Just disappointed.

What surprised me was who did show up.

Maria.

She had been the nurse who cared for my husband during his final months. She was gentle, patient, and quietly observant. When he passed, I assumed I would never see her again. Nurses move on. Lives continue.

But she didn’t disappear.

She called a week later. Then again a month after that. She stopped by on holidays with small, thoughtful gifts. She remembered our anniversary, even though I had never spoken about it out loud. When I struggled to leave the house, she sat with me and listened while I talked about nothing and everything.