I Was Scrolling Facebook When I Saw My College Photo – It Turned Out My First Boyfriend Had Been Looking for Me for 45 Years

Before a single Facebook post on a typical evening altered my entire calm post-retirement life, I believed I understood everything. I believed I had moved on from a love decades ago, but what I saw in an old picture brought me back.

I never imagined that a peaceful evening spent on the couch would unlock a door I had assumed had long since closed. Susan is my name. Here’s my tale at age 67. Hold on tight! It will be a difficult journey.

Hold on tight!

I have more than 40 years of experience as a nurse.

I only occasionally take on shifts these days, usually to assist my daughter Megan. After her ex-husband vanished four years ago, she is parenting two children alone while working a full-time job.

I keep the house running so Megan can breathe, watch the kids after school, and assist with the finances when things are tight.

I don’t gripe. They are my family, and they have brought me more happiness than anything else in my life.

I don’t gripe.

My life is tranquil today, though. even consistent and dependable.

I am familiar with my daily routine, which includes grocery shopping, watching cartoons in the afternoon, getting coffee early before the kids wake up, and occasionally working late shifts at the hospital. I continue to work extra shifts.

Usually, I spend my evenings watching TV series I’ve watched previously or, if I can stay up, reading a decent book.

I was divorced from my husband several years ago. I haven’t developed any romantic relationships since.

I continue to take

more shifts.

When I returned home from my final shift before the holiday, Christmas was quickly coming. I was worn out.

I got there at nine o’clock that evening after working a long shift in the cardiac wing. I had a back spasm that I knew would stay all night, and my feet ached from standing all day.

Before settling into the couch, I prepared myself a cup of herbal tea and reheated some leftover meatloaf.

I was worn out.

Megan was grading papers in her room, the kids were asleep, and for a while I just sat in silence, listening to the hum of the refrigerator and the sporadic creak of the old floorboards.

The main reason I opened Facebook was habit. Although I don’t use Facebook often, I do use it to view photos of my friends’ grandchildren and to remain in touch with nurses.

I also follow a few community pages, including those about local reunions, garage sales, and neighborhood watches.

I scrolled for a few seconds before freezing.

Not often do I utilize it.

I saw it at that moment.

The picture was ancient and faded. Clearly scanned from a print, a bit blurry.

Two young people were seen standing nearby and giving the camera a tense smile. The first thing that attracted my attention was the background: the brick wall covered in ivy from the college library at my former university. Decades had passed since that wall was altered!

I then took a closer look.

I was the young lady!

I saw it at that moment.

I was dressed in a faded denim jacket from my time there. My face was framed by gentle waves of hair that were parted in the center. Daniel appeared beside me, grinning, his hand hovering just below my shoulder.

My first romantic interest.

My hands began to shake. That was a picture I hadn’t seen since college! I couldn’t recall anyone taking it.

It had been years since I had given Daniel any meaningful thought. Nevertheless, something familiar and jagged grew in my chest the instant I laid eyes on his face!

My first romantic interest.

A note was put beneath the picture: “The woman in this picture is the one I’m searching for. We went to college together in the late 1970s, and her name is Susan.

My first love was her. After my family abruptly moved, I stopped communicating with her. I have no idea where life has led her or whether she will ever see this.

What I was reading was unbelievable!I have no intention of altering the past. All I have to do is give her something significant that I have had for over 40 years. Tell her that I’m searching for her if you recognize her.”My first love was her.

I blinked vigorously as I gazed at the screen. My throat constricted.

It hit me like a tsunami when I saw his name, even though I hadn’t heard it in decades! Back then, he had been everything. Daniel was gentle, witty, and a restless person! Every day, he would walk me to class, even if it caused him to be late for his own.

We used to converse for hours on end, largely about nothing, but everything seemed significant at the time. He constantly carried his old Nikon camera around his neck and had aspirations of becoming a photographer.

My throat constricted.

Then he vanished one day, right before our last semester.

He simply disappeared without saying goodbye or leaving a notice. I was heartbroken!

I’ve heard that 45 years ago, his family relocated across the nation and lost communication.

