other half

Lydia

as she stared out at the old creek, watching as the white water horses rushed over the stones, tumbling into the large lake. a gentle breeze blowing through the golden strands that had begun to dim. she smiled out into the open air, spotting the lake just a few feet away. the old oak tree still stood strong in its prime. the bark wrinkled slightly, mirroring the lines around her eyes. the lines of a smile so bright each crease represented a blissful moment in time where no one could touch the memory of happiness they stored.

"he took me here, on our first date, the house was abandoned, ruined, it was perfect. he held my hand all the way up helping me along the way, i had my eyes shut the entire time, i didn't know him but i trusted him. so much more than i trusted even myself." she sighed her gaze never breaking from the sun above the lake. she pulled the brittle red and black woolen blanket around her tighter, the brisk wind sending icy shivers all over her body. every small hair standing on end, just like that night when she first felt the water brushing up against her skin in mid summer though the water felt like winters grasp.

"we were young, so new to the idea that something between us was...real, this false idea of love that had been painted for us was so far off what we had,within minutes the chemistry between us was, magnetic, i was drawn to him and him to me"

in her hand was a white envelope. a dirty, crisped, envelope. no more than a piece of paper that meant more to her than any other material object on the entire planet.

if only you were here, she thought, how different this life could have been.

"what was he like?"

"i don't really remember" she lied, her smile growing, she could see it now.both of them in their under wear running off the marsh's edge and plummeting into the water. laughing as they broke the surface coming up for air, unable to talk because they were so cold. she could still feel the warmth of his touch against her skin as he pulled her close. his soft warm hand removing the hair that clung to her cheek.

she inhaled, long and deep. bringing the envelope in front of her, her fingers grazed the letters that read her name. the messy cursive he would always use to try to impress her. it never worked but he tried despite it.

in her mind she could recall every second. how his green eyes were aglow in the moonlight, how electric her body felt whenever his hand grazed, from the first moments of candle light dinners set in their makeshift dinning room of the house they dreamed would be theirs to the very last night before she left for college. every heartbreaking argument and every uplifting make up, like souls that were destined to remain together no matter where life lead the hosts.

he was everything she never knew she needed, his dark hair, the small tattoo on his wrist, the smart comments and annoyingly hilarious sarcasm, the need to be perfect and how it contradicted his free spirit. he was a contradiction she couldn't wrap her head around but she loved it even more. how his freckles only appeared in the sun and the one dimple in his left cheek.

she soon found the envelope being replaced by her journals, storybooks of snippets from a past so clear in her mind. her daughter not even 20 was desperate to find out the story of the man who held her mothers heart. the one she had heard stories of all her life. stories that swept her off into sweet dreams, she was determined to know what that kind of love felt like. the kind that the story books wrote about.

the woman's fingers brushed the leather cover before opening the book, tears brimming in her eyes.

'always and forever'

her smile grew releasing the memories in tear form. they sat on the marsh edge, the sun beginning to set. the bright blue sky darkening.

"it was the summer of 1969, the war had been over nearly 24 years and i was turning seventeen. in fact i had come into town with your grandparents to celebrate my birthday, we were going to spend it with your aunt and uncle, of course they weren't married then but they were something none the less" the woman giggles to herself as the words become visions before her as she continued to read.