of their lives, one of
the souls realized that they were now in a place where all hearts
can be revealed, and where they no longer needed to hide anything.

"You want to hear something funny, Lissa?" the soul said. "Back
when we were young, I really loved you. Not having you for my wife
is the one great regret of my earthly existence. Pretty silly, huh?"

"Not at all," said Lissa. "I always secretly loved you, too, and
hoped against hope that someday you might notice me."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I was too shy. But I sent you hints."

"Hints?"

"Yes, like the brownies I gave you that rainy day in the
student union."

"Oh, or like the chocolate-chip cookies you gave me that one time?"

"Well, no, those were only cookies. I was just being friendly. But
that Christmas when I gave you a coffee mug. That meant I loved you."

"Oh, I know. That thank-you note you wrote when I fixed your sink
you signed, 'Love ya special.' That was a hint, huh?"

"Actually, I signed all my cards and notes that way, so I was just
thanking you then. But remember that note I wrote where I called
you a 'weird monster man'? Boy, how I loved you then. I wish
you'd responded."

"I thought maybe that meant you didn't like me. I never was good at
hints. I remember thinking a few times that some girl was hinting
that she liked me but when I would ask her out or mention romance,
she'd always look shocked and be dumbstruck with disbelief that I
could ever have thought she'd be interested in me." And here the
soul sighed, as only souls can sigh.

"Well, why didn't you just say something to me, like, 'I love you'?"
asked Lissa.

"I was afraid. And I didn't want to risk destroying our friendship
by producing unwelcome romantic overtures. And besides, I sent you
hints, too."

"Your overtures, as you call them, wouldn't have been unwelcome.
But what do you mean you sent me hints?"

"I took you out to lunch."

"But you took lots of girls out to lunch."

"That was just for companionship or friendship. I just liked them,
but I loved you. I thought about you day and night all through
college, and for awhile after graduation, too."

"I wrote you a couple of love letters that I never sent."

"Gosh, I wish you'd said something."

"I wish you'd said something, too."

* As we pass through earthly life so quickly and only once, how sad
that our fear of rejection is so often stronger than our love.

Seeing