Her Invisible Soldier: A Military Romance with a Twist

by Grace Risata

  “I know.”

  “Have you ever done anything to piss her off? Like accidentally ran over her foot when you were pulling out of her driveway? Stolen one of her boyfriends? Served her undercooked fish?”

  This day was trying my patience enough without having to listen to Nina’s ninety-nine conspiracy theories. It might have been a good way to pass the time, had each suggestion not been more absurd than the one before.

  “No, I never did anything that would give her a reason to fuck me over like that. It’s one thing to flirt with a guy she knows I like, but it’s an entirely different matter when you threaten to have me fired and send someone to jail.”

  “I know what it is!” Nina exclaimed way too loudly, causing me to shush her. “Kassie’s life is going straight down the toilet. She went from two men fighting over her, having Kennedy’s gratitude for setting her up with a nice guy, and working at a stable job…to none of the above. Think about it, Alyce. The girl is on a downward spiral. I think she just wants to bring everyone else down with her.”

  While I pondered that statement because it did have some merit, I temporarily let my guard down and it got me in trouble.

  “Did I hear my name?” Kennedy snapped in annoyance while entering the room. “Are you talking about me behind my back, Alyce? That is so juvenile.”

  Excuse me? Nina is the one talking, not me. I get blamed for everything around here. It took an enormous amount of willpower not to launch myself at the woman and start swinging. I realize that Kennedy was somewhat innocent in all this, but she shared the same face as her demon twin and I wanted vengeance.

  “We’re actually talking about your sister,” I confessed, eager to get this all out into the open. I was the type of person that could not let anything sit and fester. Some people allowed problems to eat away at them until they finally exploded. I just skipped right ahead to the eruption. Life was easier that way. “Do you have any idea what she did last night?”

  “She tried to save you from making a mistake with that loser,” Kennedy explained. “You should be thanking her right about now.”

  Nina gasped in outrage and I felt my face heat up in a hurry.

  “Oh, so you want me to be appreciative when someone threatens to get me fired, and either fuck the guy I’m with or have him thrown in jail?”

  Kennedy narrowed her eyes, smacked a dental tool she was carrying down on a nearby table, and lit into me.

  “Get your head out of your ass. Kassie wasn’t trying to have sex with that piece of shit. He’s nothing but delinquent trailer trash. My sister was trying to prove that Dixon would trade up at the first opportunity he got when something better came along. It’s the same thing she did with the hockey player in high school. You have a nasty habit of throwing yourself at guys that are not interested in you. It’s like you gravitate towards losers, cheaters, and playboys. Kassie was only trying to show you his true colors. There’s no way she would have messed around with him. She told me that you might come to work today making up lies about her. What the hell is your problem?”

  Are you kidding me right now?

  “My problem is that your sister is a conniving bitch who keeps pulling the wool over your eyes. Wake the fuck up, Kennedy. The only one that Kassie gives a shit about is herself.”

  “Maybe you’re just jealous because we have each other and you’ll never have anyone at all. Poor little Alyce is still dealing with her mommy issues and lashing out at everyone around her. Go to anger management or something. You’re out of control.”

  She’s right. That little remark about the mommy issues sent me over the edge. I took a step in her direction with the sole intent of beating that arrogant smirk right off her face.

  “I’m gonna fucking kill you, you bitch.”

  Unfortunately something stopped me. It wasn’t the sudden development of a conscious, the realization that my actions would have consequences, or anything sane like that. It was Mrs. Conway.

  “What in heaven’s name is going on here?” she snarled in disgust. “I’m in the other room trying to examine a patient, but I can’t concentrate because I hear vile curse words and threats coming from one of my employees. This behavior is inexcusable, Alyce.”

  Must calm down. Must apologize to boss. Must not lose job. Need health insurance. Need money to pay car payment, rent, and to put food on the table.

  “I’m sorry, Mrs. Conway. I should not have behaved like that. I am truly remorseful. It will not happen again.”

  “You’re absolutely right it won’t! Ever since the day I hired you, Alyce, you’ve been nothing but a disappointment. I took you under my wing as a favor to Kennedy and this is how I’m repaid?”

  She continued to lecture me, sticking her finger in my face with every single point she made, flapping her mouth like a fish stuck on land and trying to breathe. At some point I quit listening to her words and instead focused on the way her hair was so firmly sprayed into place that it never even moved no matter how much she waved her arms around.

  “Things are going to change around here, young lady,” she informed me. “You are in for a rude awakening. If you want to keep this job, you’re going to take a pay cut, work longer hours, and you will do what I say without argument. I certainly hired you with the hope of an entirely different outcome, Alyce. I expected an Asian woman to be submissive and subservient. You’re all supposed to be extra smart and do what you’re told. I’m not seeing that and it’s very disappointing.”

  Okay. That did it.

  “We all like rice too, Mrs. Conway. Don’t forget that one.”

  “I don’t care what you eat. Are you even paying attention to a word I’m saying?”

  “No. Because none of it matters anymore. Take your job and shove it right up your ass. Have fun finding someone else to do your dirty work, because I quit,” I shouted with fury. “Kennedy, you can go fuck yourself too. Tell your twat of a sister that I hope she rots in hell. Nina, I’ll talk to you later.”