I didn’t have the means to comprehend what had transpired at the time. Nobody did. He was simply gone, and I had to make myself move on.

After all these years, he was still thinking about me.

I shut down the application. I didn’t answer. I was unable to. Not quite yet.

My thoughts were racing.

Nobody did.

I think the photo showed up in my feed because it had been shared by a lot of people.

I carried the unsolved mystery of what actually happened with me for the most of my adult life.

I didn’t get much sleep that night. I saw that picture every time I closed my eyes.

Daniel and myself.

I recalled how Dad would chuckle at my attempts to teach him how to make banana bread. The way we used to discuss the future as though we could write it ourselves while lying beneath the stars beyond the former gym.

Daniel and myself.

For all these years, what could he have been carrying? Why was it so crucial?

I was wired but weary by dawn. Megan observed.”Are you okay, Mom?” she said while preparing porridge for the children.Yes,” I replied, not even trying to persuade myself. “Just had a weird dream.”

However, it wasn’t a dream. And I was aware that I couldn’t ignore it.

I plucked up the guts to return to Facebook by mid-morning.

After finding the post and reading the message again, I went on his profile.

Why was it so crucial?

He was there!

Despite his gray hair, he still had a gentle face that had not aged. His profile was straightforward: he was a man who had experienced life.

He was shown trekking, standing next to a Labrador puppy named Jasper, and holding an elderly woman who I thought was his sister in one of the photos.

Over the message button, I hovered.

My response must have been typed and then erased a dozen times. I didn’t know how to put it without coming across as abrupt or unnecessarily emotional. In the end, I went with the truth.

He was right there.It’s Susan here. I think I’m the woman in the picture.

Within five minutes, he replied.Susan. This scene has been on my mind a thousand times! I appreciate you writing.

We sent each other a couple brief messages. If I didn’t want to meet, he said he understood. He claimed he didn’t want to interfere with my life. He clarified that he simply wanted to give me back something he had held onto for more than 40 years.It’s Susan.

We arranged to meet at a tiny café close to my area after exchanging phone numbers.

I picked it since it had large windows, a view of the park, and was peaceful. We agreed to meet at 11 a.m., two days later. informed Megan that I would be meeting up with a former college acquaintance. She looked at me but didn’t ask questions.

I didn’t get much sleep the night before the meeting. I kept lying down and looking at the ceiling after getting up to see what time it was. My mind was racing!

What if he has a spouse? What if he’s ill? What if everything here is an error?

What if he’s ill?

I had to know, though.

I needed to see him.

When I got there, the café was practically deserted. Even though I hadn’t worn makeup in weeks, I put on some blush and wore one of my nicer navy sweaters.

He was there already.

Like a reflex, Daniel stood as he saw me enter, just as he used to. His eyes widened a little, and we just gazed at each other for a moment, not knowing what to do.

He was there already.

Then he grinned.Hello, Susan.

His older, gruff voice was clearly his own. It encircled me in a way reminiscent of a well-known tune, the words of which I had not heard in a very long time.Daniel,” I murmured. I couldn’t resist grinning.

He took out my chair. “I wasn’t sure you’d come.””I wasn’t either,” I said.

We took a seat. There were already two coffees on the table, one waiting and one in front of him. It’s still hot.Hello, Susan.As he observed me, he remarked, “I assumed you still take it black.”You were correct in your guess.

There was a long, weighty pause that wasn’t uncomfortable. We were both unsure of where to begin.With his hands encircling the mug, he eventually replied, “I owe you an explanation.”

I gave a nod but remained silent. I wanted to give him room to express his needs.Everything happened quickly,” he said. “My father passed out. He suffered a stroke. Before the seizures and confusion struck, we believed he would be fine. He required full-time attention.

My brother was still in high school, my mom was deteriorating, and all of a sudden it was my responsibility.”You were correct in your guess.

As he spoke, I observed his eyes and the weight returning to his face.I was pulled out of school by my parents. There was no conversation. In less than a week, we packed up and moved five states away. The middle of nowhere. It was similar to vanishing into an other reality. I didn’t even have time to give you a call.”

