February 14.
I grabbed my keys. “Grandma, come with me. I need to run an errand.”
She barely looked up from her knitting. “What kind of errand?”
“It’ll be quick.”
With a sigh, she put her knitting down. “Fine, fine.”
We got in the car, and I started driving. The first few minutes were silent. Then she glanced out the window, frowning.
“Natalie,” she said slowly. “Where exactly are we going?”
I tightened my grip on the wheel. “The train station.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Which train station?”
I swallowed. “New York.”
Her head snapped toward me. “WHAT?!”
“You need to see Todd,” I said.
Her face turned red. “Turn. This. Car. Around.”
“No.”
She folded her arms. “Then I’m not speaking to you.”
She turned her face to the window, silent for the rest of the drive.
But she didn’t ask me to turn back again.
The train station was packed.
I scanned the crowd, my heart pounding.
Nothing.
No old man waiting. No grand romantic reunion.
My grandmother let out a shaky breath. “He’s not coming,” she said. “I knew this was a mistake.”
I didn’t want to believe it, but doubt started creeping in.
Then, a young man approached us. Nervous. Hesitant.
“Are you Mary?” he asked.
My grandmother stiffened. “Yes. Who are you?”
“I’m Justin,” he said. “Todd’s grandson.”
My stomach dropped.
“I sent you the letter,” Justin admitted.
My eyes widened. “Wait—Todd doesn’t even know we’re here?”
Justin shook his head. “No. But he’s spent his whole life regretting losing you. I couldn’t let him die with that regret.”
My grandmother scoffed. “If Todd wanted to see me, he would’ve written the letter himself.”
I crossed my arms. “Well, you didn’t go to Paris fifty years ago. And you didn’t want to come here today. So… do you want to see him or not?”
She didn’t answer.
Justin’s voice softened. “Please. Let my grandfather have this moment.”
I took a deep breath. “We’ll go,” I said. “Someone should get to be in love on Valentine’s Day.”
When we arrived at Todd’s building, Justin knocked on the door.
“Grandpa, it’s me!” he called out.
A voice answered. “Coming!”
Justin turned to me. “You convinced Mary to come, didn’t you?”
“Yeah,” I said.
He grinned. “We make a good team. Maybe we should celebrate over dinner?”
I raised an eyebrow. “We’ll see.”
Then, the door opened.
A gray-haired man stepped out. His face changed the second he saw her.
“Mary…” he whispered.
She inhaled sharply.
“You remember me,” she said softly.
His eyes filled with emotion. “How could I ever forget?”
They stared at each other.
Then Todd stepped forward and pulled her into his arms.
My grandmother let out a small sob, clinging to him.
Justin and I exchanged a look.
“We did good,” he whispered.
I smiled. “Yeah. We did.”
