His family got shaken up when the mother suddenly disappeared. She went missing and never return, causing the husband to care for the family on his own. They never found out what happened to the mother until 23 years later when the husband went on holiday and made a shocking discovery: Mother never comes home – 23 years later her family discovers why.
So it was finally time the last child moved out of the house. Now all the kids were studying at college. Henry thought it was time to enjoy a lovely holiday. He deserved this holiday like no other because the last 23 years of his life were not just a simple walk in the park. Because 23 years ago his wife suddenly disappeared. This meant Henry needed to take care of the family alone.
It took some time for the family to learn to live without their mother and they also wondered what happened. No one expected it would be Henry who would find out the truth behind her disappearance. Shortly after Henry waved his youngest son off to college, he felt he deserved a break. Ever since his wife’s disappearance, he spent all his time and effort raising his five children, so a vacation was a luxury Henry couldn’t afford before.
He always worried the kids wouldn’t be okay without their mother. While packing, he sat down on the bed for a moment. Next to him on his bedside table was an old picture of him and his wife, Lucy. He still missed her so very much and wondered the same desperate question every day.
“Will I ever see you again?” he mumbled.
Since Lucy disappeared, Henry couldn’t be with another woman. She was the only one for him. He remembered that day in December like it was yesterday, the day he lost his soulmate. Usually, she greeted him when she came home and they would discuss their day, but this time it stayed silent. He remembered the kids playing cheerfully, not aware their mother was gone. Then the horn of the taxi woke him from his daydream.
“Coming!” Henry yelled while grabbing his stuff and walking to the front door.
It was time for that vacation he deserved.
“Finally some rest,” Henry mumbled.
At least that’s what he thought. His destination was Lake Como in Italy. It was his favorite place in the world because he would visit it yearly with his dear Lucy. But this time was different, very different. It was 23 years since he had seen this place for the last time, and now he went without Lucy. During the flight, Henry’s thoughts kept returning to his wife and her disappearance.
Henry immediately felt something was wrong so he contacted the police, but after three days they still couldn’t find her. He would never forget the face of the police officer who told him they stopped the search. From the window of the plane, he saw Lake Como below him. What a special place it was. High mountain peaks surrounded the crystal blue water. The image brought him back to all the fond times he spent there, unaware that something would be different this time and that those memories would confront him.
As he stepped out of the plane and set foot on Italian soil, he felt the sun’s warmth on his face and the fresh mountain air filling his lungs. The view that greeted him was nothing short of magical and hit him with a wave of nostalgia. Was it the right decision to come here? The memories of those happy times flooded his mind. It brought sadness to his heart. It was the tradition of him and his wife, but that experience was taken from him. How could he enjoy this vacation without her? Not aware this vacation would change his life in ways he couldn’t have expected.
The taxi made its way through the narrow roads that led to Lake Como.
“Wow,” mumbled Henry.
It was like nothing changed over the last 23 years. Little towns were dotted along the shoreline, each more charming than the previous, and the air filled with a recognizable scent. Did he remember all these years? The scent lingered in his memory. Was he able to recognize something like that after all this time? Henry shrugged as he watched the buildings disappear in the distance.
Not much later, the taxi stopped and they arrived at his location. He shook the thoughts out of his head and got out ready to relax. Henry paid and thanked the driver, after which he entered the beautiful lakehouse. Henry didn’t know what he would like to do when he arrived here. Lucy always planned their vacation and he never went alone before. Yeah, so he decided to go somewhere near, not knowing how important that decision would be.
Before going to bed, Henry took a quick glance at the map. His cottage was quite remote, but a large city was nearby.
“Varenna,” he read out loud.
That would be his first activity of the vacation, exploring Varenna. He couldn’t remember if he went there before, but he would soon find out. From the moment Henry set foot in the city, memories flooded his brain. This was the place where he walked around with Lucy. The two young parents couldn’t keep their hands off of each other.
