This is a place that used to actually be somewhere. People would come here from their farms and villages and think wow, so this is the big city!

You always loved talking about the past. I said you were a romantic and you agreed; I knew you loved the idea of a bygone era more than the reality of a less convenient time.

So why are you retracing our steps?

I’ve got to get to the hospital – I’m bleeding. I held up the bloody rag covering my forearm.

I’ll walk with you.

There were hundreds of dreams where I thought up things I wanted to say to you, to let you know. None of it is coming to me now, isn’t that strange!

I looked over and saw you smiling gently. Your knee-length skirt was blowing around in the gentle morning breeze. You turned to look at me and said,

Wouldn’t it be nice to be here when this was all new. Fresh families settling down for a lifetime. Who does that these days?

This is when I felt your hot little hand grab onto mine.