In Love and War

 

 

 

2/15/2013

5/30/2013

 

In Love and War

 

 

CHAPTER I: Bad Start

 

 I always wanted to know what it felt like to start some trouble, something that I can one day say, I’ve done it, I’ve been there done that. Where I would live in regrets, but now I can say I really do regret it, there is nothing exciting about being a bad ass nor breaking the law for any reason. Here is why I say I live in regrets,. Its Friday night and some people from my school are hanging out at the park. I thought they just hanged out playing some basketball maybe just chilling, talking, but boy was I wrong. Most of these 15 and 16 year olds where drinking and doing drugs, I wanted to fit in, so I drank a little, but did not touch the drugs. So I was having a great night, shooting some hoops and drinking some beers, but the night all changed when one of the guys suggested I do something crazy in order to be a part of their social group. So I said “what do you have in mind?” they suggested I go with three other guys to take a look at a car parked two blocks from here. So I went, I thought it was a prank so I went with it, so we got to the house where the car was, it was parked in an ally way behind the house. It was a grey 2003 Honda CIVIC. So two guys kept a look out while I went with the other guy to get the car, while he broke into the car and started the car he then asked me to drive, as soon as I hoped in the driver seat, an undercover police unit was parked two houses down across the street. They quickly reacted to the car start, so the guys I was with ran faster than I have reacted what was going on. I panic and froze, and got arrested. I spent the weekend behind bars, since I did not release any information on who was with me that night; they thought it might scare me into breaking and telling them everything that happened that night. So Sunday night came and my mother bailed me out. The look on her face, disappointed I would do something like this, to betray her trust. I told my mother the truth, so she thought it would be best to change me schools. She got me to go to a school an hour away on bus, but it is for the best she said. I promised her I would not disappoint her anymore.

 

CHAPTER II: Out with the old, In with the new

 

Monday came I got to school, as a new student everything felt weird, the new schedule, new faces, new invierment. Since I was a new student, I was assigned a student tour guide for the first week. I was told to wait in the main office for the guide. She finally came, her name was Bethany Anderson. I took a minute to catch my breath; this girl was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. As she showed me where things were around the school I couldn’t help but to not keep my eyes of her. I have never felt this kind of presence with any girl before, I kept wondering in my head, what was going on. Before I went to class she showed me where all my classes were at. So I went to my first with her in my mind, I couldn’t stop thinking of her. As the day kept on, during lunch time I ran into I guy who lives two houses down from where I live his name is Adam. While I was walking with Adam, I saw her again walking across the quad from where we were, So I asked Adam if he knew who Bethany was, he said “yeah I had her in a few classes before, that’s all”, I asked him what’s her deal?, she seeing anyone. She currently wasn’t, so than Adam took me to the spot that he hangs out in during lunch time, he took me to the basketball courts. This guy looked like he was more into his books than anything else. He asked me, “Do you play”, I said. “Yeah man, I love this game”. So we started playing a game. I was starting to like this school. At my old school I didn’t know anyone who enjoyed playing ball. The next day at school I was looking forward to actually going, classes were going well but when lunch time came again I went straight to the courts to run some games. Two weeks have passed I met more people and got more conferrable but still haven’t got Bethany off of my mind. The next day at school Adam told me that he heard Bethany was asking around for me, I thought it was a joke but later that day while I was on the court she stopped by to see how I was doing. Apparently she hasn’t stopped thinking of me either since we meet. I walk her to class and offered to walk her home afterwards as well. Later that day I walked her home, Bethany and I had a lot more in common than I thought. She also was raised without a father and is an only child, she kept going on with how she has a grudge with her dad, and how he use to beat her mother and drink every night. She was only 4 years old but from what her family tells her she believes what she hears about him. I was also raised without a father, my dad left my mother with a 10 month year old baby, with no money and no help. Bethany asked me if he ever decided to return in your life if I would accept him as if nothing ever happened. I said, “NO... He left my mother with me as a baby with nothing; a real man would never do something like that, no matter what”. She then stared at me for about a minute with no words, as did I. After she said, “This is where I live”, “thank you for walking me, hopefully I can see you tomorrow at school”. I said. “You are welcome, I will see you tomorrow”. The next day went by so fast when I had walked her home, I asked her for her number so we wouldn’t have to say goodbye so into the day. She smiled at me and said “yes”. So we kept talking and talking for weeks when I decided to ask her out on an official date, she was waiting for me to ask her for weeks now. I took her the Santa Monica pear; I was having a great night as was she. As we walked the pear for the last time of the night, she held my hand and got closer; I didn’t want this night to end. I took her home and as I walked her up to her door, I got so nerves I panic and just said goodnight. I called her that night when I got home, and I told her, “You know I really wanted to give you a kiss Goodnight” she said, “I was hoping you were going too”. As the night went on, it had to come to an end. The next morning he saw her with a couple of friends hanging out by the basketball courts, he walked straight towards her and with no hesitation kissed her with a great passion. A month goes by, Jake and Bethany spent more time together than anyone else, their feelings grow more and more strong, one day Jake texts Bethany that he wanted to tell to her something, to meet him at the spot where they shared their first kiss. (She smiled) and immediately walked over to the fence near the basketball courts and sees Jake leaning against the fence. Bethany walks to Jake and sees that he looks down some, so she says to him, “what’s wrong, are you ok”, Jake responds “I’m fine, I just wanted to tell you something in person, not over the phone” She says, ”What is it?” Jake stares into Bethany’s eyes and gets on one knee pulls out a little blue box and says, “I LOVE YOU” inside the box was a heart shape neckles that opens. Inside the neckles was a picture of Jake and Bethany from their first date. Bethany stares back at Jakes eyes and responds, “I LOVE YOU, TOO”. It’s been a year since they met and the school year is at an end. During the summer Jake and Bethany spend time apart for the first time in their relationship, she had to go spend time with her family in El Paso, Texas. As for Jake waiting for his love to return from her trip.

