Love and Promise

There is a woman named Lily. Her eyes are as bright as stars, and her heart is filled with longing and curiosity for love. One day, she asks the man beside her, "Darren, when can we get married?" Her voice is light and lively, like the spring breeze, carrying infinite expectations for the future. However, Darren answers softly, "There is no breakthrough in my work yet. Let's wait for two more years." Lily is neither disappointed nor overly excited. It seems that she has already expected this answer. They have been together for only two years. In this fast-paced era, two years may not be a long time, but for them, every moment in these two years has become the most precious memory in their lives.

Their love seems to have gradually calmed down with the passage of time. Lily asks again, "Darren, what if we have a child?" Darren holds her hand gently but firmly and stares at her with sharp eyes. When he learns that Lily is just asking casually, he relaxes and explains his view gently to her, "At present, we are not suitable to have a child. Maybe we don't need to worry about finances, but we are not psychologically ready. Raising a child is not as simple as raising a small pet. If there is one, inform me. I will accompany you to the hospital." Lily is carefree but not stupid. She doesn't know where the problem between them lies. Is it because there is no love? She can't feel strong love, but she also can't sense where there is no love. Perhaps time has made them both calm.

For the house they live in now, Lily pays half of the mortgage. She is used to balance and entertaining herself. When she goes shopping on weekdays, Darren has never accompanied her, but she never feels uncomfortable. However, at this moment, she starts to think whether this act can also measure his feelings. "Darren, will you accompany me shopping tomorrow? You have never accompanied me shopping before!" Lily says coquettishly. But Darren is absent-minded and asks, "I'm busy! Darling, why do you want me to accompany you all of a sudden tomorrow?" Lily persists and asks, "Then do you want to or not?" Darren's eyes are always focused on the documents and he says, "Go by yourself. If you want to buy something, just withdraw money yourself."

Suddenly, Lily says, "Darren, I suddenly want to marry you. What should I do?" On her innocent and beautiful face, her big bright eyes look at Darren helplessly. This sentence draws Darren's attention back to her. Darren looks at this woman in front of him who has not been deeply marked by the cruelty of reality. He feels a vague impatience and powerlessness. "What does that piece of paper mean to you?" Darren puts down his work and decides to have a good talk with Lily. Lily answers, "I don't know! Does wanting to marry you have anything to do with that piece of paper?" Darren says, "Don't you want to get married just because of that piece of paper?" Lily makes her voice very sweet and says, "Okay, let's not discuss this anymore. Otherwise, I'll be so angry with myself! Hehe, then I'll go shopping by myself. I don't want you to accompany me. Humph!" After saying that, she picks up her bag and walks out of the room with a light step.

As soon as the door closes behind her, Lily's smiling face instantly turns gloomy. She is pale and sad. She takes a step and walks slowly on the crowded street. Her mind is blank but also filled with thoughts. She always thought that she could quickly get over the pain and magnify the sadness and then be happy. But this time, even with all her strength, she can't do it. Tears flow down. Sometimes, she is unwilling to yield to fate but has to submit to destiny. The happy elf is not happy at this moment.

After crying enough, Lily wipes away her tears and smiles brightly. She rushes to the shopping street and buys ten suits, ten shirts, ten ties, ten brooches, ten pairs of socks, and ten pairs of shoes for her beloved Darren. Her credit card is almost maxed out, but she smiles so happily that her eyes disappear. At this moment, she is like an elf again, an elf who can infect people. There are too many things to carry, so Lily has to take a taxi back. She shows off her achievements to Darren triumphantly. Darren sees so many clothes and his mouth twitches faintly. Looking at this woman beside him who always surprises people with her actions, he doesn't know how to react.

