The Bracelet

The moment he saw her, he immediately knew that she was the girl he would eventually marry one day in the future, like his father married his mother or like adults married one another. He watched her from afar. She was building a small sandcastle by herself as she sat on the sand in the sandbox in the park his brother had brought him.

His brother had left him by the swings and was now with a few girls around his age by the benches next to the pond, not that Michael cared. He did not mind being alone but his older brother minded being around his needy little brother. So whenever it was Saturday, Lincoln would bring his younger brother to the park a block down their house and he would spend some time alone with girls from his school while Michael would play either with kids around or by himself.

Michael stood by himself near the swings. Usually he would go and play with the boys around his age in the park, but today it was different. Today, he had settled for watching the girl in the sandbox. She was playing silently with the pink bucket and her small shovel. Her bronze locks of hair would fall before her as she would lean forward, then she would ever so gracefully tuck them behind her ears. She would smile once in a while as she would form a new block of sand for her castle. From where he stood, Michael felt the immediate wish to go and play together with her, to be the prince to save the princess from the castle she was building.

In the pocket of his shorts, he was keeping the bracelet he had found in the box of Lucky Charms earlier the day. Lincoln had made fun of him, saying that he was into girly stuff, but nevertheless Michael had kept the colorful bracelet. He liked collecting stuff whether they were girly or not. He would sort them in size and function in the box he was hiding under his bed. For some reason, he had not placed the bracelet he found in the cereal box to his box of possessions, he rather took it with him to the park.

With the bracelet he held tightly in his pocket, he made his way to the sandbox to go near the girl. She seemed a few years younger than him, but he did not care, he just wanted to play with her. He passed the fountain surrounded by bushes quickly but stopped in his steps when he eyed the so-called bullies of the park as they made their way to the sandbox before he could. Lincoln had warned him about them and he did not want to interfere.

He was about to head back to the swings when he saw the boy who seemed to be the leader of the pack step on the sandcastle the girl had built so patiently and elegantly, crushing the castle back into pieces of sand. He was laughing hysterically as the girl sat in her place, her head down, tears forming in her brilliant eyes.

Michael paced the way down to the sandbox and immediately stood before the bully who seemed to be only inches taller and a few years older than him. "Why did you do that?" he shouted at him while the bully responded to him by simply pushing him to the sand. Michael was never the violent boy at the age of 8, he was always silent, helpful and obedient but when it came to injustice, he just would not give in. The bully laughed at him together with his minions.

Michael turned his head to look at the girl. She was now crying, her head down, sniffling silently. The image of her crying brought out some kind of anger in his young body and before he knew it, his fist was on the bully. With his sudden punch, the bully had fallen on the ground. Holding out a hand on his face, the bully stood up and ran away with his minions, never stopping to look back.

Michael stood in his place for a moment, his young mind trying to process his actions. He looked around, the bully was nowhere in sight. Then he heard her. He heard a soft giggle coming out the girl muffled with a snivel. He immediately turned around and sat down next to her. "Are you okay?" he asked him and watched her as she lifted her head up to meet his eyes.

She looked into her eyes, the color of the ocean and the sky and held up a hand to wipe away a tear. "Here" he stopped her as he found the handkerchief his mother had given to her in his pocket. When he brought the handkerchief to her, something else fell down from his pocket. He looked down to see the bracelet he had found earlier in the box of Lucky Charms lying on the sand, next to the crushed pile of sand which used to be a castle.

"Thank you" said the girl with a smile on her face as she wiped away the tears. Once she was done, she handed him back the hanky. She noticed the colorful bracelet on the sand. The boy that had saved her from the bully simply tucked the bracelet back into his pocket and the hanky and helped her with the sandcastle. They built a new sandcastle in silence, understanding and cooperation, not noticing the hours passing. Once it was finished, she noticed that it looked much more beautiful than the one she had built earlier. "It is lovely." she commented as she sat down next to him, contemplating their castle.

"You'll be the princess here and I will be the prince to rescue you." said Michael as he looked at her while she giggled. "Here" he then brought out the bracelet back from his pocket and handed it to her. She held up her arm, gesturing him to put it on. Then before he could know it, she kissed him on the lips.

He had seen adults kissing each other on the lips but never thought that he would ever be kissed on the lips like them. A blush took over his cheeks even though he knew the kiss to be of an innocent gesture. "When I am older, I promise I will find you and marry you." he said with a smile on his face, while the girl giggled once again. Her pink dress was covered and so was his. He needed to go and find Lincoln to show him the girl he would marry. "Wait here and I will be back." he said as he ran away to the benches where Lincoln was.