 

CHAPTER III: Summer Lover

 

Midway into summer a month apart since the last time they’d seen each other Jakes friend Adam decides to take Jake out to a party. Jake agrees to going out since he hadn’t been out for some time now, while being out with Adam at the party they met a couple of girls who want to hang out, have a good time. Adam talks to Jake and convinces him to hang out with the girls. The two girls wanted to dance, Jake turns to Adam and Says, “It’s just dancing right, what’s the worst that can happen”. The group dances thru the night under the influence of alcohol, the group decides to continue the party at one of the girls house. Where Jake and one of the girls have sexual intercourse, the next day when Jake wakes up and sees a random girl lying next to him, he gets up and realizes his clothes were on the floor, he then gets up and gets out of that girls house really fast before she wakes up. Later on that day Jake calls Adam and tells him what had happened, and swore to him not to tell anyone about it. Adam Swore and the days went on. As summer came to an end Bethany returns from her trip and goes straight to Jakes house to surprise him with her return, the couple is excited to see each other and decide to go out for dinner. That night they went out while during dinner the girl Jake met at the party was there and saw Jake with Bethany, she decided to go up to Jakes table and says, “Hey, How are you?”. Bethany turns, gets up and hugs the girl. Jake with a shocked look, Bethany introduces Jake to her, “Babe this is my cousin, Amy” Jake gets up and acts like if nothing ever happened shakes her hand and says, “Hi, Jake is a pleasure”. Amy responds, “Likewise”. With an awkward moment in play, Bethany tells her cousin to join them; Amy sits down for a minute and converses with the two. At the end of the night Bethany asks Jake if he was feeling ok from early at dinner, Jake says “Yeah, yeah, of course… Why wouldn’t I” she says “I just felt like there was an awkward moment when Amy showed up”. Jake responds, “it was probable just the food, maybe it’s doing me wrong”. Bethany says, “Good cause, I invited her to hang out with us next weekend, and I think you should tell Adam if he’d like to join us?” He said “Great, that sounds like a great plan; I will definitely let him know”. Later that night Jake calls Adam and asked him to hangout the weekend coming up, Adam agrees to go. Jake decides not to tell him that is going to be a double date. The next morning Jake woke up with a bad stomach ache, he still could not believe what had happened last night. Meanwhile thru-out the week Bethany hanged out with Amy at the mall, the two shopped all day for a dress this weekend. The weekend was here, a beautiful day to a beautiful evening and Jake felt bad, as if something was going to happen. Adam walks over to Jakes house ready to head out, Jake tells him, “I have a bad feeling about tonight” and Adam responds “Like what”, Jake: (while walking back and forward with frustration) “You remember those two girls we met this summer at that party?, Adam: “Yeah”, Jake “hum… it turns out that one of those girls is related to Bethany!” Adam: “WHAT! Are you serious, how do know that?” Jake: “Bethany and I ran into her last weekend, dude I was shitten bricks, but uh… Bethany invited her out tonight with us and we’re going to double!”, Adam: “DUDE!”, Jake: “Bethany wanted you to go us, I couldn’t so no I’m not going to ask him” Adam: (with a disappointing look) “Ok, but you do realize this is going to be an awkward night”. So the guys leave to go pick up the girls, Adam looked quite familiar to Amy she asked him she known him from somewhere, Adam responded, “UH… No I guess I just have one of those faces”. Later on that night, dinner was the most awkward moments any of these people been in; the night finally came to an end. Once Jake Dropped of Adam and