Scrolling through Facebook one quiet evening, I suddenly saw a photo of myself from my youth. What I didn’t know then was that my first love had been searching for me—for 45 years.
My name is Susan. I’m 67 years old, and I work as a nurse. I still take extra shifts whenever I can. It helps me support my daughter, who is raising two children on her own. They are my whole world.
My husband and I separated many years ago, and since then, I haven’t built any new relationships. My life has become quiet, predictable, and steady.
Christmas was approaching when I came home after my last shift before the holiday. I was exhausted. I reheated some leftovers, made myself a cup of tea, and opened Facebook just to relax for a moment.
After a few minutes of scrolling, I froze.
A familiar photo appeared in my feed—shared by many people, which was likely why it reached me. It was old and faded, showing two young people standing close together, smiling awkwardly.
I recognized the place.
I recognized the man.
And I recognized myself.
The photo was from my college years. The man beside me was Daniel—my first love.
We had dated for some time, until one day he disappeared without warning. His family moved to the other side of the country, and all contact was lost 35 years ago. For most of my adult life, I carried the unanswered question of what really happened.
Under the photo was a short message:
“I am looking for the woman in this photo. Her name is Susan. I have been searching for her for decades—checking every college, but without success. If anyone knows where she is, please let me know.
I need to return something important to her. Something I have kept for 45 years.”
I closed the app, my heart pounding. I didn’t know what to do.
I went to bed telling myself that maybe, by morning, everything would make sense.
But I couldn’t sleep.
I kept thinking about Daniel. About the photo. About that message.
Finally, gathering my courage, I opened the post again.
And I wrote to him.
If you want, I can continue this into Part 2, tighten it for viral Facebook storytelling, or adapt it for short-form narration.