Hey, Mom! Oh, you won’t believe what I have to tell you!
— Emily exclaimed in a joyful voice as she addressed her mother.
— I’ve been dying to share this with you since yesterday. Something absolutely incredible happened to me at the library. I ran into Sarah, that girl I was best friends with back in fifth grade. You have to remember her. Her parents relocated to Paris because her dad got offered a contract job there.
In the end, the whole family settled down permanently in France and built a wonderful life for themselves in their new home. At first, Sarah and I didn’t even recognize each other—after all, so many years had passed. But the moment she mentioned her last name, it was like a switch flipped in my mind, and all those old memories came flooding back.
I instantly recalled exactly who she was. I’m sure you remember her too, Mom. Sarah and I were the ones who accidentally shattered your favorite red glass vase while we were playing hide-and-seek one afternoon.
You know, the one you cherished so much? We were terrified of how you’d react, so we hesitated for ages before confessing. Anyway, Mom, Sarah told me that everything turned out fantastically for them in Paris.
She finished high school, got into college, and now works at a major corporation. We chatted endlessly about our past adventures, our silly pranks, and all those childhood dreams we used to share. It was pure nostalgia, taking me right back to those carefree days.
I couldn’t help but marvel at how life sometimes brings people from our history back into our lives in the most unexpected ways. It felt like I was dipping back into my beautiful childhood, back when you were still here with me. With that thought, she gently straightened the photograph of her beloved mother on the gravestone.
A light breeze had tilted it slightly to the left. She continued her quiet monologue at the cemetery. You know, Mom, Sarah also updated me on her current life.
She’s doing great. She works as a designer and is happily married. She has a husband and two sons, born just a year apart.
They’re adorable boys, ten and eleven years old. She eagerly pulled out her phone to show me their pictures. And get this—she and her family moved back to the States just a year ago.
Alright, Mom, I really should get going now. I’ll hurry off, but I’ll definitely visit you again next Saturday. If I linger any longer, I might miss my train.
Emily suddenly glanced at her watch and realized there were still forty minutes until the train departed. Since the walk to the station took about twenty minutes, she knew she had plenty of time. Before leaving, she took one last look at the headstone to ensure everything was in order.
The grave was neatly tidied, and the photo showed her young mother gazing out with a kind smile. Emily remembered that picture vividly. Her mom had taken it the very year Emily started school.
The photographer who was capturing the first-graders that day also snapped a shot of Emily’s mom. He was so struck by her beauty that he even considered asking her out, but he soon learned she was already married. When Emily was sorting through photos to select one for the headstone, she instinctively chose this one.
The result was stunningly beautiful. The woman checked her watch again and was shocked to see that ten minutes had already slipped by. That meant she was now at risk of missing the train and having to wait a full hour for the next one.
Alarmed, she spun around quickly and hurried along the path toward the gates. But suddenly, she let out a sharp cry of pain and collapsed to the ground in the same instant.
— Lady, are you blind or something? Watch where you’re stepping!
— a man in work overalls grumbled, reeking strongly of alcohol, as he extended a hand to help her up.
Emily looked down at her legs and gasped. Her knees were scraped, smeared with dirt, grass, and blood. She pushed his hand away and limped over to a nearby bench.
Sitting down, she pulled a handkerchief and a bottle of water from her bag. She dampened the cloth first, then carefully began wiping away the grime and blood from her knees. The man watched intently as Emily tended to herself, and once he saw she was managing okay, he returned to his interrupted task.
He was cleaning up an abandoned grave situated close to the path, with a large pile of debris nearby. The grave was in a sorry state—overgrown, with a neglected headstone, no fence, and not a single flower in sight, creating a truly dismal impression.
Every Saturday, Emily visited her mother’s burial site. But she had never noticed this forsaken grave so close by until now. Intrigued, the woman observed the man as he diligently cleared the area around the grave.