Prologue: A story begins

 

 When does a story truly begin? Where does it go? When does it end? These are questions I ask myself often. Well in this particular story, it begins with a kiss, a summer kiss, hot June kiss. Two lost souls who find each other, and fall in love. But as in every good story, disaster will strike. Two souls l

   It all began long, long ago. With just a kiss, a kiss that changed two young lives forever. Two soul mates bound together for an eternity.

Another question that I ask is how will this story end? I can tell you right now but; you may want to read more of this story. To give out the answer would be just absolutely cruel. The greatest part of the story is the journey to get to the end. It's not always about how the story ends, but how you get to the end of the story. 

   Does a story ever really end though? I think a story truly ends when our bodies grow cold and, our souls move on. That is when our story ends. I can tell you the year it was, when it all started. Yes it was nineteen forty. Our lovers where seventeen that year and, they were so young. Love was blooming into their souls as they grew up together. It was that summer when their lives where changed forever. I will not waste anymore of your time with useless words, but I do promise you that by the end you will understand why I refuse to tell you what happens at the end of this road. It is a rather bittersweet story but, in a way it is both beautiful and bittersweet. 

 

Chapter One: Ghosts

 

Chance sat down his red pen. He looked at the clock and it was a quarter past twelve. Chance had been working since five in the morning. He was getting to the point of unbearable exhaustion. Chance was an editor at the local town newspaper. It was a very time consuming job. He had been working there since he came out of the war. He didn’t really date anybody and, he worked day and night. Even if he wanted to day (which he didn't) he would have little time for a family. Chance had fought in World War II. The year was now nineteen fifty one. 

He also took all his work home. He went to the office maybe twice a week. Chance had few friend’s, he probably would not just start talking to you out of no where in na bar, or public. He was a shy man. He enjoyed to just keep to himself.

It seemed that Chance worked just to work. It's not like he needed the money. From the war, and the money he had already saved he had enough, if he used it right, to never work again. As if to forget something, or maybe he was working to somehow forget someone. Maybe in his mind he thought if he worked enough, he would forget life. Truth was that yes Chance worked so much in the hope to forget someone. A specific someone and, in time he will find out that in a leap of fate that someone would come back into his life. Chance looked around his small office. It was quiet; no sound whatsoever except, his breathing.

Chance enjoyed the quiet. Something about the quiet pleased him; there is something innocent and, precious about the quiet. It is times like these quiet nights that ghosts would sneak up behind Chance. Not actual spirits but, ghost from the past.  Old memories, memories from the past, memories that Chance did not want to forget not now, nor did he ever want to forget for that matter.

No matter how hard you try, to get away from ghosts you won’t escape them. They will find you when you least expect them to: When you’re lying in bed, driving in the car, in a quiet moment when you’re alone and at your most desperation moment of being drunk, or depressed. You cannot run from those ghosts. When they find you they will make you remember it all. You might even find that when they sneak up to you you’ll find yourself wishing to relive those days once again.

Chance’s certain ghost are from the only girl he had ever loved. Her name was Samantha, Sam for short. It was a teenage love affair. They were both just seventeen years old. It lasted just three months in the summer of nineteen forty. It was short but, it lasted forever. Chance can't forget her. 

For Chance it was not over. He was still replaying the memories in his mind. They met at the local Charleston, North Carolina county fair. When Chance saw Sam he was intoxicated by her beauty. He was with his best friend Derrick. It was a hot, hot June day. When he laid his eyes on Sam he turned to Derrick and asked, “Who is that” as he pointed to Sam. “Oh that, her names Sam she’s new in town,” he said looking at her. “Beautiful isn’t she?”

Sam had gold curly hair, her lips red as a rose, her eyes baby blue. She was just about the most beautiful person anyone could have ever seen. Chance thought she was an angel that was sent from heaven. “She is amazingly beautiful,” Chance said thinking about going over and talking to her. He had to speak to her. It was as if his life depended on this moment. Maybe the course of his life did depend on this very moment. 

“You should go over and talk to her,” Derrick said.

“What! I can’t” Chance said. As Chance said this he saw that the beautiful girl was making her way toward them.

“Well you can’t say that she’s on her way over here” Derrick said with a laugh. Chance watched Sam walk over.

