Carlos was in love with Maria. He had been since he was fourteen years old though he had never found himself able to ask her out. When he had seen that Maria’s husband had passed away he attended the funeral as a mark of respect to Maria. He had also left a Mass card with his address included in the small basket provided in the church on the day of the funeral. Though he didn’t like to admit it. He had hoped that Maria would contact him even though he knew that it was a little inappropriate to be leaving his address in a Mass card. When his intentions might not have been exactly innocent.
It took six weeks but eventually Carlos did receive a letter from Maria. Her hand writing had improved greatly over the last sixty years but she still signed her name using her maiden name. This impressed Carlos as it showed him that Maria was still as independent as he had remembered her to be. When they were in school and he had asked Maria to sign his copy book using his surname. Maria had refused telling Carlos that she already had a name she wanted to keep.
Maria also included her address in her letter. Immediately Carlos set about replying. She had asked had he ever married (he hadn’t). She asked had he any children (he didn’t) and she apologized for not attending his mother’s funeral ten years previously. The question that got Carlos excited the most was the fact that Maria wanted to meet up with him. She had suggested they meet in town and if it was okay with him they could do so whenever Carlos was ready.
Though Carlos was excited about the prospect of meeting Maria and talking to her again for the first time in forty years. He knew that he had to be careful. He couldn’t tell her that he had never forgot about her. He couldn’t tell her that though he had the opportunity to marry when he was twenty five he decided against it because he knew that he still loved Maria.
Carlos had to play things smoothly. He had to act as normal as possible. He knew that he would only scare Maria off if he revealed to her just how much she meant to him. She had a family after all. Her husband might have passed away but she had children and grandchildren. He couldn’t just jump back into her life as if they were young teenagers again. No matter how much he wanted to.
He looked at the calendar on the wall and picked a date that he thought might suit Maria – 4th April. He doubted that Maria would recall the significance of the date but Carlos had never forgotten it. It was the day that Maria moved houses and Carlos never saw her again until he went to Maria’s husband’s funeral. Even at the funeral he stayed at the back of the church out of sight from Maria fearful that Maria might see him and not recognize him. Not to have been acknowledged or recognized by Maria would have been crushing for Carlos.
He wanted to tell Maria so much about what he had done with his life and he was inquisitive as to how life had treated her. He sealed the letter and placed it on the table. He could post it later or tomorrow. It didn’t really matter to Carlos. He could wait a little longer before he finally admitted to Maria how much he loved her despite the passing of time.