Amy, on the way to Bethany’s house Bethany felt something wrong with tonight, Bethany asks Jake, “What was up with you guys tonight?” Jake: “What do you mean” Bethany: “You didn’t say a word during dinner, plus you kept your head down most of the time, was something wrong with the food again?” Jake didn’t know what to say, so he decided to tell her the truth. “Listen, I don’t know how to tell you this but, I’ve met Amy before.” Bethany: “Ok, how did you know her?” Jake: “During this summer while you were away Adam invited me to a party, and met two girls there, Amy and another girl, we danced, drank a little and..“ Bethany, “And WHAT?” Jake: “And… We slept together that night, I swear I never meant for something to happen”. Bethany with a disappointing look, she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Without saying anything she got out the car and ran into her home bursting with tears. Jake stayed outside her house the entire night also in tears but of guilt, thinking of what he has done to hurt his love. The next day she saw his car still parked outside her house, she walked out still in tears, Jake sees her walking over gets out the car and.. Bethany slaps him Tells him, “It’s over, I never want to see or hear from you again”. Then she walks back into her house, Jake with more tears running down his face walks back into his car and drives of. As the last year of school for Jake and Bethany went on the two never spoke to each other. Graduation came still no words have been exchanged with each other, as days turned to weeks and months turned years.

 

CHAPTER IV: Unforgotten Memories

 

I decided to take a trip across Europe with Adam, backpacked to Europe. To learn new things meet new people, to get a different look at things, but for every day I was overseas I wrote a letter back home to Bethany telling her how much I missed her and how I been doing, what I been seeing, learning, mostly everything single thing I did within the day from start to finish. I wrote her for a whole year and a half, five hundred and thirty-eight letter and not one response back, nothing. I tried not to think about it as much but I was too hard to forget, to me

-Love is the richest of all treasures. it is the soul and it is indestructible, so therefore eternal. Without it there is nothing and with it there is everything… -

 

And I was not going to forget about the girl I love, I was going to try and try to get her back no matter what it took. Back home Bethany was receiving letters from Jake daily but she never opened any of them, not one. She placed every letter in a large black box in her closet. Seeing so many letters coming in a month of letter turned to months to a year, she didn’t want to keep receiving these letters anymore. Bethany’s mother decided to move to Cleveland, Ohio for her daughter’s sake. Bethany’s grandmother moved into her house while they were away. Every day Bethany thought about Jake, wondering each day what those letters said. She was being strong for herself to not keep hurting inside. She found a job as a cashier for a coffee shop in the city to keep her mind busy. A few months have passed and she hasn’t thought about Jake, at all. At work one day Bethany caught another mans eye that always goes for coffee in the mornings, his name was Brian. Bethany soon then began to date Brian for months, she started to think this relationship was heading towards Love. Bethany cared about this man just as much as she did for Jake, but Brian was not the man Bethany thought he was, Brian only was with Bethany till he got sex, when Bethany gave it up to him, he was gone with another women. All that had happened to Bethany but yet she did not shed a tear, that just made her think more and more about Jake. Its been three years since she last seen him. Now she wondered where he was, how he was doing and if he still was thinking about her.

