In 1969, Ellen attended prom with Daniel, her sweetheart since she was fifteen. Before leaving for Vietnam, he asked her to save her ivory dress for their wedding. Then he was reported missing. Ellen never married, and his fate remained a question until he appeared at her door fifty-five years later. Daniel explained that he had survived and searched for her. When he reached her family’s former home, her sister Margaret told him Ellen had married. Believing he had lost his chance, he left.
Three weeks after their reunion, Ellen and Daniel married quietly in her living room. When confronted, Margaret admitted she had meant to protect Ellen from renewed heartbreak; instead, her lie had cost them decades. Ellen later hung the dress downstairs, where she could see it daily. Asked whether she regretted waiting, she answered, “I regret the years we lost, but I don’t regret loving you.”