Love Everlasting

This story is dedicated to thirteen year old Trevor Smith, who died in an accident. Although his life was short, he lived it to it's fullest with a smile on his face, and reminded everyone how precious life is. You don't have to live forever. You just have to live. Rest in peace Trevor, you are terribly missed.

 1953

The summers in Treegap had always been notoriously ardent, occasionally to the point of roasting cracked eggs on the sidewalk, but the summer of August 1953 was something sweltering to say the least. The usually green hills that surrounded Treegap had become a dried yellow color that matched the sun. The town busied itself with its usual morning routine despite the heat, yet on the outskirts of town, a small cottage was untouched by the routine that moved the town into motion. It stood where the last bit of wilderness remained, a small plot of wild trees that had escaped the demolition of the Foster Forest that had once stood proud beside TreeGap. The cottage was small, only having two rooms, but it was by no means meager. The yard was filled with many different types of flowers, all blended together so a person couldn't tell where the garden began and the wildlife took over.

Inside the cottage, Winnie Tuck awoke to the warmth of the sun shining through the small window beside her bed. It warmed her face and she sat up, yawning. Her long brown hair was held back by a braid, but she pushed the loose strands of hair that had come out, behind her ears. Her white nightgown was hidden by the heavy quilt that her mother in law had made, but Winnie pushed it off, realizing how hot it was. She heard the steady sound of Jesse's breathing beside her and she smiled, looking at her sleeping husband.

They both looked only seventeen, but in reality Jesse was 110 years older than she was. He slept on his stomach with his face turned towards her, and Winnie lightly brushed his soft brown hair out of his face. He stirred, groaning, and then looked up at Winnie. After rubbing his eyes, he sat up.

"Morning dear." he said groggily. He kicked his side of the quilt off of him as well and looked out the window. "Looks like its gonna be a hot one today."

"Hotter than yesterday?" She asked, looking out the window as well.

"Well if it is, we know how to solve it." Jesse said with a grin. Winnie looked at him as he put his hands over his head. "Public pool!" He sang, as he poked Winnie on the shoulder. Winnie shook him off and laughed.

"How about air conditioned work spaces?" She smirked. Jesse groaned, falling back into the bed. He opened one eye to look at her.

"Your not leaving me to go work in that awful place are you? On a day like today?" He asked with a pout.

"Our rent is due soon, and you have work too." She said smacking him on the shoulder. Jesse pretended that she hurt him, but they both knew that was impossible.

"Can't we call in sick?" he asked. Winnie said no as she pushed herself off the bed, but Jesse reached over, grabbing her waist, and pulling her back in. "Can't we at least be a little late?" he said with a kiss on the cheek. Winnie bit her lip, not looking at him, so Jesse tickled her ribs, making her squirm and giggle.

"Jesse!" Winnie squealed, giggling. "All right we can be late!" She said grinning. Jesse stopped tickling her and instead kissed her on the lips. They leaned back into their springy mattress, and both giggled like children at the ridiculousness of it all.

"Winnifred! Are you listening to me?" Winnie blinked, looking at her boss Betty. Betty was a large woman with blond hair and pouty lips.

"Huh?" Winnie asked, realizing that she had been day dreaming. Betty rolled her eyes, pointing a grubby finger at a booth in the corner.

"Table 5 has someone waiting to order." She said, handing Winnie her order pad and a pencil. Winnie nodded and took off to the booth, dodging another waitress with a plate of burgers.

Winnie approached the booth, the man practically hiding behind his menu. "What's your special today?" He asked, not looking up. Winnie had to repress a sigh.

"Chicken noodle soup." She said. The man clicked his tongue against his teeth and was silent for a minute. Winnie shifted on her feet getting impatient.

"Such a sad, underpaying job for someone with gifts like yours." The man said suddenly, still not looking up from his menu. Winnie scoffed, putting a hand on her hip.

"Excuse me?" she asked sarcastically. The man put down his menu and looked up with a grin. Winnie almost dropped her pencil at the sight of his familiar red hair. "Bill??" She said excitedly. The man grinned at her and rose to his feet to give her a hug.

"Hello Miss Foster." He said hugging her tightly. He stood 6 feet tall, so he towered high above Winnie, but she still hugged him back. "It's been so long." He looked down at her. "You haven't changed much."

"I could say the same for you, Bill." She said, grinning. The man sat back down and Winnie sat across from him, marveling that he was in Treegap. "Gosh, its been eleven years." She said. She held her left hand up, showing off her tiny diamond ring. "And it's not Foster anymore."

Bill took her hand and whistled at the ring. "So, your one of them now huh? Well I'm happy for you." He said, sitting back. "How's Jesse doing?"

"He's great. We have a cottage outside of town, and Jesse works on car motors at the auto shop downtown." Winnie said, also sitting back. Bill shook his head, looking out the window.

"I can't imagine it. I mean, with gifts like yours, why are you two here? I mean, why aren't you off seeing the world?" He asked. Winnie shook her head.

"We did that for a while, sightseeing, but we decided to try settling down for a while. Besides, Jesse's parents live nearby so," Winnie trailed off, fiddling with her pencil and Bill leaned forward, his green eyes meeting Winnie's.

"Well, settling down is nice for a little bit...But you won't be able to keep that up for very long." Bill said speaking low so that no one else could hear. Winnie rolled her eyes.

"Don't you think I know that?" Winnie asked, tilting her head. "I mean, it's not like we're flaunting our-" Betty waved at Winnie from across the diner, and Winnie waved back, irritated. "I see you Betty, I'm coming." Winnie muttered. She looked at Bill and smiled politely. "I'm sorry, I really have to get back to work."

Bill suddenly reached forward and grabbed her arm as she stood to get up, surprising Winnie. "Wait," He said, his eyes looking desperate. "I didn't come here just to say hello. I have something important that I need to discuss with you, Jesse, and Miles." Winnie squinted at Bill, not sure what to make of him.

"Okay." She said slowly, "I will invite Miles over and you can come to our house tonight." She looked at him, and he nodded, so Winnie wrote down her address on his napkin and handed it to him. "So do you still want to order anything?" She asked. Bill shook his head and put some cash on the table.

"So your boss won't chew you out." He explained. Winnie thanked him and then watched him stand. "I'll come by at eight." he said, and then slipping past Winnie, he left the diner, leaving Winnie to worry about what it was he needed to discuss.

That night, Jesse and Winnie sat on the couch, waiting for Bill to show up. The living room had only the couch and a small table that faced the wall opposite it. Miles paced in front of the couch, scratching his head. "Why now? Why would Bill show up now after eleven years?" He asked. They heard a knock on the door, and Jesse and Winnie both rose to their feet. Winnie rushed forward and opened the door. Bill didn't say anything but brushed past her, looking at Miles and Jesse. Winnie closed the door behind him.

"Bill! How great to see you again!" Miles said, stepping forward. Bill forced a smile, and Winnie got a bad feeling. Bill was acting very strange.

"It is good to see you again Miles," Bill said, he looked at Jesse. "You too Jesse. But, I have some unpleasant news that you need to hear." He looked at Winnie. "All of you."

Miles spread his arms out, stepping forward. "We're all ears, Bill." He said. "What is it?"

Bill looked down at his feet, and then, glancing up at Miles with furrowed eyebrows, he said "Von Kliest has been let out of prison."