Excerpt: Dialos: Love's Eternal Embrace

Their summer was spent in a kind of splendor you could only see in the classic movies of Hollywood’s glamour days. The classy parties, the beautiful settings, the sunsets on the beach, it all seemed like an enchanting dream. The tinkling of champagne glasses still rang in their ears, long into the night, from the gatherings they attended. Then the summer ended.

It was a cold, rainy September morning when he left. The war in Europe was heating up, and they needed all the help they could get. There seemed to be no hesitation in going; if you were a man, you fought. She stood at the train station, holding onto him tightly, crying. If she could just keep holding on, maybe he would not leave. If she could just hold on, maybe all of this would go away. If she could just hold on, the train whistle sounding in her ears would stop drowning out the happier sounds.

If she could just hold on, it would all be okay. But, of course, she couldn’t. He kissed her hard, trying hard to not cry himself. He whispered his love to her, and pressed a paper in her hand, telling her to read it when he was gone. It might help, he said. She clung to his coat, sobbing and begging him to not go. He held her for a few more moments, then pushed her away and climbed aboard the train. They had agreed earlier to not linger, trying to keep sight of one another, but she couldn’t help hoping he would come to a window.