There was no one else in the room so Adam unpacked, stowing his things away in their proper places. He made sure that his bed was pristine. He had always been neat and tidy before he joined the Army, maybe that’s why he seemed to fit in so well. Besides, he didn’t want his new Commanding Officer to find anything wrong after he’d just arrived. He changed into his running clothes and headed outside. He loved to run; it helped him to cope with life and relieve any stress he may have, which he didn’t. The first day was a free day to do whatever he wanted. Adam would make his way around the base and memorize where everything was.
That evening, Adam and some of the other recruits went off base. One of the guys in his squad had heard about a party at some college nearby. He wasn’t a partier like some of the guys he’d met, but he did enjoy the scenery and having a couple of beers to relax.
The music was loud, not that it was uncommon at a party, but he also hadn’t been to one since he finished high school. The guys went in their own direction, leaving Adam standing alone. He walked around outside and found where the kegs were set up and grabbed a plastic cup.
“Hey,” a guy said from across the table. “Haven’t seen you around here before.”
“No,” Adam replied as he filled his cup.
“Are you from around here?”
“Nope.”
“Not much for words, are you?”
“Didn’t know I had to introduce myself to you,” Adam replied. He wasn’t usually rude or even a hard ass when he was around other people. He just hated when people, especially guys, acted tough and needed to know everything. Adam hadn’t done anything wrong except for coming to a party with the guys from his barrack. He just wanted to relax and watch people get drunk and let loose.
“I’m assuming that you’re from the Army base.”
Adam nodded.
“Yeah, the haircut gave it away.”
Adam automatically ran a hand over his head, feeling the soft hairs against his hand. Yes, it was probably a dead giveaway that he was in the military. “What year are you in?” Adam asked, changing the subject. He decided to just be social. He was a guest at someone’s party.
“Junior,” the guy said, taking a drink from his cup. “You got a name.”
“Adam. You?”
“Bryan.”
Adam held out his hand for Bryan to shake. “It’s nice to meet you, Bryan.”
“Same,” Bryan replied.
The two of them talked for several minutes before Adam saw a beautiful girl walking toward them, most likely getting herself a drink. She was with a couple of other girls. They were giggling at something one of the girls said. He stepped back away from the keg so that they could get themselves some beer.
He watched as the girl with brunette hair laughed, but in a shy way. He could tell that she was a person who didn’t get out much and probably kept to herself. Her friends had most likely dragged her out too, like the guys in his squad had done. He listened as they talked about nothing in particular.
“Amanda are you going to dance?” asked one of the girls.
“Yeah, sure, maybe after I get a couple of drinks in me,” Amanda replied. “How about you, Kaitlyn?” Amanda asked.
Her name was Kaitlyn and she was the prettiest girl he’d ever set his eyes on. Just as he looked over at her, she smiled back at him. He wanted to talk to her, to get to know her, but then he remembered that he was only here for a short time and that getting involved with someone wasn’t something he should be doing. Long distance relationships didn’t work out when you were in the military. He’d seen it more times than he could count. But what if he just talked to her, just for the night? It would be a nice feeling and a memory he could carry around with him in his time in the Army.
“Sure, I’ll dance with you,” Kaitlyn replied.
The girls squealed and laughed as if dancing was something funny and they had never done before.
Kaitlyn took the full cup of beer that her friend handed her and stepped away, so she could take a sip without spilling it. Adam kept his eyes on her when she wasn’t looking and then quickly looked away when she looked over at him. This went on until the girls walked away, but not before Kaitlyn smiled over at him and joined her friends. She kept looking back over her shoulder as if she wanted him to follow her. He was shy when it came to girls. He had dated a little in high school but focused more on sports and working odd jobs to make money to buy his first car. He had always thought that relationships could wait until he got older and he was more mature.
He finished his beer and refilled his cup before walking around and seeing what was happening elsewhere at the party. He saw a couple of the guys from the base talking to other people and having a good time. He waved and made his way around, heading to where the music was getting louder. Adam went inside the house and stood near a wall at the back of the room. He looked out onto the dance floor that’s when he saw her. Kaitlyn was dancing with the same girls that he had seen when they arrived. He stepped closer to get a better look. She must have seen him too because they locked eyes once again. He smiled at her and gave her a little nod, his way of saying hello. She smiled back. And before he knew it, she was walking toward him. His heart beat faster with each step she took toward him. Perspiration formed under his shirt and he was glad that he wore extra deodorant and threw on some cologne before coming here, unaware that he was about to meet the girl of his dreams.
“Hi, my name’s Kaitlyn,” she said, smiling up at him.
He swallowed. “Hi, I’m Adam,” he replied as the smell of her perfume entered his nose. His legs felt weak. He stepped back and pressed himself against the wall for support.
“Well, Adam, would you care to dance with me?”
“Oh, ah, I don’t dance,” Adam replied. Which was true. He had never gone to any dances at school, except Prom, but that was different.
“Sure, you do; everyone dances after they’ve had a few drinks,” she giggled.
