Forever Ends Too Soon
The Truth Hurts
Laura’s POV:
I slip into my wedding dress.
“Do you want me to go with you?” My sister, Alison, asks me.
“No, please don't.” I beg her. I leave her and my two best friends, Marcella Walsh and Jennifer Casey. I walk into the church, but no one is there when I open the doors. I walk to the front and bend down, letting the tears fall. “Why did you have to go, Jimmy? You promised! You should have been home today!” I sob.
“Baby, I love you.” I can hear him saying.
“You can’t love me if you left me!” I sob. “This was our life! You should see me in this dress and now you never will.”
“One year.” I hear my friends saying as he leave and their words haunt me.
“I loved you, Jimmy. We were supposed to be preparing for our wedding and now I’m planning for your funeral. Please come back!” I sob. Pretty soon arms are around me.
“He’s not coming home.” Marcella tells me.
“This has to be a lie!” I flash back to last week.
“Excuse me, are you Laura Gilbert?” A guy in uniform asks me.
“Yes, that’s me.” I say and I have a bad feeling about this.
“I am so sorry, dear. James will not be home.”
“Oh, is he stationed for a few more months?” I ask and he gets a sad look on his face.
“This is really hard, miss.” He hands me a letter and leaves.
“Dear loved one,
We are sorry to inform you of your fiancé’s death. Please understand he died protecting you and his country, doing what he loved.”
“How could he do this!” I cry, coming back to reality. The tears are streaming down my face. “Today was supposed to be happy.”
“Sweetie, he would be here if he could.” Jennifer hugs me.
“He still loves you, Laurie.” Alison tells me, but I can’t believe any of it yet.
“He's going to be home! He’s going to tell me this was all a horrible misunderstanding and we can still get married.” I fall against a stair and they all sit next to me.
“No, sweetie. He isn’t.”
“I can’t breathe. This can’t be happening to me! He promised me forever and now I will never get that. Forever ended way too soon.”
“You need to get home. His parents set the funeral for Saturday.”
“James loved Sundays.” I tell them.
“Yes, he did. But that isn’t the day they picked.” I can’t even cry anymore. I feel so numb right now. They help me out and I go in a daze.
“I love you, James. Forever.” I say and Alison helps me into her car.
“He’s gone forever, isn’t he?” I ask and she looks at me.
“I am so sorry, Laurie. You know he didn’t want to die yet. He wanted to marry you, but sometimes things don’t work out.” I start crying again.
“This isn’t fair!” I cry.
“No, it isn’t. You were both really good people and you deserved each other. I’m really sorry.”
“I'm tired of hearing that.”
“Well, get ready. You’ll hear it a lot at the funeral.” Two days to prepare.
I slip into my wedding dress.
“Do you want me to go with you?” My sister, Alison, asks me.
“No, please don't.” I beg her. I leave her and my two best friends, Marcella Walsh and Jennifer Casey. I walk into the church, but no one is there when I open the doors. I walk to the front and bend down, letting the tears fall. “Why did you have to go, Jimmy? You promised! You should have been home today!” I sob.
“Baby, I love you.” I can hear him saying.
“You can’t love me if you left me!” I sob. “This was our life! You should see me in this dress and now you never will.”
“One year.” I hear my friends saying as he leave and their words haunt me.
“I loved you, Jimmy. We were supposed to be preparing for our wedding and now I’m planning for your funeral. Please come back!” I sob. Pretty soon arms are around me.
“He’s not coming home.” Marcella tells me.
“This has to be a lie!” I flash back to last week.
“Excuse me, are you Laura Gilbert?” A guy in uniform asks me.
“Yes, that’s me.” I say and I have a bad feeling about this.
“I am so sorry, dear. James will not be home.”
“Oh, is he stationed for a few more months?” I ask and he gets a sad look on his face.
“This is really hard, miss.” He hands me a letter and leaves.
“Dear loved one,
We are sorry to inform you of your fiancé’s death. Please understand he died protecting you and his country, doing what he loved.”
“How could he do this!” I cry, coming back to reality. The tears are streaming down my face. “Today was supposed to be happy.”
“Sweetie, he would be here if he could.” Jennifer hugs me.
“He still loves you, Laurie.” Alison tells me, but I can’t believe any of it yet.
“He's going to be home! He’s going to tell me this was all a horrible misunderstanding and we can still get married.” I fall against a stair and they all sit next to me.
“No, sweetie. He isn’t.”
“I can’t breathe. This can’t be happening to me! He promised me forever and now I will never get that. Forever ended way too soon.”
“You need to get home. His parents set the funeral for Saturday.”
“James loved Sundays.” I tell them.
“Yes, he did. But that isn’t the day they picked.” I can’t even cry anymore. I feel so numb right now. They help me out and I go in a daze.
“I love you, James. Forever.” I say and Alison helps me into her car.
“He’s gone forever, isn’t he?” I ask and she looks at me.
“I am so sorry, Laurie. You know he didn’t want to die yet. He wanted to marry you, but sometimes things don’t work out.” I start crying again.
“This isn’t fair!” I cry.
“No, it isn’t. You were both really good people and you deserved each other. I’m really sorry.”
“I'm tired of hearing that.”
“Well, get ready. You’ll hear it a lot at the funeral.” Two days to prepare.