And for the terrible possibility that finding Daniel again might not restore anything they once possessed.
She sat there until the afternoon light began fading.
Then she heard footsteps.
"Nora?"
Her heart stopped.
She looked up.
Daniel stood on the path carrying a small camera bag.
He wore jeans, a faded dark jacket, and work boots.
His expression was concerned.
"What happened?"
Nora quickly wiped her cheeks.
"Nothing."
He looked at her.
Then toward the bridge.
"People don't usually come out here to cry about nothing."
She tried to smile.
He approached slowly.
"Mind if I sit?"
She shook her head.
He lowered himself onto the other end of the fallen log.
For a while, neither spoke.
The creek moved beneath the bridge.
Birds called in the trees.
Nora stared at her hands.
Finally, Daniel said, "Lucy asked me to get some pictures of the old crossing for her project."
Nora nodded.
"She's a talented girl."
He smiled.
"She is."
Then he looked toward the bridge.
"I used to come here when I was a kid."
Nora's breathing changed.
Daniel did not notice.
He continued.
"It was quieter than home."
She looked at him.
"Was home difficult?"
He nodded slowly.
"Sometimes."
For a long moment, he stared at the water.
Then said, "There was a girl I used to meet here."
Nora stopped breathing.
Daniel smiled faintly.
"Funny how a place holds memories."
She looked down.
"What was she like?"
He considered the question.
"Stubborn."
Nora almost laughed.
"Was she?"
"Terribly."
He smiled.
"Smart too. Always had some big idea about what she was going to build someday."
Tears filled Nora's eyes.
Daniel looked toward the old railing.
"She lost her mother when we were young. I think this was the only place she could talk without people asking her how she felt."
Nora pressed her lips together.
"What happened to her?"
Daniel shrugged.
"Family moved away."
"Did she say goodbye?"
"No."
The answer struck harder than Nora expected.
She lowered her head.
Daniel continued quietly.
"I waited for a long time."
Nora's fingers trembled.
He smiled sadly.
"Kids make promises they don't understand."
She looked up.
"Maybe she didn't choose to leave."
Daniel turned.
The words surprised him.
Nora felt tears slip down her cheeks.
She continued.
"Maybe somebody took her away before she could tell you."
Daniel studied her.
"Maybe."
He looked toward the bridge again.