A Promise Kept

I walked though the Cemetery looking for the grave of a friend. As I walked I remembered all the fun we use to have. How we played Cowboys and Indians, and when we went fishing, he always caught the bigger fish. We would laugh and joke around.
Then one day everything changed. He no longer laughed, played or smiled. He never looked happy anymore. He had made some new friends and his new friends scared me. They looked mean and angry. Mommy asked him to stay away from them. He told her to bug off. I told him that his new friends were scary and that they scared mom and me. He said we didn’t have to worry about them and to leave him alone. I some times heard mom and him yelling, then I would hear the door slam and mommy crying.
Then one day some men in blue uniforms came to our house. They looked nice, but sad to me. They asked to speak with mommy, so I went and got her. I told her there where two men in uniforms that needed to talk to her. As one of the men started talking to mommy, she looked really sad. I heard one of the men tell her that my friend had been shot during a fight and that he was at the hospital. Mommy asked the man in the uniform if he could take us to go see my friend.
They agreed to take us to the hospital. I didn’t know what a hospital was, but when I saw all the sick people there; I didn’t like it very much. A lady in a white uniform showed us where my friend was. I saw him lying in a bed; he looked over and saw me. He opened his arms wide; I ran into them and gave him a hug. I was crying and he was too. I think it was because he was happy to see me and I was happy to see him.
Mommy walked into the room, looked at my friend and she started crying. She leaned down and gave him a hug. He said that he was sorry and wished he had never meet those people. He told us that he loved us and that he was sorry for causing so much pain. He then looked at me and said, “I will always be with you. Please don’t make the same mistake I had made. Take care of your mother for me will you.” I burst out crying and told him that I wouldn’t. Then I told him that I would take care of mommy and that when he gets out we can go to the park. He smiled at me and said he’d like that. Mommy just looked at us and started crying even harder. I told her not to worry that I would take care of her till he got out of the hospital. When I looked at him again he looked tired, mommy asked me to wait out side so she could talk to him. I gave him a hug and a kiss, he hugged me back and then I went out and waited in the hallway.
Mom came out a few minutes later and as we were leaving I asked he if he was asleep now and if we could come back and see him when he got up. She had tears in her eyes as shook her head no and told me that he would never wake up again. She told me he was now with Jesus up in heaven. I started crying and told her that he had promised to go to the park when he got better. She said, “ I know baby, but he is still with us even though we can see him. He will be at the park with us when we go. He will always be watching over us with Jesus up in heaven”. As I grow up I understood better, what mommy was trying to tell me back then. He did watch over and protect us as I grew up.
I stopped in front of a grave; it was my friend’s grave. I sat down and talked to him. Told him how mommy was doing and how I was doing. I told him I wanted him to meet some one. As I talked my husband came up behind me and smiled. I then got up and introduce my new baby boy named after my friend to my friend, who had also been my father. We stood there for a little while longer. As we were turning to leave I thought I hear my father say” I love you and am very proud of you. Thank you my sweet little baby girl”. I smiled and was very happy. I knew he would always watch over us, protect us and I knew he was smiling.

THE END