{Forty years later}

I am now an old many in my late seventies. I have lived a long and happy life. Sadie married a wonderful man named Brandon Johns. He's perfect for each other. They have three lovely children: Amelia, Logan and Jared. Amelia looks exactly like Sadie, which makes me think of Sam. Yes, I still think of Sam every minute I can. She would be so proud of her grandchildren. I am proud of them. They are wonderful. Amelia is thirteen years old; Logan is ten and Jared is seven. They are amazing.

Noah married a lovely girl named Jayla Allen. She is a lot like Sam. She's crazy and fun to be around with. She's really amazing. They have two children: Gordon and Ivy. They are twins. They are eight years old. I'm so lucky to be their grandfather. I love my life, everything about it.

Though, as I sit on my porch tonight, I feel something in my heart. My house is lonely. My children are gone. They live in two different towns several miles away. They see me on holidays, but it's not the same.

I asked Sadie if she still remembers Sam. She says she forces herself to remember her. Noah, on the other hand, doesn't remember anything about her. It's just my case with my father. I can't remember anything about my dad to save my life.

The phone rings and I slowly stand up. I can't walk around as much anymore. I'm getting really old. I slowly walk over to the phone. I pick it up and answer it.

"Hello," I say.

"Freddie! How are you?" a voice says. Who's this?

"Who are you?" I ask. The voice laughs and then coughs.

"It's Carly. You know, your childhood friend. How are you, big guy?" she asks me. I slowly sit down on my rocking chair on the porch. I smile and look at the ocean.

"Carly Shay? Wow! I didn't expect to hear from you. I'm good. How are you?" I ask her.

"I'm good. I'm getting old, but I'm sure you are too. I haven't talked to you since….well…since Sam died," she says. I shift in my seat. That was a long time ago.

"Yeah, I guess that was about the right time," I say. Carly sighs into the phone.

"Did you ever remarry?" she asks me. I sigh and glance up at the sky. Why does everyone ask me that?

"No, I loved Sam. I still do. I don't think anyone else could ever replace her as my wife," I say.

"Oh, well that's the reason why I called. My husband recently passed away. He has lung cancer," she says. Carly's husband had lung cancer? Why didn't I know about this? Who was her husband?

"I'm sorry to hear that. Who was your husband?" I ask her.

"Griffin," she says. Oh, well that doesn't surprise me that she would marry him. It also doesn't surprise me that he would have lung cancer. He probably smoked everyday. He was such a bad boy.

"I'm so sorry," I say. Carly sighs and she's probably shaking her head right now. I wish I could actually see her.

"It's fine. We had four children together," she says. She has four children? Wow! I thought two was enough. Well, now that I think about it, I would have more if Sam had more time to live. She loved her children. She probably would have eight if she could. Though, she didn't have that option.

"What are their names?" I ask her.

"Chase, Deanna, Maddox and Destiny. They are great," she says.

"That's nice to hear," I say.

"How are you children doing?" she asks me.

"Sadie is married and she's a doctor. She works at St. Jude's Research Hospital. She's one of the main doctors there. It's amazing at what she does. She saves children with leukemia because she knows that it killed Sam," I say. Carly gasps into the phone.

"Aww…that's so sweet of her," she says.

"Noah, on the other hand, is married and is a botanist. I don't know how he chose that career, but he's amazing at it," I say. Carly laughs and then sighs.

"Yeah, so I called you for a reason," she says. I roll my eyes and look down into my lap. What does she want?

"Yes?" I ask her. She sighs loudly.

"I know I shouldn't ask this, but, will you marry me?" she asks me. I gasp and cough on the air in my lungs. What! Did she just ask me to marry her? Is she crazy? Her husband recently passed away and she's asking to marry me? What's wrong with her?

"Excuse me?" I ask her. She laughs.

"I'm serious, Freddie. I'm lonely. My children are all moved out and living in France and Japan and California. I'm stuck her in Seattle. I need someone to spend time with," she says. How does she think I feel? I've been alone for many years and I dealt with it just fine.

"Carly, do you hear yourself? I'm not going to marry you," I say. She sighs and I think I hear her crying. I can tell that it's fake. She's such a fake.

"Freddie, please? For me?" she asks me. I roll my eyes and glare at the trees in my yard.

"This doesn't work for me anymore. I love Sam. I would do anything for her," I say, emphasizing the her. She's nuts!

"Sam's dead," she says. She emphasized the dead in that sentence. I look away. She just always has to make me feel bad, doesn't she?

"I still love her," I say. She sighs and then laughs.

"You're in love with a dead girl," she says with a laugh. I glare again and feel my emotions rising. She really did it this time!

