Hands

4 : 04.06.24

She made sure to hold onto her every single day. A laying on of hands where she felt that the physical contact allowed something to flow between them. The ‘something’ changed with age and consideration. Once it was, perhaps, a feeling of longing, then a feeling of love, comfort, steadiness, help, desperation, loneliness. Not necessarily in any chronological order. They were never apart for any length of time. Perhaps not a single day in the last ten or so years. She would always yearn for the melding of bodies from hug to a hand laid upon or an arm in an arm to steady.

Although they never spoke of this contact they were both deeply aware of it and, in different ways, were somewhat dependent upon it. There would come a time when one would wonder whether they should have tried to understand it more, whether it would be easier now when it was no longer possible, whether a substitute could be found, but a substitute for what?