Julia
A little cliff-hanger in this chapter.
We got back to base at 1800 hours. The sun was about to set and my men looked quite tired and weary. Carl headed to the mess hall while Chris retreated to his tent. I headed toward the command center to check in with the commander before I could get back to my quarters.
“Commander, we have successfully defended the missile silo outside the canyon ridge with minimal casualties, sir! No harm was endured by the firing station, and all the warheads have been safetly secured!”
“That’s good to hear, Captain Ramune. I suppose you and your men are quite exhausted after that affair. We had no idea the Desert Sons would attack anywhere outside the city, what with their siege lasting into its third day. We were lucky that your squad was near that area finishing up a training mission. I really did not want to send you and your fresh recruits in there without prior experience. I’m glad that your officers managed to keep everyone in check and assess the situation according.”
“Thank you, sir. Have you sent in another squad to patrol the area in case the Sons might attack again?”
“Yes, I sent Lowell’s squad to keep watch for the night. That being said, I think you should get some rest, soldier. You’ve had a rough day. Report back at 0900 hours for your next assignment. Dismissed!”
“Sir!” After we saluted each other, I walked over to the camping area and into my tent. I remember telling my commanding officers that I did not want to have specials quarters like the other officers. I wanted to be right with my men from sun up to sun down, even if that meant I had to be confined to the humblest of shelters. Whatever space I did have, I managed to make it comforting.
The walk back to the camping area was peaceful. The sun has nearly set, leaving a band of red below a dark blue sky. The air had cooled down significantly, and the cheers of the other soldiers watching the home-rub derby back home could be heard faintly. I placed my assault rifle at the head of my cot and lay down. Above me was a picture of my fiancée, Julia Verano. She was half-Irish, half-Italian, but you couldn’t tell from her name. She had long, light-brown hair, defined cheekbones, deep honey eyes, a perfect smile, and a voice that would melt even the coldest of hearts. This picture meant a lot to me as it kept me on edge, knowing that if I died on the field, I’d never be able to see her again.
She’s standing among the roses of her grandparents’ country home in South Carolina. Dressed in a pale blue summer dress, she smiles for me while I try to snap the perfect picture. Beautiful, as always. I notice her necklace in the picture; it was the one I gave her on our two-year anniversary. It was a simple, silver chain with a ruby heart. I had spent weeks trying to find the perfect gift for her back then. I had seen countless jewelers before I saw that necklace at a boutique shop. The minute I saw how the ruby heart sparkled like her eyes, I knew that it was meant for her. Cost me a pretty penny, too. But I honestly didn’t care. In all my years, there had never been a more beautiful woman who honest-to-God knew me.
I kept count of the days left on my tour of duty so that I could go back to the states and finally marry her. There’s no doubt that maintaining this relationship was hard, but we managed to get by so far. Only three more days left. I just needed to take my men out on one more mission and then I’d be flying back to New York, where we would be wed at Montauk.
“Hey, Lucius! You finally got a letter from JUUUUUULIAAAAAA!” Carl screamed in a singsong voice as he burst into my tent. Told you he was incredibly dramatic for a sniper.
“Goddammit, Carl, don’t you ever knock before entering?”
“If you haven’t noticed, asshole, tents don’t have doors!”
“Fuck you, man, and give me my goddamn letter! Why the hell were you going through my mail, anyway? Isn’t there some goddamn mail boy who gives out letters?” I said with a smile on my face. God, I must’ve looked as excited as a puppy seeing its master come home from a long trip when Carl told me Julia wrote to me. She hadn’t written me in a couple of months and I was worrying about her. I got up and tried to take the letter from him. The bastard put the letter behind his back before I could grab it.
“In case you’d forgotten, that letter boy happens to be a good friend of mine. He told me to give this to you since your tent is next to mine.”
“All right, all right… Can I have my letter now?”
“Only after you say the magic words.”
“May I please have my mother-fucking letter now?”
“Those weren’t the magic words.”
“STOP FUCKING AROUND WITH ME ALREADY I’M GONNA HAVE A FUCKING HEART ATTACK!” It may sound like I hate the guy, but this is how we normally talk to each other. We grew up together, went to the naval academy together, and spent most of our time on the field together. The only reason I’m superior to him is because I saved his life a year ago when we were doing a recon mission in Malaysia.
“You gotta tell me, ‘Thanks for saving my sorry ass out on the field today so I can come back and stare at the picture of my fiancée!’”
“Oh, come on, man. You know I haven’t heard from Julia in months! Give me the letter!”
“Not until-“
“Fine, you fucking sadistic asshole! Thank you for saving my sorry ass out on the field today so I can come back and stare at the picture of my fiancée. Happy? Give me my fucking letter.”
