July 3, 2019:
That was the winter of the Great Storm. The low-lying part of town drowned under two feet of seawater. The Pier was pummeled: he watched from his window as enormous waves demolished the railings. It was closed for a year afterward as much of it was rebuilt.
There were storms in their lives, too. They made the decision to live together, the first great mistake of his adult life. He lost the apartment he loved and the woman he loved and he failed to learn the key lesson, that sometimes distance works in your favor.
The apartment is still there. The Pier is still there. Most importantly the sandwich store on the corner is still there. Poma Delicatessen endures, despite the ugly gentrification of Bacon Street nearby.