This moment was happening in such slow motion. Sam walked over with a big smile on her face.  “Hello” Sam said looking to chance. “My name is Sam and I just wanted to introduce myself”

“Oh it is very nice to meet you my name is Chance and this is Derrick,” Chance said taking her hand.

“Maybe we can hang out, since I’m new and all. I don’t have any friends,” Sam said with sadness in her voice.

Chance looked at her with a smile. “We can hang out, I think that would be great,” Chance said to Sam with a mysterious smile. This smile made Sam bust out laughing. Sam’s laugh delighted Chance. It was like an angel singing.

"We could hang out now," Chance said to Samantha very quickly. 

"Okay." 

And it was that. The three of them, plus Derrick's date went to the cafe. They ate burgers, and fries, and Chance and Sam talked about just about everything they could talk about. 

"So you already graduated?"

"Yes, my parents home schooled me. I guess to 'protect me' but the truth is I wanted to go to school," she said. 

"What do you want to do?"

Sam thought for a moment. "What do you mean?"

"What do you like to do?"

"I like to draw, but my parents don't approve."

"Maybe I can see your work sometimes."

Sam reached into her purse. She pulled out a big book. "Here," she told him. 

Chance looked through Samantha's sketch book. "These are beautiful," he told her. 

"I'm not great," she said. 

"No. You're amazing. You should be an artist," he said. 

"What about you?"

"I like to write. But I'm not great."

"I'll bet you're a great writer."

"Maybe," he said. 

She knew french, and Spanish, and she was great writer. Chance was rather impressed by this. She was beautiful, smart, and obviously interested to be around. 

"So what about you?"

Chance thought for a moment "What about me?"

"What's your story?"

"I'm boring."

"You seem interesting," she replied. 

"I'm out of school, I turn eighteen in a month, and I work."

"Well you're the most interesting boy I have ever met."

So it was Chance and Sam started hanging out every day. Derrick never went. Sam was trying to be polite and asked Derrick if he wanted to but, he always denied. Derrick had a girlfriend.

 Chance knew he was the one who Sam wanted to be with. They would sit and just talk all afternoon. They talked about anything and, everything. They talked about what they wanted to do in life. Chance wanted to have a farm and, Sam just wanted to have children and, have a great husband.

Chance and Sam began dating not long after they had met. It was a hot July day. “Do you like me,” Chance randomly asked.

“Well I like you fine” Sam said.

“No like, like.”

“Oh well yes I suppose I have a little crush on you,” Sam said blushing.

“Would you date someone like me?”

“What do you mean by that” Sam asked curiously.

“Well a poor farm boy.”

“Of course I would date you.”

“Really” Chance said surprised. “So would you go out on a date with me?”

“I thought you would never ask” Sam said. “Of course I will.”

And so it was started. That night Chance took Sam to Denies dinner. They both ate a hamburger, fries, and a milkshake; they kissed at the end of the date.

Chance and Sam where inseparable, they were so in love with each other. They spent every day together. They went to see movies, went bowling, and even spent the night with each other. They fell in love and, in deep love very quickly.

Chance even brought Sam home for dinner one night.

Sam arrived at his little house. 

"It's not much, but it's where I live," he said. 

"I think it's absolutely lovely."

"Oh you would hate living in a place like this," Chance told her. 

"It's now how big the home is, it's how much love is in it."

"So this is the girl that's been stealing my son away from me," Chance's dad said. "My, my you're beautiful."

"Dad."

"Thank you, I brought you a pie," Sam said setting it down. They ate fried chicken, and sweet tea. 

"I've never had fried chicken."

"Never?!"

"Never. I like it," she said. 

Chance felt content. He felt like having dinner every night was something they could do together for the rest of their lives. 

They gave up their virginity to each other. They did it in a field behind Chance’s house. They were so scared. Although Chance didn’t show it he was just as scared as her. When it was over they were even more in love with each other.

"Are you sure you're ready" he asked her. 

"No, but I love you. And I want you to be my first,"

Impressum

Verlag: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG

Texte: Timothy J Terry
Lektorat: Timothy J Terry
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 01.01.2015
ISBN: 978-3-7368-6798-7

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Widmung:
To all the romantics out there.