  Without waiting for anyone to respond to my outburst, I reached under my desk, grabbed my purse, and stormed out of that prison.

  I was free.

  And it felt damn good.

  For about a minute until reality set in and I realized I was unemployed.

  Then it kind of sucked.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Meanwhile across town…

  Dixon

  “You can really see that I’m doing better, Dr. Goldberg. Is there any way you can put in a good word for me with your judge friend so he’ll change the requirements of my probation?”

  It had been an entire week since I’d last seen the guy and I was hoping he would be impressed with my progress and give me a figurative ‘get out of jail free’ card. If I could get him to waive my mandatory attendance at the veteran’s center, it would solve the Alyce-Kassie dilemma.

  “I will admit that your appearance has dramatically improved, Dixon, but it’s going to require more than that to convince me you’re on the right path. I haven’t heard from you in a week, you call out of the blue and insist on an appointment, and then come in asking for favors right away? I’m going to need more details before I make a hasty decision.”

  Dr. Goldberg leaned back in his chair and simply stared at me, waiting for an explanation. One of his rules was complete honesty, so I think I’ll try that and see what happens.

  “Here’s the thing, Doc. I took your advice from the last appointment. I got a haircut, went shopping for new some clothes, and did what you said. I’ll have to admit that it might have helped a little. When I stare at the reflection in the mirror, at least I look like my old self even if I don’t feel like it. But it got me off my ass and doing something, instead of just sitting around like a lump of shit.”

  “Okay. That’s a good start. But I don’t understand why you barge into my office, sit down all fidgety, and then ask me to start making changes to your routine. There’s more to the story that you’re not sharing, Dixon. This appointment la
sts for an hour. I suggest you use it to plead your case.”

  This guy expected me to talk for a whole hour? Fuck that shit.

  “I’ll cut right to the chase, Doc. The girl that I like…it’s getting more serious with her. Not like ‘go out and buy an engagement ring’ serious or ‘let her leave a toothbrush at my place’ serious or anything fucking stupid like that. Things are just developing better than I thought they would and I might care about her a little.”

  “I’m glad you’re taking it slow and not rushing into anything. The second you let a woman have a drawer in your bathroom, they’re going to start shopping for wedding dresses the next day.”

  Is he kidding me right now? Judging by the smirk on his face, I’d say that he’s giving me shit.

  “What do you know about it?” I asked.

  “I’ve been married three times and I still can’t figure out how a woman’s mind operates. If you can find a good lady that makes you happy, you’re going to have to learn how to commit and treat her right.”

  “Yeah, that’s not a problem. We sort of had a ‘we’re a thing now’ discussion last night,” I admitted sheepishly. I sounded like a fucking pussy already. I better man up and let him know that it wasn’t a planned event or anything. “My girl went out to a bar to celebrate her friend’s birthday and I just happened to show up there.”

  “Wait a minute. Are you supposed to be anywhere that serves alcohol? You’re on probation,” he chastised, causing me to instantly regret my words.

  “Your number one rule was honesty, Doc. I’m not gonna lie. I’m giving it to you straight. Let me explain what happened. We’re getting to the whole reason I’m here today. Just be patient.”

  He nodded and I continued, this time being more careful with how I phrased the story.

  “I was sitting at home and going nuts wondering what Alyce was doing. Were guys hitting on her? Was she flirting with them or thinking about me instead? The uncertainty of it all drove me crazy. So I went to the bar just to check on her.”

  “How did you get there? Wasn’t your license suspended?”

  Fuck. I couldn’t get anything past this guy.

  “I took my motorcycle, sir.”

  “Oh, I see. Now that you realize you’re in deep shit, you’re going to bust out the ‘sir’ and hope I’m impressed.”

  He smiled as he said that, so I think I should just keep talking and try to dig myself out of this mess.

  “So I illegally drove myself to a place that was supposed to be off-limits in order to calm the crazy thoughts running through my head. I went in with a bad attitude, all ready to kick some ass, but it wasn’t necessary. I found Alyce sitting at a table with her two lady friends and everything was fine. I realized that I should trust my girl and that I over-reacted. Luckily it was a very well-lit country bar with line dancing and a friendly crowd. Had it been a different type of club with flashing strobe lights, loud music with too much bass, and a rough clientele, then things might have gone differently.”

  “Those are triggers for you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did you have anything to drink?”

  “Just a bottle of water. Alyce freaked out when I kissed her, worried I might taste the alcohol on her breath and be tempted to go down a dark path,” I admitted with a shrug. Leave it to her to think of that. She took good care of me.

  “Were you tempted?”

  “Nope. I wouldn’t have done anything stupid to piss her off. She’s too important to me.”

  My mind drifted off as I pictured the look on her face when she saw me and all the other guys putting on a show. It was priceless. I definitely picked the right song judging by the way everyone went wild. I’m a crowd pleaser, what can I say?

  “What happened next?” Dr. Goldberg urged.

  “Alyce doesn’t know anything about country music, so I got up and did a line dance with her friends. It felt damn good to work up a sweat and prove myself. In my old life…I enjoyed that. Maybe I forgot who I was for a couple minutes. That’s important every once in a while.”

