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.
