“My best friend of 37 years asked me to take one LAST photo together while on vacation—just as friends. When I asked why she said ‘last,’ she smiled and replied: ‘Because tomorrow you’ll find out who I really am…’” When the truth comes to light years later, you begin to question not only the people around you but your own memories, too. Because you realize that while you were sincerely loving and trusting someone, that person was smiling beside you while hiding a secret capable of destroying your entire life. Susan and I had been friends since we were seven. We grew up in the same small town, rode the same school bus, shared the same desk, and did practically everything together. When I fell in love for the first time, Susan was the first person I told. When her parents divorced, she spent weeks sleeping at our house. Our mothers used to joke that we were more like sisters than friends. The years went by. I married Michael, and a few years later, Susan got married too—though she eventually divorced. When her marriage fell apart, she was there for me again. Or rather, we had always been there for each other. Michael treated her like family, too. Susan would come over without calling first. She knew where we kept the glasses and what kind of coffee Michael liked; she even had a spare key to our house. I never thought there was anything odd about that. It was Susan. My best friend. So, when she suggested we spend a week by the sea that summer, I agreed immediately. Michael had died almost a year earlier, and since his death, I had barely left the house. Susan told me, “Linda, you need a few days just to breathe.” On the last day of our vacation, we were sitting in the sun when Susan asked me to take out my phone. "Let's take one last photo together." I laughed. "Last? Last what?" She took off her sunglasses, looked at me for several seconds, and smiled again. "Our last photo as friends." I thought she was joking. "Susan, you're scaring me." She leaned her shoulder against mine. I took the photo. We were both smiling. But then I noticed Susan's hand was trembling. "What's going on?" She remained silent for a long time. Then she said something I still can't forget: "Tomorrow, you'll find out who I've really been in your life." The rest of the story is in the comments. He inherits a simple gift card from his grandfather: what he discovers at the store leaves him speechless.

Editor

We all have that one loved one in our family whom we tend to label rather hastily. The one we…