You Had Me At Hello

"Gran... we need to get going," Sarah called out for the third time in a half hour. They were meant to be at The Avery Bridges Nursing Home so her great grandmother, Maggie, could spend time with her great grandfather, Davy, but she was lingering in the kitchen, fussing over old photos, organizing them.

A proud elderly woman, somewhere in her nineties, her face lined with age, sat, slightly hunched over in the warmth of her kitchen, her gentle blue eyes misting over with memories. The old round wooden table, in the center of the kitchen, lay covered with photos that represented her life... memories faded by time but vivid in her mind.

Her aged face softening into a wistful expression, as one withered hand pushed back a strand of white hair, once a vibrant red, a memento of her Irish ancestry, while the other picked up a faded black and white photo of herself and Davy, standing next to one another in front of her parent's house, not long after they'd met, shyly looking at the camera... already in love.

"Gran!" was called out more insistently this time. Sarah's voice broke through the gentle cocoon of nostalgia that had wrapped itself around Maggie. She sighed, placing the photo back onto the table, and lifted her teacup to her lips, taking another sip of the tepid brew. She knew the time had come to say goodbye to the man who had been her everything for over seven decades, but wasn't ready to let go of the comfort of her memories.

Sarah's footsteps grew louder as she approached the kitchen doorway, her impatience clear, but her eyes softened immediately upon seeing the photos littered around her great grandmother. "Oh Gran... " she whispered, stepping closer to the table to look at them herself. Each one told a story of a time when life was simpler, and love was all that mattered. Maggie's hand found hers, and Sarah felt the strength that had held her family together for so long... now tremble with the weight of the shared moment.

Maggie set down her cup, the china clinking against the saucer and picked up a photo to show her great granddaughter. "I couldn't have been more than sixteen here," she began, her Irish lilt still strong after years of being in another country. "Your Great Aunt Lizzie and I had just gone to the pictures. I can't recall what was playing... but Lizzie met your man Micheal that day," her smile grew wistful, "he of course became your great uncle. I recall being jealous, wanting a boy as well." She sat the photo down gently, sighing.

Her eyes searched through the well-preserved, though faded, photos. Her withered hand stopped over a tiny Polaroid, the couple laughing, holding hands, and standing in front of a quaint little house with a white picket fence. It was their first home, a place where love had grown roots and blossomed into a family tree. She picked it up just as Sarah's voice gently urged, "Gran, we really need to get going. We don't know if... "

Maggie's shaking hand smoothed the photo out on the table, her eyes misting up. "That’s the house we bought," she said, her voice a mere whisper of the past. "Your great grandpa was so proud of it. He worked two jobs just so we could save up for it. And when I saw it, I just knew... that’s where we would live, that’s where we would raise our kids… that’s where we would grow old."

Sarah placed her hand reassuring on Maggie's shoulder. "I know, Gran," she said softly. "I remember that house. There was a swing out back, by the big tree."

Maggie nodded, her eyes misty. "Aye. Back then, we had nothing but dreams and each other." She paused, running her thumb gently over the image. "We painted every room ourselves, planted the garden together. And look at that fence," she said with a chuckle, pointing at the picture, "your great grandpa was so proud of it. Took him three times to build it, cause the wind kept knocking it down."

Sarah smiled softly as she rooted around the photos, selecting another. "And this one?"

"Aye, that’s when we first moved from Ireland," Maggie said, her voice a bit wistful. "We were both so young and full of hope. Your great grandpa had worked at the docks, and I was working in Mr. Dunn's Bakery back home. We saved every penny we earned for a full year to get on that boat."

Her eyes lit up with recollections of a bygone era as she spoke, her voice filled with the warmth of a remembered love and the excitement of new beginnings. "When we stepped off that boat and into the harbour, it was like nothing we'd ever seen. So many people, so many buildings. And the smell of the ocean..." She took a deep breath, as if she could still catch the scent of saltwater and fish that had once been so foreign to her. "Everything so new and frightening. But we were grand... had each other, and that was all that mattered."

