She always wanted to see the ocean, since she was a small girl always spinning around in her summer dress fantasising about the waves and the sand in-between her toes. As he walked her down the path of sand and fallen leafs from the near by naked trees. He whispered, "I will always love you"
But the words were not returned.
It was a hot and dry day; waves of heat were swimming on the single main road. The state fair had finally come to the rural town.
She was standing in line for the fairs wheel when he had accidently pushed her over in his rush to catch up with his friends. Leaning down to help her up saying sorry in his embarrassment. After she was standing and had collected her self-telling him she was all right. And that he was being silly and didn't need to apologize. It had all happened so quickly and at that they were pulled onto the fairs wheel not sure what had happened he just sat there in silence. It felt like a lifetime before any thing was said.
"So you from around here"
she said trying to break up the awkward silence.
"Yeah I live just past the first gate"
he said trying not to meet with here eyes.
"You?"
He asked.
"Oh I'm from the town next over".
"Ah I have an uncle who used to live there but his now moved to an ocean side town." "Ocean town!"
said with excitement
"oh how lucky I've always wanted to go to the ocean."
The ride was finished and they walked over to the exit of the fair.
"Hey um do you maybe want to come back to my place I have some friends coming over and I can maybe I don't know"
"yeah id love to" she said not letting him finish.
"So ill see you there."
It was three years until they finally put their love down on paper.
He never expected any thing to change. Every day they would be together. There would never be any complications. They always had their plans to go see the ocean. Slowly saving for the long trip. Even though there sometimes came a time when the jar of change had to be broken. They always thought that they were going to make it there.
He wish he had known that there was something wrong ...
The last year had been hard every thing taunting him about her no were was there something that didn't remind him of her. The way he talked to every one had changed when he was with her he was happy always the attention of the conversation but now he was just there giving the rare nervous smile so he didn't make the others feel bad about his loss.
Days went on and on the old faces flashed pass on occasion he recognized one but it was of no interest to him to say hello. Life was painfully the same with out her it was like she was never really there and that was what killed him the most is that there was nothing, nothing showing what she had achieved in her short days, nothing showing her influence on this now empty world.
It was the day that he had finally cut the world out that he had found a photo album of hers when he was clearing out her things. The photo album was full of fishing boats crabs' fish shells sand and the ocean.
She new that she was going to leave the whole time he didn't no what was happening to her. She seemed fine but really the smoke was in her chest not on the water. It was his fault. Only if he had put the lighter down when she had asked. The money in the jar was being broken more and more until it would be kept in his pocket rolled into a habit. And not in the glass safe with a screw on lid.
He knew what he needed to do.
