I'm Coming Home: Part 1 The day has finally come. Today will be one of the happiest and greatest days of my life. I cannot describe the happiness I am feeling inside of me. I just want to express it to the world, but I manage to contain it. I still have a smile on my face that refuses to leave, but it's not like I want it to. What an amazing feeling! My friends around me stare at me like I'm a strange alien, but that at the moment is not important. What's important is the fact that this is finally going to happen.
I'm finally coming home.
After two years of being in a foreign country, I can return to America where my family is. I will reunite with my wife, Alice, and our daughter, Lisa, whom I will be meeting for the first time in person. I've seen Lisa over the computer when I video chatted with my wife, but never was I able to hold her close to me since she's on the other side of the world. On Alice's eighth month of pregnancy, I had to leave to Syria, so I wasn't able to see our baby be born, but when I first laid eyes on Lisa when I saw her on the computer, she was beautiful. She was simply perfect, and I can't wait to see her.
"You're really excited to go home, Tony. We all can see you jumping right now." I turned to Chris, one of my friends who joined the Air Force with me. His wife, Paula, was also on the Air Force, so they get to see each other every single day (lucky, I thought). They don't have kids, but Chris had told me that they're planning on having one after they get back to America.
I let out a half laugh and seated myself on a nearby wooden crate. "You have no idea," I told him. Paula ruffled my hair as she headed over to a cooler to grab a beer. I ran my fingers through my hair to fix whatever didn't feel right about it.
"We know exactly how you feel, Tony," Paula said, "we're all as excited as you are." I scratched the back of my head.
"Yeah, but you two have each other." I pointed to both her and Chris. "I haven't seen Alice in two years, and this is going to be the first time I'll see my Lisa." Chris just nodded as Paula handed him a bottle of beer. He tore the cap off with his teeth, spat it out of his mouth, and began gulping down the beverage. Paula had to grab a bottle opener.
"We haven't seen our parents in three years, but I guess a daughter you've never seen before tops it." I smiled. I asked Paula to toss me a beer, and she literally threw it at me, but I somehow managed to catch it without dropping it. She handed me the opener and I began to pry the cap off. Once I began drinking my beer, Travis walked into the tent that the three of us were in. Travis is a friend of ours that we met on the first day we arrived to Syria. He's currently single, but he's always ready to mingle. He pretty much hits on all the women on the Air Force, but only if he knows they're not currently taken.
"What's up, guys and girl?" Travis greeted as he sat down on a wooden box across from me. "Y'all stoked about today?"
"How can we not?" Chris replied. "Can you believe that we're finally going back to America? After two years of being stuck in Syria, we're finally going back to our country."
"Yeah, the first thing I'm going to do when I get back to the States is head over to a bar and find myself a woman. Yo, Paula, hand me a beer, will ya?"
"How about you get it yourself?" she said with a smile. Travis smirked. Chris walked over to Paula and placed his arm around her shoulder.
"But didn't you give Tony and Chris a bottle?" he pointed out. My eyes widened.
"How did you know?" I asked, confused. Travis looked my way and began laughing and snorting.
I'm Coming Home: Part 2 "Oh, Tony, you just told me." Crap. He gets me every single time. "Now how about a bottle for old Travie here?"
"For your information, we're all twenty-nine, and if a woman can get a bottle for herself, then you can get up off your ass and head over to the cooler to get your own beer." Paula's statement earned 'oohs' from me and Chris and Travis just shook his head as he laughed.
"You're most certainly right, Paula. I'll just get the beer myself." Paula smiled as she saw Travis walk over to the cooler and pull out a bottle. He popped the bottle cap off by using the edge of the crate that I was sitting on and the cap went flying onto my lap. He drank the beer until it was halfway empty.
"You're sassy today, aren't you?" I asked Paula. Her gaze turned to me.
"Only when I feel like it," she told me with a grin plastered on her face. Chris smiled and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. Oh, I wish I could do that with Alice. I took another gulp of my beer and set it aside me. I grabbed the collar of my shirt and began fanning myself with it. It felt like a desert here in Syria and I want to remove my shirt.
My mind went back to the fact that in three hours I'll be on a plane heading back to America. We'll land at our Air Force base in Hawaii and then I can take a plane to California. I'll be able to hold Alice in my arms along with Lisa. I can kiss Lisa for the very first time and share one with Alice. I know I'll be crying when I see them, but it'll be tears of joy—very joyous tears.
Chris and Paula live in Utah, which is the state that I grew up in. Chris and I met in high school and we became friends when we were on the same soccer team. He went to a community college, but I went to University of Southern California, and that's where I met Alice. She was in my Physics class and she seemed to know everything there was to know about Physics, but I knew just as much as she does. She was giving out her speech on something and I caught a mistake in her words and I began to correct her. We got into a debate and somehow it ended with me asking her out to dinner and her saying yes. The entire classroom was filled with laughter and cheering as Alice and I were red beet in the face. A week later she and I were officially going out and four years later I proposed to her. We decided to have a kid a year later and got to work with that (if you know what I mean).
Paula had left the tent and it was now just me, Chris, and Travis. Travis and Chris finished their bottles and dumped them in a nearby trashcan. I, on the other hand, still had one that was almost full. It was back in my hand and I was just swirling the beer around inside.
