"The word love was not in his vocabulary. Hugs made him tense. He was critical of his children, but bragged about us to others. Near the end, I sat in his hospital room, working while he slept. I looked up to find him gazing at me, misty-eyed. I really like you, he said, struggling to speak and breathe. I laughed, then cried, realizing I would never hear the words I had been waiting for. Only much later did I understand that I had."
"Beyond practicalities, you have to let your gut lead. My husband harnesses our dog. Our cat is asleep. Let him be, my husband whispers. We sit, waiting. Wiggling dog on one side. Purring cat on the other. Leash and carrying case ready to gather what is most valuable."
"I wish I could go back and have our conversation all over again. I'd whisper to him that I was going to be his and his alone. Tell him that in just four days we'd be crazy in love. That in two months, we'd be engaged. That in eight, we'd be married, till death do us part."
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