"Darren, these are all chosen by me. Aren't they good?" Lily is intoxicated with the suits she chose and is confident in her taste. "Darren, remember to wear these clothes slowly. If I see something nice tomorrow and feel like buying it, I'll buy it for you again! Humph, if you dare to say a word of dislike, I'll make you regret it. Got it?" Lily threatens him with her hands on her hips and deliberately puts on a pouting face. "Okay! I won't say I don't like them. But why did you buy so many? You are always so wasteful!" Darren reproaches her. "Oh, Darren, it's no use scolding me now that I've bought them! Just love me more and like these clothes, okay?" Lily shakes his hand coquettishly and looks aggrieved. Darren gives her a helpless look and ruffles her hair. "Okay, okay! You, remember not to do this again in the future, okay? Otherwise, even if you act coquettishly, I won't let you off!" Lily shakes her head vigorously. Hehe...Heehee...Lily keeps giggling non-stop. Seeing this, Darren also smiles. His woman is so lovely, as carefree as a child and also has the intellectuality of a mature woman. Having a "wife" like her, what else is there to be dissatisfied with? In his heart, he is also thinking about meeting her parents. He has never mentioned marriage again just to give her a surprise. When they got together at the beginning, he had made up his mind to marry her.

"Darren, can I go back to my mother's place this month? I haven't stayed at home properly since graduation. Mom misses me so much. I'm afraid that my brother's wife will bully my mom. I want to go back and 'educate' my brother!" At night, she hugs him and tickles him with her hand. He dodges her mischievous hand and teases her, "Finally, you remember your mom?" "Heehee, I'm a good girl! Darren, I bought a plane ticket for tomorrow noon. You have to take good care of yourself during this time!" "So you had a plan. No wonder you were so nice to me all of a sudden!" Darren pretends to be fierce. "Haha, you're not good at pretending at all! Disgusting..." Laughter fills the whole world.

Half a month passes. Darren can't bear the loneliness without Lily by his side. He misses her naughtiness and her warmth. He dials her number and softly begs Lily to buy a ticket and come back quickly. In the phone, her clear and silver-bell-like laughter echoes in his mind and makes his eyes redden. "Honey, come back, okay? Let's get married!" There is a moment of dead silence on the other end of the phone. "Didn't you not want to marry me?" After a long silence, Lily asks softly. "I didn't not want to. I just wanted to give you a surprise at the right time. But I couldn't hold back my longing and said it first." Darren explains. "Heehee, okay. Wait for me to come back, okay?" Lily becomes lively again, as if she has got the whole world.

Another half a month passes. Seeing that Lily hasn't returned yet, Darren dials her number again. This time, the phone rings for a long time before it is answered. It is Lily's brother who answers. Darren asks him why Lily hasn't come back yet. Her brother says that she still needs to deal with some things there and can't leave so soon. He tells Darren that she will be back soon and asks him not to worry. Another half a month later, Darren receives a call from Lily's brother. In the call, her brother asks him to come to their place immediately and says that Lily has something. Darren is frightened. He books a plane ticket and rushes to the airport like an arrow.

In city X, Lily's brother picks him up. At a glance, her brother recognizes Darren. In silence, he leads Darren to the hospital. A sense of foreboding hangs over Darren. When the door of the ward opens, Lily's thin and pale face shocks Darren. His heart is suddenly gripped tightly, and he feels a sharp pain. Dragging his weak legs, he walks up to Lily who has her eyes closed. Gently, he strokes her familiar cheek, again and again. "My sister has advanced gastric cancer and has been dragging on for two months." Her brother says softly. Lily's parents' eyes redden instantly. This accident is really too unexpected. It is so unexpected that they don't even know what happened. It is so unexpected that he feels like he is in a dream. Gastric cancer. So all the times Lily said she had no appetite and didn't eat anything, and said that losing weight is a woman's lifelong career were all excuses. Darren blames himself for not investigating carefully. He blames himself for being so careless and letting Lily endure this most difficult time alone.

Half a month after Lily goes to heaven, a letter is sent from the city where Lily lived. Darren looks at the familiar handwriting and trembles all over.

Dear Darren:

You must be thinking of me, right? You must be. I can feel it even in heaven!

