Remember Fate

by Ginny Sterling

  “I’ll keep that in mind, Dylan.”

  Returning from patrols, the soldiers all unloaded their gear—grateful to be peeling off the layers that protected them but also insulated them in the acrid heat. They’d found several homemade bombs and detonated them safely. His ears were ringing from the noise.

  Cooper was stomping around trying to knock the sand off his body before he sat down on his bed. Jamie was doing the same. No one liked to sleep in a gritty bed.

  “You get something, Coop?” Jamie asked, smirking as he dumped his own gear onto the footlocker at the end of his bunk.

  “It’s probably yours and you know it, knucklehead,” Mike smarted back before picking up the box, glancing at it.

  “Trust me—that isn’t from Annabelle.”

  “What happened? Is planning for the wedding getting to be too expensive?”

  “We aren’t getting married.”

  “What? Since when?”

  “Since she is pregnant with another man.”

  “You have got to be kidding me,” Mike gaped in shock.

  “Nope. Turns out she hasn’t been spending the money on the wedding, she’s been living the high-life with some other guy.”

  “Seriously? Annabelle? I can’t see that in her from what you’ve said about her in the past. She seemed so nice and sweet.”

  “She is,” Post interrupted. “She’s so nice, sweet, pretty, and apparently in love with another man. She’s pregnant, Mike. I can’t marry her after she’s strung me along and then fallen for another guy. I broke it off and closed our shared account.”

  “Post, man, I am so sorry.”

  “Me too,” Post admitted, shaking his head in disbelief. “I’m just really glad that I found out before we got married rather than after. I still care for her and she’ll always be special – but to someone else now… not this fool. What did you get, Coop?”

  Unwrapping the paper, Mike was careful not to tear the return address. Jamie saw his friend smiling and felt a wave of happiness for the man. He deserved to be happy—he just hoped it worked out.

  Glancing down at the box in his hands, Mike laughed. Inside was a single large box of Candy Crush gummy candies. He pulled out the box and quickly opened it up. Some candies were melted or stuck together from the heat, but mostly they were in great condition. Mike happily popped a sour candy in his mouth and grinned.

  “You must really like gummy candy.”

  “It’s kinda our thing right now.”

  “You have a thing with her?”

  “I certainly do on my end and I’m wondering if she does too.”

  “‘Cause she sent you cheap candy?”

  “Because she thought enough to send something and I have her address now to send her a little something in return.”

  “That makes you weird and a true goofball.”

  “I’m okay with that,” Mike shrugged and tossed another piece of candy up in the air, catching it in his mouth.

  Jamie opened his footlocker to grab some clean clothing before heading for the showers. He glimpsed red and remembered the card that Lucy had sent him. She’d also warned him to contact Annabelle. He supposed he should thank her for reaching out but also felt upset wondering if she was the instigator in this whole mess. Pulling out the card, he saw her email at the bottom written in tiny black ink.

  How had he missed that before? he wondered.

  Gathering up his items, he shouted over his shoulder he’d be back in a bit and immediately left the tent. Striding over to the building that housed the computer, he saw that the line was extremely short. Most of the guys had finished their patrols earlier in the day and were headed towards the mess hall. Which meant if he would be able to write, get a shower, change clothes, and eat—he’d need to hustle!

  Taking a seat at the computer, Jamie quickly logged in and saw he had an email from Annabelle. Before opening it, he instead began to compose a quick email to Lucy. His fingers flew over the keyboard as he simply spilled everything that was racing through his mind. It was almost cathartic for him to ask the questions he knew Annabelle wouldn’t answer.

  Lucy,

  Thank you for sending the letter and the Christmas card. I guess I didn’t realize that I had your address. I appreciate you being kind enough to be considerate to tell me to contact Annabelle. I guess she didn’t know you had done that because she didn’t know about the Christmas card either and got really mad about that.

  So, it brings up the question why you are doing this? Is it malicious? Are you naïve too—‘cause I obviously was—or are you thinking to take Annabelle’s place? I can tell you- that will not happen. I don’t mean to be rude about it and I truly appreciated your honesty before, so I hope you understand mine. I’m not interested but I can introduce you to someone who might be.

  Thanks again.

  Jamie

  Opening the other email, it shocked him to see Annabelle was apologizing and asking for money – for the baby. Jamie didn’t even reply. He couldn’t at this point because all he could see was red. He didn’t even recognize the woman he’d grown up with anymore—and then hesitated. Maybe it was the same for Lucy too? Shaking his head, he quickly ran off to get his meal and shower before it got too late in the day.

  Lucy read the email on her cell phone three times before responding. She realized somewhere deep down inside that he must be lashing out or looking for someone to blame for all of this. That would not be her!

  Jamie,

  I was glad to see you emailed and that I have the chance to clear up a few things. I am truly sorry for what you and Annabelle are going through right now and know healing is going to be tough. I always considered you a friend growing up, and a friend to Annabelle, so if the roles had been reversed—I would have mailed her the same letter.

  Don’t let your ego tell you I’m stuck on you or something like that. Yeah, I always thought you were cute but ‘sappy or hung up on another girl’ just isn’t my type. I’d like to consider you still a friend if you need someone to talk to or wanted to vent—but let’s make it therapeutic, not accusatory.

