Make up for lost time

I didn't want to get to know you,
When our mothers got together for bridge;
They tried to push us together,
But I went and hid.

I didn't like little girls,
They were always quite mean;
They played with dolls and bows,
And always wanted to stay clean.

One Saturday night, finally, I relented,
I was quite alone;
You actually played with my trucks,
And pretended to be in a construction zone.

The years went by,
We were close friends through High School;
You were gorgeous, and dated the football players,
And I was always your sideline fool.

You graduated as valedictorian,
And were also the Prom Queen;
I watched you dance with your King,
But I made sure I wasn't seen.

Soon after, I joined the Army,
I was sent off to war;
Your King married you that same year,
While I was on the other side of the planet, wishing on a star.

Later on you wrote me a letter,
You were ecstatic to learn you were going to have a child;
I tried to be happy for you, with the tears in my eyes,
THAT CHILD SHOULD HAVE BEEN MINE, I thought, endlessly tromping through the wilds.

Time moved on, and I was honorably discharged,
From a bullet wound to my calf;
Returning to our hometown, I saw your little girl,
I tried to be cheery; I tried to laugh.

Getting a job at a local factory,
I returned to the mundane life of the average joe;
I watched from a distance---as I always had,
Seeing you and your King together, watching your child grow.

Five years after I returned home, I heard that you had learned of your husband's affair,
That you were distraught, and you were lost;
We had not talked in several years,
But I knew I had to screw up the courage no matter the cost.

I went to your door, daisies in my hand,
You opened your door with a wetness on your delicate face;
Your eyes grew wide at the sight of me,
Wiping away the tears with haste.

YOU HAVE LOST WEIGHT, she said, as if not knowing what else to say,
YOU ARE MORE LOVELY THAN EVER, I sighed;
We stood there staring at each other through the screen door,
Then she breathed, IS IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO MAKE UP FOR LOST TIME?