***
Three weeks after that morning, the ambulance came for Gloria. I rode with her, her bag next to me, because there was no one else to call.
Her color wasn’t right.
***
One afternoon during her hospital stay, she patted the mattress beside her. She looked smaller under the thin blanket, but her eyes were as sharp as ever.
“Sit, Daniel. I have something to ask you.”
I sat. Her hand found mine, warm and steady despite everything.
“I have one final wish,” she said quietly, looking me in the eye. “I know this sounds strange, but I don’t have much time left. I’ve spent so many years alone, and I don’t want to leave this world knowing I never had someone to call my husband. Will you marry me?”
“I have something to ask you.”
I stared at her, and she smiled sadly.
The heart monitor kept beeping. It was the only sound between us for what felt like a full minute.
