The Soldier & The Rose

Prologue

      They say that love goes on for ages at a time.
       What is love? What is time?

Love is the everlasting feeling of affection and gratitude you feel even if it may be for an object, a place, your favorite song,... or a person.

Time is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events. Whether they are important or not, every moment counts.

When finding your soul mate everything you have ever experienced whether it was heartbreak, happiness, anything that never made sense to you at a certain point in time, all make sense when you realize you have found the person you're meant to be with for the rest of your life.

It is currently 2003 and my granddaughter, her husband, and her 6 year old daughter are coming over to see me.

As I sit on my front porch rocking chair, I see a silver Ford Focus pull in the driveway. As the car comes to a stop I see my granddaughter, Margaret, get out of the driver's side of the car and my grandson in-law, David, exits from the passenger seat.

"Mawmaw! Mawmaw!" My great granddaughter, Lucy, shouts as she slams the car door shut and runs up the porch stairs.

"Hello, darling! How's my Lulu doing today?" I say as I lift her up onto my hip.

I haven't seen my  family in about 3 months. They usually come to visit quite often but since David got a job in another state, it's been quite hard to see them. It's been so lonely here in this old house by myself so, it's great to finally have some company. They'll be staying here for a few days and to be honest, I couldn't be more happy about them being here! It's a blessing.

"Good!" She smiles at me, her front tooth missing.

"That's great, sweetie! I'll tell you what, you can go on into the house. I made some cookies for you in the kitchen." I set her back down on her feet.

"Yayyyy!!!" She squeals as she runs through the door almost tripping over her own feet in excitement. I stifle a laugh.

"Just one cookie though!!" I yell as she makes her way to the kitchen.

"You really go out of your way for us, Grandma." Margaret says as she and David step onto the porch both embracing me in a tight hug.

"How have you been?" She pauses. "Since... Grandpa... you know..." She hovers around the question, knowing it's still a sensitive subject. It always will be. 

"Oh I'm hanging in there. He's not suffering anymore so, I have that to be happy about." I say as I smile to myself. I look back up at her to find a sympathetic smile.

"I miss him too, Grandma." She semi-whispers, seeming to read between the lines, and I nod.

I gesture to the door. "Well dinner's getting cold. We better get to eating before my granddaughter eats all the cookies I made." I laugh as we step inside.

***

"Alright, Lu. Time for bed"

The day was filled with a lot of catching up. Turns out Margaret and David have been working as realtors selling $100,000-700,000 houses in New York. About two years ago they weren't doing too well financially. David had been laid off from his previous job at a K-Mart while Margaret was a stay-at-home mom. So the realtor jobs were a major upgrade for the both of them. Happy to see that they're doing a lot better.

"But I don't wanna go to bed yet!!" She pouts as she climbs  onto the bed in what used to be my daughter's room. "Tell me a story." She nearly shouts.

"Tell you a story? But I don't know any good ones." I say as I sit on the side of the bed.

"Yes you do, Grandma!" She shouts. I put my finger to my lips.

"Shhh" I chuckle. "Ok then. What story would you like me to tell? There's princesses, monsters and superheroes and-"

"A love story!" She interrupts. "Tell me a love story."

I look at her questioningly. "A love story. That's what you want to hear?" I raise my eyebrow. She nods. "Are you sure?" I ask.

"Yes Mawmaw!"

I have the perfect one.

"Alright then. Once upon a time..." 
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Hey guys!! This chapter was a bit rocky but I promise the book gets better as you read! This is my first one so please bear with me. I love all of you and I hope you're enjoying it so far!  
~Victoria xx