After picking up a pair of twin girls out in the middle of nowhere, man left them at home with his paralyzed wife and took off..

Unlike city guys, coddled by their moms till thirty-five. At sixteen, John knew what he wanted, how he’d live, and what kind of girl he needed for a wife. But he didn’t rush Sarah.

It had to be proper. Serve in the military first, then the wedding. He’d seen enough rushed marriages in town.

No idea why they hurry. Life’s long, but they marry right at eighteen.

Throw a big wedding. Then, two months later, off to the army, or less. Come back like strangers.

Fighting, divorcing. And if kids come along, they suffer. Running wild in town with living parents? No, Johnny thought.

Maybe it’s good they send us to the army. Serve your country, become a man, test your feelings. No need to rush.

He was sure of his feelings for Sarah. Two years didn’t dim his love. He was sure of her feelings too.

But here in town, they saw each other daily. Would their love survive distance? The army would show. John remembered his send-off to the military.

His mom cried, of course. Sarah stood nearby, eyes wet too. Promised to write.

And she did. Almost every day for the first six months.

Then nothing. John asked his mom about Sarah. She stayed quiet.

Well, John thought then. I was wrong. Not meant to be.

He didn’t lose it like some guys. He’d wanted to test their feelings. And he had…

What was the point of deserting the army? If Sarah betrayed him, running wouldn’t fix it. He wasn’t going to do anything drastic, like some. There was a guy in his unit.

Found out his girl dumped him and shot himself in the head. Missed. Lost his eyes instead.

As if that brought her back. Even if it had, what’s the point? Once a betrayer, always a betrayer. Why live with a girl, remembering her past betrayal, fearing the next? John wasn’t like that.

He was decisive, rational. Sarah hadn’t dumped him or married someone else. His mom would’ve written.

She just stopped writing. Who knows what happened. John decided to return and find out himself.

When he got back from the army, he went straight to Sarah’s. To her parents. Town talk said they were adoptive, but what did it matter? They were her parents. Let them explain how they lost track of their daughter.

Sarah’s dad met him at the door. Glanced at him briefly, then looked away. “Sarah’s gone,” he said, and broke down.

“Gone?” John nearly fainted. “How gone?” “Just gone,” her dad said. “See for yourself.”

Johnny stepped inside, and there was Sarah, lying on a bed, staring at one spot on the ceiling. Not dead, but not alive either.

Her mom fussed around, adjusting things. “She’s paralyzed,” her mom said. “Can’t move at all.”

“How?” No one knew. Just a tragedy. “I told her not to walk by that old mill,” her dad said.

“All sorts of riffraff hang out there. But she kept saying it’s faster from the station. Plus, it’s by Johnny’s house.

I’d look at his windows and feel like I was with him.” Her dad wiped a tear. “Don’t know who did this to her.”

“And the doctors? What do they say?” John asked. “What can they say? You know the doctors around here. They buried your dad young.

They just shrug,” her mom said. “So, Sarah’s as good as gone. Is this even Sarah? Just a vegetable.”

“Harsh,” her dad said. “God didn’t give us our own kids, and now He’s taken the one we chose.” Johnny sat on the stool her mom set for him.

He needed to catch his breath, process this. He’d expected anything. That she’d fallen out of love, met someone else.

Even thought maybe she got pregnant, had a kid. He was ready for anything. Ready to accept another man’s child, if it came to that.

But not this. What now? How to live? Go to a bar, meet someone else, marry? While Sarah lies here? His Sarah. That’s not right, not human.

This wasn’t the life he dreamed of, not decent. “Alright,” John said firmly, standing up. “I won’t let you bury her before her time.

As long as she’s alive, we fight. And yes, I’m marrying her, as promised, so get ready, future in-laws.” “Get out, kid, don’t mock our grief.

Why would you want her like this? Plenty of healthy girls in town. Pick one and leave us be,” her dad said. Sarah’s mom leaned close and whispered.

“The doctor said she’ll never have kids after this. You get it? Find someone else.” “That’s not your call,” John said just as firmly.

“I said I’ll marry her, and I will.” No big wedding, of course. They brought the town clerk and a secretary to the house, and that was that…