"CARLY SHAY, YOU ARE THE MEANEST, MOST SELFISH PERSON I HAVE EVER MET! I WAS SORRY FOR YOU BECAUSE GRIFFIN DIED. THEN, YOU ASK ME TO MARRY YOU? WHAT KIND OF PERSON ASKS A PERSON THAT AFTER HER HUSBAND DIES? A SICK MIND DOES THAT. CARLY SHAY, YOU HAVE A SICK MIND AND I HOPE YOU HAVE A NICE LIFE," I say as I hang up the phone. I can't believe I just did that. I yelled at Carly, my former best friend. She was insane.

I slowly stand up and walk into my house. I walk into my room and hear the phone ring. I roll my eyes. I really hope that's not Carly calling me back. I hope she doesn't stalk me. That would drive me crazy.

"Hello?" I answer.

"Dad!" Sadie shouts. I smile and sit down on my bed. Sadie calls me every night before I go to bed. She always wants to know how I'm doing.

"Hi kid," I say. She laughs.

"How are you feeling?" she asks me.

"I'm okay. How are you? How's my lovely son-in-law? How's my darling grandchildren?" I ask her. She laughs again.

"We're all well," she says.

"Honey, I'm going to go to bed," I say.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asks me. I nod my head. My heart kind of hurts, but I won't tell her that. I don't want to worry her. I'm fine.

"I'm fine. I'm just tired," I say.

"Okay, well I'll talk to you tomorrow," she says. I smile and nod my head.

"I'll be waiting," I say. We hand up and I get dressed into my pajamas. I lean down and climb into bed. I look up at the ceiling. I look over to my right to the empty place in the bed. I reach over and touch the place where Sam should be. I smile into the darkness.

"I love you, Sam," I say. I drift off to a slow and dark sleep.

NORMAL POV

That night, Freddie Benson passed away. He died during his sleep. His children, Sadie and Noah, were upset about his death. Though, Freddie isn't upset about leaving the world. He's excited because he now is joining his true love, Sam.

FREDDIE'S POV

I arrive into the most wonderful place in the world, Heaven. The sun is shining all the time. There is a grassy meadow. I slowly begin to walk down the meadow. I see something in the distance. I see a person standing at the other side of the meadow. She has long, curly blonde hair. She has beautiful blue eyes. I look down at myself. I see that I have been transformed to a young man again. I look about twenty years old. The girl is standing and staring at me. I look at the girl more closely now. Wait….no…yes….it's Sam!

I begin to run toward her. She smiles and runs toward me.

"SAM!" I shout. She smiles and nods her head.

"FREDDIE!" she shouts. We run closer to each other. We finally arrive at each other. We embrace each other. I hold her in my arms. Oh, how I have waited for this moment! I run my hands through her perfect hair. I pull away and look into her amazing blue eyes. She reaches up and strokes my cheek.

"Freddie, you're finally here," she says. I smile and nod my head.

"I love you," I say. Sam smiles and nods her head,

"I know. I love you too. I've been waiting for you for a long time," she says. I smile and lean toward her. I lean into her ear.

"Are we allowed to kiss in Heaven?" I ask her. She laughs and pulls me toward her. She nods her head.

"You better believe it," she says. I lean forward and we kiss each other. It's beautiful and magical. I can't believe this is happening. I'm here with Sam again. I'm with her. This is the best moment of my life.

"I love you," I say. She looks into my eyes and smiles.

"I love you too," she says. We lean forward and kiss again.

NARRATOR'S POV

The trees sway and the image of those two beautiful people fade away into the sunset. A young painter is standing in a meadow on Earth. He finishes up his painting and walks away. The painter is sold and placed in art galleries all over the world. People walk past the painting without looking at it.

I stand in the art gallery in my home town. I stand and look at one particular painting. The boy has short, brown hair. The girl has long, blonde hair. They are kissing. The trees are swaying. The sun shines down on these two lovers. I glance down at the name of this painting.

Seddie by Noah Benson

Noah Benson? Who's that? I grab my laptop and sit down on the bench near the painting. I search his name. He's a botanist. He's an inspiring artist. This is his first painting. I look up the reason why he did this painting. He did this painting for his parents. In an interview, the journalist quotes Noah.

"I didn't know this until I was done with the painting, but I remember my mom now. The painting helped me remember her. I remember her. That's the greatest joy I could ever receive."

I smile and close my laptop. I stand up and walk back to the painting. I smile and lightly touch it. This painting will forever be embarked in this gallery and several more around the world. I turn around and exit the gallery with a hopeful smile on my face.

This story wasn't just about two people facing major challenges in their lives. No, this story was so much more. This story was about finding your true love, having challenges with that person, being separated from that person and then later finding that person and sharing eternity in each other's arms.

{A/N: Thank you to everyone who read this story and iComa. This is the conclusion and final ending. I really hope you enjoyed reading it. Please look for future stories of mine. I have a few ideas up my sleeve. Thank you to IzzyRoxUrSox13 for being a big help with this story. You are great! Thanks to everyone who read this story and iComa. I couldn't have done it without you. }