“You forgot to say ‘please!’” He started laughing and finally gave me my letter. I was about to open the letter when I noticed that Carl was still looking at me intently.
“What? You want me to say what’s in the letter? Hell no, man, this shit’s private. I don’t go asking you about what Raven writes to you. Knowing you two, she probably writes about how much she misses you and this,” I said while sticking my tongue between two-fingers in a very vulgar manner. It’s funny. We always act like assholes, but we know each other so well that whatever insults we say, we never mean it. Carl couldn’t stop laughing after seeing me flap my tongue up and down.
“Hahahahaha you probably don’t take too many trips down south because any real man would know that’s not how you do it!”
“Ah, fine, you got me there… You know me too well to know that I’m saving all that for marriage.”
“Ha, I know, man. I wish I had your morals, sometimes. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Raven’s great and all, but man she can fucking wear me out.”
“BLAH BLAH BLAH I’M NOT HEARING THIS!!!”
“Hahaha! Sorry, man. So you finally get time off in a couple days to go back to tie the knot, eh? I bet you’re excited.”
“You have no fucking clue, man. I’ve been waiting all my life to marry a girl like Julia. God, I haven’t seen her in six months. She means the world to me, Carl. Losing her would kill me. You know why I’m not gung-ho anymore? I know that if I fuck up just once, I might die and never tell her again that I love her. But hell, now I get to love her for the rest of her life!” That was when Carl slapped me square across the face.
“Don’t go soft on me, soldier! We’re supposed to be cold-blooded killers!” He said while pounding his chest like a fucking gorilla. I swore at him again while he was laughing his ass off at me, but he stopped soon and told me, “Nah, you know I’m just messin’ with you. I knew exactly what you mean. I just haven’t had the balls or the ring to pop the question to Raven. When I go back in a month, I’m gonna make sure I get the right ring for her.”
“I know how that feels all too well.” We stopped talking for a second and looked at the floor, completely silenced by how the conversation turned from swearing at each other to marriage proposals. Carl looked back at me, smiled, and said,
“Well, I’ll let you read your letter alone in peace. See you in the morning, and don’t dream too much about JUUUUULIAAAAAAAA!” He left my tent laughing and sang that stupid kid song about sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g. It was dark now. The surprisingly cold air sent a shiver up my spine as I opened the letter. When I finally got the envelope open, I took the letter out and saw the ruby heart necklace I gave her drop to the floor. There was writing on the paper, but all I could hear myself say was,
Shit.
We got back to base at 1800 hours. The sun was about to set and my men looked quite tired and weary. Carl headed to the mess hall while Chris retreated to his tent. I headed toward the command center to check in with the commander before I could get back to my quarters.
“Commander, we have successfully defended the missile silo outside the canyon ridge with minimal casualties, sir! No harm was endured by the firing station, and all the warheads have been safetly secured!”
“That’s good to hear, Captain Ramune. I suppose you and your men are quite exhausted after that affair. We had no idea the Desert Sons would attack anywhere outside the city, what with their siege lasting into its third day. We were lucky that your squad was near that area finishing up a training mission. I really did not want to send you and your fresh recruits in there without prior experience. I’m glad that your officers managed to keep everyone in check and assess the situation according.”
“Thank you, sir. Have you sent in another squad to patrol the area in case the Sons might attack again?”
“Yes, I sent Lowell’s squad to keep watch for the night. That being said, I think you should get some rest, soldier. You’ve had a rough day. Report back at 0900 hours for your next assignment. Dismissed!”
“Sir!” After we saluted each other, I walked over to the camping area and into my tent. I remember telling my commanding officers that I did not want to have specials quarters like the other officers. I wanted to be right with my men from sun up to sun down, even if that meant I had to be confined to the humblest of shelters. Whatever space I did have, I managed to make it comforting.
The walk back to the camping area was peaceful. The sun has nearly set, leaving a band of red below a dark blue sky. The air had cooled down significantly, and the cheers of the other soldiers watching the home-rub derby back home could be heard faintly. I placed my assault rifle at the head of my cot and lay down. Above me was a picture of my fiancée, Julia Verano. She was half-Irish, half-Italian, but you couldn’t tell from her name. She had long, light-brown hair, defined cheekbones, deep honey eyes, a perfect smile, and a voice that would melt even the coldest of hearts. This picture meant a lot to me as it kept me on edge, knowing that if I died on the field, I’d never be able to see her again.
She’s standing among the roses of her grandparents’ country home in South Carolina. Dressed in a pale blue summer dress, she smiles for me while I try to snap the perfect picture. Beautiful, as always. I notice her necklace in the picture; it was the one I gave her on our two-year anniversary. It was a simple, silver chain with a ruby heart. I had spent weeks trying to find the perfect gift for her back then. I had seen countless jewelers before I saw that necklace at a boutique shop. The minute I saw how the ruby heart sparkled like her eyes, I knew that it was meant for her. Cost me a pretty penny, too. But I honestly didn’t care. In all my years, there had never been a more beautiful woman who honest-to-God knew me.
