"I give you my heart" he said, as he dropped the small silver pendant into her open hands. "It was my mother's. My dad gave it to her when they were our age." Her eyes grew wider and suddenly, she threw her arms around him. "Oh Timothy!" she cried. "That is just the sweetest thing anyone has ever given me.". The boy was smiling now. He never thought his gift could cause such a jubilant reaction. Her eyes were sparkling like they always did when she was cheerful. He loved that about her. "Marilyn?" he said. "Yes?" she replied, still fully enthralled over her new keepsake. "I love you, Marilyn. I love you forever strong." he confessed. "I love you too. Forever strong." she repeated. Their smiles were matching. They were ear-to-each grins, authentic and rare. He reached for her hand and she laced her fingers with his. They walked to class, not even a bit concerned about being late. Two weeks later, the couple was invited to a party to celebrate Halloween. There were costumes and candy and a house full of friends. Timothy, the policeman and Marilyn, the princess arrived together, hand-in-hand per usual. They danced and socialized, played games and enjoyed the food. About an hour into the party, they were separated. Marilyn's friends stole her away for some girl talk and Timothy stayed by the punch bowl, watching his goofball "friends" playing darts. He spectated and cheered for a while, but then he noticed Marilyn, talking with some mysterious character dressed as Zorro. She laughed at his jokes and they talked for a long while. Timothy took a seat by the refreshments table to sulk as he watched Zorro steal his girl. "What can I do?" thought Tim. "He's Zorro for Pete's sake! What's a policeman to do? All I can do is give him a fake ticket!" He sat and pondered this, until he saw Marilyn answer her cell phone. She looked concerned and she stepped outside to take the call. Timothy, still in a haze of jealousy and self-pity, grabbed his coat and slipped out the back door. The next day at school, Timothy went half the day without seeing Marilyn. At lunch, he occupied their usual spot under the sycamore tree. He waited. No sign of Marilyn. He ate his lunch alone. Finally, Marilyn arrived. She was dressed in jeans and a gray sweatshirt. She didn't look at all like herself. She was always so bright and bubbly and bursting with exuberance and light. Today, she resembled a raincloud. Timothy stood to greet her. Her took her hands in his, but she soon pulled away. "I'm sorry" she said. Tim was confused. He tried to look into her eyes, searching for the answer, but she averted her gaze elsewhere. "I'm moving. We can't...we can't be...together anymore." she said softly. Timothy's heart shattered on the spot. At first, he refused to believe it. They had been together for two years. It couldn't be over now. It couldn't end so abruptly, so harshly. "I'm sorry" she said again, drawing him back to reality. "I'm truly sorry" she said. "So am I." whispered Tim. "So am I." Marilyn then reached behind her neck and undid the clasp on her locket. It seemed like slow-motion as she dropped the locket into his open hands. That afternoon, Timothy Gibbons sat like stone. He had come home, closed and locked the door to his bedroom and sat. He sat in silence and stillness as he thought of all the great times he had been through with his beloved Marilyn. All the pictures of her, he laid face down. He couldn't stand to see her smile when she had caused him such great sorrow. For weeks at a time, he would repeat this ritual of siting and pondering. The day after the break-up, Marilyn was absent. The next day, she was absent. The next day, she was gone. The day after that she was MIA. It was like she had never existed. Only the pain left behind in Timothy's heart proved otherwise. He sat on the edge of his bed daily and thought of her. One day, he spotted a shining spot of shimmering light. It was a reflection from the sunlight through his window. But what was it reflecting off of? He wandered over to his dresser and discovered the object. It was the silver locket that Marilyn had returned to him that fateful day. He stood in stiff amazement as a new wave of deep sadness rushed over him. It was all flooding in again, the memory of her smile, her laugh, her sparkling eyes. He felt it all over again. A drop of that sorrow ran down the length of his face. A second followed. Then another. Soon, he was drowning in his own agony as tears came rushing down. He took the locket in his hands and stumbled back over to his bed. Hunched over, he cried. The cold locket felt heavy in his hands. He was fragile. He cried without shame. He couldn't stop himself. She was gone, like the memory of a dream you had many years ago. Gone. That's when the locket fell open. The clasp came undone and the pendant opened up. There, inside the locket, Timothy found a small piece of paper folded neatly. He unfolded the note and found the words "Forever strong. Love, Marilyn."