An Unforgettable Christmas Day

It had been so long since I’d felt loved and wanted. Then I met John. We basked in our late-in-life romance. Gone was the loneliness that had left me feeling haunted. Our relationship proved I had been wise to take a chance. Though somewhat set in our ways, we adjusted well, each accommodating the other. He often mentioned how much we were alike. We had no serious disagreements. I fell more deeply in love with him, daily craving his touch. A year after we met, he proposed. Of course, I said, “YES!” We retirees in the autumn of life would be together forever enjoying each other and family, traveling. No stress--- Then came the devastating blow. Forever became never. He called on Christmas Day, of all times, to say he’d changed his mind. This man who’d often mentioned how alike we were declared that we were too different. He made no effort to be kind, to let me down gently. I doubt he ever loved me—or even cared. He's been a casket full of bones for for six or seven years. When I learned of his demise, I deeply sighed but shed no tears.