Eric was in the hospital for 2 days last week
With a broken leg , bruised ribs and a bad attitude
5 minutes into my visit and halfway through a barely coherent rant
He just fell out
Just as well I was nearly deaf from listening to him shout

In that blissful silence before I could get up and leave
I couldn't help but overhear but I still can hardly believe

The old man that had entered just before I had
To visit his wife I came to understand not long before she died
63 years of marriage and a timeless love... I believe they had
Why else would I hear him say. " honey you know how you always get mad ...
Every time I tell you over all these years that you weren't my first love  ?"
I don't know what she said her voice didn't rise above
The hissing and beeping of the mechanicals that kept her from fading too fast
" I've waited a lifetime to tell you -you weren't my first love ...because you were my first ,my only and my last!
And in case anything had ever happened to me
Since that first week we were wed
It's been written the same way I just said
And tucked away in the last few pages of the of my families old Bible
                        •••     ••••  ~~    +++   ~~  ••••    •••

I came back the following day to give Eric a ride
They were gone ,the bed was empty and I guess she died

Eric was a  bit loopy as I wheeled him out toward the front door
Because he looked around and said loudly " did you bring the ****?"
"Hell no! " I said" by the way ..you know the people that shared your room ...?"
Do you mean that crazy old man that kept wandering the hall and in and out of the room that kept saying  " she knew all along
She already found it and...she ..knew all along?'

I was still smiling as we made it to the car ..where Eric asked why?
Never mind I said   you wouldn't understand... then again ....
.... I probably don't either.