The More Than Twenty Years Between Us

I spent three years silently accompanying her, and another twenty-one years looking for her intermittently. Apart from her, I have never had love at first sight with anyone else, and that best love has always been reserved for her. At first, I didn't know her name or her origins. The first time I saw her, she sat there quietly, and neither of us spoke. But I only glanced at her, but I wanted to protect her throughout her life.