Cutest Iola,

Do you remember the first time we met?

You were five.

I was six and not fond of girls.

Hard to believe isn't it?

That at one time, Joe Hardy wasn't nuts about girls.

Looking back on pictures now, you were the cutest little girl.

Anyway, I was at the park with Frank and Mum.

We'd been playing in the sandbox for a while and I began to wander off.

I heard a girl crying for help.

I ran to see what was going on and there you were behind a slide trying to get your doll back from an eight-year-old bully.

You kept hitting him and demanding your toy back while he just dangled it over your head.

Of course it had no effect on him.

He was built like a truck compared to us.

But boy did you have spunk!

After a couple seconds of watching, my temper boiled over.

I couldn't stand seeing him do that anymore.

I charged him.

Sure I knew I was going to get a good pounding.

But I couldn't just let him tease you either.

With a cry, I jumped onto his back and grabbed the doll from him.

I quick tossed it to you before he could grab me.

You took your doll and ran off while I faced off against the brute.

The fight was over just about as fast as it started.

A couple of grown-ups came and broke us apart.

You had gone and gotten help.

I wouldn't have admitted it, but boy was I grateful to you!

All I had was a bloody nose.

I was lucky!

Mum, I think, was somewhat secretly proud of me, although she wasn't about to let me know that!

From that day on you would follow me around for the next few years and we became friends.

You claim I was your hero.

But really you saved me from getting pulverized.

Even so you couldn't be convinced otherwise.

Now I wish I could go back and relive those days.

To realize what a blessed gem you were.

All those memories are so bitter-sweet.

They remind me of how much I took you for granted.

And how much I miss you.

How much I long to kiss your sweet lips.

Or gaze into your deep dark eyes.

To hold you one last time and keep you in my arms forever.

Could you ever forgive me for how I teased you that last day?

I was being worse than that bully.

If I hadn't done that thing with the keys and impress that girl, you'd probably still be here.

I wish I had never seen that girl at the mall.

That I had never been so pigheaded.

If you were still here would you forgive me?

How long would it take for us to make up?

I'd like to think that one day you would forgive me.

But as for me, I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive myself.

I don't believe your family has.

Iola, you should see Chet.

He always has a haunted look now.

He's reliving memories just like me.

With each memory comes more pain.

So is it better to forget?

To pretend you never existed?

I couldn't live like that.

When you died you left a gigantic hole in my life.

In my heart.

How are you supposed to ignore something like that?

Frank says we need to remember the good times but not to dwell on the past.

To move on.

But it's hard.

So hard.

I love you.

I'll never forget the good times, XOX Joe Hardy XOX