And Ayanna could see them. Younger, laughing and splashing water at each other. Old them on one side of the room; behind, young them just as real and whole. Looking around to make sure no one noticed them and gently kissing. Neither had a swimsuit, they were both wearing what looked like T-shirts and underwear. They were clearly in love. Especially Marlie. Young her was looking at Valerie with a soft look in her eyes. They kissed goodbye; Marlie had to be home because her mother was strict and perceptive. Valerie wanted to swim more. She didn’t care about her hair or if she got in trouble. She didn’t care that Marlie said it was unsafe to swim alone. What she wanted was to feel the water on her body. Ayanna’s teeth were chattering, her tongue felt dry in her mouth, but still she continued to see. Valerie hit her head on a rock while swimming. She screeched, held it. The skin hadn’t been broken. She tried to shake it off, keep swimming. It was clear she was disoriented. And then, she went under.

“Oh,” Ayanna said, and looked away. All of that was gone. She was back in Marlie’s living room, the two—spirit and woman—holding hands.

The creative writing professor excused herself and went out to the yard. Ayanna couldn’t tell what she was thinking, what she could or could not see.

“I thought your parents found out and made you leave. I thought you were scared and decided to take off. I thought so many things,” Marlie said.

“I’m sorry,” Valerie said. “I wanted to live a full life with you. It felt impossible then, but I wanted it. I wanted to be your wife.”

“I’ve loved you my entire life,” Marlie said.

Ayanna looked between them. It felt so painfully unfair. Around the room were pictures from Marlie’s life. There were grandchildren and two pictures from a wedding day. She had married a man, but later in life, a woman who had eyes that looked like there was always a joke in them. Minutes ago, she had told Ayanna, “You keep loving things hard,” and here was the evidence in each frame.

“You don’t have to wait for me,” Marlie said to Valerie.

“I needed you to know the truth. I wanted you to know I would never leave without saying goodbye.”

Marlie reached out and took Valerie’s face in her hands. “It’s rude of you to come here looking like this, while I look like this now.” Valerie let go of Ayanna and reached for Marlie’s face, holding her cheeks.

“It’s rude of you to say that. I wish I could have wrinkles. I wish I could’ve spent years of my life sitting on that porch with you.”

Then, Valerie started to fizz and crackle. Both reached out and kept a hand on Ayanna’s wrists.