Devoting a Lifetime
He met her when he was 23, a resident doctor in a hospital. She was 18, a beautiful nurse at the hospital with many suitors, yet she chose him, an ordinary-looking man. The most unremarkable doctor and the most beautiful nurse in the hospital together created a strikingly beautiful scene.
They dated for three years. He was sent from the provincial capital to a hospital in southwestern Zhejiang to serve as deputy director. It was a time of war, and when the War of Resistance began, he stayed in southwestern Zhejiang while she went to the front lines as a nurse.
He sought news of her everywhere. Some said she married a soldier on the front lines, some said she married a war correspondent, others said she married another doctor, and some said she was killed in the war.
By the fourth year in southwestern Zhejiang, he was 30 and had received no news of her. He married another nurse at the hospital. The following year, they had a child, and his life was calm and happy. Occasionally, he would think of the beautiful her and reminisce about their wonderful times together.
At 28, she returned to the hospital in the provincial capital as head nurse and sought news of him everywhere but found nothing.
They met again when his wife developed uterine fibroids and was hospitalized for surgery, and she was the head nurse on duty. He was 50, and she was 45. In the hospital corridor, they greeted each other casually, and he asked her to take good care of his wife.
During his wife’s hospitalization, she swapped shifts with others and worked for over twenty days without rest, helping him care for his wife.
She remained the head nurse, and he had become the most respected traditional Chinese medicine doctor in the area. When they met again, he was 60, and she was 55. He gave an academic lecture at her hospital, and she sat quietly in the back row, listening. A month later, she retired.
Their third meeting after parting was at the funeral home. He was 86, and she was 81. He attended her funeral. On her wrist was the watch he had given her 63 years ago, her expression peaceful and serene. He held her hand, called her by her nickname, and murmured, tears streaming down his wrinkled face.
He passed away peacefully in his sleep less than a month later.
She never married, fulfilling the promise she made when he went to southwestern Zhejiang: “I will wait for you.” But this wait lasted her entire life. He mistakenly thought she had died in the war and married another woman. When he found out she was still alive, he felt deeply guilty.
During their three meetings after parting, the first was when he took his wife for medical treatment, and he said thank you; the second time, he wanted to invite her to dinner alone, but she declined; the third time, they were separated by life and death. He wanted to say “I’m sorry,” but she never gave him the chance.
This is a true story I heard during an interview. Even decades-old photos clearly show her youthful delicacy and sweetness. Indeed, turning away for a moment can truly mean a lifetime.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
