Hang in there and read this one, Jill <3 : : The Wallet : : As I walked home one freezing day, I stumbled on a wallet : someone had lost in the street. I picked it up and looked : inside to find some identification so I could call the owner. : But the wallet contained only three dollars and a crumpled : letter that looked as if it had been in there for years. : : The envelope was worn and the only thing that was legible on it : was the return address. I started to open the letter, hoping to : find some clue. Then I saw the dateline--1924. The letter had : been written almost sixty years ago. : : It was written in a beautiful feminine handwriting on powder blue : stationery with a little flower in the left-hand corner. It was : a "Dear John" letter that told the recipient, whose name : appeared to be Michael, that the writer could not see him any : more because her mother forbade it. Even so, she wrote that : she would always love him. : : It was signed, Hannah. : : It was a beautiful letter, but there was no way except for the : name Michael, that the owner could be identified. Maybe if I : called information, the operator could find a phone listing for : the address on the envelope. : : "Operator," I began, "this is an unusual request. I'm trying to : find the owner of a wallet that I found. Is there anyway you : can tell me if there is a phone number for an address that was : on an envelope in the wallet?" : : She suggested I speak with her supervisor, who hesitated for a : moment then said, "Well, there is a phone listing at that : address, but I can't give you the number." She said, as a : courtesy, she would call that number, explain my story and : would ask them if they wanted her to connect me. I waited a few : minutes and then she was back on the line. "I have a party who : will speak with you." : : I asked the woman on the other end of the line if she knew : anyone by the name of Hannah. She gasped, "Oh! We bought this : house from a family who had a daughter named Hannah. But that : was 30 years ago!" : : "Would you know where that family could be located now?" I asked. : : "I remember that Hannah had to place her mother in a nursing : home some years ago," the woman said. "Maybe if you got in : touch with them they might be able to track down the daughter." : : She gave me the name of the nursing home and I called the : number. They told me the old lady had passed away some years : ago but they did have a phone number for where they thought the : daughter might be living. : : I thanked them and phoned. The woman who answered explained : that Hannah herself was now living in a nursing home. : : This whole thing was stupid, I thought to myself. Why was I : making such a big deal over finding the owner of a wallet that : had only three dollars and a letter that was almost 60 years : old? : : Nevertheless, I called the nursing home in which Hannah was : supposed to be living and the man who answered the phone told : me, "Yes, Hannah is staying with us. " : : Even though it was already 9 p.m., I asked if I could come by : to see her. "Well," he said hesitatingly, "if you want to take : a chance, she might be in the day room watching television." : : I thanked him and drove over to the nursing home. The night : nurse and a guard greeted me at the door. We went up to the : third floor of the large building. In the day room, the nurse : introduced me to Hannah. : : She was a sweet, silver-haired old timer with a warm smile and a : twinkle in her eye. : : I told her about finding the wallet and showed her the letter. : The second she saw the powder blue envelope with that little : flower on the left, she took a deep breath and said, "Young : man, this letter was the last contact I ever had with Michael." : : She looked away for a moment deep in thought and then said : Softly, "I loved him very much. But I was only 16 at the time : and my mother felt I was too young. Oh, he was so handsome. He : looked like Sean Connery, the actor." : : "Yes," she continued. "Michael Goldstein was a wonderful : person. If you should find him, tell him I think of him often. : And," she hesitated for a moment, almost biting her lip, "tell : him I still love him. You know," she said smiling as tears : began to well up in her eyes, "I never did marry. I guess no : one ever matched up to Michael..." : : I thanked Hannah and said goodbye. I took the elevator to the : first floor and as I stood by the door, the guard there asked, : "Was the old lady able to help you?" : : I told him she had given me a lead. "At least I have a last : name. But I think I'll let it go for a while. I spent almost : the whole day trying to find the owner of this wallet." : : I had taken out the wallet, which was a simple brown leather : case with red lacing on the side. When the guard saw it, he : said, "Hey, wait a minute! That's Mr. Goldstein's wallet. I'd : know it anywhere with that right red lacing. He's always losing : that wallet. I must have found it in the halls at least three : times." : : "Who's Mr. Goldstein?" I asked as my hand began to shake. : : "He's one of the old timers on the 8th floor. That's Mike : Goldstein's wallet for sure. He must have lost it on one of his : walks." : : I thanked the guard and quickly ran back to the nurse's office. : I told her what the guard had said. We went back to the : elevator and got on. I prayed that Mr. Goldstein would be up. : : On the eighth floor, the floor nurse said, "I think he's still : in the day room. He likes to read at night. He's a darling old : man." : : We went to the only room that had any lights on and there was a : man reading a book. The nurse went over to him and asked if he : had lost his wallet. Mr. Goldstein looked up with surprise, put : his hand in his back pocket and said, "Oh, it is missing!" : : "This kind gentleman found a wallet and we wondered if it could : be yours?" : : I handed Mr. Goldstein the wallet and the second he saw it, he : smiled with relief and said, "Yes, that's it! It must have : dropped out of my pocket this afternoon. I want to give you a : reward." : : "No, thank you," I said. "But I have to tell you something. I : read the letter in the hope of finding out who owned the : wallet." : : The smile on his face suddenly disappeared. "You read that : letter?" : : "Not only did I read it, I think I know where Hannah is." : : He suddenly grew pale. "Hannah? You know where she is? How is : she? Is she still as pretty as she was? Please, please tell : me," he begged. : : "She's fine...just as pretty as when you knew her." I said : softly. : : The old man smiled with anticipation and asked, "Could you tell : me where she is? I want to call her tomorrow." He grabbed my : hand and said, "You know something, mister, I was so in love : with that girl that when that letter came, my life literally : ended. I never married. I guess I've always loved her. " : : "Mr. Goldstein," I said, "Come with me." : : We took the elevator down to the third floor. The hallways were : darkened and only one or two little night-lights lit our way to : the day room where Hannah was sitting alone watching the : television. The nurse walked over to her. : : "Hannah," she said softly, pointing to Michael, who was waiting : with me in the doorway. "Do you know this man?" : : She adjusted her glasses, looked for a moment, but didn't say a : word. Michael said softly, almost in a whisper, "Hannah, it's : Michael. Do you remember me?" : : She gasped, "Michael! I don't believe it! Michael! It's you! My : Michael!" He walked slowly towards her and they embraced. The : nurse and I left with tears streaming down our faces. : : "See," I said. "See how the Good Lord works! If it's meant to : be, it will be." : : About three weeks later I got a call at my office from the : nursing home. "Can you break away on Sunday to attend a : wedding? Michael and Hannah are going to tie the knot!" : : It was a beautiful wedding with all the people at the nursing : home dressed up to join in the celebration. Hannah wore a light : beige dress and looked beautiful. Michael wore a dark blue suit : and stood tall. They made me their best man. : : The hospital gave them their own room and if you ever wanted to : see a 76-year-old bride and a 79-year-old groom acting like two : teenagers, you had to see this couple. : : A perfect ending for a love affair that had lasted nearly 60 : years. : --