A World Away

Prologue

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he said leaving his lips on mine. I wished that he would leave them there forever. But he was leaving me anyway.

“I know,” I choked out. He continued to kiss every inch of my face until he finally let my cheek go and held onto the bar to board the train. The rush of abandonment and loss immediately took over my mind even as he stood right in front of me on the edge of the train car and reached his hand out to me. I took it greedily, never wanting to let go because this could be the last time I would ever get the chance to see him again. All of those blissful memories of days past would haunt me forever if he never came back. The he and I of the past would endlessly mock and torture me with messages saying, “You’ll never get this again. You’re on your own.” I would be an empty shell. I would have lost everything.

Before I knew it, the train whistle blew and the wheels slowly began to move. We refused to let go, though. As he began to move farther away from me, I moved along with him still staring into his tear-stained eyes while my vision was becoming blurred, as well. In time, the train picked up the pace and it became harder for me to catch up.

“Let go, Evelyn,” he said to me.

“No,” I said breathlessly. I was almost running to catch up with the train, but I paid no attention to my loss of breath. I just needed him for as long as I could and would have ran miles if it meant being able to see him longer.

“You have to.” The end of the station was nearing, and before long I would have to stop running to prevent falling off the edge. I watched as the end was closing in; the end of the station and the inevitable end of our lives together. Then I looked back into his eyes.

“I love you,” I said.

“I’ll love you, forever,” he replied. “I promise I’ll make it back.” Too soon, we let each other go. I stopped right at the edge of the cement and watched as the train took him away farther and farther away from me. War would take him even farther away from me. I lifted my hand as my final goodbye and held back the tears threatening to fall once again. Then I watched as he lifted his hand in response.

Goodbye, Adam. I promise I’ll always be here. Waiting.