Back in Europe one morning Jake and Adam are having breakfast, Jake could not stop talking about Bethany to Adam. Adam saw that no matter what they did, where they’d go, Jake will still always be thinking about her. As a friend Adam tells Jake,

-Adam- “You need to go back home and work things out with her, you need her”,

-Jake- (with a smile)”you really think so”

-Adam- “Yeah man, I do”

So Jake and Adam get the first flight back to Los Angeles, California Jake gives it a day to think about what he’d say to Bethany when he sees her. The next day Jake goes over to Bethany’s house and a little white old lady opened the door, Jakes never seen this woman before so he felt a little lost. So he asks the woman,

-Jake- “Hi, is Bethany home?”

-Woman- “I’m sorry she no longer lives here, she and her mother moved away about eight months ago”

-Jake- “What!..”

-Woman- “Yeah, I’m sorry how did you know my granddaughter?”

-Jake- “oh, you’re her grandmother, yes mam my name is Jake,..”

-woman- “oh, your Jake!.. Come in, come in”

The little old woman was receiving letters from a Jake for months now and never knew who this Jake person was. She showed me all the letters she received, a little over two hundred and forty letters were here. I asked her if she knew where they had moved too, she said Cleveland. Her mother made her because she was hurting over some boy. The only thing that came to my mind when I heard that was, she still cared for me, she still had feelings towards me. What I failed to realized is that eight month is a long time. I asked Adam to come with me to Cleveland but he refused to tag along, he said,

-Adam- “No, you need to do this on your own”.

 

CHAPTER V: Searching for forgiveness

 

So I left towards Cleveland, Ohio I was lost didn’t know where I was nor where to go, all I knew was that she was in this city of thousands of people. A week went by and I still haven’t seen her anywhere but I never gave up on her. The next morning I walked into this little coffee shop having my coffee, their she was, she walked in as beautiful as she always was even more than what I remembered. I could not believe I found her, as I got up from where I was sitting I took ten steps towards her, she turns around, sees me, we both stand still for about ten seconds just staring at each other, she walks out the coffee shop. I followed her outside and said,

-Jake- “Bethany! Please, I need to talk to you, this is important, please”

Bethany turns around slowly, tears falling down her face. She didn’t want him to know she’s been thinking about him. So she says,

-Bethany- “How did you fine me? Who told you I was here? I left for a reason”

-Jake- “Your Grandmother told me everything, you left because your mother made you”

-Bethany- “You don’t know that”

-Jake- “Can we talk, please”

-Bethany- “About what, their is nothing to say”

-Jake- “I miss you,…”

Bethany walks away from Jake; he didn’t follow her because he felt this was a lot for her to take in at the moment. Bethany’s mother later that day saw Jake; she wanted to know what he was doing here. The two talked for hours, Bethany’s mother was pleased to know someone cared for her daughter this much to travel halfway across the US for her love. She invited Jake to her home to have a talk with Bethany. Bethany’s mother new how I felt and she understood me better than anyone I knew, she also was going thru a faze, an old love one was returning back into her life, she told me the reasons why she chose to move here, it wasn’t only for her daughters health from what she was feeling it was because her and her ex-husband (Bethany’s father) were trying to fix things between them. She made me promise her not to tell Bethany the other reasons. She also promised me she would talk to Bethany for me. I took two days for Bethany to finally talk to me, I felt like back in high school that young kid new in a school meeting this amazing girl for the first time again. I hadn’t planned what to really tell her, all I knew was I loved this woman. We caught up in the past years apart, I told her how I was backpacking in Europe with Adam for a year and a half, how she always had a part in my mind, day and night. As for her , she hadn’t changed one tiny bit, all was the same nothing new to tell me, at least that’s what she told me. A week has gone by, Bethany wanted to try our relationship again, and once again the happiness in our lives was here. We gave it a week before we decided to move back to California, then we were off.

