His Promise Was Never Mine
Then he told me, "This dress would only suit you."
I accepted it and kept it at the bottom of my trunk. I liked it too much to wear it.
On the day he left, he stood at the entrance of Silver Hollow and said, "Julia, come with me."
I refused him.
I told him I could not bear to leave the village, and I could not bear to leave my mother.
After that, he never asked again.
Over the years, he would send me something for each holiday. Sometimes, it was books. Sometimes, it was fabric. Other times, it was a jar of candy that could only be bought in the city.