My 70-year-old grandma, Mary, got a Valentine’s gift from the only man she ever truly loved—someone she lost fifty years ago. But when she refused to see him, afraid of what the past might bring, I knew I had to step in. Could I reunite them after all this time, or was some love meant to stay in the past?
Valentine’s Day always felt magical if you were in a relationship: couples in love, flowers everywhere, hearts everywhere you looked. But when you’re single, it’s nothing but a cruel reminder of your loneliness.
That year, I couldn’t stand the reminder of being single. To escape, I decided to visit my grandma in her quiet small town. The place was peaceful, and holidays didn’t feel like an assault on your emotions.
With three days left until Valentine’s Day, I kept counting down, waiting for the holiday to end so life could return to normal.
Suddenly, my grandmother called me from the other room. “Natalie!” Her voice was sharp.
“Yes?” I stepped into her room.
She was sitting by the window, holding a letter in her hand. “I can’t find my glasses. Who is this letter from?” she asked, squinting at the envelope.
I took the letter and glanced at the neat, unfamiliar handwriting. It was addressed to her: “It’s from someone named Todd,” I said.
Her face went pale. “Todd?” she whispered, her voice quivering. “That… that can’t be.”
She snatched the letter from my hands, tearing it open. A small Valentine’s card and a folded note fell out. She handed them to me.
“Read it,” she said, her voice trembling.
I opened the card first. It simply read, “I still love you.” My heart tightened. “That’s… really sweet,” I said.
She didn’t respond. Her eyes were focused on the letter. “And the letter?” she pressed.
I took a deep breath and began reading aloud.
“My dearest Mary, fifty years ago, you and I had just one night. One night that changed me forever. I never forgot you, but I had no idea how to find you. You never came to the train station in Paris that day, and you broke my heart forever.”
I paused, looking up. My grandmother was frozen, her hands clasped tightly. I continued.
“But I found you through your granddaughter’s social media. If you still remember me, if that night meant anything to you, meet me at the New York train station on the same night we last saw each other. Forever yours, Todd.”
Silence filled the room. My throat tightened as I looked at my grandmother. She had tears in her eyes. “Who is Todd?” I asked softly.
She wiped her face with her sleeve. “The only man I ever truly loved,” she whispered.
My eyes widened. “But what about Grandpa?”
“I loved your grandfather,” she said softly, “But I loved Todd with the kind of love they write poems and songs about. Even though we only had one night together, he understood me better than anyone ever did.”
I was stunned. “This happened in Paris?”
She nodded, a small smile on her lips. “I was there as a tourist. Todd was a student. We met on the subway. We spent the whole night walking through the city, talking…”
“And then?” I asked.
“The next morning, I had to fly home. Todd took me to the train station to catch my flight. We agreed to meet one year later, same day, same station.”
I couldn’t help but ask, “And what happened?”
Her smile faded, and her eyes lowered. “My mother died. Her funeral was on the same day I was supposed to fly to Paris to meet Todd.”
I sighed. “Did you tell him?”
“How could I?” she whispered. “There were no phones back then, and I didn’t have his address.”
“So, you never saw him again?”
She shook her head.
“What day was it?” I asked.
“February 14th,” she said, her voice barely audible.
A sad smile tugged at my lips. “The most romantic day of the year, in the most romantic city on Earth.”
I looked down at the letter. “You have to go meet him,” I said.
Her expression hardened. “No. Absolutely not.”
“Why?” I pressed.
“I let him down that day. Who knows how our lives would have turned out if I had gone?”
“But he wants to see you now!” I argued.
“I’m not going,” she said firmly.
I knew my grandmother was stubborn, but I wasn’t giving up.
On February 14, I put on my coat and grabbed the car keys. “Grandma, I need to run an errand. Come with me,” I said.
She glanced up from her knitting, barely looking at me. “What kind of errand?”
“It’ll be quick,” I said. “I don’t want to go alone.”
She sighed and put her knitting down. “Fine. Let me get my coat.”
We got in the car, and I started driving. The first few minutes were silent, but then she asked, “Where exactly are we going?”
“To the train station,” I said, glancing at her.
She raised an eyebrow. “Which train station?”
“New York,” I said, keeping my tone casual.
Her face turned bright red. “What?! No way! Turn this car around!”
“No,” I said firmly.
She folded her arms. “Then I’m not speaking to you anymore.”
The rest of the drive was silent. I knew she was upset, but I also knew she needed this.
We finally arrived at the train station, and I parked the car. “Come on,” I said, unbuckling my seatbelt.
She didn’t move.
“Grandma.”
She stayed still.
“You might be stubborn, but so am I,” I said, gently urging her out of the car.
She glared at me but finally stepped out.
Inside the station, I scanned the crowd, hoping to spot Todd. But there was no sign of him.
Then, a man in his seventies approached us. “Are you Mary?” he asked, his voice shaking.
My grandmother straightened up. “Yes. Who are you?”
“My name is Justin. I’m Todd’s grandson,” he said. “I sent you the letter.”
My heart skipped. “What? Does Todd know about this?”
“No,” Justin said hesitantly. “But he told me the story. He’s spent his whole life regretting that he never found you. I couldn’t sit back and do nothing. So I found you.”
My grandmother turned to leave, but Justin stopped her. “He’s afraid you won’t want to see him,” he said softly.
“You didn’t want to meet him either,” I muttered.
She stopped and sighed.
Justin smiled softly. “I just want to make my grandfather happy.”
I took a deep breath. “We’ll go. Someone should get to be in love on Valentine’s Day.”
We arrived at Todd’s building, and Justin led us to his apartment. As soon as the door opened, Todd stepped out. His eyes locked onto my grandmother’s.
“Mary…” he whispered.
Her lips trembled. “You remember me?” she asked.
Todd stepped forward and pulled her into his arms. My grandmother let out a small sob, clinging to him.
Justin looked at me. “We did good,” he said. “You convinced her to come, didn’t you?”
“Yeah,” I said with a smile.
“We make a good team,” he grinned. “Maybe we should celebrate over dinner?”
I laughed. “We’ll see.”
Would you have done the same? What would you have said if you were in my grandmother’s shoes?
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