A Short Fleeting Moment of Happiness

I saw her sitting in a wheel chair, crippled, mute and almost hairless, over pumped with chemotherapy, and aged more than she really was. Yet I prefer to remember the one date we had a long, long time ago. Oh how she laughed that day as we swam in a lonely bay, stumbling on the wet sand, tumbling and turning, the white grit covering our bodies, infiltrating our suits. Finally we jumped into the sea, dived down to bathe amongst sea horses and anemones, and kiss beneath the shimmering surface of the sea. Later that night we danced to soft music, gorged on the sweet smelling bar-b-q piglet, and drank homemade sweet wine. Not for you, my mother said, and I was mad. But mum was right. Soon my date married, had four delightful girls, till she escaped with them and with a rich man to another place, another state, until ill fate struck. And seeing her thus disabled, tears welled in my eyes, not only for what she had become, but most of all, for what she could have been. Alas I will never forget…..