He let out a sigh.I considered writing, but I was unsure of where to send the letters. After some time, I assumed you had gone on. After the summer, I hoped to return and possibly start up where I left off. But for years, my dad needed me. You were gone by the time I glanced again.”

He let out a sigh.

I sipped my coffee slowly.I answered, “I always wondered what happened.” “One day you were there, and then… nothing.”

Daniel glanced at the table below. “You were always on my mind, Susan. However, I didn’t come here today because I had any expectations. I am aware that it has been a lifetime.

His fingers trembled a little when he reached into his jacket’s inside pocket. Then he produced a little box. He set it down on the table between us….I am aware that it has been a lifetime.”He remarked, “I’ve carried this through every move and chapter of my life.”

“After graduation, I intended to gift it to you. During my senior year, I worked weekends and skipped dinners to save for it. However, I never had the opportunity.

Slowly, I opened the box.

There was a gold ring inside!

It was sleek, slender, and devoid of any adornment or flare. Simply lovely in a subdued manner.I felt we would end up together, so I didn’t hang onto it,” he remarked. Since it belonged to you, I retained it. I wanted you to know that you were loved and that you meant something.”…that you were cherished.”

I remained silent. I was unable to!

Tears welled up behind my eyes and my throat hurt, but I forced myself not to cry. I wasn’t depressed. Not precisely. I simply sensed the weight of something that had been unsaid for a long time finally finding a home.

“I never got married,” he muttered. “I suppose I had a few near misses. However, no one ever gave me the same feeling as you did. I realize that sounds dramatic.”No,” I remarked. “Not to me.”

The rain tickled softly against the windows as we sat for a long time.

The city outside went on. We just breathed within.

I was unable to!

He inquired about my life.

I told him about Megan, the sons, and the marriage that ended years ago, slowly and quietly rather than with a bang. I talked about working nights, the cartoons my grandchildren like, and how things changed when you needed them.I assumed you had created a lovely life,” he remarked.”I did,” I answered. “Not the way I imagined, but yes.”

He inquired about

my existence.

His eyes wrinkled as they did to when he laughed too much, and he grinned.

We didn’t discuss what we missed or how things may have turned out differently, nor did we act like we were 20 again. That was the end of it. The fact that we were there now was important.

He made no requests when it came time to go. He didn’t clumsily lean in or grasp for my hand. Simply putting the package in my hand, he stood up and remarked, “Thank you for letting me see you again.”

I gave a nod. “Thank you for finding me.”

I gave a nod.

I experienced an odd lightness as I drove home. There’s a calm tranquility, not a rush or enthusiasm.

A door that had always been ajar was now shut, but not painfully. It’s more like finishing a book you’ve liked and returning it to its proper place on the shelf.

However, it wasn’t the end.

A week later, Daniel gave me a call to say hello. We spent more than an hour conversing!

However, it wasn’t the end.

He invited me to lunch the next week!

After that, we strolled by the lake, discussing everything and nothing. He made me laugh the way he used to, in slow, continuous waves that warmed my chest rather than in short bursts.

There was no rush and no grand pronouncements. It’s just two people getting back in touch; they’re older, a little weaker, but still inquisitive….and don’t hurry.

We began having weekly meetings. Then twice.

Sometimes we talked about the news, recipes, or how grandchildren grow up too quickly, and other times we sat on park benches and reminisced. He got to know Megan. The children loved him!

Megan said, “Are you two… a thing?” one evening.

I grinned. “We’re… a something.”

That was sufficient.

Then twice.

I was never urged to change my life by Daniel. He simply showed up, kind, steady, and present.

And I discovered that I began to smile as I woke up!

I laughed more than I used to, the days seemed a little easier, and I didn’t mind brewing an extra cup of coffee every morning.

I have no idea where this will go. With the experiences of life, we have grown older.

I’m not sure where

This will result.

However, I am aware of this:

Daniel didn’t come to change our history after all these years.

I am loved, that’s all he wanted me to know.

And in some way, that restored the sense of fullness in the future.