A woman rejects the invitation of her ex-lover to meet with him 53 years after their breakup, but when she comes across some of his old letters, she reconsiders her decision and visits him, only to find his house destroyed.
Bessie Walsh, 76 years old, had always been a joyful and vibrant woman, but after losing her soulmate Edward to cancer three years ago, she became a desolate and downhearted soul.
Bessie and Edward had been happily married for 45 years, had two lovely daughters, and a beautiful house in a wonderful neighborhood. But when Edward left her to go to his heavenly abode, the cheerful woman was left heartbroken and alone.
Bessie’s daughters, Stephanie and Cassandra, got married and settled abroad, so the only company she had in her later years were the photo albums of her daughters and memories of when they were young. Every afternoon, she would search through her attic to find all the old albums and sit for hours looking through them.
One evening, while looking for one of her family albums, she found a stack of envelopes buried in a corner beneath an old box. She dusted them off to see them better when one of the envelopes fell to the ground, revealing a letter.
She took everything to the living room and put on her glasses to read them, but as soon as she opened the first letter, her heart started to race.
“I’m Troy. I’m so sorry, Bess. Look, I understand you’re angry with me, but please give me a chance to explain. What you saw wasn’t true, believe me. I’ve only loved you, and I will never look at anyone the same way. Meet me today at the Red Rose Café at 5:00 PM. I’ll explain everything. I promise.”
No one could have predicted that the joyful and always smiling Bessie would have a sad side, but she did…
When she was 23, she was madly in love with Troy Evans, a young and attractive man. They had met at university and fallen in love, and Troy had even proposed to her. Bessie had said yes without hesitation, and they had already planned their wedding. But one night, something happened that changed everything…
Bessie was with her friends at a restaurant when she spotted Troy. At first, she thought she had mistaken the man for Troy, but she knew it was him when she looked again. She was about to approach him and give him a hug from behind when a beautiful brunette ran toward him and kissed him on the cheek. Then they held hands and walked together to a table.
Bessie was, to say the least, shocked. “Really, Troy? You’re cheating on me!” She left the restaurant sobbing that day, swearing never to see him again. However, she left him a farewell letter telling him she was going back to her hometown and that everything between them was over.
Troy wrote her numerous letters after receiving her last letter, begging her to give him a chance to explain, but she never bothered to read any of them. Later, she married Edward after falling in love with him. She had even forgotten she still had Troy’s letters until one day, a mailman showed up at her door. “You have a letter, ma’am. Very elegant! Nobody does that nowadays!”
Bessie wondered who could be sending her a letter, as her parents had passed away long ago and her husband was an orphan with no living relatives. She opened the letter out of curiosity, only to discover it was written by Troy.
“It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? It took me a while to find you, but I did. I haven’t come to see you because I don’t want to cause problems in your marriage. But I just want to see you once, Bess. You haven’t responded to any of my letters in all these years, but please, give me a chance to explain. I live in Chicago, and you’ll find my address inside the envelope. Please, Bess, meet me once. I hope this time you won’t reject my request.”
It happened about a year after Edward’s death, and Bessie was still grieving, so she threw that letter and the others he had sent later into the attic, never thinking of reading them. However, upon rereading one of his letters that night, she felt something—perhaps the longing to be with someone or to be loved—and moved on to the next one.
“This is the last letter I’ll write to you. I’ve written to you many times and longed to see you, but I guess it won’t be possible. So, I’m writing this letter to explain why I told you I wasn’t cheating on you.
One of my friends had asked me to pretend to be her boyfriend that day so the boys who were bothering her wouldn’t harass her. Bess, it was all a lie. I wanted to tell you before, but at that moment, you were at your grandparents’ house, and when you came back, everything had fallen apart.
I’ve only loved you with all my heart, and I’ve never thought of anyone else. I’m still single, and I hope you’ll forgive me and come back to me. But if not, then I guess this is goodbye.”
Bessie’s eyes welled up as she finished reading. Troy had never been unfaithful to her. In reality, he had wanted to tell her everything, but she had been too angry to think rationally. She couldn’t help but feel bad for the man who had loved her sincerely all his life. She frantically searched through the letters to find the envelope with his address and decided to pay him a visit.
Illustrative image. | Source: Pexels
However, when she arrived, all she found was an old, deteriorated house with a broken roof and worn-out paint. She began asking the neighbors about him, but no one knew anything. Feeling dejected, she was almost ready to leave the neighborhood when her gaze fell on a frail 95-year-old woman.
The woman had been watching her closely since she arrived. Bessie felt that she knew something and wanted to tell her, so she decided to approach her. “Excuse me, do you know anything about Troy Evans?” she asked kindly.
The elderly woman didn’t say a word and handed her a note. “Go to this address; he’ll be there. He left here two years ago and never came back,” it said. Bessie realized that the woman was mute, which is why she didn’t say anything.
“Thank you!” Bessie responded to the woman before heading to the address. An hour later, her search for Troy led her to the Oliver Nursing Home, where she quickly located him. He was sitting motionless in a wheelchair in the outdoor courtyard, almost like a statue. His eyes, once vibrant and bright, had a strange dead expression, and his face was covered in wrinkles.
Bessie’s eyes welled up as she approached him. “Hello, Troy. How are you? It’s me, Bessie.”
The man slowly turned his wheelchair to look at her, but didn’t say a word.
Bessie smiled at him, tearfully, and took his hand. “I’m finally here, Troy. I’m sorry I ignored you all these years. Please forgive me,” she whispered softly.
Suddenly, a voice interrupted her. “It’s no use trying, ma’am. I’m afraid he won’t recognize you.”
Illustrative image. | Source: Shutterstock
Bessie turned around and saw a woman in her fifties standing there. She was Debbie, Troy’s caregiver at the home. She informed Bessie that Troy had suffered memory loss due to a stroke and was unable to speak.
Bessie’s heart sank upon hearing this. Now that she had finally found Troy after all these years, he was in such a state that he didn’t even recognize her! But she decided she wouldn’t give up so easily.
She started visiting him frequently, telling him stories—how they had met, and she even showed him the letters—hoping he would remember something. At first, it didn’t help much, but one day, when she visited him, he cried terribly after reading one of the letters. He couldn’t stop sobbing, and it was the first time he finally recognized Bessie and called her by name! Even the nurses were stunned. It was truly a miracle!
Bessie took Troy home that day, and now they live happily together. She is grateful for deciding to go through those letters that night.
What can we learn from this story?
• Don’t jump to conclusions. Bessie thought Troy had cheated on her without giving him the chance to explain.
• What’s meant to be, will be. Troy and Bessie were destined to be together, and that’s what ultimately happened.