Daydreaming, he walked down a narrow alleyway toward the center. All of a sudden, Henry was scared to death. A sudden smell reached his nostrils. It was the same smell he had recognized before while in the taxi. Was he mistaken, or did he really know this smell really well? It was like he was in some sort of trance. What was that smell again? It was so specific.
Henry’s mind was racing. He didn’t care if he looked like an addict who was finally allowed to enjoy his addiction again. He held his nose up in the wind and sniffed. Where did it come from? He moved around frantically trying to locate the source. He needed to know what it was. And then his nose led him to a small neighborhood where he saw several open windows.
“Uhhuh!” he exclaimed happily.
When he got closer it became apparent the smell came from one of them, but which one? He got right under them and suddenly he realized it. He knew what the scent was.
“No, it can’t be,” he shook his head furiously.
The thought that went through his head was impossible. It just couldn’t be true. This scent smelled exactly like Lucy’s apple pie. The memory brought tears to his eyes but also a slight smile. What a coincidence this was, but was it really? As quick as the smile appeared, so fast it disappeared again. He suddenly realized something. Lucy’s apple pie was extremely unique. It was a family recipe passed down for generations, and the smell was so distinctive due to its special herbs, and those herbs were sold at a particular shop in Mexico.
Lucy once told him that her great grandmother grew up on a plain in Mexico where these special herbs would grow. The herbs would create a sweet and herbal scent which was very recognizable. All this information rushed through his head. What was going on? This couldn’t be a coincidence like he initially thought. The whole idea of the vacation was for Henry to relax and enjoy some free time, but since he smelled the apple pie, his body felt tense and his mind was racing. He couldn’t just let this go. He needed to know what was happening. So before Henry knew it, he knocked on the door.
Henry didn’t really think things through and was surprised by his sudden action, but he couldn’t walk away now. He heard some stumbling on the other side of the door as footsteps approached. Henry thought the matter would soon be clarified, but what he didn’t know was that his life was about to change. A young woman opened the door. Henry couldn’t help but feel disappointed. A small part of him had hoped to see Lucy open that door. The swing of the door caused another wave of apple pie scent to be sent in his direction. Then a small voice disrupted his thought.
“Can I help you?” the young lady asked.
Henry was so deep into his thought that she startled him, even though he was the one who had knocked on her door in the first place. He stared at her for a while, not knowing what to say. Then he decided to just come clean. He explained that he was enjoying the city and wandered into the neighborhood when he suddenly smelled something amazing.
“Your pie,” he said with a smile as he pointed at it.
Then he asked her how it was made or if she used a recipe, and the answer would shock him.
“I learned how to make it from the woman by the lake,” the young lady replied happily.
She was delighted that Henry liked the smell of her pie so much that he knocked on her door, but that response wasn’t what he expected. How would someone here know the recipe for the pie?
“Lady by the lake?” Henry repeated softly.
He surely heard that right, but he was also sure this recipe was only going around in Lucy’s family. Lucy was an only child and never gave Henry or the kids the recipe. Did she give it to someone here? He needed to find out. But when Henry asked the young lady who the lady at the lake was or where he could find her, she hesitated. She was clearly uncomfortable giving such information away to a stranger. He understood her feelings and thought of something that could persuade her, not knowing the shocking truth that would be revealed.
Henry decided the best course of action was for him to tell her a story. This way she would get to know him and maybe talk to him about the woman of the lake. But when he started his life story, the young lady suddenly interrupted him.
“How do you know her name is Lucy?”
The two looked at each other in shock for a while. Henry was flabbergasted but eventually found his voice.
“What do you mean?” he said.
The young lady repeated her question and asked how he knew the lady’s name was Lucy. Then all fell into place inside Henry’s head. The lady at the lake was named Lucy, and she knew how to make Lucy’s pie. Henry couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The young lady saw his confused and surprised look and immediately started to tell his story. Henry noticed the story had the effect he hoped it would have. Before he finished the story, the young lady took off her apron and told him she would take him to Lake Como. She wasn’t going to be the person to spoil this potential meeting.
