Tournament of Trials
Page 3
*****
I suppose do look like Johnny Depp, I admit on occasions when glancing in the mirror. Adelle defiantly is the hottest female I’ve met in the service. But there are drawbacks to our relationship. She’s cunning, and I’ve caught her in her lies before. She can be coldhearted. I will never forget the time Adelle told me, “Don’t be so disgusting.” It was in response to a casual comment I made to an outfit she was wearing, one evening, when we were back home on shore leave, shortly after the awful tragedy of my ex-wife and daughter dying in a house fire.
My attraction to Adelle distracts me from focusing on my itinerary of goals, and causes me to make poor decisions. She requires so much time and effort from me that the sacrifices I have to make postpone my personal ambitions for being accomplished. I’m constantly searching for ways in which to please my newly engaged fiancé. But I can’t bear to think of living without her. By focusing on her, it keeps the pain of losing my young daughter at bay.
Most times Adelle seems genuinely thoughtful. Other times it’s like she’s going through the motions, as if she were detached. There’s a selfish side to her I’ve been trying to change with my generosity. The strangest part about all this is that I’ve overheard her talking to herself while she’s in private places, alone, say for instance the bathroom, or while in the shower. I’ve learned to disregard it, after hearing several times this is what many women regularly do.
I want to believe that deep down Adelle cares for me just as much as I do for her. But there’s an intuition, warning not to give in to her completely. I was overeager when I finally acquired the engagement ring set and presented it to her, from down on one knee. The collection was said to be impossible to find. By its offering I hoped to share many more joyous moments.