"You gonna finish that?" I looked up at Travis, who was pointing down at my bottle.
"Huh? Oh, nah, you can have it."
"Oh, I wasn't going to ask if I can have it, but if you insist." He snatched the bottle out of my hand and drank the remains of the beer. Chris walked over to me and patted my back.
"Still thinking about going home?" he asked me. I nodded. "We all are. We'll all be with our dear friends and family again." Travis threw his arm around me and pulled me close to him. I let out a 'gah!' sound as his muscled arm squeezed the breath out of me.
I'm Coming Home: Part 3 "No more Air Force stuff and no more Syria! We're going back to the States! 'Murica!" He took another swig and let out a loud belch. Chris began cracking up as he clapped his hands together and I was pretty much forced to inhale the air Travis let out. The tent curtains were pulled back and Colonel Jeffrey walked in.
"Are you guys dilly-dallying?" Colonel Jeffrey spoke in a calm yet firm voice. After no response from the three of us, he stomped his way over. "Go and get the packages onto the plane, STAT! Travis, put that drink away and get your drunken butt out there! Chris, go and help Travis with the stuff." Colonel Jeffrey turned to me. "Tony, you're on lookout duty. Until we are to board the plane to go back to America, you're to keep an eye out for anything that seems suspicious. Let me know if anything goes wrong." And with that, he left the tent with me trying to process what had happened.
Moments later, I was at the border of the Air Force base sitting on a chair given to me by the previous guy who was on lookout. He handed me binoculars to look through and I wrapped the strap around my neck. I'm currently seated on the stool staring into the vastness of Syria. I thought that it was unlikely that anything would happen to the base since we're in the middle of nowhere. It's probably a hundred degrees out and I'm stuck out in the sun with no shade for three hours. I groaned at how unfortunate I was for getting such a boring job; but this job is very important. I'm the one who has to notify everyone if there were any enemies coming our way.
I heard some footsteps grow louder behind me. I cautiously turned around only to see Colonel Jeffrey carrying a water bottle.
"Drink up, Tony," he said as he handed me the bottle. I took the bottle, opened it up, and began drinking the water. Oh, yes, that really hit the spot. I cleared my throat and looked at Colonel Jeffrey.
"Thank you, sir," I said. I got up from my seat and offered him the stool, but he raised his hand, telling me it was fine and that I could sit back down. I obeyed and took back the chair. He shoved his hands into his pockets and stared out into the open along with me.
"I appreciate your service, joining the Air Force, Tony. You and everyone here are heroes in America's eyes." I looked at him, surprised at what he had said.
"Th-thank you, sir." I pretty much quoted what I said earlier, but that was all I could think of to reply to his statement.
"You're a good guy, you know that?"
"Yes, sir."
"Don't ever change yourself."
"Of course, sir." He gave me a small pat on the back and began to walk back deeper into the base.
For the last hour, nothing had happened, and I felt like I was about to get a heatstroke. The sun blazed down onto my body that was completely covered in a camouflage uniform. My skin was burning from the rays, and at this point, I took off the first upper layer of clothing. I set my jacket on my lap and wiped my forehead with the back of my hand. I had an empty bottle in my other which I had finished five minutes once I received it from Colonel Jeffrey. I wish he had brought more, but complaining's not going to get me anywhere.
I was getting rather sleepy as well, but I couldn't just fall asleep on the stool; it's bad for my back. Plus sleeping on the job is never permitted. I'll be in serious trouble if Colonel Jeffrey caught me asleep when I'm doing a very important job. I slapped myself in the face to see if it'd keep me awake; nothing, but I did leave a mark.
I'm Coming Home: Part 4 "Yo, Tony!" I turned my body around to see Chris walking on over to me.
"You're done with the packages?" I asked him. He just shrugged.
"I guess so. Is it fine if I keep you company?" Without waiting for me to answer, he took a seat on the ground next to me. I placed the binoculars over my eyes and began to examine the land around me. For one hour, nothing has happened at all. I'm starting to wonder if we even need to do lookout. But then again, I guess Colonel Jeffrey wanted to be extra safe. No one can tell what'll come in the future.
"God, I'm so dehydrated," I moaned as I threw my head back but was careful enough to not make myself fall.
"It's a good thing I brought water." My eyes landed on Chris and then the bottle.
"Seriously? Thanks, Chris." I reached for the water bottle that he pulled out of his messenger bag, but he moved the drink away from me.
"What are you talking about, Tony? This is mine." A frown appeared on my face, but then he began laughing, which confused me. "I'm just kidding, man, this is yours. I have three more where that came from." I punched him on the shoulder as he continued to laugh at his mean prank. I gulped down the water and felt the refreshing coolness go down my throat and quench my thirst.
"This sucks. I'm stuck on lookout for another two hours for God knows whenever we board the plane to go home." I let out an exasperated moan as I stretched my arms out towards the sky. Chris just shrugged.
"Well, at least you do nothing except keep an eye out. Most others would want to have your job right now." I cocked an eyebrow. "What could be worse than lookout?"
"For one thing, some are doing chores around the base, and chores suck, let's be honest. And others are carrying ridiculously heavy packages onto the plane." I heard him crack his back side to side and then his neck. "I'm still a bit sore."
