Dance with me Lily
“Dance with me Lily, come dance with me!”Shouted 11 year old Sam as 8 year old Lily came skipping across the garden. It was a beautiful day, dawn was breaking and the sky looked as if a painter had ran his brush of orange and yellow across the horizon. Flocks of swan glided across the sky heading back to their nests and the sight of two best friends twirling about on the pier overlooking the horizon.
“”Dinners ready kids.” Mrs. Labronsk yelled from inside the house. “Yes mummy” came a reply from little Lily. “C’mon, I’ll race you back to the house.” Sam said as he scrambled towards the house. Two jittery kids came tearing into the kitchen eyes filled with excitement and joy. “Wash your hands before you start eating will you?” Mrs. Labronsk instructed the kids.
It was an annual dinner that both families of the kids had. Both the Labronsk family and the Richard family had known each other since childhood. Lily and Sam grew up together as well, they were inseparable. Sam was like a big brother to Lily, always had her back and was always there to encourage her whenever she was down. They were what you call, best friends forever.
While the parents were busy catching up in the dining area. Both Lily and Sam went up to the roof where they lay on blankets and gazed up into the starry sky. “I want to be in the army when I grow up, just like daddy” Sam said. “That’s brave Sammy, I want to be a nurse so I could help wounded soldiers in the hospital.” Lily replied. Both kids giggled as jokes were fired at each other. Then, Sam looked at Lily and said , “I’ll marry you one day Lily, I promise.” Lily’s heart soared as she looked at Sam. She took the promise and kept it in her heart until one day when it will be fulfilled.
Years passed and the relationship of both Lily and Sam grew ever stronger. It was the year that Lily would start her first year in high school. Lily was very excited because Sam had offered to drive Lily to school that morning. Lily literally jumped out of bed the morning of her first day in high school, skipping about in her room dressing up and combing her hair. She heard the sound of a car pulling into her driveway and her mum’s greeting towards Sam. Lily scrambled downstairs and ate her breakfast, her butt barely touching the chair. “Woah, slow down girl you don’t want to choke your way to school would cher ?” said Sam. Lily blushed at the comment and ate slowly.
Lily loved the way she felt near Sam and she questioned whether he felt the same way too. “So you excited about high school?” Sam asked. “Yeah, I am stoked!” Apart from the fact that I can see you every day in school, but she kept that in her mind. As they pulled in to the schools driveway, Sam took a minute and studied Lily. “Well, c’mon then. I’ll show you around. ”
Both best friends walked in to the school hallway. Sam placed his hand on Lily’s shoulders. Lily turned away to hide her blushing face, her heart soared with pride. Sam showed her around the school and then dropped her at her classroom. The day went by like a gust of wind. After class ended, a girl named Ivy approached Lily. “Hey, you’re Lily right?” Just then, Sam appeared looking slightly uncomfortable. “Ah, here you are” Ivy said as she wrapped her arms around Sam. Lily felt as if someone had just poured hot red iron coils on her heart, who is this girl and what is she doing with her arms wrapped around Sam. “I’m Ivy, Sam’s girlfriend.” The girl said in a matter of fact tone. “Hi, nice to meet you” Lily replied as she tried her best to put up a smile on her face. All she wanted was to cuddle up in bed and cry herself to sleep. She felt betrayed, hadn’t Sam promised her that they’d be together? Had he forgotten that promise that he made?
On the way back home, the car fell silent. Sam tried making some small conversations but she ignored him. She made up an excuse about being too tired and pretended to sleep. However, in her mind there were many questions bugging her. She reasoned with herself, of course Sam would be dating that girl. They were of the same age and she was very pretty. Tall and slender, captain of the schools cheerleading squad and she had beautiful silky blonde hair. She was what you called the ideal type of girl a guy like Sam would like. Sam was a senior and he was also a quarterback in their schools football team. He was every girls dream to have and her dream too.
They arrived at her home and she said her goodbye. She ran up to her room and slammed the door shut. What was meant to be the start of a good year turned into a disastrous year. Lily buried her head on her pillow and cried tears of despair until she fell asleep. Lily woke up in the middle of the night her eyes sore from all the crying. She slowly felt her way down the stairs careful not to wake her parents up. She went outside and headed towards the pier. She sat on a wooden bench Sam and her dad had built a couple of years back. There, in the quiet of the night Lily closed her eyes and pictured all the years she spent with Sam. A single year slipped from her eyes and made its way down her cheek. She told herself to stop crying, she wasn’t going to be defeated by this small matter. She wiped her tears away and promised herself never again would she cry for a guy. She balled up her fist and lifted her chin. She remembered the saying; there are tons of fish in the sea. She would cherish the moment with Sam, after all he’d be leaving for college the next year.