Lincoln looked at his brother whose clothes were covered in dust and who had a smile on his face though it was a rare occasion to see his little brother smile. "Linc, come with me." Michael held his hand and dragged him to the sandbox. When he went back to the sandbox, the girl was gone. Under Lincoln's suspicious looks, he looked around to find her, but she was gone. He had forgotten to ask her name.

Years later when he stepped into the walls of Fox River, Michael had long forgotten about the girl and his promise. Life had gotten to his way and he now had a more important agenda than finding and marrying a girl whose name he did not know, whom he had his first kiss with many years ago. He had to break his innocent brother out of the prison and he had to charm the beautiful prison doctor named Sara so that he could use her infirmary to break out.

23 years later, he stood before the same place where he had been when he was merely eight years old. The park had changed a lot in the passing years. Another fountain with a marble angel on top of it was standing now in the place of the sandbox where he had received his first kiss. It seemed centuries ago to him, when he punched the bully in the face, when he built a sandcastle with the girl, when he gave her the freebie bracelet, when she kissed him.

"Michael."

He knew the voice very well but hesitated to turn back. He debated in his mind for a while. He then turned his back to see Sara standing. Her bronze hair was flowing in the soft wind. It had been a while since he had seen her. He had the courage to escape a maximum security prison but did not have the courage to face her, after all those things he had done to her, after all he had put her through. The love he had for her never had faded in his heart nevertheless but he had decided to leave it there until he could find a way to make it up to her.

He took a step towards her but stopped. "How did you find me?" he asked softly, his voice broken. All he wanted to do was to go and hug her, to have her in his arms. It had been his only wish ever since Lincoln and he were exonerated by the government.

"I was sitting by the benches then I saw you walking down here. I decided to say hello." Sara said as she stood uneasily before him, her hands in her pockets. She had been following the news about Michael very closely and heard that he was back in Chicago, but was not expecting to see him in the park where she would come to ease her mind.

"I am glad you did." Michael smiled at her as he took in her beauty. She was, if ever possible, much more beautiful than he had seen him the last time in Chicago, her hair was now back in its former bronze color and was longer. "Sara, I am sorry." he managed to say, "I should have found you, and contacted you. I was just afraid that you would not want to see me."

"You have already found me." Sara smiled at him, enjoying the puzzled look on his face. She clutched the bracelet in her pocket even tighter.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Michael simply said, confused.

Sara walked towards him then stood next to him, looking at the newly built fountain. "There used to be a sandbox here."

"Yeah, I know." Michael said, looking down at her. He had no idea what she was talking about. Deep down he was expecting her to shout at him or leave like she had done in Gila.

"I first noticed it when you came to save me during the riots. I remember looking up to see you, your eyes like the ocean through the smoke and the fear. I thought it was impossible." she sighed at the memory. "I still think it is impossible but I guess I can't deny it."

"Sara" he breathed out her name but was stopped by her finger on his lips. She then leaned towards him and placed a kiss on his lips where her finger was just a second ago. When she leaned back, she could easily read the confusion on his face.

"I never leave a place without this, it has been my luck charm. I used to wear all the time but it does not fit into my wrist and my style anymore." she brought out the bracelet she was holding firmly and showed it to Michael. His eyes grew wider. "The day of the riot, I had forgotten it in the infirmary and just when I thought I was out of luck, you came to save me, like you save me from the bully that day years ago."

Michael looked down at her, his mind trying to process. He simply did not believe what was happening. How possibly could she be his first kiss and the girl he had given a bracelet to? "Sara, how this is even possible?" he said as he immediately pulled her into a hug. "I had forgotten long ago about that day. I remember glimpses of it from time to time and it brings a smile on my face through though times, but… you? How is it possible that you are that girl?"

Sara smiled at him. "I remember the day very clearly and I remember your childish promise. Don't get me wrong, I did not grow up with dreams about meeting you one day, it is far-fetched but I guess life works in mysterious ways."

"How long have you known?" Michael asked as he looked down at her face. He was still so confused about everything. How come the girl he had met twenty-three years ago right in the same spot as he was now turned out to be his Sara? Life, indeed, worked in mysterious ways.

"How long have I known that you were the one who gave me the bracelet? Well, I thought that it could be you, but I had my doubts. I did not know for sure until I saw you standing here today." Tears were welling in her eyes and she let out an uneasy laughter. Along with it, a lonely tear left her eyes. Michael held out a hand and wiped the tear away. She let him hold him closer. All the anger, remorse and bitterness she was feeling towards him were now all replaced by a need to feel him closer to him.

"Sara, I love you." Michael said and kissed her.

"I love you, too." Sara said once the kiss was over, though she did not want it to be finished. "You kept your promise Michael, you found me, now I guess it is your time to seal it." she giggled. Michael smiled at her, her giggle reminding of him the time he first heard it.

"Alright then. Will you marry me?"