Sara cleared a table, just a job to put her through college. She blew a piece of black hair from her eyes. Her apron was covered in its daily mess from waiting on people and busting tables. She walked with a slight slouch for it had been a busy Sunday. It was near closing time so Sara had turned the radio up and she hummed along to the country music.
When Sara deposited the dishes in the sink a bell went off signaling a customer had arrived. Annoyed she stormed out of the kitchen. At the door stood a man dressed in an Air Force uniform, a bag slung over his shoulder.
"Take a seat wherever you like." Sara indicated the room.
He sat near the kitchen door. "What's your special today?"
"Pie and coffee," a smile lit her features, "the cook went home early."
He smiled too. "Sounds perfect."
Sara made a fresh pot of coffee and cut a slice of apple pie. All the while she studied the man. He had blue eyes, short brown hair, and a hard set face. Even when sitting he was a tall man. When she returned to his table he said something not understandable in Chinese.
Sara laughed. "I don’t speak Chinese."
"You don’t?"
"No, my father was Chinese but he died when I was little."
He looked up at her. "You look like you came from China itself."

"And speak with an American accent; you’re a very unobservant soldier." She took a seat behind the counter.
"So what's your name?" He took a bite.
"Evellen."
He gave her a sideways glance. "Don't lie Sara."
Shock passed over her features.
"Name tag."
She bowed her head. "Alright what's yours?"
"Glad."
Sara shook her head. "No if you know my first name I get to know yours.'
"Brent." He smiled.
"It's nice to meet you Brent."
"You too, Sara."
"Seeing as you've finished eating and it's well past closing time, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." She cleared away his dishes.
Brent stood. "This was an excellent first date."
"First?" Sara chocked an eyebrow at him.
"I had hoped to take you out properly sometime."
"We'll see Soldier." She wrought her number on her note pad, tore it out and placed it in his hand.
Brent left more light hearted then when he entered.


Café De Amore the sign read. Sara smiled to herself thinking back to the day her friend opened her little shop. She strolled inside the business she helped build. It had a new more classical design; yet another testing to bring in costumers. The chairs were soft and high-backed, the tables an old oak wood, and the paint was a dark yellow. The room gave off a sense of warmth.
"Your usual, Miss Past" Jenny the casher held up a cup as Sara walked in.
"Thanks Jen, tell Connie I said hi."
"Sure thing." Jenny turned back to her work.
Sara took a seat at her regular table and pulled out her book. Her raspberry white mocha was almost gone before she was disturbed.
"I was told I'd find you here." Brent took the seat across from her.
With out looking up from her book she replied, "Will you please go away sir I'm trying to read."
"And I'm trying to ask you out, but you're making it rather difficult."
Her head snapped up. "Oh, it's you." Sara smiled.
"Now that I have your attention how about you me dinner Saturday at seven."
"No."
Brent looked shocked. "No?"
"What if you're going to ask me out you're going to do it right and then I'll say yes."
"And how do I ask you right?"
"I'm sure you'll find some way." Sara left the shop without a seconded thought.


Sara was leaving her last class when she saw Brent standing across the street. In his hands were roses. He crossed the street to her. "So here I am again. I bet you know what I'm going to ask."
"The answer is still no."
"What is it this time?"
Sara smiled. "Rose are cliché, waiting outside my class room is expected, and there is nothing out of the ordinary."
"Out of the ordinary?" he questions.
"Yes out of the ordinary. If you have a problem with that then go fix it." She turned and began walking away.
Brent grabbed her wrist. "How?"
"I told you figure it out." Sara walked away thinking to herself why haven't I said yes yet.


The rain was falling in heavy sheets when Sara curled up with her book. She sat next to a roaring fire, a cup of Hot Coco in her cold hands. She was well lost in her book when a faint sound made her look up; she thought nothing of it and went back to reading. Then a loud bang on her door forced her to come back to reality.
Sara opened the door to Brent standing there soaked to the bone. "What the hell are you doing?"
"I can't find a way. I don’t know how to ask or maybe I'm just stupid. I don’t think you understand I need you I can't stop thinking about you, all I want to do is be with you, I thinking I'm falling for you and I don’t even know you yet. Please let me get to know you."
"Come inside you look like you're cold."
"Sara I'm not setting foot in that house until I get an answer." Brent crossed his arms. He looked desperate, he sounded desperate, but it seemed to have no effect on Sara.
She took a moment before replying, "Well I guess I can give you a chance." She thought to herself I think I'm falling for him too.