I kept count of the days left on my tour of duty so that I could go back to the states and finally marry her. There’s no doubt that maintaining this relationship was hard, but we managed to get by so far. Only three more days left. I just needed to take my men out on one more mission and then I’d be flying back to New York, where we would be wed at Montauk.
“Hey, Lucius! You finally got a letter from JUUUUUULIAAAAAA!” Carl screamed in a singsong voice as he burst into my tent. Told you he was incredibly dramatic for a sniper.
“Goddammit, Carl, don’t you ever knock before entering?”
“If you haven’t noticed, asshole, tents don’t have doors!”
“Fuck you, man, and give me my goddamn letter! Why the hell were you going through my mail, anyway? Isn’t there some goddamn mail boy who gives out letters?” I said with a smile on my face. God, I must’ve looked as excited as a puppy seeing its master come home from a long trip when Carl told me Julia wrote to me. She hadn’t written me in a couple of months and I was worrying about her. I got up and tried to take the letter from him. The bastard put the letter behind his back before I could grab it.
“In case you’d forgotten, that letter boy happens to be a good friend of mine. He told me to give this to you since your tent is next to mine.”
“All right, all right… Can I have my letter now?”
“Only after you say the magic words.”
“May I please have my mother-fucking letter now?”
“Those weren’t the magic words.”
“STOP FUCKING AROUND WITH ME ALREADY I’M GONNA HAVE A FUCKING HEART ATTACK!” It may sound like I hate the guy, but this is how we normally talk to each other. We grew up together, went to the naval academy together, and spent most of our time on the field together. The only reason I’m superior to him is because I saved his life a year ago when we were doing a recon mission in Malaysia.
“You gotta tell me, ‘Thanks for saving my sorry ass out on the field today so I can come back and stare at the picture of my fiancée!’”
“Oh, come on, man. You know I haven’t heard from Julia in months! Give me the letter!”
“Not until-“
“Fine, you fucking sadistic asshole! Thank you for saving my sorry ass out on the field today so I can come back and stare at the picture of my fiancée. Happy? Give me my fucking letter.”
“You forgot to say ‘please!’” He started laughing and finally gave me my letter. I was about to open the letter when I noticed that Carl was still looking at me intently.
“What? You want me to say what’s in the letter? Hell no, man, this shit’s private. I don’t go asking you about what Raven writes to you. Knowing you two, she probably writes about how much she misses you and this,” I said while sticking my tongue between two-fingers in a very vulgar manner. It’s funny. We always act like assholes, but we know each other so well that whatever insults we say, we never mean it. Carl couldn’t stop laughing after seeing me flap my tongue up and down.
“Hahahahaha you probably don’t take too many trips down south because any real man would know that’s not how you do it!”
“Ah, fine, you got me there… You know me too well to know that I’m saving all that for marriage.”
“Ha, I know, man. I wish I had your morals, sometimes. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Raven’s great and all, but man she can fucking wear me out.”
“BLAH BLAH BLAH I’M NOT HEARING THIS!!!”
“Hahaha! Sorry, man. So you finally get time off in a couple days to go back to tie the knot, eh? I bet you’re excited.”
“You have no fucking clue, man. I’ve been waiting all my life to marry a girl like Julia. God, I haven’t seen her in six months. She means the world to me, Carl. Losing her would kill me. You know why I’m not gung-ho anymore? I know that if I fuck up just once, I might die and never tell her again that I love her. But hell, now I get to love her for the rest of her life!” That was when Carl slapped me square across the face.
“Don’t go soft on me, soldier! We’re supposed to be cold-blooded killers!” He said while pounding his chest like a fucking gorilla. I swore at him again while he was laughing his ass off at me, but he stopped soon and told me, “Nah, you know I’m just messin’ with you. I knew exactly what you mean. I just haven’t had the balls or the ring to pop the question to Raven. When I go back in a month, I’m gonna make sure I get the right ring for her.”
“I know how that feels all too well.” We stopped talking for a second and looked at the floor, completely silenced by how the conversation turned from swearing at each other to marriage proposals. Carl looked back at me, smiled, and said,
“Well, I’ll let you read your letter alone in peace. See you in the morning, and don’t dream too much about JUUUUULIAAAAAAAA!” He left my tent laughing and sang that stupid kid song about sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g. It was dark now. The surprisingly cold air sent a shiver up my spine as I opened the letter. When I finally got the envelope open, I took the letter out and saw the ruby heart necklace I gave her drop to the floor. There was writing on the paper, but all I could hear myself say was,
Shit.