He could tell that she was already feeling tipsy. He drank down the rest of his beer and placed the cup on the table beside him. She took his hand and dragged him onto the dance floor. The music changed to a slow song and she wrapped her hands around his neck, looking into his eyes.
“You’re not from around here, are you?”
“No, I’m from Ohio.”
“What military are you in?”
“How did you know?”
“One, I haven’t seen you before. Two, the haircut. Not too many guys around here get a buzz cut just for the hell of it,” she laughed.
He nodded. “You from around here?”
“Yeah, I’ve lived here my whole life. I go to Lewis University, south of here.”
“What are you studying?”
“I’m going to be a High School English teacher.”
He smiled, thinking about when he’s finished with the Army in another three and half years that he was going to go to school to be a teacher. Coincidentally, an English teacher.
“What are you thinking about?” Kaitlyn asked.
“It’s just that,” he paused, “I plan on being a teacher once I’m done serving my four years in the Army.”
“Oh, yeah?” she smiled. “What do you want to teach?”
“English Literature,” he yelled over the music that had changed from slow to fast and very loud.
She smiled at him and kissed him hard on the lips.
He kissed her back, pulling her into him, surprised at how good it felt to be kissing her. He had never felt this way with anyone before. His head was spinning with emotions he’d never experienced in his life. The adrenaline raced through his body. The room seemed to get hotter the longer they stood there kissing. He knew if she let go of him that he would fall over from dizziness. They both slowly pulled away from one another, looking into each other’s eyes.
“Do you want to go outside and talk?” Adam asked.
She nodded.
He took her hand and left the dance floor. They ventur
ed outside and found a gazebo where they could talk without having to yell. He talked about his childhood and family, mostly his mom, and why he joined the military. “I wanted to go to college but couldn’t afford it,” he said to her.
“What do you do in the Army?”
“Special Forces.”
“Wow, really?”
“Yes. Does that scare you?”
“No, I’m trying to picture you as an English teacher after you’ve been working with weapons. Almost like a bad-ass teacher,” she laughed. “Macho man teacher. Sounds hot,” she giggled.
He laughed along with her and then leaned in and kissed her again. She took his every breath away, making him feel like he was floating, and she was the angel carrying him.
From that day on, Kaitlyn and Adam spent almost every day together. On warm days, they spent time at the beach and took walks in Grant Park. They even strolled around Lincoln Park Zoo looking at all the animals. In the eight months that Adam was stationed in Chicago, he had spent all his free time with Kaitlyn. They went to parties together. He even took her to the movies and bought her expensive dinners, although she had protested that he didn’t have to take her to these kinds of places. She was fine with inexpensive meals. And most of all, he didn’t need to impress her. She loved him for who he was, not for what he could give her, she told him, and it deepened his love for her.
Since the night of the party, he had fallen in love with her. He knew he was leaving soon, but he couldn’t help loving her with everything that he had. She was everything he’d always wanted in a woman. He hadn’t expected to find her so soon, but he also wasn’t ready to lose her. He had extended his stay to ten months. He knew it would only last so long and he would have to leave her behind. They exchanged rings as a token of their love for one another.
He knew there was no way he could be with her and be in another country at the same time, but he didn’t want to lose her. He knew of others at the base who had used Skype and Facetime to see their loved ones, but he couldn’t, could he? He had never felt this way and it scared him to death. What if he turned out to be like his dad and after twenty years, left without thinking twice? No, he knew he wasn’t anything like his father. Love like this only came around once in a lifetime. He didn’t want to lose her and would do everything to keep her.
Two days before he was to leave, Adam sat on his cot lacing his boots. It was breaking his heart to say goodbye, for how long, he didn’t know. She had her life here in Chicago and he had three more years to serve in the Army. In just two days he was being sent out of the country not knowing when or if he’d return to the states because it had occurred to him that he could get killed over there and Kaitlyn would never know. He knew in his heart that he’d never forget about her. She would always have a place in his heart because she had all of his heart.
20
Seven Years Earlier
Ben sat at the base of an oak tree watching her laugh with her friends. Her name was Kaitlyn and he had been watching her for the past year. Well, in all truth, since he had seen her with that Adam guy at the party when Freshman year started. He knew he had to get them away from each other, but Adam had made it easy when he was deployed to Afghanistan.
Ben had followed Kaitlyn and retrieved her mail once she dropped it off at the office in the school building. Every day for several months, Ben took Adam’s letters, only to replace them with one Dear John letter to Kaitlyn. He had kept one of the envelopes and unsealed it and replaced the letter inside, so she could see that it had been shipped from overseas. He watched her fall apart after reading the letter outside on the lawn under the shade of a tree. She was devastated. He wanted to console her, but it wasn’t the right time. He had to make sure it was the right time to run into her. He needed her heart to be ready for him, not filled with the love she felt for Adam.