"And then you had Mom... and Aunt Clare," Sarah said, her voice filled with admiration. She couldn't imagine the courage it took to leave everything behind and start over in a new country.

Maggie's eyes crinkled at the edges. "Aye, that we did, darling. We added children to our new house… made it a happy home. It was hard work, every bit of it... but we put our love for each other into every piece." She picked up her cup and took a sip, her hand trembling slightly.

Sarah hated hearing the sadness in her great grandmother's voice, but she knew these moments were important, but also knew they needed to get to the Home... before... She took a deep breath and stepped closer, placing a hand on her great grandmother’s shoulder. "You guys had a wonderful life together Gran, and that took courage. You moved to an entirely new country, had two children… " she said, trying to sound comforting. She saw a tear slide down Maggie's cheek and looked around the scattered memories, swallowing hard.

She couldn't imagine what her great grandmother was feeling right then, about to lose someone she'd spent so many years with... so many memories with. Of course the woman was stalling. Sarah pointed to a photo of a baby, wrapped up in an old-fashioned carriage, some kind of fair in the background. "So... who's this?"

"That's your mother," Maggie said, her voice thick with emotion. "Your great grandpa didn't eat lunch for nearly four months to save enough to buy that carriage. He surprised me with it just after Evie was born. She was the most beautiful baby girl. And look at us," she laughed, pointing at the two of them standing proudly beside the carriage. "We had no idea what we were getting into, but we did it. We had our ups and downs, sure... but we had each other."

The weathered hands reached for the furthest photo, one of a couple dressed in formal clothing, standing in front of a church. "And this is our wedding day," Maggie whispered, her voice filled with love and nostalgia. "Your great grandpa looked so handsome in his military uniform. I knew he was the one for me... the very first time I saw him."

"You were beautiful Gran," Sarah said, her voice gentle as she looked at the young couple in the photo. "What was it like, when you knew?"

"We met at a train station." Maggie began, her eyes glazing over with images of the memory. "He was getting on the same train as me, heading back to our village. I was carrying a bouquet of flowers for my mother, and I accidentally dropped them. Before I could even bend down, he was there, scooping them up," her eyes far away, "he looked right into my eyes and said 'hello, I'm Davy', and I couldn't look away from those blue eyes of his. I knew right then. We talked that whole night, and he walked me all the way to my parents' door. 'You had me at hello,' I told him. It was a complete chance encounter... but it felt like fate," her eyes held a distant sparkle, a reminder of the fire that had once burned so brightly in her youth.

Sarah could only hope for something as powerful and enduring as the love her great grandparents had shared. Glancing at the clock, she squeezed her great grandmother's hand. "Gran... we really need to go see great grandpa."

Maggie took another dainty sip of tea, then nodded slowly, her fingers touching the photos gently but made no move to get up. She was lost in her memories... and stalling. She picked up a faded photo of a baby wrapped up in the arms of a beaming couple, staring at it silently before turning it face down. "Some memories have faded... "

The nursing home visits were never easy... and today's visit, felt heavier than usual. "Come on, Gran," she urged gently, "We don't want to keep great grandpa waiting."

 Maggie let out a long sigh, her shoulders dropping slightly. She knew the inevitable was upon them, but she clung to the moments she had left... soon there would only be memories. "Aye," she murmured, picking her cup up again. "When we've finished our tea," her eyes lingering over the photos of memories she shared with a man she loved for over half a century, not quite able to let go of the nostalgia the photos provided.

Sarah didn't hurry her any longer, despite the urgency. They finished their tea in quiet companionship, the only sounds were the ticking of the old clock on the wall and the distant chirping of birds outside the kitchen window.

When they finally stood to leave, Maggie took one last, lingering look at the photos, a silent farewell to moments frozen in time. She allowed her great granddaughter to lead her out of her comfortable, warm home... a home she shared for many wonderful years with a man she treasured, and toward a place she dreaded more with each visit.

