“You must learn some of my philosophy. Think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure.”
~ Jane Austen (Pride & Prejudice)
He walked away from me after that, turned and waved, then got into the car, and his brother drove away.
I haven’t seen him since.
I asked about him when I spoke with our mutual friends. The response were the same. It was either they had not heard from him or they saw him once “a long time ago”. Those in the latter group mentioned where they met or where they thought he was working and that was it.
I always wondered where he was and what he had been up to. I know now.
He will always be a person I feel a certain closeness to; the endearing feelings have not changed. I wouldn’t trade the times I spent in his company for anything. It was a part of my past that I will always cherish.
Still, the past is the past.
He has a family now and is happy. I’ve seen the pictures. I say this without any bitterness, but perhaps with a sense of relief, I am happy that he is happy.
Teka-Teki Hati (Riddles of the Heart) 