The baby shower pink and the dark fuego orange sky shone brightly on the west horizon. We stood on the dark green, waist-high forage. His arms were around my stomach, and mine around his neck.
“Forever and for always. Never a moment I won’t be thinking about you. You are my everything.” He whispered in my ear. His breath lingered there for a moment, and it tickled.
“I love you Jake. I don’t want you to go. Please don’t, Jake. I love you.”
He began to pull his arms around to the front of me. He pushed, gently, but his arms still had strength. The colors began to play tricks on my mind. He seemed immortal, his arms so big, his shirt so tight. I had a hard time breathing anytime I looked at him. He was the most perfect person I had ever seen.

“Kee, I have to. It’s the only way I can ever make a life for myself. I can’t stay here. As much as I want to, I can’t. You have to believe me. When I get back, we will have a better life. We may even get our own apartment. Kee, I can’t give it up. I will come back as soon as I can.”
He began to walk away. He looked liked an angel, with only his outline defined. The first salty tear rolled slowly down my cheek, passing over the corner of my lip.

“Jake, don’t let it go! Please… please don’t .”
My voice faded into a whisper. He kept walking.
It all started two years ago. I had just started high school, and there he was. Walking down the hall, high-fiving everyone that stuck their hand out. He was the perfect example for a student. Straight A’s, friends with everybody, and the teachers loved him. As soon as he saw me, he was captivated. He “accidently” bumped into me on the way to our pre-calculus math class. I wanted help with my math, he offered and a week later….. We were the hottest new couple in school. We were attached at the hip, everywhere we went. He was with me when my parents were divorced. He was there through it all. Whenever I needed support, he would ask me if I was a rabbit or a duck. I never got it. And now he was leaving. He wasn’t permanently, but he was going to be gone for several months at a time. He said some of the pros were that he automatically got college covered, 4,000$ when he leaves, and a permanent apartment. I didn’t see those sides. All I saw was dystopia. But it was his choice. And as he was walking away, I realized something. I could either be a fast, scared rabbit, or a high flying, confident, waiting duck.