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Paul B. Doubra's avatar

What a wonderful romantic story only memories could tell better. I so love Katherine's tone and style, it's impressive.

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Jaime Glasser DVM MS's avatar

What that must be a very sweet, beautifully written story because even though you intimated right from the beginning you would only pretend you were together in the future. I think, in my present relationship-jaded-just-a-let-down-naive-optimist-underneath I would not have wanted to read it. Too much a true story. Not a happy-ever-after story. But I wanted to keep reading. And it was a happy ending, just not in the stereotypical way. I actually loved it. Thank you @katharine coldiron

and @narratively for awarding, and sharing, it. 🩷🙏🏽

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Jaime Glasser DVM MS's avatar

PS Great title! I absolutely adore alliteration!

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Kris Downey's avatar

I LOVE this story! Wish you could find each other again,

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Jocelyn Millis's avatar

This is tender and bittersweet, a great story🌹

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Jill Schacter's avatar

Wonderful story. I met my partner on a plane after attending a workshop where I chanted in Hebrew about capital L love from the Song of Songs for 5 days. We were both widowed. Our spouses both died at age 52, we had both changed our seats that morning and we shared the same wedding anniversary: same day and year. The first time I visited his house I saw that his license plate was KEN (followed by numbers). Ken was my beautiful late husband’s name.

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Jen Shepherd's avatar

Ooh-fabulous! This piece grabs us from the beginning and we want to see where it’s going. I love the pacing, the characters, and the easy-goingness of the whole story. Well deserved accolades, Katharine.

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Leslie Parker's avatar

Loved this breezy perspective because it was well written and exactly opposite from my mo.

I would have ruminated about this guy in my head forever. A curse? Nah, not for some of us writers of fiction.

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Nancy Brier's avatar

I also met a guy on a plane. He was easy to spot because he was the last one to board. Flight attendants rushed him to his seat and off we went. I stole glances at him when I got up to stretch my legs. Right before we landed, he plopped down on the seat next to mine and asked me what I thought of the movie. Even though we lived on different coasts, I gave him my number and then lost sight of him in the crowd at JFK. That was 30 years ago & our kid just started her senior year in film school. The movie? A Simple Twist of Fate, a heart warmer with a happy ending.

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Ron Gollobin's avatar

Katharine's brief story of a brief romance could not be more perfect. Full measure of what might have been, had either pursued it. Wisely, they let perfect be enough. Memories to last a lifetime. Love the way she told the tale, not a word wasted and the ending was immensely satisfying. To be redundant, perfect. Bravo, Ms. Coldiron.

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Katie DeBonville's avatar

I really enjoyed this. It was sweet - in a good way, not a cloying way - and honest. Real.

Also. I’m glad you quit smoking!

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Cathy Alter's avatar

Oh my gosh, I loved this so much! So many of us have this delectable chance encounters (including myself) but you've managed to tell your story in a way that makes me think so fondly of my own perfect evening in NYC. (Although I think the guy I met, who told me he was leaving the next day to go to medical school in Australia, was totally lying and probably living with his girlfriend!)

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