Sequel: A Soldier's Tribute ›
My Sacrifice
This Life
“Letter for you Saunders!”
His head snapped up as the other soldiers around him sent wolf-whistles and flying objects in his direction. He ducked the objects as he moved across the room and snatched the letter away from the man delivering it. “Whose it from Saunders?” Jeffery demanded trying to lean over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of the name on the envelope. “Is it from that hot girl of yours? She send a picture this time?”
“Leave him alone Jeffery. Besides, I get to see that picture before you. I claimed it,” Willy said pushing Jeffery aside to crane over his shoulder. He jabbed his friend in the gut and side-stepped to hopefully read his letter in private. “That was low Nick. Low,” Willy groaned rubbing his stomach.
Nick Saunders shrugged. He didn’t care. It was his letter. He wanted to read it in private. He wanted to be able to save the fact that this was his and his alone. Nick moved into a corner of the tent and ran his hand over the envelope. They had been right. It was from his girl, though he wouldn’t be telling any of them that anytime soon. They could wait since they had all decided that it was okay for them to be jerks about it. He slipped his pocket knife under the tongue of the seal in back and slid it through in one clean go. He slipped the letter out and unfolded it slowly, smiling at the sight of a picture hidden inside the envelope.
Dear Nick,
Wow, I hate letter writing. I can’t tell you how much I hate it. But since it’s the only way I can seem to get in touch with you right now, I manage to bear with it. I miss you Nick. More than you can imagine. More than I thought I would. I keep telling myself that you’ll be okay that you’re doing this for our country. That doesn’t seem to make it any easier though. I want you back. Is that so wrong? I want to hold you in my arms again. I want to be able to kiss you and make love to you. I want our son to hear your voice every night before he goes to bed. I want my husband back!
I’m sorry, baby. I just. I feel like I should scratch that top part out, but I think you’d probably use one of your nifty tricks and read it anyway so it seems a little silly to try. Quinn has grown another three inches since his last hospital visit. He’s getting so big Nick! And he has your eyes too. I keep falling in love with his eyes just like I feel in love with yours during Poly Sci in College. I miss those days sometimes. Life was simple back then. We didn’t have to worry about bills. We didn’t have to worry about work. Neither of us had to worry about you dying before you came back home to me.
There I go again, this time with the melodramatic. How have you put up with me all these years baby? I’m reading this letter and thinking I must sound completely ridiculous. Luther just says it’s the nerves getting to me. He feels the same way since Gemma is over seas right now too. I guess we all get a little anxious. It doesn’t change the fact that I want you home, but I think it does change how I see everything. We need you over there. I hate to say that, but we do don’t we? You’re smart. You’re quick. You’re strong. You’re brave. And more important, you’ll do everything you have to, to make sure that what needs to be done is done. Honestly, I’m a little jealous of the government. They get priority over your wife. Such a stupid thing to fret about.
Just remember baby, I’m waiting for you to come home every night. Though I have to warn you that I’ve been listening to Boyz II Men and All-4-One incessantly while Quinn sleeps. It makes me want you so bad baby. Come back to me safe. Promise?
Nick folded up the letter and kissed it. His silly, beautiful wife. He missed her. He wished more than anything he could be back with her and their son at this moment. But she was right; he had a job to do. He hadn’t gone into the army for nothing. He was going to make them all proud. He put the letter inside his desert camouflage, right over his heart. The paper rubbed against his skin trying to cut in move, but he welcomed the sensation. It reminded him that it was there. That his best friend and true love was with him in a way. He could never say that out loud though. As a soldier and a man, he’d never live it down.
He reached into the envelope and fished out the picture that sat waiting for him. Zoe, his sweet Zoe, stood in front of their fire place back home. She had cute her once long wavy brown hair short so that it curled close to her face. She was wearing the red, short-sleeved turtleneck his mother had gotten her for Christmas, a pair of jeans, and his old work boots which were probably at least three sizes too big for her. In her arms, she held their son. He was tiny, his red face barely sticking out of the blue blanket. She had him tilted towards the camera so that Nick would get to see. It was hard for him not to cry. This was the first time he had gotten to see his son. Zoe had given birth a week after he had gotten shipped out. His fingers brushed along the picture trembling slightly. He pressed it to his heart before slipping it inside his shirt pocket.
“Hey…um…Nick man…we gotta go. It’s time for patrol,” Jeffery said slightly uncertain.
Nick managed to give his friend a wry smile as he stood up. “Yeah man. Let’s do this. The sooner we get done with all this shit, the sooner we go home. And when we get there, you’re coming to a barbeque at my place. Understood?”
Jeffery managed to return the grin. The poor kid was only nineteen. “Yessir.”
- - -
The woman on the television was blonde and sitting behind some desk in New York or Los Angeles probably. She sat up straight as soon as she was given her cue. “Tonight on CNN news, we are forced to report another roadside bombing in Iraq. Three soldiers were killed and two others seriously wounded. Names have not been released, but our report on the scene…
Zoe began chewing her nails and pacing. She knew she shouldn’t watch the news. At least she didn’t tell Nick about that bad habit. It always made her worry. She grabbed the remote and switched the television to stereo. The smooth sounds of I’ll Make Love to You poured out of the speakers and she managed to take a deep breath. Nick wasn’t dead. He couldn’t be dead.
