Dear Johnny,

Our December wedding four years ago was the wedding I’d dreamt about as a little girl. It was everything I’d imagined for us. It wasn’t gaudy or showy but simple and dainty. The dress I wore was my mother’s. Her and my father have been married for fifty one years and I hoped the dress would bring our new marriage good luck because of their luck. My bridesmaids were so kind and supportive. They gave us a beautiful bridal shower and were so helpful when I had to have my dress tailored three times because we were expecting. Our honeymoon was so eventful. Australia was so outrageously fun. It was bittersweet because we didn’t wait for our wedding night to make love for the first time. Those are all fond memories I have of us. We were so eager for Bentley Wyn to arrive. I remember the day he was born like it was yesterday. I’d never seen you look at me the same way as when you first saw me hold him. You were so happy and so proud. I remember helping you to put pictures of your new young family in your wallet the day after we came home from the hospital. You went back to school that day and when you got home you told us all about your day and how you showed our pictures to everyone you talked to. We never wanted people to assume we were getting married just because we had a child on the way. We had it stuck in our heads that we were going to be wed anyway we just happened to do things out of order. I know we wouldn’t have wanted it any other way though. Our son is so precious. He looks just like you and he plays just like you. He’s almost four years old and he loves it outside. He loves to dig in the dirt and go fishing with you on Saturdays and he’s such a good little runner with the football in the backyard on Sunday afternoons. You should hear the things he says about you. You’re his hero, Johnny. I know every couple has their share of problems. We have good days too though. I remember the year before I got pregnant we had our whole life planned out. We’ve achieved so much. We graduated, I go to school and you have a job with the Marines, we’re married, we have a child and we own a home. Our plan was to have our second baby on the way before Bent starts school and if you’d just love me like you used to love me we could do that. I want to keep living that dream we started working for in high school. I know being a Marine changed you but Johnny, I want you back.