"No kidding." I mumbled under my breath.
"Chris! What are you doing? Didn't I assign you to package duty?" Chris turned around to see who it was, but I didn't have to look to know that Colonel Jeffrey was back.
"Sir! I completed my portion of the job, sir! I'm just helping Tony here keep an eye out for any problems, sir!" I stifled my laugh as Chris suddenly went into full soldier mode.
"Cut the crap and get back to your job. Tony can surely handle his job." Once those words left Colonel Jeffrey's mouth, some kind of explosion was heard. Our eyes landed on a large tent that was where we ate our meals. Smoke flew up into the sky and fire began to burst. Screams and shouts were heard all over the place as people began rushing over to the fire. "Son of a bitch!" Colonel rushed over to the scene. Chris and I were still standing where we were. I glanced back at Chris, whose eyes were wide and full of fear, I think.
"Oh shit," he cursed, "Paula's in there." Now it's my turn to have my eyes grow wider. Chris ran over to the tent that was now covered in flames. A bunch of other people carried a large hose and began spraying the tent and others were helping those who were inside come out. They were all covered in the dirtiness of the smoke. I couldn't identify any of their faces, but I did know that I didn't see Paula come out. Chris entered the burning tent, ignoring the cries of people who told him that it was too dangerous to go inside.
I didn't want to leave my spot just to take a better look at the fire, but my friends are both inside the tent. I'm getting really worried about them. I took a glance back at the empty land and darted for the tent.
I'm Coming Home: Part 5 I rushed to the front of the crowd and I could hear Chris's cries inside. "Paula! Where are you? Answer me!" He'd repeat these over and over again with cursing added occasionally. I didn't know what happened next, but I was suddenly running into the tent.
"Hey! Get back here! You're going to die!" someone shouted. I ignored their warning and went inside the tent anyways.
"Paula, please answer me!" I followed the pleas of Chris. When I found him, he was digging through a fallen burnt table. "This isn't funny! Just come out and show me you're okay!" I looked around and saw a movement from the corner of my eye. I yanked Chris by his jacket and pointed in the direction where I saw something move. "Paula?" He rushed over to the area with me close behind him. We arrived to see a collapsed Paula. I heard her moaning and she was covered in smoke. A wooden plank that was supporting the tent had fallen on top of her.
"Chris?" she spoke in a weak voice. Chris knelt down beside her and told her that she'll be okay.
"Tony! Help me lift this beam!" Without any hesitation, I grabbed one end of the plank and began attempting to lift it. It was too heavy for the two of us the move. Paula began coughing violently and that only made Chris even more determined to save her. "Put your back into it!"
"I'm trying!" More things began collapsing from above and nearly trapped the two of us along with Paula. "Chris, it's too dangerous! We have to get out!"
"I'm not leaving without her!" he snapped as he tried to push the beam. Even though I knew that we should get out before we get crushed, I was still trying to help Chris out. I began trying to move the plank as well. Paula raised her head a bit, mumbling Chris's name and then a 'sorry'. She let out another loud cough, and then she dropped her head and laid there lifeless. I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist and pull me backwards. Another silhouette was behind Chris, carrying him out of the tent. "No! What about Paula? She's still there!" The figures ignored him as they continued to drag us outside. Once the sunlight began to appear Chris and I were released immediately, but Chris still tried to get back into the tent. The two guys that had dragged us out were holding him back, preventing him from getting anywhere near the tent entrance.
"It's too dangerous. You'll die if you go back," said one of them.
"My wife's in there! You're going to save me but let her die?" The men didn't answer him. We were forced to watch the tent burn, knowing the fact that Paula was inside and no one was going inside to help her. Chris had tears streaming down his face as he tried to break out of the men's grasp, but he then remained motionless as the entire tent went crashing down. It was now completely engulfed in flames and was now nothing but ashes and burning things. "No! Paula!" Chris screamed as the tears kept running.
It's over. We can no longer save Paula. She's left us.
Chris had to seek comfort from me and Travis as we tried to tell him it was okay, but even we weren't going to fool ourselves. He was too brokenhearted to look anywhere near the tent. Travis and I then escorted him to the tent that we were at earlier.
Chris sat down on a box and wept into his hands. His breathing was uncontrollable and Travis and I had no idea what to do. Chris just lost his wife and we couldn't think of any way to make him feel better.
"You'll see her again, Chris. She's up there watching over you now," Travis said. Chris just kept on crying, but tried to wipe away his tear-stained face.
"I just wish I could've saved her," he cried. I placed my hand on the small of his back.
I'm Coming Home: Part 6 "You tried, Chris. You tried." After those words left my mouth, a bunch of shouting and yelling was heard outside. I decided to rush out to see what the commotion was about. I saw some people dragging a body out from under the fallen tent. My eyes widened when I realized that it was Paula they were getting out. "Chris! Look!"
"No, I don't want to look."
"But they have Paula's body!" I exclaimed. With that, Chris pushed passed me and rushed over to where Paula's body was. When he reached her, everyone backed up and he slowly approached her motionless body. He knelt down her and slowly picked her up and brought her face closer to his. Her entire body was completely covered in the smoke and she was slightly burnt. Her clothes had holes here and there from where the fire had ate it up. Her blonde hair was singed and there was a bloodstain next to her lips.