“Thank you, thank you very much,” Henry exclaimed.
Then he thought of something. Why would Lucy be here all this time? He followed the young lady to the shore of the lake. The thought echoed through his mind. Why would she be here? Why didn’t she contact him? Then a tiny cabin at the edge of the water came into view.
“There she lives,” the lady said.
Determined to get answers, Henry walked toward the cabin. With each step, the tension increased. Henry couldn’t believe what was happening. He pinched himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.
“Ouch,” he mumbled.
What would he do if he saw Lucy again after all these years? He wanted to ask her many questions, but would he like the answers? He saw a window with a curtain behind it. A ghostlike figure walked back and forth the whole time. Then he saw the curtains move a little from left to right. A woman slowly pushed them aside. Suddenly she became visible, and Henry looked straight at her. He couldn’t believe his eyes.
The woman in the window froze for a second when her eyes interlocked with Henry’s. Then she abruptly closed the curtains. Henry was stunned. He stopped in his steps and didn’t know what to do. Even though he hoped for this moment, he now realized he wasn’t prepared. It was Lucy. For 23 years Henry had thought, dreamed, and hoped for this moment, and it was finally here. He still couldn’t move a muscle, and then the woman showed herself again. It was undeniable.
“Lucy!” he screamed.
They stared at each other, both unsure what to do. Then Henry took action. Henry quickly walked toward the door. He broke down in tears while waiting for her to open the door. He was no longer in control of his emotions. He was about to reunite with his long-lost love, the mother of his children. Henry heard the lock of the door slowly turn. Crying, Lucy pulled the door open. Henry flew right into her arms. The embrace lasted almost 5 minutes. Lucy asked him if he wanted to sit down. They were speechless as they slowly moved into the sofa’s pillows.
Henry sat down but Lucy couldn’t sit still and acted nervous. Then she got up. Henry took a seat on the couch and looked around. He saw a lot of pictures of a guy in his 20s. When Lucy came back, she looked at Henry with a scared look on her face. That’s when Henry asked her the questions that had haunted his mind for 23 years.
“What happened?“
Henry noticed the blood slowly disappear from her face as she turned pale. She knew this question was coming but still dreaded it intensely. She opened her mouth to say something, but before any words came out, she was overcome by emotions.
“I made a terrible mistake,” she eventually managed to get out.
Henry looked worried and told her she shouldn’t worry and just explain. Lucy took a deep breath and started. She told him she had met someone on their last vacation here on the night Henry had stayed in the cabin sick, and that when she and Henry returned home, she was pregnant. The last thing Lucy wanted was for our family to grow up with a bastard child, so she returned to Lake Como to raise the child with its father. But now her son lived with his father in Milan, leaving Lucy alone.
“Can you forgive me?” she asked.
But Henry had other plans in mind. Henry got up and sat down next to Lucy. He was furious on the one hand but so happy on the other hand. There have been so many disaster scenarios haunting his mind for all those years.
“Come home darling,” suggested Henry. “Then we will see how we will approach it first further, please.”
Lucy couldn’t believe that Henry reacted like that after what he did to her and their children. The two hugged each other again and Henry stayed overnight with Lucy for a few days. Then Lucy went back home with Henry. They resumed their lives together after being separated for 23 years.
It had been, you know, six months since Henry and Lucy had met at Lake Como. The two now live in their old home again. For the kids, it was bizarre to see their mother again. Most of them couldn’t remember her at all; they were babies when she disappeared, but for some it was hard. However, slowly but surely it worked out. Henry and Lucy were trying to rebuild their lives. She told Henry everything and they started a new one. When everything was out in the open, eventually everything returned to how it was before she disappeared, and the family was whole and happy again.
