When We Were 19, My Best Friend and I Promised That If We Were Both Single at 60, We’d Find Each Other *I Turned 60 Last Tuesday, and My 0ld Landline Rang***

« He’s been trying to stay awake for you. »

That almost made me turn around.

Peter had Jeffrey’s eyes.

I was 60 years old. I’d spent most of my life learning how to live without Jeffrey.

Then, 40 minutes earlier, my childhood landline had rung. Now I was about to see him again.

I pushed open the door. Jeffrey lay in the hospital bed. He was thinner than the boy I remembered. His hair had gone white. His face had changed.

But he was still Jeffrey.

He was thinner.

His eyes found mine.

« Ruthie. »