  “You don’t need to forget who are you, Dixon. You need to figure out who you want to be.”

  I cocked my head and stared at him for a solid minute. That was sort of profound.

  “I don’t know.”

  “That’s one of our goals. We’re going to help you find the answer and make it into a reality.”

  “I want to be with Alyce, sir. But we’ve hit a roadblock and that’s the real reason I’m here asking you to call the judge and pull some strings.”

  “Explain.”

  “There were two women at the bar last night that know me and Alyce from the veteran’s center. It was plainly obvious by our actions that we’re romantically involved. One of the women is a conniving bitch and she threatened to expose us and cause trouble. If Alyce can’t find a place to volunteer, then she’ll get fired. I don’t need to tell you what happens if I get kicked out and violate my probation.”

  “Who is this woman?” the doc asked, pulling out a pen. “Why would she do such a spiteful thing to you?”

  “Her name is Kassie, and I’m not sure about her motive. She got fired from the place for not showing up and it sounds like the girl is a real piece of work. Tries to make a play for everyone’s boyfriend and acts like she’s queen bee.”

  “Is it an empty threat or would she really do it?”

  I shrugged. It was hard to say for sure, but I wasn’t taking any chances.

  “Would you like us to find you a different place that connects veterans?” he asked. “There’s a support group that meets three times a week in the lower level of this building. I would have suggested it right away, but you kept cancelling appointments.”

  “No, sir. If I’m being honest here, I can’t sit around and listen to men talk about what they experienced during battle. It just brings back memories that I’m not ready to deal with yet. If it’s my only other option, I’ll do it for no other reason than to save Alyce’s job.”

  Dr. Goldberg picked up my file and sat back in his chair, casually flipping through pages.

  “What will you do all day if you’re not at the center?”

  I sat in silence, not knowing what to say. I don’t think ‘watch porn and eat donuts because I can’t have alcohol due to your random piss tests’ is a very responsible answer.

  “Exactly. You’ll get into trouble if left to your own devices. Why do you think the judge ordered you to go to the center? He wanted to get you out of the house to a safe place with a group of your peers. I suppose we’ll just have to find an alternative.”

  The guy spent another five minutes wordlessly studying my paperwork and then opened a desk drawer and pulled out a stack of business cards.

  “You need a job, Dixon.”

  “I have money,” I explained bitterly. If he asked where it came from, he wouldn’t get an answer.

  “Yes, I know. It’s all here in your file. However, I’m not asking you to submit your resume to a few places and see what happens. That’s not how this works.”

  What the hell was he talking about? I stayed silent and waited for him to continue.

  “If you want me to sign off on the recommendation that you are no longer required to spend any time at the veteran’s center, you’re going to have to do something for me.”

  “I’m listening.”

  What if this guy expects me to murder his ex-wife or something equally criminal like that?

  “You’re going to get a job. It will involve you working forty hours a week doing manual labor. You will show up every single day whether you want to or not. You will get along with your co-workers and not get violent no matter what they do to annoy you. You will be respectful of your boss, most importantly, because these people trust me to deliver hard workers and not lazy scumbags. Is that clear?”

  I nodded, still not entirely sold on the idea.

  “The majority of my clients are veterans, Dixon. I have a large network of contacts that
are detrimental in getting people like you back into the work force. Soldiers have an amazing set of skills due to their military training. However, some of them have emotional issues and are not the easiest of people to employ. I’m doing you a favor by getting you a job. Don’t make me regret it.”

  “Where would I be working?”

  There were things I was not willing to do. Anything like slaughtering animals, taking off my clothes for money, or working in a shit treatment plant were absolutely out of the question.

  “I have a friend in the construction business—” he began, pulling out a business card from the pile.

  “Nope. No fucking way,” I swore, standing up and getting ready to walk right out of his office and find a different solution to my problem.

  “Sit back down,” he ordered. “I had a feeling you might not go for that one. How about working for a landscape company? My nephew Josh just opened his own business and he’s short-handed. Summer is his busy season and good help is hard to find and keep. You would be planting trees, mowing lawns, and doing general yard maintenance.”

  “I can do that.”

  “Good. Here’s his contact information. I’ll let him know you’ll be starting on Monday. Don’t let me down.”

  “I suppose I’m getting minimum wage? Do you get a finder’s fee for handing me over?” I didn’t appreciate being forced into this, yet at the same time he did offer me a way out of my obligation to the veteran’s center.

  Dr. Goldberg shook his head in disappointment.

  “I did exactly as you asked, but instead of thanking me, you have to try and find an ulterior motive,” he sighed. “Josh will pay you very generously and I don’t get a damn thing for helping either one of you. The reason I’m sending you on this job is to get you out into the world and give you a purpose. After a long day of hard work, you’ll come home exhausted and be too wiped out to do anything but sleep. Fresh air is healthy. One day when you look back on this, you’ll realize I did you a kindness, Dixon. Then you’re going to feel guilty for the way you acted. It’s okay. I forgive you. Now get the hell out of my office and don’t give me a reason to change my mind.”