Gone in an instant

Chapter 23: Thursday, 9:00 AM

Well, it's been a few months since we escaped, Charlotte and I became international heroes and the company was dismantled and snuffed out by police and military around the world. Apparently, a lot of important political figures were a part of it, which was scary. But they're gone now. BYU offered me a scholarship if they liked what they saw when I did a workout for the football coaches, and they did, actually, they loved it. So, I got a full scholarship to BYU.

Charlotte and I had spent just about every possible minute with each other, her family had moved back to Utah in the last few years, so when she wasn't visiting them she was visiting me. Or both... Anyways, I've never been so happy in my life, I love her. I really do. I was supposed to meet her in an hour for breakfast at the “IHOP”, she was in Bountiful with her family, just a few minutes north of Salt Lake City. So I began to drive from from my apartment in Provo. I had to get a different car since my GTI was never found, I was borrowing my roommate Andrews Honda Civic until I could get another car. He was also going to be a Freshman this year. And he was also on the football team, he played Wide-receiver though. We were fast friends and found we had a lot in common.

Anyways, I stopped at the Jewelers on the way up, I was going to propose to Charlotte this evening on top of the mountain while we watched the sunset. It was the same design as a ring I had given her several years ago, it had an “S” on it like the superman symbol, but to us it meant strong. She hadn't taken it off since. The ring I was getting was the same design, but made from real silver with a purple jade for the “S”. It looked amazing and it wasn't your average wedding ring, it was personal and had a story to it. I loved it and I knew she would too.

After I picked it up and put it in the little purple box with a green ribbon, those are her favorite colors, I began driving again. I was a bit nervous, but I thought about all the things I'd been through and I realized that I wasn't nervous then. Soon I pulled off the highway and I could see the “IHOP” sign. I rolled into the parking lot and spotted Charlotte sitting on a bench outside, watching the cars drive by on the main road. I tucked the little box into my pocket and approached her. Taking a deep breath.

I sat down next to her. “Hi.” I said, friendly and somewhat shy even though I didn't mean to. “Oh, you're here! Hi!” She said excitedly, smiling. Gosh I loved her smile. But I saw something behind it, sadness, and pain. “What's wrong?” I said, thinking out loud. She stopped smiling. “I'll tell you over breakfast.” She said softly.

We walked quietly hand in hand into the restaurant, which was just about empty. We sat down and ordered without even looking at the menu because we both knew what we wanted. Chocolate Chip Pancakes. We both loved them. Then she asked me how the workout went.

“Good. They gave me the Scholarship and now I have an apartment, school starts in a month.”

“That's amazing! I'm so proud of you Josh! Good job!” She answered excitedly, then I asked, “What about you, are you going to BYU too?” She stopped smiling, and a tear pricked her eye. I put my around her, “What happened?” She smiled painfully, “Well...I got my dream, Oxford University gave me a scholarship too...but...I'll be gone for four years in England and...I never realized just how true the saying, 'Be careful what you wish for' was. I don't think I can go.”

“But...Charlotte, you've always wanted to go there! That's amazing and you totally deserve every penny of that scholarship! You should go, please?” I asked. She began lightly crying. “But what about you? I won't see you for four years. You're going to meet some other more amazing girl and then you're going to forget about me and then I'll be alone again. I-” She chocked out but I interrupted her, “I'll wait for you. I promise. I promised I'd never leave and I plan on keeping that promise until the die.” I said, “But...but you can't just wait around for me, you have a life to live.”

“Charlotte, you are my life to live.”