Prologue.
Memories can be your greatest ally or your worst enemy depending on the circumstance. They can be elicited by any of the five senses; some more than others. At times it is possible for the mind to store certain memories away deeply, only to be accessed by a sophisticated sequence of events. Others can be plucked from the psyche at a moment's notice. The human mind had capabilities that far exceed our meager understanding. The more we learn about it, the more questions arise.
I have lived a very long time and seen so many things. It still amazes me that I can clearly remember a day when I was merely twelve years old. There are days just a week or so ago when I can scarcely recall what I did. I don't like to think of it as an aging mind, as my mind never ages, but prefer to think that it just wasn't important enough to take up any room in an overcrowded storage facility.
I've often seen people who remind me of those who've gone before them. Whether by coincidence or relation they make me think of the ones from my past. My husband, for example, was blue-eyed with dark blond hair. His build was that of an athlete, a physique carved from long days of manual labor. We fit together perfectly like pieces of a puzzle, not so much in the physical sense, but in every other aspect of our lives. Although in the end it seemed that our love was not as true as I had believed it to be, I still find solace in the memories of happier times.
It was rare to come across any man who could compare to Thomas. His looks were of course quite common, but the man he truly was in his heart, that is what I have never really seen in another. His touch was gentle, the warmth of his body was so tantalizingly inviting. I never loved him more than when I saw him with our little girl propped on his knee or kissing her goodnight. Those memories are the keepers; most others are just clutter in an already hoarded mind.