Chapter 39
Chapter 39
Many Years Later
Linda returned to the nursing home in Denmark. Miss Eva had passed away, and now the
steward of this area was her daughter, Emma.
Emma was much like her mother–tall, strong, patient, and warm.
Every time Linda saw her, she was reminded of her younger days.
Back then, she had come here alone, seeking refuge as she divorced her husband. She had lived with her good friend Rachel, who also stayed at the nursing home.
Linda spent her days curled up on the sofa, creating games, while Rachel lounged nearby,
playing games and snacking.
Later, her husband passed away.
Rachel had accompanied her back to their home country. They lived there for many years, raising a suitable successor to whom Linda eventually entrusted the company.
Linda sat outside the house all day, her back bent with age.
As the sun began to set, it cast a warm golden hue over the grassy fields.
Leaning on her cane, she straightened herself and slowly made her way inside.
Her vision blurred, and her hoarse voice echoed in the empty house.
“Rachel, Rachel, stop napping.”
No one answered.
She sat down on the old, worn–out sofa. The coffee table before her was spotless, no longer littered with colorful snacks.
Linda remained silent, and in that moment, it dawned on her–Rachel had been gone for a long time too.
15:26
Forsaking the Years of Longing
Chapter 39
She had passed away one quiet morning, so quietly it was as if she had merely skipped
breakfast.
But she never woke up again.
Linda thought to herself that her life had always been about loss.
She had lost her parents, her grandmother, her child, her friends…
And now, in her old age, as she looked back on her life, she realized that these losses were,
in a way, also gains.
Her life, though filled with misfortune, was equally filled with so much love.
Only those who have received can lose. Someone who has nothing at all wouldn’t have the luxury of sorrow or nostalgia.
The clock on the wall ticked rhythmically, tick–tock, tick–tock.
Listening to its steady pace, Linda felt her eyelids grow heavier and heavier. Her mind fogged, her consciousness slipping into confusion.
In her daze, she realized that even her own self seemed to be slipping away.
But then, she smiled.