 

Chapter VI: No place like Home

 

Being back in Los Angeles was great, never felt better knowing I’m back with the woman I love. I decided to look around for work, I landed two part-time jobs, mornings working in construction from 6AM to 1PM and also as a door to door salesman selling vacuums for fifty to sixty dollars a piece. At twenty years old with no work experience and no fancy college degree that’s as best as I could get to start with. Bethany glad with the way things were starting to look once again with Jake, everything was just like before, nothing was different. It’s been a week now since Jake and Bethany came back home. Bethany started feeling sick for a couple of mornings now, she started vomiting for hours. A few days have passed and she started noticing she was getting over this sickness, she began to think about when she had her last period.

-Bethany- (with a confusing look on her face) “When was my last period.”

She said to herself. She than all of a sudden decided to go out for a walk, maybe the fresh air might make her feel better. While walking she sees a drug store (with a blank look on her face) and decides to pick up some pregnancy tests, rushes back home to take the test. First test she takes comes out positive, Bethany starts to feel nervous saying, “No, this can’t be”, she takes the second test also comes out positive, “No, no, no please No!” So Bethany decides to take the third and final test, while waiting for the results Bethany began feeling more nervous, while her hand shaking the test was ready, bursting in tears seeing it was positive, she could not believing this was happening, Bethany was not ready for a child, not yet. Later that night when Jake got home, he quickly noticed the house was a little too quiet, he felt something was up. As Jake calls out Bethany’s name out, he walks into the kitchen, nothing, walks over to the living room, also empty, so then walks up stairs and hears a little crying coming from the bedroom, walks up to the door and opens it, Bethany quickly gets up wipes her tears, acting as if nothing was wrong. Jake could tell something was wrong just by the look on her face.

-Jake- “What’s wrong?”

-Bethany- “Nothing, nothing I’m fine”

-Jake- “Then how come your crying,. Your not fine. Here sit down, what’s wrong?”

Bethany reaches into her pocket and pulls out the pregnancy test, slowly Jake takes the test, starring at it breathless, “Really,. Your pregnant?” Bethany nodes her head.

-Jake- “This is why your crying?”

-Bethany- “I’m not ready for a child, and neither are you, we aren’t ready.”

-Jake- “Bethany, this is a blessing to be in this situation, we can make this work.”

-Bethany- “How?, your already working two jobs and we barely make it for the bills.”

-Jake- “we don’t know that yet, we are just starting this life we have, we can do this, I’ll get more hours at work, or even better look for a better paying job,. we can make this work.”

-Bethany- “I don’t know.”

Starring her right into her eyes Jake gets on his knees an huges Bethany kissing her stomach.

-Jake- “Trust me, Ok,. Trust me.”

 

Chapter VII: Important News

 

The next morning they wake up thinking if they should announce their news so soon. Jake and Bethany gather their mothers to tell them, both more supporting than they expected them to be. They said they’d help with the baby when it arrives. Jake, Bethany and her mother the next day went to the clinic to really verify if a baby was on its way, and it was, she was four weeks pregnant. More tears were shared but of happiness. While Bethany was in the other room changing back into her clothes her mother was telling me she wanted to tell her daughter about her father. She had told me this back Cleveland but I thought it would have been a bad time to bring it up but she told me her decision was made. Later that day Bethany’s mother took her out for lunch to tell her some news of her own. She told her the real reason why they moved to Cleveland, Bethany’s father was back in her mother’s life, and they were working things out cause she still had feelings for him after all these years, that he was a changed man now. Bethany couldn’t agree with her.

-Bethany- “He abandoned us mom, he left you with nothing, to all of a sudden raise a new born baby on your own with no money nor a roof over our head,. You, hurt all those years, and now your just going to take him back,. Just like that.”

-Bethany’s mother- “Yes!.. I forgave him, you should too,”

-Bethany- “No,. I don’t think I can.”

-Bethany’s mother- “I love him, and I want him back in my life.”

Bethany walks away thinking to herself, she could not believe what she was hearing from her mother. When Bethany got home she saw Jake sitting on the couch drinking alcohol, she wondered what’s he doing drinking. She then saw a little card on the table in front of him, it was a draft card. “What’s this?” Bethany asks, Jake with no response looks at Bethany, she says,

“What is this! How come you never told me your enlisted, How come!? How come you didn’t tell me.”

-Jake- “I enlisted after high school, I never thought they’d draft me.”

