When the second day arrived, Re realized he had probably not been very specific in his drawing. Third evening from when? The day he drew it could be considered the first night. Or the next day could be considered the first. Oh dear.
So that second night, he waited. Not very long, but just until the sky was fully dark. So the other god must have viewed it as Re originally had, and would be looking to arrive the following evening. Again Re let himself be separated in anticipation of his pen pal's arrival. And he waited.
The darkness was almost oppressive, but still he waited. He had no idea where this god came from, or how long it would take him to arrive, or how busy he was and when he could make the time. Perhaps there were forces for him to battle as well. The hours ticked by, until Re knew he had no choice but to fully integrate himself again. The Gate to Apep's realm would be approaching, and he could not risk the separation.
Disappointed, the first thing the Sun did when dawn came was check out the drawing to see if a message had been left. Nothing. And nothing the day after or the day after that. For a full week he watched the night sky and kept an eye on his message. All sorts of thoughts and questions ran through his mind. But as his own drawing had not been disturbed, he knew he hadn't exactly been stood up. It hadn't been seen yet.
After that first week, Re took to not waiting at dusk anymore. But he did continue to check the drawing each day for changes. He couldn't help but wonder if something had happened to that other god, or if maybe it had just been a passing fancy. Maybe he would never see anything from this mysterious god again. After all, the last message had been the raven waving goodbye as it left the sky. Perhaps he had missed the point altogether.
The thought humbled and saddened him. Had he put too much stock into such a simple thing? Had he let his solitude and loneliness reflect something other than it was? It wouldn't be the first time he had seen things that simply weren't there because it suited him.
Determined not to waste any more time wondering or beating himself up over it, Re decided that the next morning if there was still no change, he would erase the message himself. Call it a fun little interlude and leave it at that. Which was apparently all the other god had intended.
As he rose above the horizon that morning, he sent his falcon form straight to the picture. The bird's eyes were sharp, and he was still a good distance away when he spotted the figure. He'd come! Excited, Re flew faster, transforming to his human form only a few feet away from...the woman. It was a woman!
Smiling brightly, Re bowed before her. "Em hotep! I am Re."