(The picture is of a modern train, red in color, leaving a large metropolitan train station. The station is all grey metal and glass and we can see a bit of the tall buildings beyond it on the left side of the photo. Rails fill the fore and mid-ground -- going into and out of the station and all which-way. Tall electrical towers stand every ten to twenty feet among the rails.)

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

On the Right Track

Charles paused catch his breath, giving an apologetic look to the foreign faces passing him by on their way to meet the trains. It was probably obvious that he was not from around here. At least not for the last seventy-one years anyway. He looked up as he heard a train pull away from the station. This place looked nothing like the war-torn destruction he had walked away from. Despite the heartache that followed, I guess he should just be thankful that he walked away from that war at all.

As another train passed by, he pulled his glance away from the new-to-him architecture to a familiar one. The place they were to meet. Unlike the unfamiliar construction of the station, the massive cathedral before him looked unchanged. He took a deep breath and walked towards the rest of his life. He didn’t know if he had a day or years left before him, but he knew he would spend them all with Addie. After all the time he had spent looking for her, he would never leave her side again.

He walked into the shadow of the towering church looking for the white umbrella they had agreed upon as a signal, both knowing that the looks of their youth were not the best choice to rely on. He scanned the crowd. There she was.

Their eyes met and he was eighteen again looking at the woman he loved. He walked to his love thankful it was never too late.

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Shannon Leach is a slice-of-life encouragement writer and the owner of A Repurposed Heart and ARH Inspirations. Her authentic stories and books about leadership, life, and loving people focus on encouraging others and reminding them they are not alone. Her work can also be found in Guideposts and multiple Chicken Soup for the Soul books. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Work and is the co-founder of the nonprofit The Fostered Gift.

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