The question

Scene: phone booth in the rain (clearly a retro scene), a man fumbles for change, inserts two quarters, and listens to the mechanical whir of the phone dialing ...

Hello?

Hello, Cindy. 

Josh ... sigh. 

Just let me say what I need to say.  Just one last time. I know you won't tell me what I want to hear. Or maybe you won't say anything at all. But I'm asking for an answer. Whatever answer you have, I accept. Whatever your heart involuntarily says. And then I will politely walk away one last time. I don't want to beg, but I will. Please, Cindy, take my hand and walk with me through the rest of our lives. I know this world is troubled, but so am I without you. I can't promise you much but my endless love. I don't want to miss out on a single day of your life. I already missed so much. So, please, be gentle with me one last time. And say what needs to be said. I will accept your answer — yes or no — with dignity. I will hold my head high because I tried but knowing some things cannot be changed. Thank you. 

... 

Music swells, camera pans up to a rainy sky, and credits roll ...

***

I wrote this two months ago but wasn't going to post it. I see no harm in posting it now.

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