Months passed and Christmas came. The Labronsk and Richard family still had their annual Christmas Eve dinner. Over Christmas dinner, both families shared stories about each other. It was a joyful moment for both families. After dinner, everyone gathered around the living room and sang some Christmas carols. After that, Sam’s mother broke the news that Sam had been offered a football scholarship to IFA in Nebraska. Lily stared eyes opened wide, that was four hours drive away from where she stayed! They started talking about how great opportunity it was and that the accommodation there was good. Lily felt that she couldn’t stand it much longer and excused herself. She went outside to the only place where she could think, the pier. She never gave a thought that one day Sam would be leaving. She hadn’t been prepared; it was too much to take in. She heaved a heavy sigh. “Hey, what’s with the sigh?” A voice came from behind. Startled, she turned and saw Sam behind her. “I never thought about you leaving” she replied. “Yeah, I’ll miss you. But you could come visit me when I start playing for the league. Will you?” She looked at him, “Of course I will. I promise.” They both smiled at each other. “Come dance with me Lily” Sam said as he took her in his arms. In the dark of the night, the moon mirrored itself onto the lakes surface and the crickets sang its song into the distant night. Both best friends gently sway lost in their own world. As they slowly danced, Lily looked up and studied Sam. In her mind she always pictured him as the little boy with freckled face. But now there were no more freckles on his face. He had a face like a grown man, eyes that were deep, a jaw that would flex showing its cheek muscle and hair that would glow in the midday sun. He was well built from all the training he underwent; his shoulders were broad and muscular; he was tall and almost reaching six foot. Lily never wanted to let go, she wished she could stay like this forever. She loved the way his arms were around her, she felt so secure and safe. It felt right, like they were meant to be.
The next year came and Sam left for college. Lily started her second year in high school. In the middle of the year, the states football league started and as she promised. Lily was always there when Sam played. She was glad that her parents agreed to drive all the way to watch Sam play. Sam was the star of his football team, her heart went out to him and she felt proud for his accomplishments. He had won several MVP’s title and many Universities were approaching him with scholarships one after another. Not to mention that there were many girls piling up and throwing themselves on him too. However, Sam always came up to her and gave her a hug after his games. She didn’t mind that he was soaked with sweat, she loved it in fact. They way other girls looked on with jealousy made it even fun. She always savored the moment. The hardest part though was the part where she needed to leave and head back home. She would always look forward to the next game. Sam’s team went on to win the state championship and then the nationals.
Each year passed and Lily carried out the same routine. She would still visit Sam whenever he played a competition. Then Lily graduated from high school and moved on to a local college while Sam took another football scholarship to a University that was also situated in Nebraska. Sam continued playing football and took the game to a whole new level. He started to get the attention from national teams who were offering him football contracts. In all these years, Lily also watched girls come and go in his life. He would always introduce his girlfriends to Lily. Even though it hurt her, she still came up with a smile on her face. Unlike for her, she tried to have guys in her life but it never felt right. Eventually she gave up on the whole idea of dating.
One day Lily was reading on the pier when she heard a car pull up on her driveway. She glanced over her shoulder and saw a red pickup truck. She thought that it was a friend of her dad so she continued reading her book. Moments later, she heard the sound of footsteps heading towards her. She turned and was astonished to see Sam in an army suit. Sam came to her and gave her a warm brotherly hug. “Surprised to see me?” He said. Lily nodded and asked, “Why are you in that suit?” Sam told her that was the reason he came. Sam had just graduated and enrolled to serve in the army for two years. “Just as I said when we were kids.” Sam said. Yeah, that wasn’t the only thing you said Lily thought to herself. Sam later on told her that he would be placed in Iraq and that he would be leaving in a weeks’ time. Lily couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She seen the news and knew how dangerous it was to be in the army serving in Iraq. Soldiers always get hurt or even killed during their time in service. She couldn’t contain her tears and it came pouring down like a waterfall. Sam embraced her and stroked her head, “Don’t cry, we’ll write to each other. Let’s make it a deal shall we? ” Sam said. Lily wanted to scream and tell him her feelings but she kept quiet and nodded.
The days pass by in a blur. On the morning of Sam leaving, Lily was curled up in bed when she heard a knock on the door. Her mother’s head popped in and she told Lily that Sam was waiting for her at the pier. She tore out of bed and ran down the stairs skipping two steps at a time. As she made her way across the garden towards the pier, Sam had his back to her. She called out to him and he turned, she was amazed at the amount his features had changed. She noticed that he looked much older than before and his eyes were deep and had a slight hint of sadness. His hair was shaved off but he still looked very good. Sam’s jaw flexed as she walked towards him. They both hugged each other and Sam whispered to her “Promise me you’ll write to me, it means a lot to me.” Lily wanted to scream and tell him not to leave. She wanted to scream and tell him she loved him. A car horn sounded and Sam looked at Lily as if someone had just punched him in his gut. He kissed Lily on her forehead and gave her one last hug. As he made his way to the car waiting at the driveway he shouted to her “Dance with me Lily when I return, will you?” Lily shouted back “Promise me you’ll get back safely!” “I promise.” Sam replied and waved. Lily smiled and nodded as tears trickled down her face. She wished with all her heart that two years would go by quickly and prayed that Sam would return home safely.