Bethany with a down some look tells Jake, “What are you going to do? We’re expecting a new life in eight months.”

-Jake- “I know,”

-Bethany- “You’re going to have to go, there is no getting out of this one.”

The next day Jake went to Adams house to talk about what’s been going on. It turns out that Adam was also drafted to the same platoon as Jake. Jake felt a little more relieved that his a close friend was ganna be there. Adam more scared than Jake waiting for the time to pass, both were going to be shipped out a month from now. That month didn’t seem to take its time to get here, Day and Night thinking about the life of Bethany and my baby. how will she pay the bills, our mothers said not to worry but I just could not stop thinking about what I’m leaving behind, the birth of my first child, to watch him/her grow, the more I thought it the more it hurt. Then the time came, I was leaving, Bethany and my mother watching me board a plane, Bethany runs up to me giving me one last hug and kiss she than pulls something out of her right pocket and says, “Here I want you to take this with you, it will keep you safe” it was the little heart shape neckles I had given her in, giving her one last hug and kiss walking towards the plane All I noticed were the tears falling from her face making me want to cry but I held it tight, then we were off to new place a new chapter starting in my book.

Chapter VIII: All Hell in Love and War

 

Day one away from home, hurting inside knowing Bethany’s back home pregnant with my child. It all started with registration, putting together the squads, over fifty men and woman in squad one which I was in, right away day one was hell and squad leader Henson said today is just going to be a sample, tomorrow the real training begins. At the end of the day I couldn’t lift my arms, too sore from the work out, it was tough to even sleep so much in head… More than seventy basic training days, running for three miles and marching for ten. Doing hundreds of sit-ups and pull-ups, the most hardest twelve to thirteen weeks were yet to come. Here they called it Boot Camp but I called it hell. Every day while we weren’t training I was writing to Bethany just needing to know how thing were back home. Bethany felt she wasn’t doing too well, she told me her father was moving back to California and wanted to really spend time with her, she kept telling me she doesn’t want him in her life nor our baby’s, but her mother kept insisting she had at least one day with him. It took Bethany a week to finally agree to meet her father, she felt nerves, she had never seen this man that is her father, never seen a picture nor knew his name. She was afraid she might like this man; she was always too young to understand what really was going on in her life she tried and tried but never succeeded. So finally the time came to meet him, not knowing what to say nor ask, even though thousands of questions were running thru her mind. A man walks up to her slowly with a look on his face as he’d seen a ghost, catches his breath and says,

-Jerry- “Hi Bethany, I’m Jerry, your father.”

-Bethany- “Hi”

-Jerry- “… hum, y.. you must have like a million questions you want to ask me.”

-Bethany- “No…”

-Jerry- “Well… I want you to know I’m sorry for not being there for you, I want you to know it wasn’t your fault or your mothers for what happened… When your mother was pregnant with you I thought I was the most amazing news I had ever received but when you were born, I panic… I didn’t know if I was ready yet, at first it seemed to me I was but I was just a teenager, a kid. So I left I didn’t have anything to give to you nor your mother, I regret every decision I made at that time.”

Bethany with tears running down her face starring into his eyes with nothing to say.

-Jerry- “I’m sorry…”

Bethany gets up and walks away just as he once did. Later that night she kept thinking of what her father had told her, she picks up the phone and dials her mother house,

-Bethany’s mother- “Hello”

-Bethany- “Can I talk to him?”

Silently Bethany’s mother hands Jerry the phone. “Hello”.

-Bethany- “I forgive you…”

That very next day Jerry goes to pick up Bethany to start getting to know each other better. Bethany at

first thinking this won’t be a good idea to get to know Jerry but she then had never felt better to know she has a man she can call father in her life now. She forgot about what he had done quickly. Time and time passing, Bethany feeling her belly getting bigger. Four months now that baby getting its figure, she sent me pictures of the sonogram, it’s a boy, tears immediately falling down my face as I read her letters. Everything going well with her back home, her father was going to head back to Cleveland for a week and wanted her to accompany him in his drive, and so she did. Bethany wrote me two more letters with pictures along the way during her trip. Arriving in Cleveland from their two day trip Bethany wanted to visit some of her friend from the last time she was here but took the rest of the day to rest. The next day while her father was out she decided to take a cab into the city to the coffee shop she had worked in, the manager quickly recognized, it’s only been about five months since she had left. All the same people still worked at the shop, all was going well that day, she saw all her friends even met new ones, talking about her pregnancy if she’s thought of a name for our baby, she said “Sam” the day had gone fast she was heading out the shop when she ran into Brian her ex-boyfriend when she was staying here.

