It was time for Jonathan and Belle to leave. As they stood up to go, Belle finally said softly, “I was sad to hear about Linorio. If there’s anything I can do...” Molly nodded and hugged them both a long goodbye. “Always lovely to have a big hug.”
On her own again, she cleaned up the dinner things, happy to have had company for a while. But now she felt a sudden wave of shock. She was still in a state of disbelief that he was gone. She looked at the Screen expecting a quick “Hola” from Linorio to pop up like it used to, even though she knew how unlikely this was.
She felt empty, and hot tears rolled down her cheeks. Even though they Connected often, she felt guilty that it was months since she had seen Linorio face to face, then a flash of anger that nobody had helped him. A few weeks before, when he said that “it was his time”, she had brushed it away in the same way Jonathan brushed away her comment about leaving him her wrist-cell in her will. She realized she was grieving.
She walked over to a cupboard and pulled out a magnificent antique photograph album. She unwrapped it from its protective cover. It was a family heirloom and must have been nearly 200 years old, beautifully bound in leather with the spine and trimmings made of solid silver that were now tarnished and black. She opened the treasure carefully.
There were a few old family photos: her parents, looking young and happy, and pictures of her dear brother’s wedding. There were photos of her own wedding, and a collection of other special moments in her life. There were two pictures of the first magnificent jaguar she had seen on the river bank so many years earlier. Viktor had been driving and Linorio was keeping a look out for sloths in the tree branches. It was the start of a lifelong affinity with this jungle area, and friendships with these fine people. There was a photo of them all a few years later.
She looked through the small collection of her special photos. She was amazed at how they were still in perfect condition, even the sepia image of her grandmother with her father when he was a small boy on an excursion to the beach. She smiled at the posed look of the photo and the old-fashioned clothes. How much had changed in the world since that photo was taken so many years ago. She thought back to all the things she had talked about with Jonathan that day. She was exhausted and sad, but grateful for the wonderful people she had known and the ones in her life today.