This story happened about this time a year ago. It would only be possible to write it after the fact as l could have never predicted it or even thought of doing such. Seduction is my husband's area, and he is the master at it. We never know where life will take us and how kindness can multiply into something remarkable.
Word got to me about a friend of mine, about my age, getting a divorce; bad enough in general, but Cindy and Bob never had kids, so he was all she had. With no control over the situation, l still wanted to reach out and do what l could. The fact Cindy wasn't even in, say the top tier of friends didn't matter. Putting myself in her place was all I needed to want to help.
We hadn't talked in years, so our first call took hours, and in the end, she agreed to take me up on my offer of her coming to town for a visit. She was an only child with both parents gone, so now, without her husband too, Christmas couldn't come at a worse time.
It all came on short notice, so my husband would miss most of her visit being, but that would give me more time to focus on Cindy, and just maybe she would be more comfortable with it being just the two women; men might be a nasty word to her in the foreseeable future.
l hardly recognized her as l waited in the terminal to bring her home; the last six years had taken their toll, and l would guess the last six months were at most fault. But that had no bearing on how l felt or the means l was after; besides, l own a mirror, too.
We stopped for a bite on the way home, as she hadn't eaten since before she left for the airport, and besides, it saved me from having to cook, giving us more free time to catch up. We talked for hours, and at the end, l felt l had a better understanding of the moving parts, and l wanted to help her more than ever.