  I’m not Annabelle—so don’t get us confused.

  I’m an impartial friend. I didn’t want to see one friend get screwed over wrongly by someone he loved, and someone I worked with at one time. It makes things (like emails!) very awkward.

  I wish you the best of luck and will try to send something to cheer you up because I’m sure things are tough right now. My mother used to say ‘time heals all wounds’—but only you know how long this wound will fester.

  Write when you can, friend.

  Lucy

  Reading her response, she hit send in almost an angry fashion. How dare he try to brush her off when he didn’t even know the ‘why’ behind her sending the letter? Yeah, she thought he was good-looking—but he belonged to someone else. Lucy knew that. It wasn’t a surprise. She was taken aback by his words and had to give herself the pep-talk repeatedly. No one would ever make her feel like less of a person ever.

  Opening up another screen, Lucy fully intended to order a care package to be sent directly to Jamie. She wanted it to be a joke, but also a teensy part of her wanted it to be snide. He’d hurt her feelings by saying he wasn’t interested—and she wanted to let him know she was fine with that. She put several goodies in the cart. On the receipt/card she hoped he understood the joke.

  Ice cream, Midol, a few funny jokes,

  and a good cry work for me.

  I thought it might be just the thing for you too.

  Your friend - Lucy

  Chapter Six

  “Mail call!”

  Jamie was getting to where he hated hearing that voice. He was bitter and still resentful of how he’d been fooled by Annabelle. He also felt like a louse lashing out at Lucy only to get completely smacked down by her in return.

  Sir, here is your ego on a platter, the lady doesn’t care for it, he thought wryly in his most presumptive voice. When he’d read Lucy’s email,
it had set him back in the chair and he had to read it again just to be sure.

  Yep, not interested.

  He looked like a complete jerk misreading the whole situation when he’d seen her here for the interview and again when he’d gotten the Christmas card. Apparently you could actually be nice to a person without it getting complicated—he just hadn’t realized that because he’d spent all his time giving in to Annabelle’s wishes and demands.

  “Post? Jamie Post?”

  Startled, he quickly rolled over in his bunk and hopped to his feet. He rarely got packages, and it wasn’t anywhere near his birthday. Usually his mother sent him something sweet because she believed everyone should do something special to celebrate their day. Last year it had been a vacuum-sealed cake and a jar of frosting that he ate noisily in front of his CPO just to be annoying.

  Receiving the box, he saw that it had Lucy’s name at the top corner. He realized that maybe he could use another friend, and he’d been too harsh on her. He needed to email her back and apologize. Slicing open the package with his pocket-knife, he peered inside and then checked the name on the box once again.

  It was actually mailed to him.

  A hot pink box of Midol sat at the very top glaring at him. Jamie heard a few snickers of laughter from nearby and continued to dig in the box, ignoring them. Luka was laughing hysterically from his bunk. He pulled out the Midol, a large box of Kleenex, a freeze-dried block of ice cream (Neapolitan, no less) and a soft cover book of Garfield; at the bottom of the box was a mint green envelope. Opening it, he read the note inside and couldn’t help the chuckle that burst from his mouth.

  He’d received a pity package.

  Smiling, he picked up the pink package and flung it at Luka’s head. Opening the package of freeze-dried ice cream, he went back to laying on his stomach and began to read the comics. A dull thump had the Midol pack landing right in the middle of the book, along with a flake of the freeze-dried ice cream that fell off the brick in his hand.

  There might be something to what Lucy’s card said—his soul was already feeling a little lighter. He just needed to find things that made him happy and kept his mind off of things. He’d send out an email to Lucy as soon as the computer was free to thank her—and eat crow.

  She was right - he’d been so very wrong.

  Lucy smiled as she received the notification that her package had landed in Afghanistan. It would probably be a few more days before he received it and goodness knows how long before she ever heard back – if she heard back. She ordered another book for him. This time it was Calvin and Hobbs. No snarky card, no PMS medicine, just a good ‘ol book that should put a smile on his face.

  “Lucy, do you have a moment?”

  Glancing up from her computer, she wondered if they had caught her shopping online. That wouldn’t go over well with her new position at the rival news station across town. She’d gotten the position and made the change as soon as humanly possible. Working with Annabelle had become unbearable, followed by a series of events that simply couldn’t be explained. She had yogurt dumped in her purse by mistake, two flat tires, they even stole her entire lunch one day from the break room. It was all a string of childish pranks by one bitter adult—but she couldn’t prove it.

  “Mr. Simmons. How can I help you today?”

  “I want to talk about an opportunity for you—and for this station.”

  “Certainly. What did you have in mind?”

  “I saw your piece on the soldiers last year and I thought it was very well done and you, so far, are the only anchor that’s been able to talk to them for a few minutes. Most everyone is shooed off right away or not allowed to land, so either you’ve got the Devil’s luck or you have an inside lead at the facility that I want to monopolize.”

  Lucy grew quiet and sat down in the leather chair. Her boss sat opposite of her, his fingertips forming a calculating triangle in front of his chest as he watched her.

