Claude's Mae

She lingered in the shadows of every tree. He could almost make out the slender form of her silhouette bending to smell the first rose of the season. He breathed deeply. The faint smell of her perfume haunted his memories. He loved the way it overtook him. He longed to feel her arms drape around his neck and to hear her contagious laughter fill the air. Claude sat on the front porch steps and stared into the yard. Claude's life had changed. Now he had to deal with letting go and living again.