What Might Have Been by Melissa Willingham (best contemporary novels TXT) 📕

Bonnie Fields tucked a tuft of soft, blonde hair behind one ear. She wheeled the linen cart down the retirement home hallway with practiced skill. Along the way, she passed other coworkers and smiled at them. It was a beautiful sunny day; the kind that made one glad to be alive. She fully embraced those sentiments, eager to finish up her afternoon shift. Soon, she’d have the whole weekend to relax.

Her bubbly mood soon diminished slightly as she waltzed past the room of Clarice Finley. The elderly woman, who usually appeared cheerful, was now weeping. Bonnie paused for a moment, stilling the cart she had been pushing. A puzzled frown creased her lips. What could Clarice be upset about? Had something bad happened recently?

Deciding to find out, Bonnie pushed her cart against the wall and entered the resident’s room. The sight of a woman she regarded as a grandmother, slumped over, gave her cause for concern. She rushed to Clarice’s side, placing a warm shawl around the woman’s shoulders.

“What’s wrong, Mrs. Finley? Is there anything I can help you with?” she asked.

The older woman startled for a moment, but then glanced up to see who had interrupted her wistful reverie. “Oh, Bonnie, it’s you,” she whispered, sounding relieved.

She grabbed a wad of tissues from a nearby table and began dotting at her eyes. Her hands shook as they held onto the thin material. It took her a little while to regain her composure, but when she’d finally recovered, she peered up at the younger woman. So much pain showed in the depths of her eyes.

Bonnie felt a wave of compassion fill her heart. She placed a hand on Clarice’s shoulder and offered her a sympathetic ear. “What’s troubling you today, Mrs. Finley?”

“My son and his family came by to visit me this morning,” she explained. “While they were cleaning up the attic, they found this old picture.”

She reached into the pocket of her robe and produced a yellowed photograph. Then she pressed it into Bonnie’s hand. The image of a young couple dancing had been captured; immortalized forever. As if to give further clarification, she continued.

“That was me when I was in my early twenties. The handsome fellow with me is Nathan Drexler, a soldier. We met around the time of World War 2. We fell in love and were going to be married. Unfortunately, he was deployed overseas before our wedding day arrived. We kept in touch for a couple of years. But then we lost track of one another.”

Bonnie nodded, understanding finally dawning on her. “I’m sorry to hear that, Mrs. Finley. Did you ever locate him?”

Clarice’s head shook sadly. “No, to this day, I still don’t know whatever became of him. I’ve moved on, married well, had children, but I’ve always wondered what might’ve been. If Nathan and I had never taken different roads, would we be together right now?”

Bonnie knew Clarice’s husband had recently passed away. The elderly lady was still grieving and must feel terribly lonely. Added to that was this sudden reminder of the past; of the love that she had lost so long ago. If only something could be done to make Clarice happy again.

Her mind worked feverishly over what she could do to alleviate the woman’s suffering. She thought of the elderly man who’d moved into the retirement home two days ago. She recalled that he’d lost his wife not long ago and needed a friend.

But what was his name? Something about it seemed familiar. She’d have to check the nurse’s chart to find out.

“Would you please excuse me for just a moment, Mrs. Finley? I’ll be right back,” she muttered, hurrying from the room.

She rushed down the hallway to the nurse’s station, breathless from anticipation. She fetched one of the charts and quickly scanned through the names on the list, until she found the one she’d been looking for.

With a squeal of excitement, she rushed to the new resident's room and knocked. Then pushed the door open to speak to the surprised gentleman.

“Will you go with me?” she asked.

"Of course, I'll come," he agreed.

As soon as they approached the door, Bonnie went in first, with the elderly man in tow. “Mrs. Finley, there’s someone I’d like you to meet,” she announced, practically beaming.

Clarice looked up and a gasp of surprise escaped her lips. “Nathan, is that you?”

He nodded. “Yes, are you Clarice?”

“Yes, I am,” she responded warmly, standing up to open her arms. “Come, we have so much to talk about.”

Nathan scurried over to meet her loving embrace. “And so much catching up to do,” he added.

Bonnie observed their reunion with joy. What a wonderful testament to God's miracles!

***

Text: Melissa Monroe
Publication Date: 05-09-2012

All Rights Reserved

Dedication:
This is dedicated to all of those who have lost love and found it again.