My 70-year-old grandma got a Valentine’s gift from the only man she ever truly loved—a love she lost fifty years ago. But when she refused to see him, afraid of what the past might bring, I knew I had to step in. Could I reunite them after all this time, or was some love meant to stay in the past?
When you’re in a relationship, Valentine’s Day feels like a magical holiday—romance everywhere, couples in love, and happiness all around.
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But when you’re single, Valentine’s Day becomes nothing more than a cruel joke, a reminder of how miserable you are—romance everywhere, annoying couples in love, and everyone is happy except you.
It wasn’t just the holiday itself; it was everything leading up to it. I could practically feel the universe mocking me.
Being single, I could no longer stand the sight of all the hearts, plush toys, and flowers.
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To escape it all, I decided to visit my grandmother. She lived in a small town where things moved slower, and holidays didn’t feel as overwhelming.
There were still three days left until Valentine’s Day, and I counted each one, waiting for it to be over.
I just wanted life to go back to normal, without the constant reminder of how painfully single I was.
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Suddenly, my grandmother’s voice called out from the other room.
“Natalie!” Her voice was sharp, urgent.
“Yes?” I asked, stepping into the room.
She sat in her chair by the window, a letter in her hand. She held the envelope up, frowning. “I can’t find my glasses. Who is this letter from?”
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I took the envelope from her and glanced at the handwriting. It was neat, careful, unfamiliar.
I turned it over and saw a name scrawled on the back. “It’s from someone named Todd,” I said.
Her expression changed. “Todd?” she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper. “That… that can’t be.”
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She snatched the letter from my hands before I could say another word. Her fingers trembled as she tore it open.
A small Valentine’s card slipped out, along with a folded note. She picked up both, staring at them like they might disappear. Then she held them out to me.
“Read it,” she said.
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I unfolded the Valentine’s card first. “The card says, ‘I still love you.’” My chest tightened. “That’s… really sweet.”
She didn’t react. Her eyes stayed locked on the note. “And the letter? What does the letter say?” she pressed.
I took a breath and opened the paper. The handwriting was elegant, careful, like someone had taken their time with each word. I began reading aloud.
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“My dearest Mary, fifty years ago, you and I had just one night. One night that changed me forever. I never forgot you, but I had no idea how to find you. You never came to the train station in Paris that day, and you broke my heart forever.”
I swallowed hard and glanced up. My grandmother sat frozen, her hands clasped together. I continued.
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“But I found you through your granddaughter’s social media. If you still remember me, if that night meant anything to you, meet me at the New York train station on the same night we last saw each other. Forever yours, Todd.”
Silence filled the room. My throat felt tight. I blinked back tears, but my grandmother didn’t even try to hold hers back.
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“Who is Todd?” I asked softly.
She wiped her face with her sleeve and took a shaky breath. “The only man I ever truly loved,” she whispered.
I stared at her. “What? What about Grandpa?”
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She looked down at the letter in her lap. “I loved your grandfather,” she said. “But I loved Todd with the kind of love they write poems and songs about. Even though we only had one night together, he understood me better than anyone ever did.”
“This happened in Paris?” I asked.
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She nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips. “I was there as a tourist. Todd was a student. We met on the subway. We spent the whole night walking through the city, talking…”
“The next morning, I had to fly home. Todd took me to the train station so I could get to the airport, and we agreed to meet one year later, same day, same station.”
“And what happened?”
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Her smile faded. She swallowed hard. “My mother died. Her funeral was on the same day I was supposed to fly to Paris to meet Todd.”
I exhaled slowly. “Did you tell him?”
“How?” she asked, shaking her head. “I didn’t have his address. There were no mobile phones back then.”
“So you never saw him again?”
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She shook her head.
“What day was it?”
Her voice was barely audible. “February 14.”
I sighed, staring down at the letter. “The most romantic day of the year, in the most romantic city on Earth.”
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A sad smile touched her lips.
“You have to go meet him,” I said.
Her face hardened. “No. Absolutely not.”
“Why?”
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“I let him down that day. Who knows how our lives would have turned out if I had gone?”
“But he wants to see you now!” I argued.
Her hands gripped the letter tightly. “No. End of discussion.”
My grandmother was a stubborn woman. When she made up her mind, there was no changing it.