"Paula?" Chris timidly asked, hoping dearly that she'd reply or at least respond with fluttering eyes. He received nothing. He winced at the sight of seeing his wife lifeless in his arms. He placed his ear against her chest for any sign of heartbeat. When he began sobbing some more and holding her close to him, I assumed that the worst had happened. Chris looked up into the sky and began screaming to the heavens. "Why?! Why must you take her away from me?!" He cried into the crook of Paula's neck for a long time. Everyone watched this and I could see people start tearing up from the sight of someone losing their loved one. I even felt the tears threaten my eyes as well. I couldn't imagine what would happen if I lost Alice.
Paula was placed on a gurney and covered with a white blanket and taken away. Chris watched as Paula's body was taken away from him. He was now looking at the ground crying. The tears left his eyes and hit the ground.
An hour later everyone who was going back to America was to board the plane. Chris hadn't moved from his spot since Paula left his arms. Travis and I stayed by his side, but the entire time was just an awkward silence between us except for Chris's crying and sniffling. He slowly got up, rubbed his eyes, and turned to face me.
"I'm ready to go," he said, "I really did need to cry. I guess I should break the news to my parents and in-laws." With that, he left to the direction of the plane.
Although I was supposed to be on lookout, Colonel Jeffrey had excused me so I could stay with Chris and he took over the job. I looked over at Travis.
"I hope Chris will feel better," I said. Travis placed his hand on my shoulder.
"Give him some time. Just be there by his side until he recovers." The two of us then began walking to the aircraft.
I overheard from someone that the reason why the tent burned down was because there was a bomb planted inside the tent. From another conversation I heard the reason was because the kitchen staff had accidentally set something on fire, causing an explosion. I wanted to believe the latter, but either way the result's still the same.
I had my carry-on bag over my shoulder and I was about to board the plane until I saw Chris inside a tent. He was holding a helmet in his hands, which I assumed it was Paula's. A tear slid down his face, but he used the back of his hand to wipe it away. After staring at the helmet for a minute or two, he brought it to his lips and kissed it. He mouthed something, but it was inaudible for me to hear.
I'm Coming Home: Part 7 A half hour later, the plane was airborne and we were now on our way to America.
During the entire flight, Travis was listening to music or watching movies, I was reading some books and magazines that were provided on the plane, and Chris was either staring out the window, crying, or sleeping. I felt really bad for him, but I can't say that I know the feeling of losing someone that is dear to me.
Once we reached Hawaii, we were all ready to go our separate ways. I asked Chris one last time if he was going to be okay, and he told me to not worry about it and that if he ever needed me, he'd give me a call. He said the same thing to Travis and the two exchanged numbers. After that, we parted.
Within five hours, I arrived at LAX and was looking for Alice. She was looking forward to this day as much as I was. She had texted me that she was already at the airport waiting for my arrival and that Lisa was with her as well. I smiled. The very first time I'll see Lisa. Even though I was thinking of her, my mind wandered back to my friend and his loss. My face would have a smile one minute and then it'd disappear the next. This cycle just went on from when I left the plane to when I had to go through security.
After an hour of going through that, I dragged my luggage and carried my bag to a ramp that lead to where my wife would be. Once I looked form around the corner, there was a sign that said 'Welcome home, Tony Jensen!' and holding the sign was Alice. In her other arm was my baby girl. A wide grin found its way onto my face as I casually walked over to them. I could see Alice start crying as she ran over towards me. I released my luggage and dropped my bag as I hugged Alice with Lisa in between us. When I let go of her, I took a good look at Lisa. She was beautiful and perfect, just like how I thought she'd be.
"Hello, Lisa! It's me, Daddy!" I cooed. She didn't give any response, but then after ten seconds she let out a giggle and stretched her arms out towards me. Alice handed her to me and I held her in my arms. Lisa had wrapped her little hands around my neck and showed me a gummy smile.
"She already loves you," Alice laughed. I gave Lisa a kiss on the cheek as she began squealing and giggling some more. "Welcome back, Tony."
"It's good to be back," I said as I leaned down towards Alice and gave her a kiss on the lips. I handed Lisa back to her and picked my stuff up as the three of us began heading out of the airport to return home.
As he stared at the grimy, green camouflage helmet in his hands, all he could think about was how much he hated good-byes. Every day since they got here, it had been the same thing over and over. There was always the constant fear that of walking into an ambush, of being attacked, of never seeing home again.
He didn't necessarily hate what he was doing. He was proud to serve his country, no doubt about that. Sometimes when a stranger smiled at him on the streets, a thankful smile that melted his heart, he thought of all the good that he was doing and he had no regrets.
Yet he was tired of living in constant fear. He was tired of looking at the men in his company and wondering if this was the last time he would see them alive and whole. He was tired of missing events with his family back home that he had never gave much thought to before.
As he pressed a kiss to the helmet in his hands, he felt a heart-wrenching pain in his chest. He was so tired of saying good bye.
