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Chapter 12 - Is This It?

Joe: 

I wrapped the fresh bandage around the cut on my arm. I took a deep breath, steadying my hand. My first month of training was easy. Basic strength and agility training. Plus other things, like how to load and shoot a gun. I was put into a squad a few days ago. I glued the end of the bandage down with some medical sticky substance. I laid back in the grass. Running my fingers through the cool blades. I gazed up at the sun, it was almost noon. I got issued out of the medical center this morning. My arm is fine, not as bad of a wound as a other people. 

I closed my eyes, and the incident came flooding back. Playing over and over again in my mind. It was 2 days ago. My squad had been assigned this vacant part of a city. We were just doing standard searches, making sure nothing was there to harm the citizens who wanted to return. The city had been attacked by a group of terrorists a week ago. The morning flew by, no one found anything. The place looked perfectly safe. Mitch and I began talking. He was in my squad also. Ever since he saved Taylor like that, I had felt the need to get to know him. He was a pretty funny guy. We sat down on a pile of crates outside of the house we were looking at. When he pulled out this little box, from his pocket. He told me he planned on proposing to Martha when he got leave this Christmas. He had this whole big day planned out. He told me how he would take her on a hot air balloon ride, since it was her number 1 on her bucket list. 

I put my hand on my pocket. I could still here it. The last thing I heard before all hell broke loose. I had begun to tell him about Taylor, even showing him the picture she gave me, that I always kept in my pocket. A few men came out of the house a minute later, along with the captain of the squad. He said we should head north, get high ground to make one last survey of the area. We began walking when, I saw this flash of light out of the corner of my eye. It all happened to quickly then. Cars came from all directions, speeding down the roads. I could hear the yelling from the men in the cars, I tried not to panic. I tried to remember my training. I ran to an area about 30 feet away with some crates tilted up. I pulled my gun up to take aim. That is when it happened. There were 2 people still in the opening, they were not quick enough. The cars were practically on top of them. 

I heard the gun go off, and that was it. He fell to the ground. Our squad began shooting at them from all directions. I fought every muscle in my body from running out there to see if he was okay. Mitch was hit.

Only a few minutes later the cars retreated back the way they came from. I busted out from behind the crate, and ran to Mitch’s side. 

I began to breathe heavy. I opened my eyes, and stared back up at the sun. I shook the memory away. I did not want to ever revisit that moment. Not ever. I sat up, and slipped my hand into my pocket. I pulled out the little box, and clutched it in my hand. Mitch died that day, not minutes later. The bullet had gone straight through his heart. He slipped the box in my hand as he laid on there on the street bleeding, and said one last thing to me. “Will you tell her I love her.”

Since I was his squad group partner I got chosen to send her a letter, with the ring. How do you tell someone that you do not know, that they person they love is dead? I could not help but think why him? I was there too, I was only a little quicker than him. 

“Hey Dude, you okay?” Kyle said sitting down next to me. Kyle happened to be another one of my roommates. I did not answer his question. I was not okay, but it is not like I needed to broadcast it to the entire world. Kyle was a nice guy, but he has a problem about blabbing things to people. 

I slipped the box back into my pocket, I was one of the few that actually knew Mitch was in a relationship. Surprisingly they are not a big thing with the men here. Kyle had told us one night, that a week before he left for the army he broke up with this girlfriend of 3 years. He said he did not want to get killed, or have her cheat on him. Seemed a little extreme of a reaction to me, but now I do not know.

I laid back in the grass, and closed my eyes. Hoping that Kyle would leave. I really just needed to be alone with my thoughts. I missed Taylor. I could barely remember how her voice sounds. That made my heart tare a little.

“I will be back in the room, if you need help writing that letter.” Kyle said. I heard the sound of his boots as he walked off.

All I could picture in my mind was what would have happened if that was me, instead of Mitch. Taylor  would find out in a few days. She would be devastated. I could not do that to her. If I died out here, I do not want anyone to have to write a letter to my loved one. 

What would I do? Could I really let Taylor go? 

Taylor:

“What would you do if you were in his shoes” my mother said giving me a disapproving look. She had been lecturing me about my attitude towards my father for quite some time now. I was barely listening. All I could think about was Joe. His letter should arrive any day now. His aunt had told me the other day that I should be able to skype with him in a few weeks, when he has down time. I still wore the necklace, and found myself gripping it when ever I think of him. “Taylor! Are you even listening?”

“No.” I saw no point in lying. Although she was probably saying the same things that I had hear a million times before. How I need to respect him, and he is not going anywhere. He was young when he left us, he did not know any better…blah blah blah. I did not care. I was not going to let this man just suddenly come back into my life like nothing had happened. He may know my name, but he knows nothing about me.

My mother creased her eye brows together, lifting her fingers to her temple, slowly massaging her head. She sighed and just walked away. I walked over to the calendar on the wall. Today was July 31st. It has been over 5 months since Joe left. I leave for college in a few weeks. It be nice to get a out of this house and be on my own. It will be different though because I had always imagined Joe and I going to college together.

I pushed the thought away, and heard a door slam shut upstairs. I decided to take a walk. I grabbed my phone and keys, and slipped them in my pocket. As I closed the door behind me, I heard a car start. I turned to look, and saw the mail man driving down the road. My heart beat quickened, and I could not contain my smile. His letter could be sitting in that mailbox right now. It took every ounce of will power I had, to not run down the road screaming. I forced myself to calmly walk down the street. Trying to remind myself that it could not be there. I pulled the keys out as I approached the mail boxes. My hands were shaking a little with excitement. I stuck the key in the hole and turned it to the right. 

There was a little brown envelope sitting the in the mailbox. I quickly grabbed it, looking for the sender name. My heart skipped a beat when I read ‘Joseph Thompson’. I decided to sit on his bench and read the letter. I broke the seal, and pulled out the letter. I held the piece of paper in my hand. I had this ominous feeling that something was wrong, it was only one paper, with writing only on one side. No nothing was wrong. I shook the idea from my head, and opened up the letter. And began to read it to myself.

“Dear Taylor,

You are the smartest, most beautiful girl I have ever known.” Wait why does this sound like there should be a ‘but’ at the end of that sentence. “One thing I know for certain is that, this will not work. By this, I mean us. I am so far away. You deserve better. A life with certainty. Not a life full of wondering if I will ever come home.” I could feel the tears building in my eyes. Why was he writing this. How could he even believe that I deserve better than him. He was the only one that I would wait for no matter what. “This is hard to admit but I think our time together was a little foolish. It was just a crush, but it has to end sometime.” I could barely breathe. Where was all this coming from. This had to be some kind of joke. A horrible joke. “I hope you move on, like I am.” I never knew words could sting so much. I felt like a thousand knives were stabbing into me all at once. The tears were now blurring my vision, but I could still read that last sentence. “I do not love you Taylor.”

The letter slipped out of my hand, and I buried my face into my palms. The tears turned to loud shaking sobs. This had to be a dream. This had to be a dream. I kept repeating that phrase to myself. Joe would never do this to me. He would never lie to me.

Or was he not lying? Did he really mean it?

*author's note, I know this was one short. But I did not feel the next part should be continued in the same chapter*