Abby knelt on the muddy ground, not caring that the stains would never come out of her white dress. They had only been married two months, but those two months were the best days of her life. She couldn't recall a happier time in her life, but now it was gone, with the collision of two cars on a foggy night. 1073Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaTXUSo6CtZ
She remembered his smile as her father walked her down the isle, the vows spoken, the reception, the honeymoon. She remembered the smile that lit up a room, the slow southern draw she loved so much, and the gentle touch of his hand.1073Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgVEL8Ls9aa
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They had everything, so why was she kneeling in the muddy dirt, where he now lay? 1073Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2VpAyFd1J9
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"You promise," she whispered. "You promised you would never leave me." Tears fell from her blue-green eyes, mixing in the red Georgia mud. 1073Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbB8n9U47qf
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"I know, love. But only til death do us part."1073Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6xNexiCNcR
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She looked around, searching for her husband, hearing his voice.She needed to see him, to see that she wasn't crazy. But, she couldn't see him standing right in front of her, couldn't feel the touch of his hand on her shoulder. he sighed, watching her bow her head and cry over the ground that was his final resting place. 1073Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFtWmggPbyF
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Until death do us part..he laughed bitterly at the cruelness of such a statement. He had vowed that the day they were wed, never seeing that life would take that a little too literally. He would sell his soul for one more day, or even a few more hours. He was only twenty-three for God's sake. He was married, his wife was three weeks pregnant, and he had just been promoted. So why did life want to fuck over him?1073Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIzen0Iav2V
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He stood there, hand on her shoulder,for what felt like an eternity. He could do nothing to calm her, to ease the hurt. So, he stood there until she rose to her feet and watched her walk away. He waved, knowing she couldn't see him.1073Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKdTLNbKdET
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"Until death do us part..." he trailed off, taking a seat on his headstone while questioning the cruelness of it all. For a moment, he considered following her. He would be able to make sure she was forever happy, could watch his future child be born and live a happy life. He could watch his buddies on poker night, as they throw back drinks and toast to the good times. 1073Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMNlpXRJxGR
"But what would be the point..." he asked himself. They would move on with their lives, while he would only be able to watch. And, in some ways that would be worse. What if he had to watch Abby fall in love with another man? Or what if he had to watch her die? 1073Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTKtDi6vvpx
"But,you could watch over them," he reasoned to himself. The options were in front of him, but he had no idea which was the right choice, so he continued to sit, pondering the right choice.1073Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7592hcmgEC
Well, that was twelve years ago. Abby still visits him on his birthday, bringing with her their daughter, a beautiful young lady who looked more and more like her mother every year. Erica felt a special connection to her father, though she had never seen him, other than in the few pictures her mother kept.1073Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy80XFsATOX
He wondered if Abby knew that Erica would sneak out to see him some nights to talk to him. She talked about her friends, hobbies, school, and her sports.1073Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoA5KLWv9yO
One night her school had planned a father-daughter dance. Erica had talked about the dance for weeks, so it was a surprise when he saw his little girl walked among the headstones, to where he was seated. Her pale blue dress seemed out of place in such a place, but to him, it only made his daughter look more beautiful.1073Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhKU3WbZCl1
"Dad? Are you here?" she asked, looking around, although it would do no good. Erica had never been able to see him.1073Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKInzC5fEWl
He stood up, moving the few steps toward her. "Why aren't you at the dance?" he asked, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. She couldn't feel his touch, but he did it anyway.1073Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlGHW7pe5rD
"It's a father-daughter dance."1073Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIDdLLpGhFS
"But, your step-father...I thought he was going with you." Abby had remarried six years ago. Erica showed him a picture of her step-father, named Greg. She had told him the day Abby had married him that he would never be her Dad, that was a job reserved only for him.1073Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNaLAppZ6kp
"It's a father-daughter dance," she told him, biting at her nails. "I..I know I can't see you, but I was thinking...maybe...maybe I could lead and we could have our own father-daughter dance? We don't have any music but..."1073Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2egh8g6LqZ
He smiled at his only child. "Erica?"1073Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHKhSRIY2DH
"Sir?"1073Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJbtixAT99o
"May I have this dance?"1073Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9jvLLfA9ps
They had no music, but they danced there in the graveyard, the headstones and other spirits witnessing. Cars that drove by saw a girl dancing alone, the headstones and evening sky watching. But no one saw the young man dancing with his daughter. They danced as lightning bugs came out to play, as the stars began to dot the sky. They danced until Erica had to leave. He watched her go, returning to sit propped against a headstone, the one that marked the grave where he lay. A name was written on the stone.1073Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1OvMKQiOZ9
Eric Johnson1073Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡggVE2msm8I
1979-2002
Loving Husband and Father to be
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