Love Goes On And On

I'll Never Forget You

“Maria! Don't wander off too far now!” La Muerte called to the royal child.

“Ok!” Maria wasn't a princess, but as the king's niece, she had status and must be protected. As such, she was placed under the care of her nanny, La Muerte. 

It was a boring day at the castle, so La Muerte decided to go into the village of Nottingham. To keep Maria busy for a few minutes, she handed the young girl some money and a basket and told her to buy flowers for her bedroom. 

It didn't take long for Maria to find the flowers she wanted. Roses. They were always her favorite. Once she had the flowers in her possession, she began to run back to La Muerte. She tripped over her feet, spilling the flowers out of the large basket.

Maria sighed in frustration. She got up and dusted off her dress. She picked up the roses from the ground with a pout. Of course she had to be clumsy. Now she was covered in dirt.

As she placed her roses back in the basket, she noticed another small pair of hands helping her. She slowly looked up at who the hands belonged to.

A little boy around her age with dark hair, who was also covered in dirt. The two children stared at each other. The boy shyly smiled at her, “Hi.”

Maria felt her heart skip a beat, smiling at the strange feeling, “H-Hello.”

La Muerte walked by with new fabrics. She noticed Maria had ruined her dress and was staring at a boy. She couldn't ignore the look they had in their eyes and knowingly smiled. 

She walked up to the kids and knelt down to their level, “There you are, Maria.” The kids were startled at the older woman's sudden presence, “I see you made a new friend.” 

Maria looked back at the boy and nodded.

“Do you have a name, mijo?” La Muerte asked him.

“Manolo, ma'am.” He said.

“It's great to meet you, Manolo. This is Maria.”

Manolo’s eyes grew wide with awe and fear, “You mean-”

“Now, now, there's no need to be scared. She's just a child like you. Besides, you want to see her again, right?” He nodded, “Well, how about we meet again tomorrow? Would you both like that?”

The kids nodded.

“Good. Now, Maria, is there anything you want to say to Manolo before we go?” 

Maria looked at Manolo, “Uh… Thank you for helping me.”

“You're welcome.” Manolo said, looking at his feet.

“We'll see you tomorrow.” La Muerte said, “Say goodbye to your friend, Maria.” Maria grabbed the basket and went to follow La Muerte. All she could do was smile and wave as she left. She blushed when Manolo waved back.

“What was that?” La Muerte laughed, “You barely said a thing to each other.” Maria didn't reply, smiling at the ground as they walked. 

La Muerte's smile softened. She knew coming into the village was a good idea.

…

Years went by. Manolo and Maria met up together almost every night with La Muerte's help. 

Manolo was an orphan and the day he and Maria met was his attempt at running away from the orphanage. He since went back and never tried to leave again. But he never regretted escaping that day.

Manolo had dreams of being a musician. His guitar was the last thing he had of his parents. He quickly became talented at both the guitar and singing. 

Manolo and Maria were inseparable when they were together. She would read him stories, he'd sing her songs, and they often went exploring in the forest.

They both knew there was something between them, but it remained unspoken. Maybe it was because they were still young and didn't know what they were feeling. Maybe it was because deep down they knew their paths would separate them. Whatever the reason, they acted like they've been in love forever. 

To an outsider, it was merely puppy love, but La Muerte knew better.

“How long will you be gone?” Manolo asked. 

Manolo and Maria were in the forest that night. Maria was leaving for London the next day.

“I don't know.” Maria said, “I don't want to go.”

“Then stay. You can sneak out.”

“I can't. You know I can't. I'm sorry, but…” Maria sighed, just as heartbroken as him.

It seemed as though their lives would tear them apart after all.

Manolo picked a small flower from the grass and gave it to her, “I promise, no matter what happens, I'll never forget you.”

Maria tearfully threw her arms around him in a tight hug. Even as they held each other that night, they still didn't say what was in their hearts.

But that wasn't important. Not anymore. For now, they could only cherish what they have and what never was.