Love Unspoken

Quinn had no idea how long she'd been wandering when she spotted a faint figure near a trash can. Squinting, she cautiously moved closer.

As she got nearer, she realized it was an old woman, hunched over. Something about her seemed familiar, so Quinn gently tapped her shoulder.

The old woman, startled, shuddered violently before spinning around. Upon seeing Quinn, she let out a sigh of relief.

She retrieved half a loaf of bread from behind her and began to gnaw on it, right in front of Quinn. Quinn, with a fixed gaze on the old woman, gently took her hand and shook her head, indicating that the old woman should stop eating. "Do you want some?" The old woman sized Quinn up, her attire suggesting she was not in need of charity.

Quinn, setting down the cake she held, gestured emphatically. "Juliet, don't you remember me? It's me, Quinn."

Under the streetlight, the old woman watched Quinn's hands move like butterflies. After a moment, she looked at Quinn's face and her voice shook, "Are you Quinn?"

Tears welled up in Quinn's eyes as she nodded. "Yeah, it's me. What are you doing here?"

grown up so

tears. She let out a forlorn sigh, picked up her cane from beside the trash can, and shuffled over to sit on a nearby set of stone steps. Quinn followed closely and sat beside her. Juliet had once served the Kennedys, always by Ulysses' side. Upon Quinn's arrival at the

her

handed Juliet the cake and gestured, "Juliet, today's my birthday. Will you celebrate

paused, her face lined with wrinkles, and then a tender smile appeared. "It's your birthday? Happy birthday, dear Quinn. It's a shame I

for

wishing her a

woman, watching her devour the cake. Quinn intended to buy a bottle of water, only to discover her card had been frozen. She still had a little over a hundred bucks in her mobile wallet. Returning with the water, Quinn handed it to Juliet and asked what had happened. It was then that Juliet revealed that after dedicating her life to the Kennedys and retiring, her son and daughter-in-law had

Kennedys had given her a monthly stipend that allowed her to live decently. But after his death, they cut her off, and her daughter-in-law kicked

only to be left struggling for basic necessities in her golden years. Such a

would he worry about her? Recognizing Quinn's dejection, Juliet didn't pry further. She picked herself up with her cane and said, "Let's go then.

Getty home, gently placing her on the couch. As he was about to leave, Getty tugged at him, her voice tinged with vulnerability, "Can't you stay?