The first few weeks went by really quick. Sam wrote to Lily describing the state of his living and also what he had been doing there. His letters always had humor in them that made Lily laugh each time she read it. Sometimes Sam’s letter would be late and he would always explain to her that there are situations where he was located at a village where there wasn’t any post office around. Sometimes it frightened Lily, but when his letters arrived she would always breathe in a sigh of relief.
On the morning of November, Lily was busy preparing dinner when the phone rang. Her mum picked up the phone; Lily studied her mum and saw her mum’s face went dark. Her eyebrows merged together as she listened to the person on the other side of the phone. She nodded several times and ended her conversation with “We’ll be praying for him.” Lily looked at her mum and knew that something had happened to Sam, he hadn’t been writing to her for a few weeks now. Mrs. Labronsk took Lily’s hand and led her to the living room. She told Lily that Mrs. Richard received a call saying that Sam had been posted in a village and had lost contact with the army office a few weeks ago. As far as they know, there had been shots fired and it was the last they heard from his troops. They went searching for his platoons but recovered nothing except for some army equipments. They placed him in the missing list of soldiers and told Mrs. Richard to prepare for the worst.
That night Lily cried her heart out as she slowly took in the news. Flashes of memories ran through her mind. She remembered the times they were together and she remembered the laughter and joy they shared. It all seemed so far away and she wished she could go back to those moments and hold on to them. She couldn’t help but regret for not telling Sam her true feelings and now I was too late.
The next morning, a small gathering was held in their local church where friends and relatives gathered together to pray for Sam and his friends. Lily could see that Mrs. Richard had been crying a lot too. Her eyes were swollen and there were dark circles beneath her eyes; she looked very pale under the dim light of the church. The church pastor tried to reassure everyone and told us not to give up hope. God would protect Sam and lead him out alive. Before the meeting ended, everyone stood hands joined and prayed together.
A few weeks went by and there was still no news on the where about of Sam. One morning, Mrs. Richard came looking for Lily. In her hand she had a letter and she told Lily that one of the soldiers found the letter addressed to Lily from Sam. They found the letter in an abandoned hut near the place where Sam went missing. That night, Lily read the letter. It was tattered in a few areas but she could still read the content of the letter.
It wrote:
Dear Lily,
My dearest Lily, I’m sorry that it’s been a while since I wrote a letter to you. I hope you’ll forgive me; it has been a rough few weeks. A few of us had been posted to a village in the outskirts and we were cut away from all connections to the outside world. It has been dangerous, there were some shots fired at our base camp and I’m writing to you now in fear that I won’t have chance to write to you anymore. These past few years I’ve seen you grow from a small child to a grown and mature woman. You have also grown prettier each year. Even though I don’t tell this to you but I know you feel it too. I’ve also seen how guys act around you but you never gave them a glance. It’s funny to see but secretly I’m glad. I’m glad because you always had your attention on me and that you always show up at my games even though it is a four hour drive away. It meant a lot to me and I cherish every moment of it. See, for a guy who has been around many girls, you’d think that I would have the courage to come up to a girl and tell her my feelings. Unfortunately, every time I gather up my courage to tell you how I felt, I’m always lost with words and I tend to bring up a different topic. I’m sorry that I had to write this now and tell you when I had many chances to tell you back home. I really hope that you would get this letter because I love you, Lily. I always had and always will. If you would have told me not to leave a month ago, I wouldn’t have left. Every night it’s you I think about and that is why I always look forward to your letters. Your letters are the reason why I fight to stay alive here; it is my source of strength. I just want to let you know that if ever something happens to me, I hope and pray that you’d forgive me for being such a coward and that you’ll live a great life and continue to grow into a beautiful and confident young woman. Maybe one day you’ll find the right guy and he would be the one who will dance with you on the pier.
Thinking of you, with lots of love- Sam.
Lily glanced through the letter a second time; the letter was smeared with her tears. She tried to wipe it away but it only made the smear worst. She tucked the letter under her pillow as she cradled herself. He loved her for all these years but she never knew. How could this happen, how could they make such a stupid mistake. Now it was all too late and they’d never have a chance to be together.
The days passed by with Lily crying herself to sleep each night. Even though her mother always told her not to give up hope but she felt that there wasn’t any hope left because Sam has been missing in action or MIA is what they call the missing soldiers that were always feared dead. November went by and December came, Lily had given up hope on the fact that Sam would be found. She stopped watching the news and stopped making calls to the headquarters to ask for any chance of finding Sam alive.
