It wasn’t a hard decision

…

Michael may have thought he was done with the complications of life with the one woman he ever really cared about, but no.

Even in death, the tendrils of that time together come rushing back, just at the mention of her name.

And it explained that sudden almost crippling feeling he had several days before, that he could only assume was the moment the love of his life died.

It never occurred to him at the time it could be anything other than a virus or something he ate.

It was too soon, perhaps the punishment for the prevaricating.  Ever since the visit from Monte, she had been constantly on his mind, and it was partially the reason he had come home.

Yes, he had considered getting back in contact with her. Certainly, he had followed her life from the moment they parted, hoping she would change, that common sense and purpose would prevail, and eventually, they did.

It was also fascinating that she had children, the ages of which surprised him because the way he calculated it, they were conceived when they were together, convincing him she had been, as he suspected, having an affair.  Why she hadn’t married the man the moment she left was also interesting, but not something he pursued.

She had made her feelings clear, and her father didn’t have to try very hard to persuade him to leave.  If anything; he should have been more disappointed in himself.

…

Words today, 2,279, for a total of 25,833