by Marie, Ava
Brandon studied the cast covering his left arm and wondered why he didn’t feel any pain. He remembered the bullets as one by one, they hit his arm. Then the blood that trailed downward followed. It was the pain that kept him awake for a while, and the same pain that immediately made him unconscious.
Chapter #4
Looking at his arm, he uttered a short prayer of thanks. Because he still has both arms. He tried to move the fingers on his left hands and he was relieved when he was able to do so successfully.
General Walker walked inside his room, and Brandon tried to sit up.
The general nodded curtly at him and saluted.
“My apologies, general. I can’t at least sit up to—”
“Nonsense. Save your energy,” he said. “I’m here to let you know that I’m letting you off. Go home.”
Brandon’s eyes widened. “But I can’t. Not yet. I have not contributed to the war—”
“It’s not an issue anymore. As far as I’m concerned, you need to rest. I can’t lose soldiers because I made them fight when they are wounded.”
“General, please. Don’t send me home. I want to serve my country—,” Brandon pleaded.
The general exhaled loudly. “Are you certain?”
“Yes, Sir,” Brandon said.
“Very well. I will let you stay here for another two weeks. We’ll see if you’ll be fit enough to get back in the field by then. But,” he paused, “if you’re still unfit to hold a rifle by that time, I can’t grant your wish anymore. You would have to take the next flight home.”
“That sounds fair, sir,” Brandon said, relieved.
“OK. Get well.”
Brandon watched as the general turned. As the door closed in on him, Brandon saw Amy peering through the glass panel. She pushed the door and went inside.
“Can I have my cell phone back?” Amy asked.
“Oh. Do you need it already?” he asked sullenly.
“Why? Didn’t you get to call your wife?”
“Not yet,” he answered.
“Why not?”
“Her phone just kept on ringing.”
Amy wondered if it would be such a selfish thing to get her cell phone back. Finally, she said, “Why don’t you give it another try?”
Brandon shrugged and reached for the cell phone resting on top of the table beside his bed. He redialled his wife’s number and waited for the ring. Then he was surprised when his wife’s voice came on.
“Hello?” Jennifer asked.
Brandon smiled. “Hi babe,” he said. He closed his eyes as he listened to the familiar sound of her voice. He hoped that she would continue talking.
On the other line, the voice seemed to hesitate. And then in a more composed tone, she asked, “Brandon? Is that you?”
“I miss you so much. Did you get my gift?” he asked.
“What gift?” she asked.
Brandon’s eyes squinted. “The gift that I sent you for our anniversary… don’t tell me it hasn’t arrived yet?”
There was a pause from the other line. “No,” said Jennifer.
Brandon closed his eyes. That must explain why his wife was being cold to him. Her tone had an unusual clipped edge. “I’m sorry, babe. You must have thought that I forgot all about it…”
“No, it’s OK, really,” she said.
“So how are you? How are things over there? Are we going to hear wedding bells yet?” he asked.
“What wedding bells?” Jennifer asked.
“For Leo,” he said.
Jennifer paused. “Leo?”
“Yes, Leo and Sam. Remember? The cupid project of yours,” Brandon said.
Chapter #5
Jennifer chuckled softly. “Oh, yes. I forgot about that,” she paused. “No. There won’t be any bells any time soon.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” Brandon said. “You can’t force love on people.” His eyes fell upon Amy who was now sitting on the chair in the corner of his room. “Hey, I just called to say I love you. And that I’m safe,” Brandon said.
“Babe, please always stay safe. I love you too,” Jennifer said. “Come back home, please?” she whispered.
“You know I can’t, yet,” he said. “But it has been more than six months and we’re doing all right. I’ll be home before you know it.”
“But I miss you so much…”
“I miss you so much too. I can’t wait to get home to you and start our family,” he said, already picturing a baby in his head.
That seemed to cheer his wife.
“Just stay safe, OK?” she said. “Good night, babe.”
Brandon said good night too, and then he ended the call.
Amy stood up and took the phone from him.
“You miss her?” Amy asked.
Brandon looked at Amy and smiled. “Every day.”
Amy nodded slowly and went out of the room.
