A Letter for Evangeline

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                                                                                 1918

The days are longer. The nights are darker. Everything has become dimmer ever since he passed away.

Our daughter cries every night for her father, but he will never come. He will no longer be able to see her grow. See her become the beautiful lady she will one day be.

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I watch them day and night. I ask daughter what is wrong when she calls my name, but my voice is deaf to her ears. I try to hold my wife when she sleeps at night, but she doesn't feel my touch.

I'm not allowed into the after life until my wife and daughter are happy enough once more to move on with their lives.

How much longer will it take for her to find the letter? How much longer will it take until I can finally move on?

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I know in my heart he is still with us, and I will not let that go. I will never let him go. 

I send my daughter away to play with her friends while I clean the house. I haven't gone into his office since his death, until now.

Papers are scattered on his desk. Papers for the bank, papers for taxes, an envelope with my name on it...

An envelope with my name on it?

With shaky hands I grab the envelope that has my name written on them in his handwriting. I carefully sit in the desk chair and slowly take the paper out of the envelope to read it.

My Dearest Evangeline,

I'm sorry to say that if you are reading this letter then that means I am most likely dead. It breaks my heart to know of the pain you are going through at this moment. I have left you alone with a daughter to raise by yourself, with no husband to support you at all.

I wish I was there with you right now, holding you when you sleep, kissing you in the morning, kissing you at night, kissing you whenever I felt like it all over your face. Our daughter got your face, and I am so glad for that because that means she will be as beautiful one day as her mother has always been.

I am sorry I had to leave for the war, and I am sorry I didn't make it back alive. That will always be my biggest regret in life. Not coming back to you. I will never forgive myself for it while I float in heaven.

Although my death will be hard on you I want you to be strong. I don't want you to just survive day by day, I want you to live.

The papers on the desk are meant for you to use. The deed to the house may be the most important because other men will try to convince you that I never owned this house and you will have to leave, but the house is ours. It is yours. The men think you will be stupid because you are a woman, but not me sweet Evangeline. You tell them to leave you alone and to never come back if they know what is good for them, and if they return, well I'll let you decide what you should do next.

Other papers on the desk are for other possible things you will need to help with, such as the taxes and the banking numbers. Everything is there to help you and our little girl live.

I want you to remarry one day and have more beautiful children. I want you to be happy once more like you were with me. Promise me that, will you? Promise me you will give this mas as much love as you had given me. That these children will be loved as much as our little one is loved. Promise me you will move on.

I know you may be scared about moving on, but I will always be with you, even when you can't see me, I will always be in your heart. Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye. I will always be invisible from you from now on, but I will always be with you, every step of the way.

Take care of our little girl, Evangeline, and take care of yourself. You mean more to me than life itself, and I am selfish to say that if this were the other way around I wouldn't be able to live with myself and I would follow you to heaven. But you, you're stronger then me. You know you have to stay for our darling girl.

I love you Evangeline. I want you to be happy, and I want you to move on. Promise me you will. 

You're loving Husband, John

By the time I finish the letter I am hysterically crying, and it doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon

"I promise, John. I promise to love you forever, and I promise to let you go and move on. I promise to be happy forever from now on, no matter what life throws at me. I'm letting you go, but I will forever keep you in my heart. Good-bye sweet John. May you rest in peace."

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Once her words are spoken my spirit is let go from Earth. I am now allowed to travel to my afterlife and await for my beautiful wife and daughter to join me one day, but not to soon. They have to live first.

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