I'm Coming Home: Part 1
ReplyDeleteThe day has finally come. Today will be one of the happiest and greatest days of my life. I cannot describe the happiness I am feeling inside of me. I just want to express it to the world, but I manage to contain it. I still have a smile on my face that refuses to leave, but it's not like I want it to. What an amazing feeling! My friends around me stare at me like I'm a strange alien, but that at the moment is not important. What's important is the fact that this is finally going to happen.
I'm finally coming home.
After two years of being in a foreign country, I can return to America where my family is. I will reunite with my wife, Alice, and our daughter, Lisa, whom I will be meeting for the first time in person. I've seen Lisa over the computer when I video chatted with my wife, but never was I able to hold her close to me since she's on the other side of the world. On Alice's eighth month of pregnancy, I had to leave to Syria, so I wasn't able to see our baby be born, but when I first laid eyes on Lisa when I saw her on the computer, she was beautiful. She was simply perfect, and I can't wait to see her.
"You're really excited to go home, Tony. We all can see you jumping right now." I turned to Chris, one of my friends who joined the Air Force with me. His wife, Paula, was also on the Air Force, so they get to see each other every single day (lucky, I thought). They don't have kids, but Chris had told me that they're planning on having one after they get back to America.
I let out a half laugh and seated myself on a nearby wooden crate. "You have no idea," I told him. Paula ruffled my hair as she headed over to a cooler to grab a beer. I ran my fingers through my hair to fix whatever didn't feel right about it.
"We know exactly how you feel, Tony," Paula said, "we're all as excited as you are." I scratched the back of my head.
"Yeah, but you two have each other." I pointed to both her and Chris. "I haven't seen Alice in two years, and this is going to be the first time I'll see my Lisa." Chris just nodded as Paula handed him a bottle of beer. He tore the cap off with his teeth, spat it out of his mouth, and began gulping down the beverage. Paula had to grab a bottle opener.
"We haven't seen our parents in three years, but I guess a daughter you've never seen before tops it." I smiled. I asked Paula to toss me a beer, and she literally threw it at me, but I somehow managed to catch it without dropping it. She handed me the opener and I began to pry the cap off. Once I began drinking my beer, Travis walked into the tent that the three of us were in. Travis is a friend of ours that we met on the first day we arrived to Syria. He's currently single, but he's always ready to mingle. He pretty much hits on all the women on the Air Force, but only if he knows they're not currently taken.
"What's up, guys and girl?" Travis greeted as he sat down on a wooden box across from me. "Y'all stoked about today?"
"How can we not?" Chris replied. "Can you believe that we're finally going back to America? After two years of being stuck in Syria, we're finally going back to our country."
"Yeah, the first thing I'm going to do when I get back to the States is head over to a bar and find myself a woman. Yo, Paula, hand me a beer, will ya?"
"How about you get it yourself?" she said with a smile. Travis smirked. Chris walked over to Paula and placed his arm around her shoulder.
"But didn't you give Tony and Chris a bottle?" he pointed out. My eyes widened.
"How did you know?" I asked, confused. Travis looked my way and began laughing and snorting.
I'm Coming Home: Part 2
Delete"Oh, Tony, you just told me." Crap. He gets me every single time. "Now how about a bottle for old Travie here?"
"For your information, we're all twenty-nine, and if a woman can get a bottle for herself, then you can get up off your ass and head over to the cooler to get your own beer." Paula's statement earned 'oohs' from me and Chris and Travis just shook his head as he laughed.
"You're most certainly right, Paula. I'll just get the beer myself." Paula smiled as she saw Travis walk over to the cooler and pull out a bottle. He popped the bottle cap off by using the edge of the crate that I was sitting on and the cap went flying onto my lap. He drank the beer until it was halfway empty.
"You're sassy today, aren't you?" I asked Paula. Her gaze turned to me.
"Only when I feel like it," she told me with a grin plastered on her face. Chris smiled and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. Oh, I wish I could do that with Alice. I took another gulp of my beer and set it aside me. I grabbed the collar of my shirt and began fanning myself with it. It felt like a desert here in Syria and I want to remove my shirt.
My mind went back to the fact that in three hours I'll be on a plane heading back to America. We'll land at our Air Force base in Hawaii and then I can take a plane to California. I'll be able to hold Alice in my arms along with Lisa. I can kiss Lisa for the very first time and share one with Alice. I know I'll be crying when I see them, but it'll be tears of joy—very joyous tears.
Chris and Paula live in Utah, which is the state that I grew up in. Chris and I met in high school and we became friends when we were on the same soccer team. He went to a community college, but I went to University of Southern California, and that's where I met Alice. She was in my Physics class and she seemed to know everything there was to know about Physics, but I knew just as much as she does. She was giving out her speech on something and I caught a mistake in her words and I began to correct her. We got into a debate and somehow it ended with me asking her out to dinner and her saying yes. The entire classroom was filled with laughter and cheering as Alice and I were red beet in the face. A week later she and I were officially going out and four years later I proposed to her. We decided to have a kid a year later and got to work with that (if you know what I mean).
Paula had left the tent and it was now just me, Chris, and Travis. Travis and Chris finished their bottles and dumped them in a nearby trashcan. I, on the other hand, still had one that was almost full. It was back in my hand and I was just swirling the beer around inside.
"You gonna finish that?" I looked up at Travis, who was pointing down at my bottle.
