The Lies they Knew

"I was wrong about you."

"What?"

"I had it all built up in my head--I saw white horses and big bubble letters made of clouds, spelled out 'Love'." She looked down at her shoes, then her tiny limp hands.

"Or maybe you were wrong about love," he said.

"Yes. We all were," her eyes briefly touched his face then fixated on his stained shirt. "And you too. I thought you were going to take me away."

"From this?!" He said. "Only death can do that."

"I know, and that's why I hadn't known love," she said, her hands finding new strength to grab the brown leather luggage she hadn't lifted before, "but now I do."

As tears dropped to the kitchen marble top, dried-up ink gone wet again on fresh white cards: 'Save the Date.'