought he was?
He smiled and kissed my forehead. “Don’t be gone too long. I’ll miss you.”
“I won’t.”
I got in my car and sat there for a moment, gripping the steering wheel. Part of me wanted to tear up the note and forget about it. But I couldn’t. I’d made a choice to face life head-on. That meant facing the truth, whatever it was.
I drove to the address on the note.
I’d made a choice to face life head-on.
What was I going to find?
Some terrible truth that would destroy everything?
At my age, love felt borrowed. Like it could be taken away at any moment.
I had just learned how to be happy again. I didn’t know if I could survive another goodbye.
But I had to know.
***
When I pulled up to the address, I froze.
It was a building I recognized.
At my age, love felt borrowed.
My old school. The one where Walter and I had met all those years ago. Except it wasn’t a school anymore. It had been turned into a restaurant. A beautiful one with big windows and string lights.
I sat in my car, confused.
Why would she send me here?
I got out slowly and walked to the entrance. My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears. For a moment, I stood alone in front of the door. Taking a breath. Preparing myself.
Then I pushed it open.
I got out slowly and walked to the entrance.
The moment I did, confetti rained down on me.
Streamers popped. Balloons floated everywhere. Music filled the air. Not just any music. Jazz. The kind I used to love when I was a teenager. Everyone was clapping.
My daughter was there.
My son. Friends I hadn’t seen in years.
The crowd parted.
And there was Walter. His arms spread wide open. A huge smile on his face.
Confetti rained down on me.
“Walter? What is this?”
