This is a novella that has dual first person points of view. Each chapter will be a different character's point of view. Chapters will be marked accordingly.

So far, Jameson Petry's wife has left him. As he tries to figure out why, he meets Iris, a seventy something woman who guides him with wisdom. But as much as Jameson needs her guidance, Iris needs him to help her face this difficult time in her life.

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IRIS

Jamison calls my phone, then instructs me to save his number in my contacts. He nurses his coffee, forcing feeble smiles while my earlier statement whirls around in his head. I could have kept silent, should have kept silent. I have pulled this sweet young man into this pit that is consuming me.

I can tell he's upset. His normally sparkling eyes are dark. He wears his heart on his sleeve and I just ripped it off. First his wife leaves him, tearing their family apart. Then she plays games with him. He has so much on his mind and I go and set my problems squarely on his shoulders.

Jameson takes the trash to the waste receptacles then comes back to the table. "Ready?" He holds his arm out to help steady me as I stand.

"Thank you."

We walk to where my car is parked and he opens my car door for me. "Now that you have my number, Iris, call me if you need anything."

"I'll keep it for emergencies, like if I can't get the top off of the olive jar or something catastrophic like that."

He looks at his feet but smiles politely at my terrible attempt at
a joke. "I'm serious, I want you to call me when you need me. Even if it is just to pry the lid from a jar."

Impulsively, I hug him. "Hopefully, I won't need to use it. Thank you. You've taken a load off of my mind."

He squeezes me gently before pulling away. "Coffee on Friday?"

"That sounds perfect."

He waits until I start my car before he turns and heads home. I fumble for my inhaler. I am winded over the simplest tasks now. I think about the vial of fluid pills that I purposely ignored this morning. I didn't want to be hunting for a ladies room every fifteen minutes. Now my ankles ache from the fluid that's collecting in them. What a life.

*********************************

After my shower, I flip through the channels. There is nothing worth watching. No game shows, no old movies, just rubbish on the television. Lou used to call it the "boob tube". I thought he was just being silly. It appears he was right all along. I turn it off and put the remote on the coffee table.

Even though I'm tired, I'm not sleepy. I know if I go up to bed now, I'll toss and turn for several hours. The photo albums on the bookcase catch my eye. I bring one back over to the couch and open it across my lap. The photographs of my parents are blurred. Each page I turn takes me one step at a time through my life. Sienna memories of my parents as children turn to black and white of my own youth. The yellowed Polaroid of Lou and me at a baseball game when we were newlyweds. God, I was so young and Lou with those beautiful blue eyes and that lush dark hair.

Life was a technicolor dream back then. We had no money and still smiled all the time. Us against the world. We were certain we would never become our parents and never get old.

I turn another page to Daniel's baby picture. My finger traces the sweet curve of his cheek. I move through the pages of his youth, documented with photos. Then there are no more pictures. Just one of Lou and I at my nephews wedding. We're still smiling but there is something different about our smiles. Maybe by that point we realized we aren't invincible. The world moves on and all we can do is hang on.

I close the album, thankful that I have these moments captured. We should have taken more pictures. Seems everyone takes pictures now. Jameson had shown me the pictures of him and his son. A few were of the little boy digging in the sand but the others were just silly pictures.

We should have taken more pictures. Not waited for special occasions, but instead, made any excuse.

I file the photo album back on the shelf and look at the clock. Maybe one day I'll share some of those pictures with Jameson, if he's interested.

Lou would have liked Jameson. I'm certain of that. I know I've only known him for a few weeks but he's like family to me now.

I make the slow climb to my bedroom for the night. Maybe tonight I'll dream about them, Lou and Daniel. That would be nice.