Darren, when you said you wanted to marry me, I was really touched! I originally thought that you just wanted to be with me and didn't have the intention to spend a lifetime with me. Darren, thank you for your love!

Being with you is really the happiest thing in the world! Every morning when you wake up, you always say your hand is numb. Hehe, do you know? Darren, this is the most touching and unforgettable moment. During these days at home, I can't sleep. Without your arm as a pillow and your embrace as a harbor. But I don't regret it. I don't want you to see me being tortured by the disease and becoming unrecognizable. I believe that if it were you, you wouldn't let me see your painful side either. Darren, forgive me. From now on, I can only smile for you in the sky! Darren, a year ago, how I wished time could stop. How I wanted to engrave you in my heart forever and ever. But I found that I could never get enough of looking at you. I don't know what to do to make myself feel better. I know you love to hear my laughter. In fact, I also love my own laughter. So I laugh every day to make you remember me forever. Am I being selfish? I'm afraid that after I leave, you will put everything about me in a corner that you will never touch. I'm so afraid that I will be cold there. So I use love to make you remember me deeply! I live every day as if it were the last day. So, it's enough. Having you in this life is enough!

The clothes, socks, shoes I bought for you last time, will you wear a set on the day I left every year to see me? Ten sets, that's ten years. In ten years, you can only think of me for ten days. On that specific day, you can think of me and you mustn't not think of me. You know I like purple roses. Remember to look for them. I have great confidence in my husband! Remember, you can only wear them on that day in a year. At other times, don't touch those clothes. If you forget, then when you are old and see those clothes, maybe you will remember my request! Hehe, when you get married in the future, remember to bring your wife to see me on that day. But don't tell her who I am. Any woman will be jealous. Just say...uh...just say that I am your childhood sweetheart, okay? I envy those who grew up together as childhood sweethearts so much! When you get married in the future, then she is "our wife". You must be good to our wife, just like you are to me, because I am watching from the sky. Although I will cry and be jealous, I don't want girls to be sad even more. In the next life, I will cling to you with all my strength for a lifetime until we grow old!

That time I was willful and mentioned parting from you. But now you must be crying too, right? Cry not only with your eyes. Finish laughing for me in this life, okay?

From now on, don't be sad or depressed. Think of me only for ten days in ten years. After ten years, completely erase me from your life. I am selfish, but I'm afraid that my selfishness will make you hate me. So I will rely on you for ten years. Just ten years, okay? In ten years, we will really forget each other and look forward to the next life!

Your silly child who is already fulfilling the promise.

Tears wet the letter paper. Darren breaks down in tears. Gradually, the sky darkens and turns black. The lights outside shine in obliquely. Darren composes himself. "Wife, I will remember you for ten years and think of you for ten days. I will repay you with a lifetime in the next life!" Softly, he murmurs to the sky.

This story shows us the greatness and helplessness of love. Lily, at the last moment of her life, loves Darren in her own way and leaves him a ten-year promise. And Darren, after Lily leaves, also sticks to this promise and spends ten years missing her. Their love is like the brightest star in the night sky, illuminating each other's lives and also illuminating the hearts of each of us.

In our lives, maybe there is no such life-and-death parting, but we can still draw strength from this story. Love is not only sweetness and romance but also responsibility and commitment. When we meet the right person, we should be brave to love and cherish, and don't wait until we lose to regret.

At the same time, this story also makes us think about the meaning of life. Life is so fragile. We never know what will happen tomorrow. So we should cherish every moment, live with our hearts, and love the people around us. Don't always be busy with work and trifles and ignore those really important things and people. Because when the last moment of life comes, we will find that those moments that we once ignored are the most precious memories.

Finally, may we all have a beautiful love, cherish every moment in life, and let our lives be filled with love and warmth. Let us be like Lily and Darren in the story, be brave to love, cherish, and stick to our love and life. Because only in this way can we find our own happiness and warmth in this complicated world.