On the night of Christmas Eve, Lily was in her room getting dressed. She couldn’t help and note the fact that it would be the first year that they were having Christmas Eve dinner without Sam being around. He had been the soul of the evening with his silly jokes that lighted up smiles on everyone’s faces. Throughout dinner, everyone tried to keep smiles on their faces and tried to make the atmosphere around the house happy and cheerful but she knew in everyone’s heart they felt the absence of Sam as well.
After dinner, Lily excused herself and went outside to breathe in some fresh air. The night was chilly; there had been a weather forecast that predicted that they would have a snowy Christmas this year. Lily strutted across her garden lost in her thoughts and she found herself heading towards the pier. She loved the pier, it was the only spot where she could think and it held many memories on it too. This would be the place where she would miss the most apart from her family and friends, Lily had been accepted to University up in Montana where she was going to study medicine. She made up her mind that it would be a year where she would begin a new life with no regrets and that she would live each day appreciating everyone that has been blessed in her life. As she stare into the dark sky, a soft gust of wind kissed her arms and she hugged herself for warmth. The bushes nearby swayed with the wind making silent whispers of swishing sounds and in the midst of that she heard a gentle voice saying “Dance with me Lily, dance with me.” Lily perked her head up and looked around her. There wasn’t anyone around; her head was playing tricks on her. How she misses him so much, she longed for him. Tears slowly piled up in her eyes and rimmed itself on her eyelids. Slowly her tears began to fall, she let out a soft whisper to the night air, “I love you too Sam.” She closed her eyes and pictured them on the pier together swaying. In the distant, she heard silent footsteps heading towards her. Must be her dad coming to check on her she thought to herself. She breathed in a last lung full of air and turned. There in the distance, a figure was walking towards her, she squinted trying to get a clear view. She wiped the tears from her eyes and as the man approached she knew it wasn’t her father, it was a man arms wrapped in a cast walking with a slight limp. She couldn’t believe her eyes, she tried blinking them a few times just to make sure that her mind wasn’t playing tricks on her again. The man stopped a few feet away from Lily. “It’s me Lily, it’s Sam.” Lily ran towards Sam and hugged him with all her might, she couldn’t believe it. He was alive, he was safe and he is here now in her arms. Happy tears poured out from each other’s eyes as they embraced one another.
Lily and Sam went back to the house. As Lily and Sam entered the living room where both families were, Lily could see the astonished dumbfounded faces that each parent wore. They couldn’t register whether they were seeing a ghost or the real Sam. Sam went up to his parents and hugged them, there were hugs exchanged with everyone and tear stained smiling faces as they celebrated this joyful night. A son whom was once lost, was now found. After everyone had settled down, Sam begin to tell everyone his journey and what had happened to him. It began on the night Sam wrote the letter to Lily, they had been spotted in the afternoon and they went into hiding. However, around midnight one of the soldiers of his platoon stumbled across a bomb that went off and exposed their hiding ground. The soldier was killed instantly, there were many shots fired among each sides. Sam and a few of his friends ran deep into the forest away from all the shooting. However, some of his friends had been shot and didn’t make it. Sam took a bullet to his shoulder and struggled running away from the Iraq militants. Sam finally passed out n the middle of the jungle and when he finally woke up, he found himself in a hut with cloth wrapped around his wounded shoulder. A woman who lived in the hut told him that she and her husband found him in the jungle while they were collecting fruits. Sam developed high fever from the infection that he suffered but after a few weeks of tender care from both husband and wife, Sam regained his strength. Both husband and wife agreed to take Sam to the nearest village where he could make contact with his people. Unfortunately, the journey was quite a long one. They had to stop for many nights in one place in fear of being spotted by the Iraq militants. They made their way across the dense jungle and found their way to the village where he made contact with his army base camp. Sam was able to raise some money for both the husband and wife and built them a house at the village that was protected by the US army. After that, Sam made his way back to his base camp where he received further treatment and recuperated. After Sam got the clearing to head back home he was on the first flight back home.
Before the night ended, Sam took Lily out to the pier. They both stood there in silence as they took in the evens that happened today. “I saw your letter” Lily said to Sam. Sam looked a Lily, “I heard your gentle whisper too.”He said and smiled. Sam took Lily in his arms and whispered “I love you Lily.” Sam got down on his knees and took hold Lily’s hand, “I want to spent the rest of my life with you Lily, I don’t want to waste another day without you. Lily Faith Labronsk, will you marry me?” Lily was lost with words as she tried to reply but her sobs came out instead. She nodded vigorously and finally let out a wail “Yes! Yes, I will.” Then Sam stood up and said “Come dance with me Lily, will you?”
Then and there, two best friends were reunited and the start of a deeper and longer journey of relationship between the two.
Written by : Alexis Soo W.Y