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I knew she wouldn’t agree to meet Todd, no matter how much I begged. So I had to take matters into my own hands.
A little trickery never hurt anyone, especially when it was for a good cause.
On February 14, I put on my coat and grabbed the car keys. “Grandma, I need to run an errand. Come with me,” I said casually.
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She sat in her chair, knitting, barely looking up. “What kind of errand?”
“It’ll be quick,” I said. “I don’t want to go alone.”
She sighed and put her knitting down. “Fine, fine. Let me get my coat.”
We got in the car, and I started driving. The first few minutes were quiet, just the sound of the road beneath the tires. Then, she glanced out the window and frowned.
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“Natalie,” she said slowly. “Where exactly are we going?”
I tightened my grip on the wheel. “To the train station,” I said.
She raised an eyebrow. “Which train station?”
I cleared my throat. “New York.”
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Her head snapped toward me. “What?!”
“You need to meet Todd,” I said. “He remembered you even after all these years.”
Her face turned red. “No way! Turn this car around!”
“No,” I said firmly.
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She folded her arms and huffed. “Then I am not speaking to you anymore.” She turned her face toward the window, her lips pressed in a thin line.
The rest of the drive was silent. She refused to look at me. I knew she was upset, but I also knew she needed this.
When we finally arrived at the train station, I parked the car and turned to her. “Come on,” I said.
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She didn’t move.
“Grandma.”
Still nothing.
I sighed. “You might be stubborn, but so am I,” I said.
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She turned, narrowed her eyes, then slowly got out of the car. I took her arm, guiding her inside.
The station was busy, filled with people rushing in different directions. I scanned the crowd, searching for a man in his seventies. My heart pounded.
But I saw no one.
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My grandmother let out a deep breath. “He’s not coming,” she said. “He probably wanted to get back at me for not showing up all those years ago.”
I didn’t want to believe it, but the longer we stood there without seeing Todd, the more I started to doubt he would come.
But then a man around my age walked toward us. He looked nervous, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
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“Are you Mary?” he asked.
My grandmother straightened. “Yes. Who are you, young man?”
“My name is Justin. I’m Todd’s grandson,” he said. “I sent you the letter.”
My mouth fell open. “What?! Does Todd even know about this?”
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Justin hesitated. “No,” he admitted. “But he told me the story. He said he had spent his whole life regretting that he never found you. I couldn’t sit back and do nothing. So I found you, Natalie, and then I found Mary through you.”
I threw my hands up. “So we came all this way for nothing?!”
“No,” Justin said quickly. “My grandfather wants to see Mary. But he’s afraid she won’t want to see him.”
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My grandmother shook her head. “I told you we shouldn’t have come.” She turned to leave.
“Wait,” I said. “How do I know Todd won’t just slam the door in my grandmother’s face?”
Justin’s eyes softened. “He won’t,” he said. “Every word in that letter was his. I just wrote it because he didn’t have the courage to.”
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My grandmother scoffed. “If he really wanted this, he would have written it himself.”
I crossed my arms. “Well, you didn’t go to Paris fifty years ago, and you were scared to come here, too,” I said. “So… do you want to see Todd or not?”
She didn’t answer.
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“Please,” Justin said. “I just want to make my grandfather happy.”
I took a breath. “We’ll go,” I said. “Someone should get to be in love on Valentine’s Day.”
Justin smiled. “Oh, tell me about it.”
We arrived at Todd’s building. Justin led us to the apartment and knocked on the door.
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“Grandpa, it’s me!” he called out.
A voice came from inside. “I’m coming!”
Justin turned to me and pulled me aside. My grandmother stood alone in front of the door.
The knob turned. The door opened.
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A man stepped out. His hair was gray, his posture slightly hunched. His face changed the moment he saw her.
“Mary…” he whispered.
I gasped, covering my mouth with my hand. Even Justin looked stunned.
“You remember me,” my grandmother said softly.
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Todd’s eyes filled with emotion. “How could I ever forget?”
They stood frozen, staring at each other. Neither spoke.
Then, Todd stepped forward and pulled my grandmother into his arms. She let out a small sob as she clung to him.
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Justin turned to me. “We did good,” he said. “You convinced Mary to come, didn’t you?”
“Yeah,” I said.
“We make a good team,” he grinned. “Maybe we should celebrate over dinner?”
I smiled. “We’ll see.”
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