Forever and Always

           On the anniversary of her husband's kidnapping Sarah Hartley walked past one of the "MISSING" posters she had hung up three months earlier in the middle of her small town of Monroe, New Jersey. She thought back to her last memories of him, Julian, the morning before it happened.

          She was in the kitchen, making his lunch before work when he came up behind her and softly kissed her neck. She turned around to face him. "You know how much I love you?" he said quietly. Sarah nodded shyly. he kissed her again, this time on the nose. " I will be here for you forever and always." He'd said this to her every day since they got married four years ago.

          The flashback made her eyes fill with tears to the brim of falling over. Once Sarah had gotten herself together she continued to walk down the street and around the corner. Coming up on  Julian's favorite restaurant, Sarah paused. She had been avoiding it, along with all of their favorite place, long enough, she decided. As she walked over the threshold into the old brick building where she and her husband had spent so much time together, before and after they had gotten married. She couldn't help but think of when they had first met.

             She walked over to their usual seat by the window. The waitress did a double take when she saw her. "Sarah, it's so nice to see you out and about. How are you?" Sarah had know this waitress, whom everyone called Sam, since college. "Um. Okay, I guess. I needed to get out of the house." Sam smiled at Sarah Pitifully.  "Well regardless, It's great to see you. what can i get you today?" Sarah didn't have to look at the menu to know what she wanted. "I'll have the Philly cheese steak sandwich." Sam again smiled "Alrighty then."

        After Sarah finnished her dinner she went back to the house. When she pulled into the driveway she sat in the car for a few minutes. It was the first time since Julian had been kidnapped that she had gone inside. Sarah had stayed in a hotel for the previous months until the police called to inform her that their search for evidence was finally over. Against her fighting conscience she walk up the front steps to the door. Sarah Dug the key out from the inside pocket of her purse. She shoved it in the lock and went inside.

            Sarah sniffed the comforting scent of Julian's Cologne. She couldn't believe it had stayed in the house for so long. The dressers were covered in dust that seemed out of place. When she went into her and Julian's bedroom and saw how different it looked after the cops went through it so many times she lost it. She tried to put it back to the way she remembered it was while she cried for what seemed like hours.

          When she was out of tears she wiped her face and went to the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee. she opened the oak cabinets that held the mugs and brought down the one that Julian had always used. Sarah walked over to the island in the middle of the kitchen and turned on the Keurig machine. Sarah sat on the stool and listened to it whir to a start. She grabbed the K-cup from underneath the island, and put it in the top of the machine. Sarah pressed the button and sat quietly waiting for her cup to fill up. When she couldn't take the silence any longer she turned on the t.v. to watch the news.

           At eleven Sarah walked into her room to change clothes and go to sleep. She opened the dresser that she and Julian had shared. She immediatly noticed the small silver box slightly sticking out from under one of his shirts. She pulled it out and in it was a silver bracelet with an engraved heart in the middle with the words "Forever & Always" written on it. along with the bracelet was a folded up piece of paper. Sarah opened it and carefully read the words scrawled messily in Julian's handwriting. "No matter what happens i will be here for you forever and always. Whatever you need i will give it to you no matter what it takes to get it. I love you. Happy Anniversary."  She was in tears before she was done reading. they're anniversary would've been three days after the kidnapping.