time stood still

she entered his name 

in the

'discover' box

.

she stared at the name

it had been so long since she had seen it

she wasn't even sure

if 

the profile

still existed

.

even though she had 

remained on the

'site'

all these years

she couldn't bring herself to

look

until today

.

she pressed

'enter'

he was the first

'suggestion'

.

her breath caught in her chest

and

tears

immediately

came to her eyes

.

it was as though

time stood still

.

she clicked

on his name

his profile 

immediately

was on her screen

.

she touched the screen

tears once again

filled her eyes

.

slowly she scrolled down

a poem

caught her attention

one they had

written together

all

those years ago

.

"Oh my God," she whispered

.

she opened the file

she looked at the

'dedication'

a much younger

version of her

.

he was so much older

than she was

but 

the

attraction

was immediate 

.

she reached for the Kleenex 

on the desk

.

they were so in love

despite everything

it was a real love

a love

that existed

not only on the 'site'

.

and

they took the

brave step

and brought their 

Love

outside

.

a secret

rendezvous

away from

everyone 

and 

everything

.

it had been

but

a single week together

.

he had a wife

and

family

but

they were so much

in love

.

he went home

promising

to return to her

.

she began reading the

poem

but

could only read the first

two verses

before

tears clouded her eyes

.

she got up 

and

went to her bathroom

washing her face

with 

cool water

trying

to stop the

tears

.

she stared in the

mirror

so much time has passed

she only heard from him 

once

again

.

he telephoned

to tell her he was

sick

but 

that he would 

get better

and 

they would be together

.

three monte later

she read his

obituary

on line

.

she wiped her face again

and

walked back into

her bedroom

.

her 18 year old daughter

was standing

looking at her computer

"Is that you, Mom?"

.

she nodded

and

forced a

smile

.

every time she looked at

her daughter

.

'their' daughter

.

she was reminded of him

.

"Who is this man, Mom? He kind of looks familiar."

.

she fought back the 

tears

"Just someone I used to know."

.

August 27, 2014