Romantic Tangles

They were loyal sisters. The older was also more fair, prettier in an Original Barbie kind of way. She had been sick when her younger, darker, more tomboy sister met and first desired my tall, dark, and handsome Uncle. When older and fairest of all Sisters returned home, after a long healthcare absence, she too desired Uncle Handsome, as did we all, in our time and ways, but Handsome's eyes never wavered again once reset on older and fairest Sister. Young darker Sister, left behind, began to heal when tall, dark, and handsome #2 showed up and spoke smokey truths of happiness, kindness, quiet gentleness. But not too gentle. Slow and steady; confident integrity could heal all guilt and angers and prior disappointments. These two Sisters and their TD and H husbands lived near each other and grew old together with unspoken neighborly mistrusts, unresolved struggles with and about envy, jealousies and jilts, but also laughter and deep mutual regard. Who can control chemistry, or timing? Who can forgive, and how long could this revolution take? Yet even restrained love can grow abundantly rich with both age and generosity. Younger and darker Sister lost her husband to cancer and then her memory, while older fairest Sister and husband moved into assisted housing after reaching golden fifty years together. Then good-natured patient waiting to embrace final retirement, a journey we each take alone, as when we entered except without Mom nearby, or maybe this too remains the same, somehow. Older ancient Barbie Sister did not let go until younger jilted Sister quietly stopped breathing in her deep night sleep, lost in memories not accessible by day. Ten nights later Barbie Sister passed out of embodied memories in this same way. Safe at last, knowing it was then too late for TD and H Uncle to go back before that place where they had started. They say death comes in threes. I wonder why.