"What am I going to do with this hair?" She ran her fingers through the long strands.
Brent looked at her from the bed. "Don’t women use ribbon or something like that?" She rolled her eyes. "And you have all that ribbonie stuff in your sewing room."
"So genius what color should I use?"
"Yellow."
She left and returned a moment later with a long ribbon in her hand. Sara wound it through her hair and made sure it was securely fancied. "What do you think?"
"You look like… Aphrodite only better." Brent smiled no goddess could match her in his eyes.


"You look beautiful." Brent wrapped his arms around her.
She jumped a little. "Don't scare me like that."
"But I love it when you jump."
"You love it when I do a lot of things."
"Well maybe it's 'cause… nope can't tell you that."
Sara smiled. "That you love me." He twirled her around and gazed at her for a moment before kissing her. "I love you too," she said.


"Your leaving," she shouted at the top of her lungs, "six months and I no longer matter to you. I'm just some rag you can toss away on the flip of a coin."
Brent let her anger wash over him but remained calm. "You didn’t let…"
"No. No. Get out I never want to see you again." Sara turned away from him.
"Can I ask you something before I go?' The only sign she heard him was the crossing of her arms. He got down on one knee. "I know it may take awhile before we get the chance, but will you marry me?"
Sara whipped around so quickly she was a blur. He held a small black box before her. Inside was a small silver band with a small blue diamond eloquently attached. She stared at it for a long time before replying. "No, I will not marry you."
Disappointment oozed from Brent and sadness engulfed him. A single word made its way to his lips, "why?"
"I don’t want to lose you," Sara walked out the door, "good bye Soldier."


"So you going home for Christmas?" James asked
Brent sighs. "No one to go home to."
"What about your parents?"
"Killed in a car crash when I was seventeen."
"Hey you can come spend the holidays with me." James offered.
"No I won't be the third wheel to you and your wife."
"Whatever you say I was just offering."
Brent smiled. "I'll see you when you get back." He walked off.


Sara frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"Brent, Sara is he coming back for the holidays."
"Oh, no we aren't together anymore."
Connie gave her a strange look. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Well we are you know not dating anymore."
"No what I mean is you two were perfect…you did something didn’t you?"
"No." Sara put her hands up in defense. "Ok maybe I did."
Connie crossed her arms. "Sara that man is in love with you and let him go. Why?" Sara looked down rather ashamed. "You were scared." She nods. "Love is a funny thing. It can hurt you in so many ways; but if you don’t get hurt how can you know what happiness is like."


It's been a year since she'd seen him last. But there she sat on the edge of her seat waiting for his plane to land. Sara wasn’t even sure he would recognize her. When the last of the passengers where off and he had yet to appear she got up. She grabbed the few things she brought with her and headed to the exit.
"Sara?" She dismissed it as her imagination. "Sara?" She heard it again this time louder. Then a firm hand gripped her shoulder and spun her around. Brent gapped at her. She closed his mouth, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him.
When they parted he swung her around. "What are you doing here?"
"Picking up my fiancé."
The grin he wore grew wider.


Sara and Brent stood before a alter. She wore a sleeveless white gown that dropped to the floor and a yellow ribbon woven through her hair kept every strand at bay. He on the other hand was dressed in his Air Force best and smiling like a fool.
Then the Preacher said, "you may kiss the bride."
Brent pulled her in to his arms and gave her one long kiss.
"May I now introduce Mr. and Mrs. Glad." The DJ began playing a song. Lost In This Moment started to play.
"I thought we didn’t have a song." Sara raised her eyebrows.
"Let's say I knew the perfect one." He pulled her to the dance floor and spun her from one hand to the next.
"What makes this song perfect?"
"It was playing the first day I laid eyes on you."


Sara stood alone in the living room. She placed another shining orb on the tree. The house was empty. Brent said he wasn’t sure if he could make it; she hadn't gotten a call to pick him up. She freed a candy cane from its box and hung it on a bare branch.
"It's almost as beautiful as you." Sara turned around. "Hello Love." Brent stood in the door way.
It was a moment before she replied, "you were suppose to call."
"I thought you liked surprises." She gave him a half smile. "Besides I love it when you jump remember." He walked across the room to her. "Why are you making it so difficult to hold you?"
"Why won't you shut up and kiss me?"
He smiled and pecked her on the cheek. "There's no mistletoe." Sara chuckled and pulled him in for a long sweet kiss.