The drive over to the nursing home was filled with a gentle silence that seemed to thicken with each passing kilometer. Maggie's hand tightened around the handle of her purse, as if she could hold onto the past just by the strength of her trembling hand. Even after arriving at the large grey, imposing building, she found it physically difficult to get out of the car, her legs feeling heavier than ever before, requiring additional help from Sarah.

The younger woman held her great grandmother's hand tightly as they slowly made their way through the sterile hallways, passing rooms filled with residents who had once led vibrant lives, now reduced to watching the world go by from the confines of their beds. The smell of antiseptic and a faint hint of sadness seemed to cling to the walls, making it colder than it actually was.

As they approached room 222, the door was slightly ajar, allowing the faint sound of a heart monitor to pulse through the quiet hallway. The nurse, a young, and sweet woman named Emily, spotted them from the nurse's station and hurried over to them. Her face had a gentle, knowing look, one she reserved for moments like these.

"Missus Sullivan," Emily said softly, her eyes filled with understanding. "He woke up a few minutes ago and has been asking for you."

Maggie's grip on Sarah's hand tightened, and she took a deep, shaky breath before nodding. "Thank you, dear," she whispered, her Irish accent strong. They stepped into the dimly lit room, the slight scent of sweat and stale air filtered around them. Maggie suddenly halted at the foot of her husband's bed, her eyes locking onto the frail figure, propped up under a mountain of blankets.

Davy's pale, watery blue eyes shone, his smile growing wider, as Maggie stepped closer. He was a mere shadow of the man in the photos, but the love in his gaze was as potent as ever. "My darling girl," he rasped, his voice a mere whisper of what it used to be, but the familiar phrase made Maggie's heart skip a beat... just as it always had.

Maggie's own smile grew as she set her bag down, and took his hand in hers, the contrast of his papery skin against her still-strong grip, stark. "Hello, my quail," she said, her voice quivering, just a little. Though just over five feet, she seemed to stand taller, captivated by the sight of her husband. She pressed a kiss to the top of his hand, feeling his pulse beneath her lips.

Sarah stood back, still astounded by the depth of their love. She watched as her great grandparent’s held hands, their eyes speaking a silent language only they understood. The air in the room was thick with love and sorrow, a bittersweet cocktail that made her heart ache.

Maggie fussed, her hands smoothing over the blankets, tucking him in, ensuring he was comfortable, while Davy's pale eyes followed her every move. His breaths were shallow… ragged, his chest rising and falling in a slow, rhythmic pattern that seemed to echo the ticking of the clock on the wall.

Maggie perched on the chair beside the bed, leaning in so she could whisper into Davy's ear. The words she spoke were a secret only they shared, tender moments that made Sarah's own heart feel like it might shatter into a million pieces. She knew it was a goodbye of some kind, but she couldn't bring herself to interrupt. Instead, she stepped back into the doorway, giving them the space they needed for their time together.

Emily came in, her shoes squeaking gently on the linoleum floor, interrupting the sacred silence. She offered Maggie a soft smile, acknowledging the gravity of the situation without intruding. She efficiently went about her duties, then made eye contact with Maggie again, tilting her head in a way that made it clear… it wouldn't be long. Her eyes were apologetic, as she patted Maggie's hand tenderly then heading to the door, laying a gentle hand on Sarah's arm as well, before disappearing down the hall.

Maggie leaned in closer to her husband, her eyes never leaving his. "You had me at hello, my love," she whispered, echoing words they had told each other thousands of times already. A single tear fell from her eye, and landed on his paper-thin hand, which she squeezed gently.

His blue eyes searched hers, a silent conversation of love and regret, of moments cherished and moments lost. They grew dimmer and his breathing slowed... he tried to speak, but all that came out was a faint sigh that seemed to carry with it the weight of their entire lives. The room grew still around them, the air thick with unspoken words.

He squeezed her hand, his eyes fluttering lightly... and when his hand fell limp in hers, Maggie felt a tremor run through her body... as if his life was seeping into her, a final gift before letting go.

She leaned in and pressed a final kiss to his cheek, whispering it once more, softly, so only the two of them could hear. "You had me at hello."