finally told us the words we had boths. feared to hear.
The cancer had spread.
There was nothing more they could do.
During Linda’s last week of life, I barely separated from her bed in the hospital.
I would sit next to her, hold her hand and try not to think about what would happen when that hand was no longer there so I could hold it.
One night, Linda suddenly squeezed my fingers tightly.
Her voice was so weak that I had to lean towards her so I could hear her.
Robert, you have to promise me something.
I looked at her.
He already had tears in his eyes.
“Whatever. Just tell me.
Linda remained silent for several seconds.
Then he gave a name that no one had mentioned to me in almost forty years.
“Look for Susan.
For a moment, I thought I had heard wrong.
“Susan?”
Linda nodded.
Find her. When you do, you will understand everything.
His hand began to shake.
Then he added something that caused me a chill.
“And please… forgive me in advance.
I was paralyzed.
Forgive yourself why?
Linda closed her eyes.
Just promise me you’ll find her.
I started asking you questions.
Why Susan?
How did Linda even know about her?
What had he done?
But at that moment, a nurse walked into the room and said Linda needed to rest.
They asked me to come out.
And for the rest of that night, a single name kept going around in my head.
Susan.
It was my first love.
We were both around twenty when we met in college.
Back then, I was convinced that she was the woman I would spend the rest of my life with.
We had been together for almost three years.
I even asked her to marry.
But about that same time, I received a job offer in another state.
Susan didn’t want to leave her family or her studies behind.
I could not afford to turn that opportunity away.
We argued .ser ychfar dzb
In the end, Susan told me she couldn’t come with me.
