Preview: The sun was setting once again. The warm, orange glow across the water enhanced the euphoric sense of continued warmth in her frail body. Still a "pistol" as described by her friends, the elder stateswoman sat comfortably in the chair, her favorite crocheted blanket covering her legs, partially a modest gesture, partially due to the ravages of time.

She enjoyed her time here overlooking the ocean, recognizing signs that the end of the day was coming. Never sated with mediocrity, she looked back upon her lifetime as a scoreboard of few defeatss but many, many victories, her greatest being the staunch, unwavering support of her renowned husband and his achievements.

As she thought of him, an unfamiliar grasp of emotional constriction gripped her chest, causing her to grimace with discomfort, a leg spasm causing the well-balanced chair to jiggle slightly, the wheeled movement just enough to draw the attention of her attendants.

The chirp of a nearby purple martin caught her attention, the cadence signaling that it was a male seeking a mate. Closing her eyes and basking in the growing heat from within her body, the rush of a memory not nearly forgotten flooded her thoughts....