"Huh? Oh, nah, you can have it."
"Oh, I wasn't going to ask if I can have it, but if you insist." He snatched the bottle out of my hand and drank the remains of the beer. Chris walked over to me and patted my back.
"Still thinking about going home?" he asked me. I nodded. "We all are. We'll all be with our dear friends and family again." Travis threw his arm around me and pulled me close to him. I let out a 'gah!' sound as his muscled arm squeezed the breath out of me.
I'm Coming Home: Part 3
Delete"No more Air Force stuff and no more Syria! We're going back to the States! 'Murica!" He took another swig and let out a loud belch. Chris began cracking up as he clapped his hands together and I was pretty much forced to inhale the air Travis let out. The tent curtains were pulled back and Colonel Jeffrey walked in.
"Are you guys dilly-dallying?" Colonel Jeffrey spoke in a calm yet firm voice. After no response from the three of us, he stomped his way over. "Go and get the packages onto the plane, STAT! Travis, put that drink away and get your drunken butt out there! Chris, go and help Travis with the stuff." Colonel Jeffrey turned to me. "Tony, you're on lookout duty. Until we are to board the plane to go back to America, you're to keep an eye out for anything that seems suspicious. Let me know if anything goes wrong." And with that, he left the tent with me trying to process what had happened.
Moments later, I was at the border of the Air Force base sitting on a chair given to me by the previous guy who was on lookout. He handed me binoculars to look through and I wrapped the strap around my neck. I'm currently seated on the stool staring into the vastness of Syria. I thought that it was unlikely that anything would happen to the base since we're in the middle of nowhere. It's probably a hundred degrees out and I'm stuck out in the sun with no shade for three hours. I groaned at how unfortunate I was for getting such a boring job; but this job is very important. I'm the one who has to notify everyone if there were any enemies coming our way.
I heard some footsteps grow louder behind me. I cautiously turned around only to see Colonel Jeffrey carrying a water bottle.
"Drink up, Tony," he said as he handed me the bottle. I took the bottle, opened it up, and began drinking the water. Oh, yes, that really hit the spot. I cleared my throat and looked at Colonel Jeffrey.
"Thank you, sir," I said. I got up from my seat and offered him the stool, but he raised his hand, telling me it was fine and that I could sit back down. I obeyed and took back the chair. He shoved his hands into his pockets and stared out into the open along with me.
"I appreciate your service, joining the Air Force, Tony. You and everyone here are heroes in America's eyes." I looked at him, surprised at what he had said.
"Th-thank you, sir." I pretty much quoted what I said earlier, but that was all I could think of to reply to his statement.
"You're a good guy, you know that?"
"Yes, sir."
"Don't ever change yourself."
"Of course, sir." He gave me a small pat on the back and began to walk back deeper into the base.
For the last hour, nothing had happened, and I felt like I was about to get a heatstroke. The sun blazed down onto my body that was completely covered in a camouflage uniform. My skin was burning from the rays, and at this point, I took off the first upper layer of clothing. I set my jacket on my lap and wiped my forehead with the back of my hand. I had an empty bottle in my other which I had finished five minutes once I received it from Colonel Jeffrey. I wish he had brought more, but complaining's not going to get me anywhere.
I was getting rather sleepy as well, but I couldn't just fall asleep on the stool; it's bad for my back. Plus sleeping on the job is never permitted. I'll be in serious trouble if Colonel Jeffrey caught me asleep when I'm doing a very important job. I slapped myself in the face to see if it'd keep me awake; nothing, but I did leave a mark.
I'm Coming Home: Part 4
Delete"Yo, Tony!" I turned my body around to see Chris walking on over to me.
"You're done with the packages?" I asked him. He just shrugged.
"I guess so. Is it fine if I keep you company?" Without waiting for me to answer, he took a seat on the ground next to me. I placed the binoculars over my eyes and began to examine the land around me. For one hour, nothing has happened at all. I'm starting to wonder if we even need to do lookout. But then again, I guess Colonel Jeffrey wanted to be extra safe. No one can tell what'll come in the future.
"God, I'm so dehydrated," I moaned as I threw my head back but was careful enough to not make myself fall.
"It's a good thing I brought water." My eyes landed on Chris and then the bottle.
"Seriously? Thanks, Chris." I reached for the water bottle that he pulled out of his messenger bag, but he moved the drink away from me.
"What are you talking about, Tony? This is mine." A frown appeared on my face, but then he began laughing, which confused me. "I'm just kidding, man, this is yours. I have three more where that came from." I punched him on the shoulder as he continued to laugh at his mean prank. I gulped down the water and felt the refreshing coolness go down my throat and quench my thirst.
"This sucks. I'm stuck on lookout for another two hours for God knows whenever we board the plane to go home." I let out an exasperated moan as I stretched my arms out towards the sky. Chris just shrugged.
"Well, at least you do nothing except keep an eye out. Most others would want to have your job right now." I cocked an eyebrow.
"What could be worse than lookout?"
"For one thing, some are doing chores around the base, and chores suck, let's be honest. And others are carrying ridiculously heavy packages onto the plane." I heard him crack his back side to side and then his neck. "I'm still a bit sore."