Leo had been watching the house across from his place. It’s been almost a week now and Jennifer wouldn’t return any of his calls. When he tried to talk to her by going to her house, she wouldn’t pay him any mind.
It’s as though nothing happened between them. He wondered if there really had been something, or all of the good things were only in his dreams.
He saw the door open and Jennifer went out. Hurriedly, Leo opened the door to his house and crossed the street.
“Jen!” he shouted.
Jennifer saw him and started jogging away from him. She was wearing her jogging clothes. When Leo was closer, she started sprinting.
“Shit!” Leo cursed. Then he ran after her. When he was only an arm’s length away, he extended his right hand and grabbed her elbow.
But Jennifer kept on running, until she slipped, and Leo fell with her.
It was a good thing that they landed on a soft grass patch in their neighborhood.
Jennifer tried to wiggle away from him, but Leo saw that this was the only chance he had, so instead of letting her go, he tightened his hold on her.
“Let go of me!” she said.
“No, not until you talk to me,” Leo said.
Seeing that she wouldn’t be able to free herself from Leo’s iron grip, Jennifer stopped flailing. She gazed up at the sky and waited for what Leo had to say.
“Please tell me you’re not mad at me,” Leo started.
“I’m not,” Jennifer said. “Now will you please let me go?”
“Why are you acting this way?” Leo asked, irritated.
“Why am I acting this way?” Jennifer asked. She turned to look at Leo. “I should be the one asking you that. Because as far as I’m concerned, I’m married. I’m in love with my husband. And yet, you started flirting with me, and I wasn’t able to resist you. I hate you for tempting me. I hate you for being this close to me. I hate you for making me feel like this!”
“I flirted with you?” he asked, “When was that, huh? Let me see, before you said you wished you were the one I was in love with? Or right after we made love in my room?”
Jennifer slapped him, and he didn’t try to block her hand. He knew he deserved it. She kept on slapping him, until she couldn’t anymore because she was trembling, crying.
“I don’t want to be so confused,” she said in between sobs.
Leo’s heart softened and slowly, he took her hands in his, and he pulled her closer. “I know. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have,” he whispered. “But it was very difficult for me. Because I have been in love with you for so long. You weren’t a temptation to me. You were a dream.”
Chapter #6
“I want this to stop,” she said, “but I don’t know how.”
Leo pressed his cheek against her head. “I don’t know how to stop too,” he said. “Do you know that you’re the first thing I think about whenever I wake up? That in the middle of the night, I would reach out hoping to hold you only to find my pillow in the darkness. That every time I hear the piano playing, I would remember you…”
She laughed weakly.
“Do you know that I play the piano only recently because I had so much emotion inside my chest and I wanted to let it out through music? And most of those emotions were about you?”
Leo looked at her. “I know. I listened.”
Jennifer cried again and no matter how much Leo wanted to be with her, he didn’t want to see her being so hurt.
“What can I do to make the pain go away?” Leo asked.
Jennifer’s shoulders stopped from shaking. “Say goodbye.”
That was the moment that Leo’s heart broke. “Is that what you really want?”
Without looking at him, Jennifer nodded. “There’s no other way,” she said.
Leo shut his eyes. Could he give up this woman? She was never really his. Giving her up wasn’t even a question he should be thinking about. “If I say goodbye, would you at least spend another whole day with me?” he paused, wondering what he would do in case she said no.
But there were no objections from Jennifer. Instead, with her head pressed against his chest she nodded.
“Next week, same day. I’ll see you at seven,” Leo said. Then he removed his arms around her and got up. He didn’t wait for her response. He ran away, slowly at first. And then he ran really, really fast, desperate to get away from her.
Brandon sat inside the hospital canteen and watched the other patients. Amy walked over to where he was sitting.
“Do you want to have the therapy now?” she asked.
Brandon shook his head. “It’s been two weeks, and there’s not much improvement. I could barely close my hand into a fist. I guess I should accept it that I would be sent home.”
“Oh. When?” she asked.
“Maybe tomorrow. I have very few things here. Packing wouldn’t be an issue. Besides, there’s a flight due back home tomorrow.”
“You miss her?”
