home.I called and found out that Hannah’s mother had died.The woman I spoke with gave me an address where she thought Hannah could be reached.I phoned.The woman who answered explained that Hannah herself was now living in a nursing home.She gave me the number.I called and was told,“Yes,Hannah is with us.”I asked if I could stop by to see her.It was almost 10 p.m..The director said Hannah might be asleep.“But if you want to take a chance,maybe she’s in the day room watching television.”The director and a guard greeted me at the door of the nursing home.We went up to the third floor and saw the nurse,who told us that Hannah was indeed watching TV.We entered the day room.Hannah was a sweet,silverhaired old-timer with a warm smile and friendly eyes.I told her about finding the wallet and showed her the letter.The second she saw it,she took a deep breath.
“Young man,”she said,“this letter was the last contact I had with Michael.”She looked away for a moment,then said pensively,“I loved him very much.But I was only sixteen and my mother felt I was too young.He was so handsome.You know,like Sean Connery,the actor.”We both laughed.The director then left us alone.“Yes,Michael Goldstein was his name.If you find him,tell him I still think of him often.I never did marry,”she said,smiling through tears that welled up in her eyes,“I guess no one ever matched up to Michael…”I thanked Hannah,said good-bye and took the elevator to the first floor.
As I stood at the door,the guard asked,“Was the old lady able to help you?”I told him she had given me a lead.“At least I have a last name.But I probably won’t pursue it further for a while.”I explained that I had spent almost the whole day trying to find the wallet’s owner.While we talked,I pulled out the brown-leather case with its red lanyard lacing and showed it to the guard.He looked at it closely and said,“Hey,I’d know that anywhere.That’s Mr.Goldstein’s.He’s always losing it.I found it in the hall at least three times.”