She found me, 50 years later. Yes, we were lovers in Paris; we even lived together. But then each of us followed a different path. I am 79 years old, a grandfather in the USA; she, only three years younger, is a grandmother in France. There is nothing unusual in this.
In October 2010 my wife and I were in France for a family gathering. Too bad that I decided not to read all my email messages while there. A very large number of them accumulated, and at home I started deleting most messages without reading. And suddenly I noticed a familiar name. Can it be she, I asked myself. Probably not; many women share these first and last names.
But it was J; I recognized this as soon as I started reading. I had a dream about you, she wrote, and this prompted me to search for you on Google. I typed Ludwik Kowalski and found your book; it informed me about your life. Needless to say, this message excited me. I showed it to Linda (my wife) and responded at once. But that reply was lost. After waiting several weeks I sent another one, asking for her telephone number. This time her reply arrived quickly. I called J, and introduced her to Linda, who also knows French. Our speaker phone conversation was very emotional, on both sides of the ocean. J cried a little; my eyes were also wet.
She told me that her partner--they've been together for more than 30 years--did not know about this conversation. Why is it so, I asked. Because he might be jealous, she answered. It did not take me too long time to convice her that this was not good--that he must also know about everything. The next day all four of us participated in a telephne conversation, in French. Then we exchanged photos, also via the Internet. Her partner, a handsome gentleman of about the same age as me, also wants us to become friends. I hope it will happen. What a story!
Ludwik Kowalski (see Wikipedia)
1
1
