Tick... tock.. tick... tock...

“I thought I might find you here.”

“Visiting old friends? It’s the least I owe them, after so long...”

Tick... tock... tick... tock...

“I suppose so.”

“And it has not been easy, so far, making new ones...”

Tick... tock... tick... tock...

“Persistence will pay off.”

“I hope you are right.”

Click... whirr...

The sound of a chiming bell interrupts any further conversation.

A minute passes.

“...we’re not getting any younger, are we.”

“You are only as old as you feel, my dear.”

“...right.” It’s said with a smile, as though a long-forgotten truth was once more remembered.

“Thank you.”