#idk why but the sadder the song the easier it feels to connect them and write around them - tho obviously hit and run & wilson are not sad

[patrickztump]

How about 14, 17, and the car commercial one (forgot the number already lol)?

sorry this took so long! i was working to make sure my dates were halfway right for the short story lmao

14. 3 songs you have with cities in the name. save me, san francisco – train amsterdam – imagine dragons la devotee – panic! at the disco

17. Make a story with 6 song titles. okay i was prepping for the odds of this one happening, so please do not judge the quality of my short story lol

“dad, where is heaven, iowa?” she asked, flipping pages in the photo album from summer of ‘95. it had been years since i last heard those words uttered aloud, and over a decade since those photos saw the light of day. with the move, packing had stirred up old memories with treasures of the past being pulled from the dark corners of the attic.

“it’s where i fell in love with your mother,” i replied, looking over her shoulder, “that photo was taken the night we met.” abby is almost 20, her mother has been gone for nearly 15 of those years, she’s just a memory of long ago to her. “i was traveling for work in the mid ‘90s, and would always stop at this greasy spoon outside haven, but it was more like heaven every time i dropped in and saw your mother working the tables.”

i saw chelsea every third wednesday for two years, we bonded over our loves for adventure and photography, and passion for animals. work moved me closer to haven, next thing i known i’m eating baskets of greasy fries with chocolate shakes several times a week, just to see her.

we began dating in ‘98, engaged by ‘99, married in june of 2000. we traveled the country for two years, photographing the journey along the way, before settling down on the outskirts of richmond, virginia. summer of 2003 our family expanded to more than just us, abigail became the center of our world that warm july afternoon.

that winter, chelsea received news that one of her childhood best friends had suddenly passed away, only 33 years old and left a son and daughter behind. deeply affected, she looked me in the eyes and said, “james, promise me, that if i die young, you will show abby the world. teach her about love, get her a dog, paint with her, and tell her about me.” i promised, but made her promise the same thing right back.

like everyone, i thought, “that will never be us,” and for five years it wasn’t – until it was. november 9th, 2008 chelsea was the victim of a hit and run. our world crumbled around us as we were left to find our way through the dark, as the light of our lives had been extinguished far too soon.

through the ups and downs, highs and lows of the last 14 years, abby and i have kept the promise her mother and i made that cold night in 2003. we've traveled to 34 states and three countries, covered the walls of our home in photographs and paintings, and welcomed a scruffy dog – wilson , after chelsea’s maiden name – five years ago.

“hm, heaven, iowa.” she muttered, before passing me the album for packing. closing the book, i was transported back to that greasy spoon in june of 1995, where i first fell in love with a spunky, redheaded waitress, “yeah, heaven…”

i wanted to use "miss you all the time" somewhere in this, but couldn't figure out where to actually place it so just used "wilson" as a quick filler. a similar variation of this story came to mind when i saw an inthetags game a few weeks back, but i couldn't word it correctly then (and barely got through it now lol).

35. A song you have that you have because you heard it on a commercial and liked it. thunderclouds – lsd (though not for a car commercial, but rather an apple commercial i believe)

#thank you for this!! #the story was a bit hard because i had one idea and two different ways i considered starting #idk why but the sadder the song the easier it feels to connect them and write around them - tho obviously hit and run & wilson are not sad #just a memory is more on the fence of being sad vs not #ask #anonymous #ask game