Saint James Infirmary

Superficially, the last evening we were together had started out well but I sensed something of a distance separating us. I wanted to discuss it but she gently shushed me every time the subject came near to being spoken aloud. The subtext of finality grew more obvious as the evening wore on. It was as though she was creating memories of us that she didn't expect to experience again.

When we parted that night, I asked her whether she was leaving me. She paused in the doorway, limned by the light coming in from the street, but didn't turn. She stood there tensely for a long moment, not moving, not speaking. When her shoulders relaxed, I knew she had come to a decision. I hoped she would face me. Instead, she stepped through the doorway and quietly closed the door behind her.

Until this moment, I never saw her again.

How had it come to this? I thought, sadly.

"Yes, that's her," I said.

The medical examiner gently drew the sheet back over her beautiful, pale, still face.