Remembering the Ghost of You

February 15th, 1945

It was becoming more apparent that the Nazi regime was collapsing as we made our way easily though the German country side. I can’t remember where we are headed because all the cities sound the same. I know we aren’t going for Berlin though. We are on liberation duty. I’ve seen pictures the Soviets took in Warsaw and I almost wish we were going to Berlin.
“Have you seen Frank?” I asked Ray. We were getting ready to head out again and I hadn’t seen him anywhere in the last few hours.
“Nope,” he said and pulled his jacket tighter. I frowned. It was a cold gray day and besides packing up camp there wasn’t much he could be doing. Especially since his shoulder was still healing and we weren’t near a town.
“I’ll go look for him again,” I muttered trying to figure out how I could have missed him the first time I went looking. We weren’t exactly a large group of soldiers.
I trudged through the frozen grass and scanned the bundled up soldiers for little Frank. I asked a few men if they’d seen him and finally one said he’d seen Frank wander off to the hills. I had no idea what he was doing so far from camp, but I was relieved to see a hunched figure sitting on a rock near the base of a hill. His back was to me so I called his name.
“Oh hey Gee,” I said as I got closer. He was smoking a cigarette and offered me one when I sat next to him.
“I’ve been looking all over for you. We’re about to move out,” I said and he nodded.
“I know,” he told me.
“Then what are you doing all the way over here?” I asked and he just stared ahead. That’s when I saw the little lump of dark fur wiggle out from behind his boots and go looping across the snow. I could now see it was covered in dog tracks. I raised an eye brow.
“I saw him when we were in the last town searching for food. I gave him a bit of the bread I had left. He followed me all the way out here though,” Frank explained and the dog bounded back over to him, tripping over its large paws, and nudged at Frank’s hands. It was young and extremely thin.
“So what are you going to do with him now?” I asked as I watched Frank remove a glove to scratch the dogs’ ears.
“I named him Fighter,” he said and picked the puppy and slipped it into his bag.
“So you’re bringing him with you?”
“He followed me over thirty miles after I gave him a scrap of bread. He’s mine now and I’ll carry him the entire way if I have to,” he said defensively and we stood to return to camp.
“No I didn’t doubt you would,” I said to him and he smiled.
“Besides he’s a nice hand and foot warmer,” Frank laughed and reached into his bag to pet the squirming dog. I laughed and wrapped my arm around his shoulder.
“I can imagine he is especially out here in this freezing weather,” I said and he laughed again.
“I bet Esmerie is going to love him,” Frank said and I groaned.
“She is I know it and then she’ll want a dog!” I laughed.
“What are you going to do about her when the war ends?” Frank asked quietly on a more serious note. I’d thought about it a lot since I’d left her and made up my mind awhile ago.
“I’m taking her home with me. She has no family and I’m not leaving her here to die in an orphanage. I’ll adopt her or do whatever I do to make sure she comes home with me,” I told him. I’m sure it wouldn’t be too hard considering the amount of children in need of homes there were already over here. Frank nodded.
“I knew you would. It’s definitely the right thing to do too,” Frank agreed.
“Yeah except right now it’s just another person for me to miss,” I said sadly and he patted my shoulder.
“Maybe, but it’s also more reason to return home,” he told me and I nodded. I couldn’t wait to get home whether it be to Esmerie, Rebecca, or my mother.