  “So, you have a lead, I take it?”

  “Actually—I do know someone there, but we aren’t on the best of terms right now. That interview was me being in the right place, at the right time.”

  “Contact your person,” he said firmly, watching her, “The rebels in the area are mobilizing near Kabul and Ghazni—we need to have eyes and ears on the ground there. If you can get this story, that means a chance at the station—or you—receiving an award or national recognition.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “When can you leave? Do you have anything to wrap up here? If so, give your notes to Ben and I’ll make sure your name is on it. I can have you on a flight in two days. Does that give you enough time to get your team together?”

  “Yes.”

  “And do yourself a favor, Lucy,” he said solemnly, “get a burqa for this trip so you can hide your identity. I don’t want you in any more danger than necessary. The story is worth it—losing you isn’t. Got it, kiddo?”

  Nodding, she walked back to her desk in stunned silence. She was going to get a big news story, go back to Afghanistan, and be able to see Jamie again. Pulling up her email, she immediately reached out and hoped he would understand how important this was. She couldn’t tell him why she was going—only that she needed his help to get on the makeshift base.

  Jamie,

  I hope you enjoyed the care packages—there’s another little something on the way for you. I’ve had a massive opportunity come up with work and will be in the area once again. It would mean a lot to be able to say ‘hello’ once again to someone I consider a friend. I can’t say much—but be very careful, okay? My team’s flight leaves in two days. I’ll see you soon.

  Lucy

  Re-reading her words, she hoped it conveyed the fact that she needed his help to get on base without saying as much, plus she hoped he would notice that she told him to be careful. Email wasn’t as secure as everyone thought—so saying that the rebels were on the move would be a horrible idea! Much less announcing that she was coming with a camera crew! If she knew what was going on—there was a good chance she’d be flying into a hotbed along with several other news stations, all scrambling for the big story.

  Now where was she going to get a burqa in Norfolk?

  Jamie sat at the computer trying to hide his alarm. Lucy was returning with a team—which meant they were coming for a story. She also told him to be careful, showing they would be in danger soon. He clicked the print button and would give a copy to his captain immediately. She was smart to not say anything descriptive on the email—that was part of the reason they didn’t have email for the longest time at their post, nor Wi-Fi. Internet connections were never secure enough and things leaked out.

  Lucy,

  I got your email. I appreciate the packages—that was very kind of you. I’m happy for the opportunity to have a visitor but concerned that you are taking on too much. You need to take care of yourself first! I can worry about myself but thank you for reaching out. I’ve got some things to turn in to my boss and will write when I can.

  See you soon,

  Jamie

  Grabbing the printout, Jamie took off immediately for his commanding officer’s quarters. Something was amiss and they wouldn’t know for at least three days. If Lucy left in two days, plus travel time, then whatever was happening would occur soon. Opening the door, Jamie waited impatiently as the office staff tracked down Captain Logan. Snapping to attention, he winced as he saw his captain’s expression and realized his uniform was askew.

  “I’m sure this is so important that you couldn’t tuck in your shirt?” Captain Logan said dryly before taking a seat in one chair in the small office. “What is it, Post?”

  “Sir, may I speak freely?”

  “I wish you would—it might match your uniform, soldier.”

  Jamie immediately tucked in his shirt before opening his mouth. Fishing out the email he’d printed out, he handed it over to his captain who looked at him with a flat expression.

  “Sir, something is
going on and I believe we might be in danger.”

  “From an email?”

  “Sir, that is from a news anchor that I grew up with. She’s being sent here quickly for a reason and told me to be safe. If you read on, she says that she can’t say anything.”

  “And you believe her? This evasive letter?”

  “Truthfully, sir—yes. She’s the only one that has ever steered me in the right direction, even when it was something I didn’t want to deal with.”

  “Let me let you in on a little secret, Post: gossip spreads like wildfire around here. You have a group of men that are practically cut off from the rest of the world and all they do is talk among themselves. This isn’t from your fiancée—is it?” Captain Logan asked directly with an arched eyebrow.

  “No sir,” Jamie said, feeling his cheeks heat with embarrassment as he ground his teeth in frustration. They all talked. He had been made a fool of and been taken to the cleaners. When CPO Griffin was getting all those packages from his pen-pal – they all whispered about how emotional it made the man… and then he married the woman!

  “This is from a girl I grew up with—who told me to confront my fiancée.”

  “So, she’s honest, and you’d trust her with your life?”

  “I didn’t say that,” Jamie stammered in surprise, “Yes, I think she is honest but…”

  “But what? You are asking me to believe someone without credentials is coming here for some mysterious reason?”

  “Sir—I would trust her with my life. If she said that there is danger coming, I would believe her,” Jamie said flatly.

  He felt like he’d been pushed into a corner and stared at his captain with growing respect. The man had a way of understanding things and reading people keenly. Any of his brothers getting hurt again was utterly terrifying.

  It had devastated them when Ethan lost his leg. Jamie could still hear the explosion in his head. It had stunned his group that Wilkes almost got kicked out of the military. They were a close-knit bunch that protected each other’s backs without question.