The Secret Language

My sister and I developed a secret language as kids. Made-up words, silly hand signals. A way of saying "I love you" without saying it.\n\nWhen she moved to another country, our secret language became our lifeline.\n\nThen she stopped responding. A car accident. Brain injury affected her speech and memory.\n\nAt the hospital, I used our hand signals. She stared at my hands, confused.\n\n"She doesn't remember," her husband said softly.\n\nI held her hand. "That's okay. We can make new signals."\n\nIt's been two years. She's recovering. We've created new signals, new words.\n\nBecause love finds a way. Even when memory fails, even when words disappear, love finds a way.