"No kidding." I mumbled under my breath.
"Chris! What are you doing? Didn't I assign you to package duty?" Chris turned around to see who it was, but I didn't have to look to know that Colonel Jeffrey was back.
"Sir! I completed my portion of the job, sir! I'm just helping Tony here keep an eye out for any problems, sir!" I stifled my laugh as Chris suddenly went into full soldier mode.
"Cut the crap and get back to your job. Tony can surely handle his job." Once those words left Colonel Jeffrey's mouth, some kind of explosion was heard. Our eyes landed on a large tent that was where we ate our meals. Smoke flew up into the sky and fire began to burst. Screams and shouts were heard all over the place as people began rushing over to the fire. "Son of a bitch!" Colonel rushed over to the scene. Chris and I were still standing where we were. I glanced back at Chris, whose eyes were wide and full of fear, I think.
"Oh shit," he cursed, "Paula's in there." Now it's my turn to have my eyes grow wider. Chris ran over to the tent that was now covered in flames. A bunch of other people carried a large hose and began spraying the tent and others were helping those who were inside come out. They were all covered in the dirtiness of the smoke. I couldn't identify any of their faces, but I did know that I didn't see Paula come out. Chris entered the burning tent, ignoring the cries of people who told him that it was too dangerous to go inside.
I didn't want to leave my spot just to take a better look at the fire, but my friends are both inside the tent. I'm getting really worried about them. I took a glance back at the empty land and darted for the tent.
I'm Coming Home: Part 5
DeleteI rushed to the front of the crowd and I could hear Chris's cries inside. "Paula! Where are you? Answer me!" He'd repeat these over and over again with cursing added occasionally. I didn't know what happened next, but I was suddenly running into the tent.
"Hey! Get back here! You're going to die!" someone shouted. I ignored their warning and went inside the tent anyways.
"Paula, please answer me!" I followed the pleas of Chris. When I found him, he was digging through a fallen burnt table. "This isn't funny! Just come out and show me you're okay!" I looked around and saw a movement from the corner of my eye. I yanked Chris by his jacket and pointed in the direction where I saw something move. "Paula?" He rushed over to the area with me close behind him. We arrived to see a collapsed Paula. I heard her moaning and she was covered in smoke. A wooden plank that was supporting the tent had fallen on top of her.
"Chris?" she spoke in a weak voice. Chris knelt down beside her and told her that she'll be okay.
"Tony! Help me lift this beam!" Without any hesitation, I grabbed one end of the plank and began attempting to lift it. It was too heavy for the two of us the move. Paula began coughing violently and that only made Chris even more determined to save her. "Put your back into it!"
"I'm trying!" More things began collapsing from above and nearly trapped the two of us along with Paula. "Chris, it's too dangerous! We have to get out!"
"I'm not leaving without her!" he snapped as he tried to push the beam. Even though I knew that we should get out before we get crushed, I was still trying to help Chris out. I began trying to move the plank as well. Paula raised her head a bit, mumbling Chris's name and then a 'sorry'. She let out another loud cough, and then she dropped her head and laid there lifeless. I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist and pull me backwards. Another silhouette was behind Chris, carrying him out of the tent. "No! What about Paula? She's still there!" The figures ignored him as they continued to drag us outside. Once the sunlight began to appear Chris and I were released immediately, but Chris still tried to get back into the tent. The two guys that had dragged us out were holding him back, preventing him from getting anywhere near the tent entrance.
"It's too dangerous. You'll die if you go back," said one of them.
"My wife's in there! You're going to save me but let her die?" The men didn't answer him. We were forced to watch the tent burn, knowing the fact that Paula was inside and no one was going inside to help her. Chris had tears streaming down his face as he tried to break out of the men's grasp, but he then remained motionless as the entire tent went crashing down. It was now completely engulfed in flames and was now nothing but ashes and burning things. "No! Paula!" Chris screamed as the tears kept running.
It's over. We can no longer save Paula. She's left us.
Chris had to seek comfort from me and Travis as we tried to tell him it was okay, but even we weren't going to fool ourselves. He was too brokenhearted to look anywhere near the tent. Travis and I then escorted him to the tent that we were at earlier.
Chris sat down on a box and wept into his hands. His breathing was uncontrollable and Travis and I had no idea what to do. Chris just lost his wife and we couldn't think of any way to make him feel better.
"You'll see her again, Chris. She's up there watching over you now," Travis said. Chris just kept on crying, but tried to wipe away his tear-stained face.
"I just wish I could've saved her," he cried. I placed my hand on the small of his back.
I'm Coming Home: Part 6
Delete"You tried, Chris. You tried." After those words left my mouth, a bunch of shouting and yelling was heard outside. I decided to rush out to see what the commotion was about. I saw some people dragging a body out from under the fallen tent. My eyes widened when I realized that it was Paula they were getting out. "Chris! Look!"
"No, I don't want to look."
"But they have Paula's body!" I exclaimed. With that, Chris pushed passed me and rushed over to where Paula's body was. When he reached her, everyone backed up and he slowly approached her motionless body. He knelt down her and slowly picked her up and brought her face closer to his. Her entire body was completely covered in the smoke and she was slightly burnt. Her clothes had holes here and there from where the fire had ate it up. Her blonde hair was singed and there was a bloodstain next to her lips.
