She first noticed the shift when a friend suggested she join an online dating app, and then a co-worker tried to set her up. Phrases like “maybe it’s time to move on” were whispered softly. The thing no one seemed to understand was that just because Jim was dead didn’t mean Darby had stopped loving him.
“Okay. No problem.” Hilary cleared her throat and gave a sharp nod. She tucked her clipboard under one arm, laced herfingers together, and then yanked them apart, indicating it was definitely a problem. “Plan B, then. Don’t give it a thought. I’ll figure it out. Uh, give me a minute. You hang tight, and I’m going to see who I can round up to kill some time before the mayor is slotted to give his speech.”
Darby watched her scurry away, feeling a pang of guilt. She didn’t know Hilary well. Hilary had joined the Chamber shortly before Jim died and then had been immediately promoted to his role. Not that she held it against her. Someone needed to take over Jim’s position. It was hard to see the scavenger hunt and holiday festivities move in a different direction, though. Was bigger always better?
Jim would be impressed with the scale of the event and how far it had come in the last decade. Still, Darby felt nostalgic for the first year, when the two of them, along with a handful of volunteers, had sketched out routes on pads of legal paper for a small band of fun-loving participants, instead of tracking contestants on apps, and hundreds of eager adventurers racing to get a leg up over their competitors.
She wondered if she should take a seat. There were plenty of empty benches. Maybe Hilary’s replacement would mean that she didn’t need to speak at all. That would be fine with her. The park was only a ten-minute drive from her house. She could be home and under the fleece blanket that she hadn’t washed since Jim died, before the crowds arrived.
Darby’s breath puffed out in front of her. The temp was already below freezing and falling fast with the setting sun. Hot chocolate sounded good, and Hilary had disappeared. If she had to hang around a bit longer, she might as well keep warm.
Darby started moving in that direction when she noticed someone approaching her. It was a man, about her age, with a thick head of dark hair streaked with silver and familiar eyes. There was something about his stride and his easy smile thatmade Darby question if she knew him. She shook her head. No, she didn’t know him. Did she? Could she know him from the parks department? His black puffy jacket with the Bend Parks emblem must mean he worked for the city. Had he given a presentation at school?
She squinted. Her eyes weren’t great at night anymore, and with shimmering lights everywhere, it was hard to focus on anything without seeing halos.
“Darby? Darby? Is that you?” the man said as he came closer.
She froze. She knew that voice. She would have recognized that voice anywhere.
But it couldn’t be him, could it?
“It is you! Darby Andrews.” The man’s smile lit up his entire face, brighter than half the trees around them as he came closer. He was tall and trim, with a square jawline, deep-set dark eyes, and a youthful grin.
She took a tentative step forward. A strange fluttering feeling bubbled in her stomach like she’d forgotten to eat again.
He made it to her and started moving in to hug her but stopped when their eyes met. “My God, it’s you. It’s really you after all these years.”
Darby’s mouth fell open. “Samesh?” Samesh Devi was standing inches away from her.
Samesh is here?
Her heart skipped a beat, momentarily suspended in long-lost memories, before resuming its rhythm with a newfound intensity.
“Samesh?” Darby repeated. “I haven’t seen you in, what? It must be thirty or probably closer to forty years.” The air around Darby seemed thin, causing her to deliberately focus on every breath to steady the tumultuous storm of emotions within.
“You haven’t aged a day.” Samesh appraised her with a look that made Darby take a step back. “Those hazel eyes. That heart-shaped face. I would recognize you anywhere.” Samesh’s eyes twinkled with delight.
Her cheeks warmed from his compliment, even though she knew it was entirely untrue. The years had been kind to her, but they hadn’t saved her from a softening belly, wrinkles, or the whitening of her shoulder-length hair.
The last time she had seen Samesh was at a college bonfire during their senior year. She suddenly became acutely aware of everything around them. Once familiar and comforting, the sound of Samesh’s voice surfaced a symphony of bittersweet memories. Time morphed as she was transported to that fateful night decades ago that had completely altered the course of her life.
He raised an eyebrow and stretched out his arms, giving her his signature lopsided smile. “Do we hug? Is that weird?”
“Not at all.” Darby returned his smile and leaned into him. A faint tingling sensation pulsed along her spine. Samesh smelled of cedar and vanilla. Was he wearing the same aftershave he had during their college days? The aroma evoked a surge of nostalgia, bringing a new flood of memories to the surface. His soft touch was a glaring reminder that she hadn’t been held by a man for a long time. She pulled away, her body stiffening and her protective guard going up.
Samesh beamed at her. “Darby Andrews. I can’t believe it. After all these years.”
“It’s Reynolds now.” Darby hesitated.
“Right.” Samesh bobbed his head in agreement. “How long have you been married? It was only a few years after graduation that I remember hearing you had gotten engaged.”
This took Darby by surprise. She and Samesh had lost touch after the fateful night of the bonfire. She hadn’t spoken to him since. He had never attended reunions nor appeared on mutualfriends’ social media pages, or their college newsletter. Samesh had basically dropped out of existence.
Her wedding ring wasn’t visible under her gloves, but Darby’s fingers instinctively massaged the gold band. “It would have been thirty-six years next month.”
“Would have been?” Samesh’s smile faded.
“Jim—my husband—died two years ago.”