"Dear, you're not spending Valentine's Day alone are you?" Her mother asked once again.
"No Mom I'm not. Brent is coming back today." Sara put the phone on speaker.
"Well all right but if he doesn’t show up you call me."
Sara sighed. "Yes Mom. I promise I will call you."
"Bye Sweetie I'll talk to you later."
"Bye Mom." Her mother hung up.
Sara smiled as she rolled out the dough for sugar cookies. She couldn’t figure out why her mother was always so worried about her and Brent; but she paid no mind to it. Sara pulled out a wide verity of cookie cutters. There was a flower, a heart, a bird, and a star. Sara laughed at how Brent would react to fresh baked cookies. Sara couldn’t make Mac-and-Cheese the last time he saw her.
The cookies had just finished and she was about to put in the ham when the phone rang. Sara dried her hands before picking it up. "Just tell her you can't make it." Sara heard in the back around. "I'm sure that little woman of yours will understand you'd rather get drunk with the boys."
"Shut up Shane." Brent laughs.
"I guess that means you're not coming home." Sara's voice was cold.
"No Honey I was callin' to tell you…"
She cut him off, "save it and don't you dare call me drunk." Sara hung up the phone. She placed the ham in the oven and removed a place setting. She then pulled out a bottle of red wine, uncorked it, and pour a glass filled to the brim. "If he can get drunk why can't I." Sara smiled and finished the glass in a few short seconds.


Brent lit the dark room with dozens of glistening candles. They gave the room a soft glow. Any minute the woman he loved would walk in. It was their last night together he wasn't going to let it go to waste. He paused and looked around, everything was perfect.
"Honey I thought we were going out." Sara stopped. "What did you do?"
"Do you like it?" Brent was concerned for a moment then he saw the smile on her face. "I thought I'd keep you to myself for the night."
She wound her arms around him and whispered, "I love you."
He brought her closer with a gentle pull at her hips. He softly kissed her neck until his lips brushed against a sensitive area. She resisted the urge to pull him closer. He nibbled the spot then bit down hard. Sara let out a soft moan.
"I love you," he whispered as she fell with him to the bed.



"Amo te pulchra." Brent pulled her into his arms. "It's good to be home."
"So you're back." Sara rested her head on his shoulder.
"Yes and thank God I missed you."
She smiled. "Close the door it's cold outside."
"Can't I'm kind of busy."
"Oh ya, doing what?"
"Holding you."
"You and your cheese lines."
"You like them."
"Besides the point." She freed herself from his arms and shut the door.
"We only have a week."
"I know. That’s way your mine. No exceptions."
Brent smiled. "I like that plan."


"Pregnant." Brent kept repeating the word.
"Yes, Love, pregnant."
"But…how…when…" Brent stuttered
"Well Brent you better get use to the idea." Sara crossed her arms. "Because you're going to be a father wither you like it or not."
Brent wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "I think I'll be a wonderful father."


Brent hid behind a mound of dirt, gun in his hand. He waited for the rain of gunfire to halt. Then he leapt to his feet and shot his own gun. A sniper hidden on a roof fired a single bullet that hit Brent hard in the chest. He fell to the ground, his breathing labored. White lights flashed before his eyes, and then everything went black. His last though was of her and his little girl about to be born.

"Are you happy?" Sara's mother asked.
"Yes Mom."
"Even when his gone for so long?"
She placed her hands on her mother's shoulders. "Of course." The door bell rang. "I'll be right back."
At the door was a military official. "May I come in Mrs. Glad?"
Sara's face went pale and her heart picked up pace. "Why?"
"I have something very important to tell you."
"Honey, what's going on?" Her mother appeared behind her. "Hello why don’t you come in."
"Thank you ma'am." The official stepped through the door.
They all took a sit at the kitchen table.
"Mrs. Glad it is my regrettable duty to inform you that your husband has died in battle." Her heart stopped. "I am also here to help with the arrangements for his funeral."


The gun salute echoed in the clearing. Sara stood tall and proud, her face betraying nothing, she placed a folded flag on the coffin.
The preacher who once married them asked, "would any one like to speak?"
Many did but she stayed rooted to her spot. When everyone had left she walked up and placed a hand on the edge of the coffin. "Good bye Soldier."