-Brian- “Bethany, Hi?”

-Bethany- “Brian”

-Brian- “Hey I’m sorry for walking out on you back then”

-Bethany- “O.K.”

Bethany not really wanting to talk to this guy, she didn’t have a grudge on this man, she actually had forgotten about it.

-Brian- “How are you?”

-Bethany- “Good, just in town for a few days”

-Brian- “Oh you moved, I had no idea, So what’s new?”

-Bethany- “uhm… I’m pregnant”

-Brian- “What… congratulations, how long you been”

-Bethany- “Five months now.”

Brian with a confused look on a face “Are you sure your five months pregnant?” he said. Bethany

responded “Yeah.” Brian says “That’s impossible, cause we split up about five months ago” Bethany thinking about it turns away, “No, it’s can’t be” she said. She walked away for a about a block thinking exactly when did they split. Brian got into her head, she than cached a cab back to her father’s house thinking this cannot be true she thought about that same week they split Jake came to Cleveland looking for Bethany, a few days later they got back together and spent a week in Cleveland before leaving to Los Angeles and a week after being back home… took the pregnancy tests… Bethany says to herself “No, I’m not believing this, this is Jakes baby” A month has gone by still thinking about whose baby this is. Bethany receives a letter from Jake latter that week saying this is going to be the last letter I will send you for now, I’m being sent to Tehran, Iran I will write you when I get settled in. And that was the last letter I sent her from this point on.

 

Chapter IX: Desert Sun

 

