Do you remember that time when we were out in the canyon in the middle of the night? After an entire day of hiking, we were exhausted. I had no idea where we were heading, my sense of direction completely shot. Dusk was upon us, and we were still in the canyon all by ourselves.

You reached out and touched my hand, and when I didn’t pull away, you slipped your hand into mine and guided me along, insisting that you knew where we were heading. I trusted you to find the way back. Your hand was warm and comforting, but sweating a little, just like mine. You said you knew that I was afraid of the dark, and didn’t want me to be scared. Perhaps in the murkiness of dusk you didn’t see my smile.

We stumbled along holding hands until we saw some very faint street lights. Eventually we made it back to the parking lot where my van was parked. It was pitch black by then.

I was suddenly deliriously happy - drunk on happiness even. I knew loved you then, and…my love for you will never crumble and fade away. We swung around and around on our hands like a couple of kids without a care in the world. I suppose back then we really didn’t have a care in the world.

You pulled me close to you and we gazed into the night sky together, looking for familiar stars. Aside from the Big Dipper, I really didn’t know one star apart from another. You showed me Orion. At first I couldn’t see it – but remember? You showed me the belt, and his body became clear to me. Then you showed me the North Star and the Big Dipper – then, the rest of the stars all began looking like dippers. I saw big dippers, small dippers, and medium dippers everywhere. You laughed at me for being so silly. It was wonderful being so close to you. Sharing a moment together like that was priceless.

That moment will never ever come again, but the memory of it will always be here, in my head. I will not mourn my loss of you. I will instead cherish the good memories that we have had. I only hope that you can remember me as well…in times to come.