**An Ordinary Miracle**
They sat again in that same little café on the corner of the old quarter—Claire and James.
She was a tall, graceful woman with unruly strands of dark hair that never obeyed, always escaping from pins or ties as if to remind everyone she was alive, real.
He was a sturdy man with tired yet warm eyes, the corners creased from laughter—honest, unfiltered laughter. Silver streaked his temples, but it only made him look more distinguished.
They faced each other, as if time had paused. He stirred sugar into her coffee with care, knowing she took exactly two spoons. She twisted a paper napkin between her fingers, rolling it into a tight little cylinder.
They looked so natural together, like they’d never been apart. But I knew—behind those glances lay a lifetime of choices, pain, hesitation… and love.
*”Claire, tell me, how did you two meet?”* I once asked, unable to resist.
She glanced at James, as if asking permission. He nodded.
*”I’d just started at the bank,”* she began, lowering her eyes. *”Everything was new, terrifying… And he—”* She smirked.
*”And I was the insufferable department head,”* James cut in with a chuckle.
Claire shook her head. *”He was unbearable. All the girls would go quiet when he walked in. Expensive suits, perfect posture, that stare… But he only ever looked at me.”*
*”In a navy suit, with that dimple when you smiled,”* he added softly. *”You laughed like the whole room lit up.”*
Claire smiled, fingers brushing her cheek unconsciously.
*”And then… he asked me to dinner. Got drunk. Confessed he was married.”*
Silence settled. The memory weighed heavy. James gripped his cup. Claire stared somewhere into the past.
*”I decided right then—no future. I wouldn’t be ‘the other woman.’ But he wouldn’t give up. Flowers, books, trips… Because of him, I saw my first play, my first opera. I felt alive.”*
*”Why didn’t it work?”* I asked cautiously.
*”He offered to leave her. I said no. Because I was afraid. Afraid he’d regret it. That I wouldn’t be who he thought I was. That his family would reject me. I was scared of love.”*
*”And I wasn’t ready to burn it all down. Kids, the life we’d built… I was scared of the responsibility,”* James added.
Claire took a deep breath.
*”Later, I met someone else. It all happened fast—proposal, wedding… I ran. Didn’t even say goodbye.”*
*”I would’ve begged you to stay,”* James murmured. *”But not then. I realised too late.”*
*”Years later, we bumped into each other here, by chance. I was getting divorced. He said he was happy for me. I lied. He knew.”*
James touched her hand.
*”You always lift your shoulders when you lie,”* he whispered.
They fell quiet. Eyes locked. Everything was there—the years, the unsaid words, the love they’d left behind.
*”Now we’re friends,”* Claire smiled. *”Or almost friends.”*
*”We just know how to love. In our own way. No demands, no promises,”* James said.
And I thought—a miracle isn’t just finding someone. It’s keeping the warmth alive in yourself, even when things fall apart. Managing to hold onto a person in your life, no matter what.
An ordinary miracle. But then again—the truest kind.