Brandon smiled. It was weird because for the past two weeks that he and Amy were together, she kept on asking him about Jennifer. How she looks like, what kind of clothes she wears, how she was toward him—and she kept on asking him if he misses her.
“Of course,” he said. “She’s my wife.”
Amy reached out her hand and touched his hand. “I understand. It’s lonely to be alone so far away from home,” she said.
Slowly, Brandon’s eyes travel from her hand on his, then to her face, and it dawned on him. She developed a sort of protective affection toward him. His heart warmed at the realization.
She must be lonely too. He squeezed her hand.
“Thank you for taking care of me,” he said.
Amy looked at her, and her eyes moistened. “It’s not a problem.” Then she slowly removed her hand from his and walked away.
But before she could walk farther away, Brandon quickly grabbed her hand.
“Hey,” he said.
Amy glanced back at him and tried to read his expression. Then she bent forward and kissed him. Her lips opened slightly as she met his lips in a kiss. It was more than she could hope for. She only wished that he wouldn’t stop, because sad as it may sound, she developed feelings for this man.
Her eyes opened when Brandon pulled back. He looked down on his lap and said, “I’m sorry. I can’t. I’m married.”
Amy pressed her lips together and nodded. She opened her mouth to say it’s all right, but she didn’t have the strength to say the words. So she just bent forward and kissed him on the top of his head before she walked away.
Chapter #7
She prayed that when she returns to the hospital tomorrow for her shift, he would be gone already.
Leo carefully selected the roses that he would give Jennifer. A dozen red roses for her. He hoped that she would like them.
When he was all set, he crossed the street and knocked on her door. His heart was beating rapidly in anticipation of what would happen for the rest of the day. This is going to be the last time he’ll see her. He would make sure of that.
Jennifer opened the door, and her blue eyes met his.
“Hi,” he said. “You look lovely.”
Jennifer blushed. He handed her the flowers and she went inside, put the flower in a vase before going out again.
Leo walked beside her, self-conscious that a neighbor could be looking at them.
When finally they were inside the house, he turned to face her. He only looked at her for a split second before he felt the desire to kiss her. He bent toward her and her lips met his in a very passionate kiss.
He pulled back. He couldn’t just kiss her. It wasn’t because of his desires that he wanted this evening with her. Not because of that alone. He wanted the evening to be special.
He took her hand and led her to his backyard. Outside, the flowers surround the garden. He bent down and took off his shoes and socks. Then he knelt in front of her and took off her shoes, until they were both barefoot.
He took her hand again and started walking to the middle of the backyard.
Jennifer was looking at the flowers. There were so many of them. Different kinds, different colors. She couldn’t identify each one.
And then her gaze fell upon piano. It was all white. She stopped walking and watched as Leo went in front of it and sat down. Then his fingers slowly danced on the keys.
“Come sit with me,” he said.
Jennifer wanted to say no, but she had promised him a day. It was a compromise. She would spend another day with him, but after this, he would walk away from her life.
The problem was what if she fell in love deeper with him because of the intimacy and tenderness that he is displaying to her now. She couldn’t let that happen.
But his gaze was so warm, and it was almost—pleading.
She walked toward him, and sat beside him on the bench.
When she was beside him, he started playing the piano. She didn’t know that he also played. And he was better than her.
She was watching him as his body swayed to the rhythm of the piece he’s playing. When he finished, she was almost in tears.
“You are my music,” he said. “I love—”
“Stop,” she said softly. “No promise. No conversations.”
Confused, Leo just looked at her.
Then Jennifer cupped his face in her hands. She leaned forward and kissed him. There would be no conversations. But she promised inside her head, she would let herself dance to the melody playing inside her head.
As the day broke, Brandon took his cap from his duffel bag and wore it. He looked around one last time at the figures of the mosques and buildings in the Middle East that were slowly getting smaller as the plane rose higher in the air. Maybe he would miss the place. Maybe.
But he couldn’t wait to get home and be with his wife.
Six months and two weeks. That was almost enough to make a man crazy about missing his wife. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep. In his mind, he was already holding her against him, smelling the sweet scent of her body. And telling her again and again that this time, he would quit being a soldier, he would find another job, and he would never again leave her side.
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