Journal # 10

When first reading the "The Wife of my Youth" I was very confused.  There seemed to be no talk about a wife, and I wasn't sure I was reading the right story.  When the old lady came to talk to Mr. Ryder I became very interested in what she had to say.  Her love and passion for one man was incredible, but still I didn’t see any connection between Mr. Ryder and this women.  I thought maybe he would know of the man she was talking about and be able to reconnect these lost lovers, but he didn’t seem to know of the man she was speaking of.  But when he started repeatedly telling this innocent lady the multiple reasons why she would probably never find the man she lost 25 years ago I became curios.  I didn’t understand why he was so against her attempt to reconnect with someone from her past.  At this point there was a second when I thought that Mr. Ryder was the person she was describing, but she said she didn’t expect him to make much of himself, and that she would recognize him between 100 different men, so I assumed I was wrong.  But then Mr. Ryder, after looking at her faded picture of her lost husband, looked closely at his own features I knew I must be right.  Mr. Ryder had changed from his youth and had grown into a new man, a man that those from his past wouldn’t recognize.  It was at this point that I wondered whether he would reveal himself to the wife of his youth, or keep it to himself.  I honestly thought he would keep it to himself.  He had a thriving career, and was on the verge of settling down with what was described as an amazing woman.  Bringing up these things from the past didn’t seem like a smart thing to do.  But to my surprise he did reveal his secret.  And not just to the old women but to his soon to be wife and his colleagues.  It’s impossible to know how this action would affect both his social and professional life, but either way it shows the impressive character that Mr. Ryder has.