By PatZi (with a Z!) When Delia Ephron wrote the popular film ‘You’ve Got Mail,” she had no idea that one day an email would change her life. Back in 2015 at the age of 71 Ephron’s husband, Jerry, died in their apartment on 10th Street in New York City. A master wordsmith Delia Ephron uses that address in the title of her latest book: “Left on Tenth.” It is the direction to her apartment and the way she felt. After 35 years of marriage, she was left on Tenth. But left alone because just three years earlier her older sister, Nora, died of leukemia. Nora was also a writer—perhaps most famous for “Sleeping in Seattle”, which is one of the most popular movies of all time. Nora’s death was devastating for Delia because they were more than sisters; they were creative collaborators and filmmakers. Their parents, Phoebe and Henry Ephron, were a comedy-writing team in old Hollywood? Among their great successes were “Desk Set”, “Carousel”, and “Daddy Long Legs.” Shortly after Jerry’s death Delia had to deal with one of the many unpleasant things that fall into a widow’s lap: cancelling Jerry’s Verizon account. What should have taken fifteen minutes turned into an ordeal that lasted weeks. A real stepping-into-a-hell-fire task. Being an Ephron, Delia had to write about her experience. “Love and Hate on Hold with Verizon.” is a very funny article. It was published in The Washington Post. It makes me smile to know that she made some money out of the ordeal. The article is also heartbreaking when she writes about how much she loved Jerry’s voice and that before disconnecting his phone, she recorded his answering service message: “You have reached Delia Ephron and Jerome Kass, please leave a message.” How many times did she listen to that message? How many tears did she shed? I know I cried me a river. I still do sometimes. But sometimes things are beshert. A Yiddish word that means meant to be. Shortly after the article was printed, she got mail. It was a blast from the past. From a man Delia didn’t even remember. Fifty years earlier they had dated a few times. Although Peter hadn’t made a big impression on her, she had made one on him. Soon Peter entered her life. He had admired her from afar for years. He spoke about how much he enjoyed her bestselling book, “Siracusa.” A fascinating suspense thriller set in Sicily. Fittingly, it was the last place that he and his wife visited before her death. Soon the widow and the widower were each getting mail and then getting together. What happened next surprised both of them. They fell in love. Discovering each other. With all the joy and warmth and togetherness that they both needed. In Left on Tenth Delia Ephron writes tenderly about their love story. It’s my favorite part of the book. But life threw one more twist in Delia’s life. She and Peter were planning to get married when she was diagnosed with the same leukemia that had taken her sister’s life. With Peter at her side, she entered the hospital for a bone marrow transplant. They were married in the hospital and through all the painful months, he stayed with her. He gave her the strength to fight for life. “Left on Tenth” is a love story that proves it is never too late. But it is also a reminder that we need to be thoughtful. Think how different their lives would have been if he had not reached out to her. Think how great her life became because she got mail. It’s never too late for love. By the way, you can listen to my interview with Delia about “Siracusa” on my website. I love the Audible version. If you want to read Delia’s article, just Google: EPHRON CRAZY VERIZON. ABOUT: PatZi Gil hosts “Joy on Paper” (radio-joyonpaper.com) a nationally syndicated program for writers and those who dream of writing. The program can be heard in the Bay area Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m., on WDCF 1350-AM, WZHR 1400-AM, and WTAN 1340-AM or online at www.tantalk1340.com.