Wrapped in Adrian's arms, Allie stood by his side as they watched the beautiful woman smashing a bottle of champagne against the bow of the first ship they both designed together. A deafening and outrageous beating of the drums was then heard, heightened by the rounds of applause and victory shouts from the crowd. It dominated for a long while before fading out into the background,  giving way to the beautiful piece played by the orchestra. The solemnity of the music and the frenzy of the moment lifted their hearts into the ninth cloud as they all witnessed the sliding of the vessel through its slipway into the water.

Allyza tightened her hold at Adrian as tears of joy glistened in her eyes. She never thought this day would come. Through all the tests of time, the storms of life and the tough barriers they both went through, her hope was almost gone.

Later into the night after that ceremonial ship launching, she picked up a pen and paper and poured out one of her painful memories into writing...

The  Promise

It was a lonely night though the waters at a distance glittered in silver hues.

There was not a sound heard except for your sighs that faded out into the moonlit mangroves.

And finally, before the moonlight gave way to the last hour of darkness before the dusk, you promised;

A promise that was held by for a thousand years.

Though your last steps up that hill was much dreaded by,

Though that balmless pain was almost deranging,

Though the nights that followed knew no rest,

All were buffered by that single promise...

Thousand years passed by then,

Beautiful things came in.

There were crossroads, forks, abrupt twists, and turns.

The memories of that lonely night then fell like a dead star.

One day, at a most unexpected moment,

That last step up that hill was traced by chance,

And was later led to a different paradise;

A paradise built for someone else.

The wait was abruptly halted.

And the dream, that carefully crafted dream which evolved in that promise was, all of a sudden, dragged into the morning light.

Farewell...