"Paula?" Chris timidly asked, hoping dearly that she'd reply or at least respond with fluttering eyes. He received nothing. He winced at the sight of seeing his wife lifeless in his arms. He placed his ear against her chest for any sign of heartbeat. When he began sobbing some more and holding her close to him, I assumed that the worst had happened. Chris looked up into the sky and began screaming to the heavens. "Why?! Why must you take her away from me?!" He cried into the crook of Paula's neck for a long time. Everyone watched this and I could see people start tearing up from the sight of someone losing their loved one. I even felt the tears threaten my eyes as well. I couldn't imagine what would happen if I lost Alice.
Paula was placed on a gurney and covered with a white blanket and taken away. Chris watched as Paula's body was taken away from him. He was now looking at the ground crying. The tears left his eyes and hit the ground.
An hour later everyone who was going back to America was to board the plane. Chris hadn't moved from his spot since Paula left his arms. Travis and I stayed by his side, but the entire time was just an awkward silence between us except for Chris's crying and sniffling. He slowly got up, rubbed his eyes, and turned to face me.
"I'm ready to go," he said, "I really did need to cry. I guess I should break the news to my parents and in-laws." With that, he left to the direction of the plane.
Although I was supposed to be on lookout, Colonel Jeffrey had excused me so I could stay with Chris and he took over the job. I looked over at Travis.
"I hope Chris will feel better," I said. Travis placed his hand on my shoulder.
"Give him some time. Just be there by his side until he recovers." The two of us then began walking to the aircraft.
I overheard from someone that the reason why the tent burned down was because there was a bomb planted inside the tent. From another conversation I heard the reason was because the kitchen staff had accidentally set something on fire, causing an explosion. I wanted to believe the latter, but either way the result's still the same.
I had my carry-on bag over my shoulder and I was about to board the plane until I saw Chris inside a tent. He was holding a helmet in his hands, which I assumed it was Paula's. A tear slid down his face, but he used the back of his hand to wipe it away. After staring at the helmet for a minute or two, he brought it to his lips and kissed it. He mouthed something, but it was inaudible for me to hear.
I'm Coming Home: Part 7
DeleteA half hour later, the plane was airborne and we were now on our way to America.
During the entire flight, Travis was listening to music or watching movies, I was reading some books and magazines that were provided on the plane, and Chris was either staring out the window, crying, or sleeping. I felt really bad for him, but I can't say that I know the feeling of losing someone that is dear to me.
Once we reached Hawaii, we were all ready to go our separate ways. I asked Chris one last time if he was going to be okay, and he told me to not worry about it and that if he ever needed me, he'd give me a call. He said the same thing to Travis and the two exchanged numbers. After that, we parted.
Within five hours, I arrived at LAX and was looking for Alice. She was looking forward to this day as much as I was. She had texted me that she was already at the airport waiting for my arrival and that Lisa was with her as well. I smiled. The very first time I'll see Lisa. Even though I was thinking of her, my mind wandered back to my friend and his loss. My face would have a smile one minute and then it'd disappear the next. This cycle just went on from when I left the plane to when I had to go through security.
After an hour of going through that, I dragged my luggage and carried my bag to a ramp that lead to where my wife would be. Once I looked form around the corner, there was a sign that said 'Welcome home, Tony Jensen!' and holding the sign was Alice. In her other arm was my baby girl. A wide grin found its way onto my face as I casually walked over to them. I could see Alice start crying as she ran over towards me. I released my luggage and dropped my bag as I hugged Alice with Lisa in between us. When I let go of her, I took a good look at Lisa. She was beautiful and perfect, just like how I thought she'd be.
"Hello, Lisa! It's me, Daddy!" I cooed. She didn't give any response, but then after ten seconds she let out a giggle and stretched her arms out towards me. Alice handed her to me and I held her in my arms. Lisa had wrapped her little hands around my neck and showed me a gummy smile.
"She already loves you," Alice laughed. I gave Lisa a kiss on the cheek as she began squealing and giggling some more. "Welcome back, Tony."
"It's good to be back," I said as I leaned down towards Alice and gave her a kiss on the lips. I handed Lisa back to her and picked my stuff up as the three of us began heading out of the airport to return home.
This is the direct link to the story if you guys would rather read this story from there instead:
Deletehttp://www.quotev.com/story/4037271/The-Stories-Behind-the-Pictures/
Good-Byes
ReplyDeleteAs he stared at the grimy, green camouflage helmet in his hands, all he could think about was how much he hated good-byes. Every day since they got here, it had been the same thing over and over. There was always the constant fear that of walking into an ambush, of being attacked, of never seeing home again.
He didn't necessarily hate what he was doing. He was proud to serve his country, no doubt about that. Sometimes when a stranger smiled at him on the streets, a thankful smile that melted his heart, he thought of all the good that he was doing and he had no regrets.
Yet he was tired of living in constant fear. He was tired of looking at the men in his company and wondering if this was the last time he would see them alive and whole. He was tired of missing events with his family back home that he had never gave much thought to before.
As he pressed a kiss to the helmet in his hands, he felt a heart-wrenching pain in his chest. He was so tired of saying good bye.