Chapter 19
288 Vouchers
“Alright.”
Mary placed her hand in his palm.
Morning light streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing them in golden light.
The vinyl record spun slowly, filling every corner of the cabin with familiar melodies.
Ralph held her hand; his skin now loose and dotted with age spots, yet its warmth still
comforted her.
“Slow down, my knees won’t cooperate.”
Mary’s fingers tightened on his shoulder as she whispered.
Ralph chuckled, easing his steps: “Mrs. Walker, you used to dance all night in heels.”
“And you didn’t have this old back then.”
Mary poked his side where taut muscles once lay.
They swayed gently to the music, exchanging youthful spins for simple embraces.
Mary rested her cheek against his chest, listening to his heart’s steady rhythm.
Ralph’s chin brushed her silver hair, its faint jasmine scent unchanged for decades.
As the song ended, Ralph kept holding her.
Mary looked up to find his eyes slightly reddened.
“What’s wrong?”
“Remembering our first dance.”
Ralph’s thumb grazed her temple. “You wore that blue dress-its skirt swirled like a flower.”
Mary laughed: “That twenty-dollar dress unraveled by night’s end.”
“But you outshone any eighteen-year-old in designer gowns today.”
0.00%
12:23
Chapter 19
:
288 iVouchers
Mary smiled, knowing better than to compete with youth now.
Outside, Alpine peaks gleamed gold in sunrise.
Ralph led Mary to the porch, draping a cashmere shawl over her shoulders.
“I’ll make breakfast.”
He kissed her forehead before turning.
Mary watched from the rocking chair as her husband moved through the open
kitchen.
His hands trembled lifting the skillet, slower than years past yet insistent on cooking.
Soon, blueberry pancakes and sizzling bacon scented the air.
Mary slipped behind him, circling his waist.
“Hungry?”
Ralph glanced back, eyes brimming with affection.
“Just eager to smell your progress.”
She pressed her face to his back, inhaling deeply. “Much better than your first fried egg.”
Ralph paused. “Charcoal black. You bravely finished it anyway.”
Their laughter mingled in the sunlit kitchen.
At breakfast, Ralph poured Mary Honey Citrus Infusion.
Sunlight cast amber patterns through the glass onto wooden grain.
“Where shall we go this afternoon?”
He slid bite-sized pancakes toward her.
“Let’s walk by the lake. Doctor’s orders for your heart…”
“Doctor’s orders are just suggestions. I wanted to take you to the mountaintop restaurant.’
Mary set her fork down. “The altitude’s too risky. Lakeside stroll, then fireside warmth- deal?”
18.25%
12:23
Chapter 19
Ralph yielded to her worried
gaze. “As you wish.”
288 iVouchers
After breakfast, Mary was washing dishes when she noticed Ralph’s medicine box on the
counter.
She quietly opened it-two heart medication pills were missing. He’d taken a double dose today.
The water in the sink suddenly turned icy cold, making her shiver.
“Mary?”
Ralph called from the living room, “Come see how this photo turned out.”
Mary dried her hands, painted on a smile, and walked over.
Ralph was fiddling with his DSLR camera, its screen displaying snowy mountains captured yesterday.
“Beautiful,”
she leaned against his shoulder, “but not as good as your shots from younger days.”
Ralph pulled up another photo. “The model’s past her prime.”
Young Mary stood at the same spot, raven hair whipping in the wind. “See? This is art.”
Mary pinched his ear. “How dare you call me old?”
Ralph caught her hand, kissing each finger. “I love every line on you.”
That afternoon, they strolled along the lakeside path.
Ralph insisted on carrying the camera and tripod despite Mary’s repeated offers to help.
Wildflowers bloomed on both sides of the path. Mary bent down to pick a bouquet.
“Hold still.”
Ralph suddenly raised his camera. “The sunlight’s hitting your silver hair just right.”
Mary stood motionless, letting him capture the moment.
Wind tousled her stray hairs. She instinctively pressed the bouquet to her chest.
37.09%
12:23
Chapter 19
288 iVouchers
Ralph checked the shot and showed her the screen. “Perfect. Like an oil painting.”
Mary leaned in. The photo showed yellow wildflowers tucked in her silver hair, wrinkles around her eyes filled with laughter.
She snatched the camera. “My turn to take yours.”
Ralph stood lakeside with snow-capped mountains behind him.
Sunlight outlined his silhouette. Through the viewfinder, Mary saw how time had carved the face she loved.
As she pressed the shutter, Ralph suddenly swayed. He grabbed a nearby tree trunk.
“What’s wrong?”
Mary lowered the camera and rushed over.
“Tripped. It’s nothing.”
Ralph waved dismissively, his face pale.
Mary clasped his hand. His palm felt cold and clammy.
She didn’t call him out, just tightened her grip on his arm. “Let’s head back. I’m chilly.”
On the return walk, Ralph’s pace noticeably slowed.
Mary felt his weight gradually lean on her shoulder. She adjusted her stride without a word.
Passing a bench, Ralph finally spoke. “Let’s rest.”
They sat side by side, watching sunlight fracture into countless golden flakes on the lake.
Ralph pulled a pillbox from his pocket and swallowed another white tablet.
“Has it… gotten worse lately?”
Mary asked softly.
“Just getting old.”
He shrugged it off with a faint smile.
Mary rested her head on his shoulder, recalling the doctor’s private warning last month-his
57.60%
12:23
Chapter 19
288 iVouchers
heart was failing.
She closed her eyes, feeling the rise and fall of his chest.
“Mary,” Ralph said suddenly, “if one day-”
“No ifs.
Mary cut him off. “We promised to become centenarians together. Then leave hand in hand.”
“That means thirty more years.”
”
11
Mary sat upright, locking eyes with him. “You promised. Don’t break it.
11
Ralph studied her stubborn expression, seeing again the young woman who’d shared instant noodles with him in their rented flat.
He nodded. “Alright. I won’t break it.”
Back at the cabin, Ralph fell asleep by the fireplace.
Mary quietly draped a blanket over him, gazing at his sleeping face.
His breaths were shallow, forehead slightly furrowed.
She gently smoothed the crease with her fingers before leaning against him to sleep.
Moonlight slipped through the curtains, outlining two elderly figures nestled together.
When Mary woke again, her side lay silent as a needle.
Only her own breathing filled the air.
“Ralph?”
She whispered his name, never to hear an answer.
Her Mr. Walker had broken his promise after all.
She didn’t blame him.
This life, they had been lost, but thankfully held each other’s hands tight.
77.60%
12:24
Chapter 19
0:0
288 ¡Vouchers
Gazing at Ralph’s serene face bearing a faint smile.
Mary gently pressed a kiss.
“Darling, see you in the next life.”
The snow-capped peaks of the Alps stood silent witness to this love spanning nearly half a
century.
No grandchildren gathered around their knees, but with intertwined fingers, they found no regrets in this life-with that alone.
