She was the spitting image of you. Yes, you told me about it, and yes, I think she actually looks a bit like you, but that wasn't it. She was strong and irreverent, practical and whimsical, very good at what she does and happy, in the end. And not that your marriage should be anything like hers, but I hope that you will be happy too.

I was thinking about when we finally met and you were disappointed because you were expecting funnier, maybe deeper, definitely more. And it was strange for me, not because we'd never met before, but because you had recently gotten some very good news.

I hope to God that it isn't merely jealously. I'm not so proud to think that I'm completely above it, but it's more than that. It's like I'm losing a friend. I'm losing you and I'm losing you. And the latter is much more tragic to me.

That, I think, is the heart of the issue. She was happy in the end, and I was happy for her, but she wasn't the same. Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe that's how it should be. No, no maybe. That's how it is.

So I said goodbye to you, but I'll always remember the you before we ever met.