He knew all her classes by eavesdropping as Kaitlyn and her friends walked through the halls going to their next class. He knew where she liked to go after school. Most of the time, she studied by herself in the library three days a week. He sat several tables away, pretending to read as he watched her. The way her eyes moved when she read and the one dimple on her cheek when she smiled—there was just something about her that intrigued him, and he knew he had to have her. He needed to come up with a plan to run into her. Make it seem like she wasn’t watching where she was going. He gathered his things and left the building. Tomorrow he would meet her, and she would be his girlfriend and one day his wife.
He wasn’t a psychopath who stalked women; no, he loved the control he had with women. He knew it had to do with the way he was raised and not receiving the attention he so desperately needed and wanted when he was a child. The hardest part was letting go when a woman didn’t want anything to do with him, but he would do whatever it took to get Kaitlyn to fall in love with him.
His parents weren’t together, never married as far as he knew. He didn’t even know where his father was and if he were still alive. Ben was not hugged or pampered in any way. He was treated with discipline. He would show the woman he fell in love with that ever-lasting love does exist. The woman he loved would get everything she desired. He would make her love him back and she would forever do as she was told. His mother had taught him the rules of life and what was needed in a relationship, and he would follow those rules and teach them to the one who stole his heart.
~ ~ ~
It was an early fall morning as Ben stood beside a tree, rain sprinkling down around him. There wasn’t a blue sky in sight, just a layer of gray, which made the atmosphere around him seem depressing. His planned intervention with Kaitlyn wouldn’t have been as dramatic if it were sunny.
He spotted Kaitlyn running out of her dorm in a hurry like most mornings, racing to get to her first class. He’d have to change that part of her. Being late was not something he liked. Ben stepped out from behind the tree just as the light rain began to pour and walked toward the sidewalk and into Kaitlyn’s path. Her books sailed out of her hands, flying and landing on the wet sidewalk. “I’m so sorry,” Ben said. “I’m such a klutz.”
Kaitlyn had glanced up and into his blueish-gray eyes. She looked frozen in time, as if she’d seen a ghost, then looked away, gathering her books that were being soaked in the rain. “It’s my fault. I was in a hurry and wasn’t watching where I was going,” she said apologetically. “Shit, I’m already late and Mr. Herman is going to be pissed.”
“Then why don’t you just skip class and we’ll go get a hot chocolate and dry off,” Ben suggested, smiling. He was good with getting women to do what he wanted.
Kaitlyn gathered the rest of her things and stood, looking at her watch. Rain drizzled down her face; her hair matted on the top of her head. She sighed. “Yeah, I guess. I’m already fifteen minutes late and my teacher gets upset if you walk into his class after it has started.”
“Then it’s settled. We’ll go to the cafeteria and get ourselves a nice hot cup of cocoa,” he replied with his movie star smile.
They walked together and sat in the back of the cafeteria, away from others who were eating their breakfast before they had to go to class. Ben watched as Kaitlyn squeezed the remaining water from her hair and flung it over her shoulder. It didn’t matter if her hair was wet or dry or if she didn’t have on any makeup, she was captivating and beautiful. She was everything he had hoped, and he would do whatever it took get her to be his. He would mold her into the woman he so desired.
She seemed to hesitate whenever she looked over at him. It almost seemed as if she knew him but couldn’t remember from where. Ben knew she’d never seen him before; that’s why he was here with her now. “So, what is your name?”
“Ben,” he replied. He could tell that she was disappointed by his name. Was she hoping that he was Adam? They did look somewhat alike. Their eyes were the same color.
“Ben what? Do you have a last name, Ben?”
“Ben Gordon, and yours is?”
“Kaitlyn Costa. W
hat classes are you taking?”
“Business classes,” he replied. “And I’m taking Accounting classes as well. I love numbers and figuring out all the different ways to use them. My mother always said I should be a scientist or something, but science isn’t my specialty. Too much involved in science than just numbers. What about yourself?” Ben asked even though he already knew. He piled lies on top of lies as he spoke. His mother had never praised him for anything. To her, he had never done anything good enough and she told him so. He was a disappointment to her.
“I’m studying to be a teacher. An English Literature teacher. I love words and what they portray when you read and write them. I love writing quotes and would like to write my own book someday,” she said, smiling before sipping from her cup. “I also want to inspire kids to read and write. Literature is so much more than people think. The words if written correctly can take you to places you’ve never been before. Worlds that don’t exist, like Harry Potter, but in our minds, that world does exist and it’s fascinating,” Kaitlyn said, playing with the ring on the necklace around her neck.
“I bet you’ll be a great teacher,” Ben replied. He could see that when she talked about the things she loved most, her eyes lit up. It made her more beautiful than she already was. It made him fall more in love with her than he had ever imagined he’d fall in love with any one person.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do since I was a little girl. My parents got me into reading at a very young age. We didn’t have a television in the house, so I just read.”
Ben laughed, “No television? How could you not have a television?”
“My parents didn’t believe in corrupting one’s mind when there was so much to learn in books.”
Ben nodded although he didn’t agree. He loved television, especially cop shows. “What year are you in?”
“Junior.”
“Same here.”
She looked down at her watch, signifying to him that she was getting ready to leave and head to her next class.
The Accident Page 11