A Broken Promise

Years ago there was a little girl with light brown hair and bright blue eyes that lived in Sweden with her ultimate best friend, who also had blue eyes with darker brown hair. The two children were absolutely inseparable. Where one went, the other followed.
Mainly it was the little girl who went to every single hockey game that the boy participated in as a forward.
Even at school, no one could part the two best friends.
As time moved on, they became closer in a different sort of way. The boy and the girl started having feelings for each other, but they never did a thing about it, even though the other knew anyways since the feelings were mutual.
However, it was when their lives started taking them down different paths that things began to change.
The girl was to attend college in Sweden to become a make-up artist. The boy was heading to North America to take part in the NHL draft, which both of the kids knew that he was going to make it in.
“I wish you could come with me,” he mumbled softly to the girl as the two cuddled on the sofa together, watching TV in his house.
“I wish I could too,” she replied sadly. “But I must stay here. I get a free ride of schooling here.”
“I know.” The boy sighed sadly.
She tried to make light of the situation. “You know you’ll have to work on your English since you’re going to North America.”
“Oh, like this?” he replied in a harsh English that made the two of them erupt in laugher. They both knew that the girl spoke English better.
“You will learn soon enough, being around so many English speakers. Your enunciation is what needs work,” she said to him in English.
A sudden, sad silence settled between the two as the girl played with the boy’s large hand.
“I’m going to miss you so much,” she said quietly back in their native language. “I can’t believe you’re leaving me.”
The boy hugged her close. “I’ll miss you too. I promise to call or text you at least once a day. And I’ll definitely call once a week.”
The girl smiled. “Alright.”
The boy kissed her temple.
When the day arrived that the boy would be leaving to where his dreams will come true, the girl cried in his arms just before he boarded the plane. He sniffed, holding back his own tears.
“I don’t want you to leave,” she sobbed.
“I know, I know,” he spoke into her long hair. “But remember my promise? Ok? Always remember my promise. I’ll talk to you as soon as I can once I’m there. I promise to keep in touch, so long as you promise to never forget me.”
She laughed a dry, sad laugh. “Of course I’ll never forget you. You’re everything to me.”
He looked at her, one last promise on his mind. “And I promise to bring you to me, some day. Alright? We will be together once again.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
He kissed her forehead and headed to board the plane, looking back with a pained expression as the girl cried on. Little did she know that despite all the promises he made which comforted her heart, he would never keep them.
He never ended up calling to let her know he was safe. He never texted her every day to let her know she was on his mind, and he never called her once a week to catch up on the other’s lives. And since his number changed once he made it to North America, it was impossible for her to contact him.
The girl became heart broken and bitter over the boy. She felt betrayed, and so very alone. He was her world, and now he was gone without a word.
The girl never watched a single hockey game again, and put everything that belonged to the boy that he gave her, whether as a gift or a memorandum, into a box and put it away so she would never see it again. She didn’t have the heart to throw it away completely since he would forever hold her heart, but she couldn’t stand looking at it.
He was gone. And left her behind with nothing but a broken promise.



My blue eyed reflection stared back at me in the window of the train as the surroundings outside passed on by. It’s early October and the trees were starting to turn color. I was heading back from a fashion show in which I did the hair and makeup with my best friend, Hanna, that was in the suburbs of Chicago.
Hanna and I both moved to Chicago after graduating college, and the career world just didn’t suffice in Sweden. There was a much greater demand for make-up artists and stylists in North America, and we settled on Chicago due to all of the fashion shows, both big and small, that are held there.
I also think that the city is just such a beautiful place, and it sort of reminds me of the big cities back home.
Hanna and I shared an apartment in the city.
A hand suddenly flashed in front of my face as I continued to stare out the window. “Earth to Lena, is anyone in there?”
My blue gaze met the brown one of Hanna’s. “I’m sorry. Were you saying something?”
She sighed heavily, arms folding across her chest as she stared at me. Her diamond ring, which she newly acquired from her American boyfriend now fiance, flashed brightly with the movement. She began dating the boy almost since we moved here when we were 21. We’re 25 now, and soon I’ll be living on my own once she moves in with him.
I liked the guy and all, but I just wasn’t looking forward to being alone. And I can’t see myself with any other... excuse me, any guy. Not since he left me behind.
I sighed and shook my head, focusing on my friend.
“I said,” she said in her accented English, “that we should go to a Blackhawks game.”
I stiffened and looked out the window again. “You know I can’t do that. I haven’t seen a hockey game since... since that day.” I’ve been told numerous times that my accent is very cute and sweet, especially when I speak in English, which I do often now, except at home with Hanna and on the phone with my family.
Hanna snorted. “It’s been seven years since that, Lena,” she said, staring me down even though I wasn’t looking at her. “Hockey was your LIFE before that. Just because he was an asshole of a hockey player doesn’t mean you should ignore the game completely forever. Hockey is a part of your heart!”
“Just like he is...was,” I muttered.
Hanna threw her hands up in the air. “Come on, Lena. You need this. I know you do.”
I said nothing and I saw her gaze soften from where she sat across from me on the train. “Lena, if you want me to, I can just go online and find out where he is.”
“No!” I said quickly, too quickly. Hanna knows that despite the years that have passed, I was still in love with him. He was apart of me since we were children, and he still is now. “No, I don’t want to know where he is. He made his decision by not keeping in touch with me. He broke his promise.”
Hanna’s brown eyes were filled with sadness. “I’m sorry...”
“If I agree to go to the game, can we stop talking about him?” I looked at her.
“Yes, yes, of course.”
I sighed. “Then fine. I’ll go to a Blackhawks game. I don’t even know who is on the team.”
Hanna laughed and put a ticket in front of me. “Well, now you know one!” A face with dark eyes looked out of the ticket. I read the name Jonathan Toews on the ticket, and knew from his name that he was the captain. I knew that from the big ordeal of the Stanley Cup parade that I almost wanted to be apart of myself.
“I can’t believe you already bought the ticket,” I moaned, resorting to Swedish as the train stopped at Union Station and we picked up our bags.
“I have a feeling that after going to this game, you’ll find your love for hockey again, and you’ll be able to list off every player on the team, just like when we were kids.”
I smiled slightly. The Blackhawks were my favorite team as a child, and I knew every single player. “We’ll see.”
With our bags on our shoulders, Hanna and I left the train. As I hopped off and followed my friend to where a cab awaited us, I wished that I left the thoughts in my head behind.
The thoughts of the man that I loved more than anything in this world that left me behind to follow his dreams with a special promise. A promise that he broke. And that broken promise is what shattered my heart into a million pieces.
Those thoughts would not leave me, oh no. They were stronger than they have been in a while since Hanna brought up the hockey game.
There is no doubt in my heart that I still loved him more than anything, despite all the anger and bitterness I feel towards him whenever I think of his name.
Curse him for filling my thoughts. Curse him and his stupid broken promise.
Curse me and my heart for not allowing him just to slip away.
But no, he just has to hold onto my heart, even now.
Curse him!