The Photograph

This photograph was taken on November 14, 2009, not long after a malignant lump was discovered in Rahima's right breast. We had been together six months and were on a trip to Canandaigua, New York to visit her best friend, Lois, whom she had not yet told the alarming news.

When I made this photo, Rahima complained that it was obvious she had been crying so I culled it out of my collection.

It has become my favorite picture of Rahima. This was a beloved place that she wanted me to see, Taughanock Falls near Ithaca. She is radiant and with a full mane of auburn hair. There is water. A lens flare adds a touch of magic. I recognize Rahima's strength, beauty and tenderness.

The photograph also marks the beginning of our saga, the discovery of the illness, triple-negative breast cancer, that would later take her life.

This is the Rahima with whom I had fallen deeply in love. I long for the innocence of the time before the diagnosis and the potential we felt; yet I am open to the lessons of this more arduous path. We loved each other well to the end.

~Andy

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What does this photograph evoke for you?