Times of Renewal: A Paranormal Love Story

I’m the first to admit I was a bit of a rebel in high school. I grew my hair out, wore black clothes and listened to punk rock bands. My parents were concerned when I told them I wanted to drop out of high school and go on tour with my band. I got my GED diploma though. I didn’t want that to be the only thing on my resume.

I was still a kid though. I was naïve, idealistic and had dreams bigger than what my small town could offer me. It didn’t take long for me to realize how cutthroat it could be once you left home. Sure, the punk rockers were nice at shows but you can’t always count on them for help if you get into trouble in some town where no one knows you. So it would have been easy for me to fall into the wrong crowd to get somewhere quicker. But then I met Sam.

He was older than me by about ten years and he wasn’t just some punk rocker like me either. He was almost the age of my parents! He had real experience and he knew so much more about this business than anyone else I had met yet. But he also knew more about not getting caught up in it all too and made sure we lived safe lives as well as healthy ones. He looked out for us, paid our bills when we needed him and even helped us find jobs that lasted longer than two weeks so we could make rent without having to steal food or sleep in our cars. Just being around him inspired me and made me want to do better for myself and those around me too.

On one of our rare nights off together, he took me to dinner at something fancy called the Olive Garden. We each had steaks and drank wine while we chatted about our dreams and goals, laughing at the silly mistakes we made along the way while encouraging each other to try harder next time. As we waited for dessert, Sam asked me if there was anything special happening in my life on that day. Not thinking much of it, I told him about my birthday being a few days away and that none of my family members would be able to make it because they all lived far away from here now except for one cousin who lived with his family but they couldn’t afford tickets or time off work so…

Sam put down his fork slowly before he stood up from the table, walked over to me and knelt down before holding both hands out towards me as tears started streaming down his face. He said “Julia… Will you marry me?”

I cried too then as everyone at the restaurant started clapping along with us which made us both laugh as well as cry harder before he slipped a beautiful ring onto my finger while telling me how happy he is that we found each other after all these years and how glad he is that he never gave up on searching for someone who could see past his age difference so they could grow old together like he did with his wife who passed away several years ago now but how much he wishes she could be here tonight too because she would love you so much just like he does right now before kissing me deeply until the waiters began clearing our plates because apparently we were keeping them from cleaning up!

We moved into a small apartment together after that night where we lived happily ever after until tragedy struck when Sam died suddenly from an aneurism during surgery on his gallbladder after complaining about feeling ill earlier that morning which prompted him to visit his doctor who sent him straight into surgery without running any tests beforehand despite knowing full well how serious this ailment can be if not treated promptly which… Well let's just say I'm thankful now that Sam thought ahead by taking out a life insurance policy on himself naming me as beneficiary because otherwise I'd be homeless right now instead of sitting here writing this letter to you both explaining why I must pull out of this deal your company has offered me today despite your insistence upon secrecy regarding its details because honestly at this point in time, blood money doesn't matter anymore to me unless of course it will keep a roof over my head until I find another job which is why hopefully this letter finds its way into your hands soon enough should something tragic happen between now and then afterall, what are friends for if not for sending each other letters through time?