Promises to Keep

Fifteen Years Before

It was a beautiful summer evening. The sun was setting creating a beautiful red sky. Two young kids lay down on the trampoline, laying instead of jumping. Their parents were inside the house, having their weekly dinner party with each other. It was nice, having your best friend live just across the street.

Since their parents were such good friends, they found they spent a lot of time together. This evening was like no other, the pair just sat outside, and talked. Sometimes they'd talk about their hopes and dreams, and other times they had strange conversations about zombie invasions, the end of the world, or even life beyond earth.

"It's pretty cool our parents get to do this every week" Tayla commented, after they had ended their previous conversation topic. Though they were both were only 11, they appeared to have deep and meaningful conversations.

"Yeah it is" Tyler agreed. "Our moms have been friends since high school... that's pretty cool" he added. None of their other friends' parents had been friends as long as their mothers had; Tyler and Tayla both really looked up to that.

"Do you think we'll still be friends when we're their age?" Tayla asked curiously. Though she had been friends with Tyler through elementary and some of middle school, she had a few friendships that had dwindled away after just a couple of years, as they sometimes naturally do.

"Why wouldn't we be?" Tyler asked curiously.

"Well, what if you end up making it big in the NHL someday? Or what if I move? Or you meet someone-"

"That won't change anything" Tyler interrupted her. "I'll need a number one fan, after all" he then added with a smirk. "Besides, long distance isn't a big deal, our mothers did it for awhile" he pointed out.

"I know it's stupid, but let's make a promise to always be friends, no matter what" Tayla announced. Though she knew not all promises could be kept, and when life happens, through no fault of anyone, promises end up broken.

"It's not stupid" Tyler assured her. "I promise" he smiled.

The pair laid in silence for awhile, each lost in their own thoughts. The future was a scary thing, especially to an 11 year old. So much was unknown, there was still so much of life to experience. Watching what her older sister was going through made things harder for Tayla, there was no question.

She went through numerous ups, downs and breakups with a number of guys through not only high school, but her first year of university as well. She was 8 years her senior, a large age gap was between the two, rendering them not overly close.

"How's your sister anyway?" Tyler asked, having been thinking about Tayla's older sister, Erin.
"She's managing" Tayla confessed. "She's taking it really hard... I don't know how she does it" she added with a sigh. Though they were not close, she felt a lot of sympathy for her sister. "Dating seems really hard"

"I'm sure it's not as bad as we think" Tyler reasoned.

"Easy for you to say" Tayla shot back with a smirk. Tyler was one of the better looking boys at her school, and he played hockey; it was no surprise girls were always interested in him.

"Yeah, yeah" Tyler rolled his eyes. Though he had a lot of girls interested in him, it wasn't always because of who he was. He played hockey, he was attractive, his parents had money... most of the time, he found they were simply interested in those facts. Even at the age of eleven, he was noticing the trend of female behaviour.

"Can I ask you something?" Tyler then asked, having an idea. He wanted to grow up, have a family of his own, and marry someone who was interested in who he was, not what he owned, or his profession.

"Always" Talya told him, facing towards him on the trampoline.

"If, by the time we're both 35 and we're still not married, we should get married" the request sounded stranger when he let the words out of his mouth. Tayla didn't find the request strange, however.

All some girls ever want is to grow up and have a dream wedding. They dream of their wedding day, the family they would have with the person they loved, living exactly how her parents were living right now. It was terrifying, the unknown. She didn't consider herself someone all the boys would be after, and although only 11, she still thought about life when she was her parents age.

"Okay" Tayla agreed.

"Okay?" Tyler asked, wondering if she meant she was agreeing to his strange promise.

"I promise that if by 35, we're both still single- we'll get married" Tayla said. It seemed like a strange pact to make, and surely if anyone were listening they would think the pair were being dramatic, it did not matter to them. It gave the both of them great comfort knowing that they would always be friends, and they would never end up alone.

"It's a deal" Tyler smiled, turning back to look at the sky. The sun had set, and the stars had began to come out. They would stay out until their parents were finished their dinner, talking about life some more, trying to see shooting stars.

Though a silly pact, it was made, neither of them knowing the future implications it would have.