Then the phone rang.
His head snapped up as the other soldiers around him sent wolf-whistles and flying objects in his direction. He ducked the objects as he moved across the room and snatched the letter away from the man delivering it. “Whose it from Saunders?” Jeffery demanded trying to lean over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of the name on the envelope. “Is it from that hot girl of yours? She send a picture this time?”
“Leave him alone Jeffery. Besides, I get to see that picture before you. I claimed it,” Willy said pushing Jeffery aside to crane over his shoulder. He jabbed his friend in the gut and side-stepped to hopefully read his letter in private. “That was low Nick. Low,” Willy groaned rubbing his stomach.
Nick Saunders shrugged. He didn’t care. It was his letter. He wanted to read it in private. He wanted to be able to save the fact that this was his and his alone. Nick moved into a corner of the tent and ran his hand over the envelope. They had been right. It was from his girl, though he wouldn’t be telling any of them that anytime soon. They could wait since they had all decided that it was okay for them to be jerks about it. He slipped his pocket knife under the tongue of the seal in back and slid it through in one clean go. He slipped the letter out and unfolded it slowly, smiling at the sight of a picture hidden inside the envelope.
Dear Nick,
Wow, I hate letter writing. I can’t tell you how much I hate it. But since it’s the only way I can seem to get in touch with you right now, I manage to bear with it. I miss you Nick. More than you can imagine. More than I thought I would. I keep telling myself that you’ll be okay that you’re doing this for our country. That doesn’t seem to make it any easier though. I want you back. Is that so wrong? I want to hold you in my arms again. I want to be able to kiss you and make love to you. I want our son to hear your voice every night before he goes to bed. I want my husband back!
I’m sorry, baby. I just. I feel like I should scratch that top part out, but I think you’d probably use one of your nifty tricks and read it anyway so it seems a little silly to try. Quinn has grown another three inches since his last hospital visit. He’s getting so big Nick! And he has your eyes too. I keep falling in love with his eyes just like I feel in love with yours during Poly Sci in College. I miss those days sometimes. Life was simple back then. We didn’t have to worry about bills. We didn’t have to worry about work. Neither of us had to worry about you dying before you came back home to me.
There I go again, this time with the melodramatic. How have you put up with me all these years baby? I’m reading this letter and thinking I must sound completely ridiculous. Luther just says it’s the nerves getting to me. He feels the same way since Gemma is over seas right now too. I guess we all get a little anxious. It doesn’t change the fact that I want you home, but I think it does change how I see everything. We need you over there. I hate to say that, but we do don’t we? You’re smart. You’re quick. You’re strong. You’re brave. And more important, you’ll do everything you have to, to make sure that what needs to be done is done. Honestly, I’m a little jealous of the government. They get priority over your wife. Such a stupid thing to fret about.
Just remember baby, I’m waiting for you to come home every night. Though I have to warn you that I’ve been listening to Boyz II Men and All-4-One incessantly while Quinn sleeps. It makes me want you so bad baby. Come back to me safe. Promise?
Nick folded up the letter and kissed it. His silly, beautiful wife. He missed her. He wished more than anything he could be back with her and their son at this moment. But she was right; he had a job to do. He hadn’t gone into the army for nothing. He was going to make them all proud. He put the letter inside his desert camouflage, right over his heart. The paper rubbed against his skin trying to cut in move, but he welcomed the sensation. It reminded him that it was there. That his best friend and true love was with him in a way. He could never say that out loud though. As a soldier and a man, he’d never live it down.
He reached into the envelope and fished out the picture that sat waiting for him. Zoe, his sweet Zoe, stood in front of their fire place back home. She had cute her once long wavy brown hair short so that it curled close to her face. She was wearing the red, short-sleeved turtleneck his mother had gotten her for Christmas, a pair of jeans, and his old work boots which were probably at least three sizes too big for her. In her arms, she held their son. He was tiny, his red face barely sticking out of the blue blanket. She had him tilted towards the camera so that Nick would get to see. It was hard for him not to cry. This was the first time he had gotten to see his son. Zoe had given birth a week after he had gotten shipped out. His fingers brushed along the picture trembling slightly. He pressed it to his heart before slipping it inside his shirt pocket.
“Hey…um…Nick man…we gotta go. It’s time for patrol,” Jeffery said slightly uncertain.
Nick managed to give his friend a wry smile as he stood up. “Yeah man. Let’s do this. The sooner we get done with all this shit, the sooner we go home. And when we get there, you’re coming to a barbeque at my place. Understood?”
Jeffery managed to return the grin. The poor kid was only nineteen. “Yessir.”
- - -
The woman on the television was blonde and sitting behind some desk in New York or Los Angeles probably. She sat up straight as soon as she was given her cue. “Tonight on CNN news, we are forced to report another roadside bombing in Iraq. Three soldiers were killed and two others seriously wounded. Names have not been released, but our report on the scene…
Zoe began chewing her nails and pacing. She knew she shouldn’t watch the news. At least she didn’t tell Nick about that bad habit. It always made her worry. She grabbed the remote and switched the television to stereo. The smooth sounds of I’ll Make Love to You poured out of the speakers and she managed to take a deep breath. Nick wasn’t dead. He couldn’t be dead.
Then the phone rang.