• " It won't hurt you, open your eyes." Darrel said again. I slowly opened my eyes to see a hansome man standing in a uniform in front of me.
    "Darrel!" I screeched, I threw my arms around him. Then the point hit me.
    "When?" I asked bitting my cheek to fight back tears.
    " Tomorrow," he sadly replied putting me back on the ground. "Eight o'clock." I lowered my head tring to hide the tear. Darrel carefully lifted my chin up to his brown eyes.
    " I promise I'll come home. It's only four months. "
    "You promise?" I said with tears rolling down my face.
    finally he broke the silence, " A promise is a promise isn't it? Now stop your crying, we still gotta go out to eat!" I forced a "smile" and went to my room.
    I gazed into the mirror imaging life without Darrel.
    "Caroline?" darrel Knocked at the door. I quickly wiped away mt tears and slipped on my coat. i open the door and follwed Darrel to the door. we drove the pick up to Jessie's Diner and ate then came home, went to bed the woke up the next morning.
    I was up before Darrel. I fixed him eggs, bacon, toast and Ma’s blackberry jam, and freshly squeezed orange juice for his going away breakfast. Luckily I didn’t have to wake him, the food did.
    “Mornin’ sweet pea.” He chirped kissing me on the cheek.
    “Morning,” I sighed. Instantly he started eating. My eyes darted towards the clock.
    7:27 A.M
    “well, I guess I better get ready.” He said gulping down the last swig of Orange juice. I slowly cleared the table and sat at the table drank my coffee with sadness falling down my face.
    “ You ready?” he said behind me.
    “Yes.”
    When we arrived at the bus stop there were men in green sitting on the bench. All with solid solemn faces. Darrel parked the Pick-up and got out. He slowly came to the other side to open my door. I held his sweaty hand down the sidewalk until we reached the bench. All of the men stood and waited to be saluted by Darrel. He raise his hand to his head and stood up straight. Then all was at ease.
    I saw the bus crawling to the stop. Darrel grabbed my waist and gave me the biggest hug I had ever received. He slipped something in my jacket pocket. He put me down and I kissed him on the cheek for the last time for four months. I took a deep breath and handed him his suitcase. He grinned a little as he spoke.
    “ I promised I’ll come home. I will.”
    “ I promise, your promise will be true.” I giggled.
    “I love you.”
    “ I love you too.” The bus clanked to a stop and the men got on Darrel gave me one last kiss and approached the bus. Before he got on he mouthed the words I promise. Then the door closed tight. The bus slowly crept forward. I blew Darrel a kiss and watched as tears fell down to the concrete. I walked to the truck cranking open the door and slamming it shut.My whole body froze as I reached for the clutch. The past few minutes flashed through my mind. I finally got the nerve to drive myself home.
    Darrel wrote all the time. And of course I wrote back. Always. Then one week I didn’t recive the regular letter just an envelope in my name. I carefully ripped it open and read. Tears fell with every word.
    Darrel was dead.