THE DAY I MET EVELYN AT MORNING SIDE. MAY SHE NOW REST IN PEACE

I met Evelyn Montgomery one night over dinner at Morning Side, the senior living center which was our home during the last fading years of her life.

I could tell she was depressed and grieving over the death of her husband who she loved and missed dearly. My wife had recently died so I knew what grief and loneliness were all about.

As a dedicated Scrabble fan I suggested that word game might help distract her from past painful memories. She laughed but was willing to give it a try if I would teach her how the game was played.

Believe it or not, our nightly Scrabble games, our frank conversations over tea and snacks at the evening’s end, the sharing of past memories slowly developed into a loving plutonic relationship.

It was the closeness of Scrabble, the conversation and tea and occasional laughs together that helped her deal with her sorrows.

Evelyn admitted to me once that our close friendship had helped her survive those troubled times.

Our friendship and. yes, our love affair, continued to the end. I want to share a dream I had the night before Evelyn died. I was falling, plunging through space. Evelyn’s hand reached out to me. I heard her say goodbye. I awoke, wondering what the dream meant. Now I know. Rest in peace, dear Evelyn.