I went back to the old street where “Old
Harbor” used to be. The area had changed.
New shops had sprung up. I wandered around,
unable to bring myself to walk down that
specific street. I was afraid the memories would
drown me.
I took some pictures, posting them on
Instagram: “The first time I met you here, I was
sixteen. I’ll never forget it.”
Mark commented: “How did you know I lived
around here in high school?”
“Coincidence,” I replied, then blocked him. I’d
met Mark after college. I never knew anything
about his past, and I didn’t care. Tomorrow was
<
his wedding to Ashley. And he was commenting
on my Instagram posts? Really?
- 21.
Every corner, every turn leading to “Old Harbor”
triggered a memory. Even the dull gray
streetlight held fragments of our past. I’d hired
someone to regularly clean and maintain the
shop, keeping it exactly as it was.
After Jake died, I’d spent nights on our couch,
crying myself to sleep, hoping to wake up from
the nightmare, hoping he’d hold me again. Now,
I stood at the corner, unable to move.
“Sarah!”
Mark stood behind me, breathless. “I finally
found you.”
I frowned. “What are you doing here?”
L
“I saw your post. I didn’t know…you’d been…
watching me since high school.”
“What?”
“During the vows…I realized…I love you, Sarah.
Come back. Marry me. I’ll prove it to you, I
swear.”
I laughed. “Watching you? You’re delusional.”
“I used to live near here. Your post…you said you first met me here…”
“No, Mark. I never loved you. I was with you because…”
Footsteps approached. Ashley, her veil askew, ran towards us barefoot, looking frantic. “Mark! I divorced Jason for you! Why are you here with her?”
“Jason told me last night how you bragged to
<
“Jason told me last night how you bragged to
your friends about dumping me because I was
poor, how I was still obsessed with you. I
thought you had… reasons…
وو
“That’s not true! You can’t believe anything he
says!”
“He showed me a video, Ashley. It was you.”
The color drained from Ashley’s face. I watched
the drama unfold, arms crossed.
Mark turned to me. “Sarah, please. Forgive me.
Give me another chance.”
- 22.
“Give me your phone, Mark,” I said.
He handed it over. “Look, I deleted that Quora
answer.”
<
“Doesn’t matter. Just read the top–rated
answer to that question. It’s mine.”
“The top–rated one?”
He scrolled through the answers, his eyes
widening.
“You’re saying…I’m…the guy who got your
dead boyfriend’s corneas? You were with me…
to fulfill his wishes? That’s not possible! I was
in a car accident, but I never had a cornea
transplant! You’re lying!”
“No. I just…found out recently that I had the
wrong guy.”
“No! You were so kind to me…” He reached for
- me. I stepped back.
- 23.
I shook my head turning away and walking
I shook my head, turning away and walking
down the street. I unlocked the door to “Old
Harbor” and stepped inside. Dust motes danced
in the light. Faded photos lined the walls
—
photos of Jake and me. Silly snapshots at
home, vacation pictures. He’d claimed to hate
photos, but he’d always posed with me, his arm
around my shoulders. He’d put our photos on
display, for everyone to see. His hand, always
on my shoulder. His eyes, always soft and
focused on me.
“She was hanging around with this tattoo artist
all through high school!” Ashley yelled from
behind me. “She never loved you! You’ve been
played, Mark! Come back, marry me. You know
you still love me…”
“”
Mark stared at the photos, his face contorted
with rage. “So it was…another man, all along…”