Being on that 12 hour flight to Iran made me sick could have been the fear of flying or the food couldn’t really tell. First thing upon arrival we were asked to depart our gear in the tents and immediately report to squad leader Henson, we been here a couple hour, and rite away we were being attacked, bombs setting off, bullets from the enemy’s riffles spreading around camp hitting almost everything. The first thing I saw was a bullet going thru Sq. Henson’s head, I stood their shocked out of my mind never had seen anything like this yet I knew what I had gotten myself into, no sound a complete silence all I heard was a squeak, I turned to me left wounded soldiers crying for help, I turned to my right lots of dead body. Adam immediately pulls me away running towards the armored vehicles, as far as I knew about twenty survived out of thousands. We drove into a city several miles from camp as our luck might have it, we drove into an ambush. Rite away bullets striking the vehicles blowing the first one to pieces, we had no choice but to get off and try to stand our ground. A bullet flying in every direction it was getting too heavy for us to sustain. The remain of us took lead into an ally-way not knowing what we might run into, we were facing death in its eyes we ran into another ambush. Looking around seeing how many of them were just ready to kill us. One of the Iranians telling us to put down our weapons, I stared at our men, thinking out of twenty that made it out camp only six of us remain standing. Adam quickly sat his riffle down as well as the others. I thought about Bethany than sat my riffle down, there was no other way. The Iranians tide us placing a black sack over our heads and thru us into a truck taking us away from the city. The truck finally stops after a couple hours taking off the black sack stripping us our gear throwing us into a hole they had dug up only five of us could fit, they took Private Haskell that was the last we’ve seen him. Pvt. Nickels, Jennings, Stevens, Adam and I were sealed in the hole with a pitch of dirty water and scraps of food they’d thrown away given to us like we were dogs. Not knowing the time or days we’ve been here made it harder on these guys to focus; Nickels and Jennings were losing their mind, yelling out help. But we were miles from the city in the middle of nowhere. It felt like we’ve been here for months, I later noticed Pvt. Stevens was being calmer than any of us by sleeping most of the time, it turned out he had been dead for a little over a day. We told the people guarding the hole but they couldn’t care less. The more days past the more rotten his corps got. At first it was hard to stand that smell but then you kind of get use to it. One day a group of men came, it looked like they were talking business, and we couldn’t understand their Iranian bullshit. They decide to take us out the hole; I guess they finally decided what they were going to do with us. They placed Adam and I in the back of this pickup truck. a man with a bandana covering his face asked us what was the purpose of us Americans soldiers doing in their country, we kept quiet not one word even though I didn’t even know the answer to that question I was just following orders. Seeing we weren’t speaking they tide a rope to a tree and placed Jennings on the other end. “In the Count of three I will drop him, unless you tell me something” said the Iranian. Staring at him not releasing any information, “One. Two,” I stared over at Jennings “Three” as I put my head down all I could hear is a crack and Jennings gasping for air till I couldn’t hear him anymore, I didn’t take my sight of that son of a bitch for one second. “Your still not going to tell me nothing” he said walking over to Pvt. Nickels placing a pistol to his head, while staring at me with no hesitation pulls the trigger. Adam with tears falling down his face turns to me and says, “I guess this is all over for us, This is how it ends” as they pulled him in front of me I stared tearing, they pulled the trigger on Adam, as I saw Adam fall to the ground, I shivered, tearing, “NO!... urghhh… You fucken basters! Urghhh…” my grip forcing, wanting to tear his head off, walks up to me pointing that pistol to my head, I see a bullet go rite thru chest, bullets falling from every direction killing everyone in sight. As I ducked I blanked out staring at the sky, Sgt. Write “State yourself?” I was stun to know I was still alive. They noticed by American patch on my sleeve Sgt. Write says, “What’s your name Private?” catching my breath I glanced to him as they stood me up “Jake.” Looking around the area looking towards Pvt. Jennings, Pvt. Nickels and Adam dead, why couldn’t these guys couldn’t of got here Two minutes earlier. They took me back to camp where we were first hit, more than Five hundred men dead, only five from our squad including myself were still alive. Watching all those dead bodies was crazy. Walking towards the tent I had my things, everything burned I stood their sterring at it for minutes. Two days later I was heading home holding the neckles tight the whole way. Point to our arrival in Austin, Texas glad to be back on American soil, immediately off the plane were hundreds maybe thousands of people cheering us for our arrival. Walking down those Twenty steps felt like they would never end, I glanced up at the crowed, random people coming up to me wanting to shake my hand. That day I took a bus to Los Angeles I couldn’t wait to see my family again. Hours later I arrived to my home took five steps of that bus sterring at that house had never felt better, Bethany takes a look out the window seeing me walking towards the door as it opened, and Bethany sterring at me hugs me so tight kissing me like never before crying tears of joy. “I’m glad your home, Come I want you to meet someone.” and there he was taking a few steps towards me, I picked up Sam hugging him and Bethany close.

 

The Final Chapter: Final Goodbye’s

 

There I was standing at Memorial Cemetery for Adams funeral wearing a black suit not being able to look away from that coffin, thinking back from the start that I met him. All I heard were people around me crying as the marines folded the American flag that covered Adams Coffin, as they finished, walking over to Adams Mother handing her the folded flag in honor of her son’s service. After everyone had left I stayed staring at that coffin in tears for hours for my fallen brother, “I’m sorry Adam… I’m sorry… you know I never told you but, I saw you like a brother, you were always there for me man… What am I going to do now…? I need you man… … I miss you… (As I put my hand on the coffin bursting into tears)… Look into us from time to time…” Bethany walked over to me hugging me crying. Later that night I took a drive to the pear with Bethany and Sam, thinking of all that’s happened to me since the beginning of my time, I felt lucky to have my family here with me. I’ve learned that LIFE! isn’t made to be taken for granted, to cherish each moment as if it was the last. Other than life love is the richest of all treasures, without it there is nothing; and with it there is everything, love never perishes, even if the bones of a lover are ground fine like powder, just as the perfume of sandal wood does not leave it, even if it is completely ground up, the basis of love is the soul, and it is indestructible and therefore eternal, beauty can be destroyed, not love, as time turns the page it feels as if our love for each will never age... Time is precious, when I’m with her it feels infinite.

 

 

THE END

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Tag der Veröffentlichung: 21.06.2013

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To all those that lost the ones close and still fought for the love that's still burns deep in your hearts. Romance, Thriller