At 77 years old, I sold all my belongings to buy a ticket and see the love of my life, but something unexpected happened on the plane 

I sold everything I had. The old car, the chair, the records. Even the watch — the very one I got when I retired. All for one ticket. One way.

I found my ex-girlfriend, whom we broke up with when we were young and foolish, and I hadn’t seen her for almost 50 years. But I always loved only her and always thought about her. I thought she had forgotten me. It turned out she hadn’t, even though she married someone else and had a son.

Now I had the address of my beloved woman. Her son replied to my letter — he said she remembers everything.

The plane took off, I held the photo close to my chest. We are laughing in it, still young, by the riverbank. I’m holding her hand. The photo is old, faded, but I knew every curve of her smile by heart. After our last meeting, I never saw her again and didn’t even know what she looked like now.

At altitude, when the plane entered the clouds, my phone vibrated. I didn’t rush to look. My heart was already beating too hard. But I opened it. And then my world collapsed, now I don’t know how to live on. Continued in the first comment

“Sorry… mom died last night. She was waiting. Waiting very much for you.”

I didn’t feel pain. Just… emptiness. As if everything inside me suddenly went silent. The world darkened. I don’t remember how my head fell back. I only heard screams, footsteps, someone talking, someone holding my hand.

I woke up — later. On the ground. Strange faces around me. Someone gave me water. Someone asked how I was. I nodded. I had nothing to say. Only one thing:

— “I’ll get there anyway. I promised.”

And I got there. Bought a bouquet — simple, wildflowers. Went to the cemetery. Found the stone with her name. Sat next to it. Laid down the photo. And the ticket.

— “Sorry. I’m late.”

Then I just sat. Listened to the wind. And the silence. She is here. I knew it.

That’s how it is — we always think we still have time, that we can still hug, kiss, and without realizing it, we part for silly reasons, and then it’s often too late. I never got to see my beloved, though I waited almost my entire life for our meeting.