Once upon a time, there was a couple who loved each other very much. They meant the world to each other. But one day, the man heard some terrible news. The military needed extra men in the war overseas, and his days of slacking off with the love of his life were over.
“…” He hung up. He knew not the words to say.
"Something wrong, Tony?" she asked, a tone of concern in her voice. She peeked around the corner.
"No... I just wanted to tell you, Kitten... I wasn't sure before. But now I know... I love you," he hesitated, trying to calm down.
"What makes you say that?" she questioned, confused. She had heard him say those three words to her so many times before.
"I don’t think I could ever say- I don't want to go, really, I don't..." He realized how hard this was going to be. He didn't know if he could ever say goodbye.
"Go where?" She asked, still puzzled.
"To..."
"Yes?"
"To... war."
"...Tony, what in the world are you talking about? The war is overseas, in-" 'What? He couldn't possibly mean-' she thought, she did not dare to finish...
"-Iraq."
Not completely understanding, she wept unconsciously.
"Please, don't cry..." he whispered.
“You’re going… to be a… soldier again.”
“Yes… I have to, I’m being drafted. I’ll see what I can do, I’m sure I can work something out-”
“It’s a draft. There is no way out of a draft. You… I-… I-…” she continued to cry, her tears only just then beginning to cloud her eyes.
“I’m sure they’ll listen to me, I-”
“They didn’t listen to you the first time. You… should pack,” she interrupted, storming off.
“Kitten- listen, please! I don’t have to go- I won’t!” he followed, afraid he shouldn’t have told her.
She crouched in the corner of their bedroom, faced the window, and wept. Seeing her as sad as she was made even him cry. He fell to his knees, whispering, “I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
She echoed his whisper, replying, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry… It’s not your fault, I’m sorry…”
They embraced, not knowing what else to say. He leaned in, kissing her softly, killing her softly.
***
On the day of his departure, tears were spilled and words of encouragement were whispered. Before he left, he leaned over to her, kissed her, killed her, made it harder for her to say goodbye. He whispered to her, “I’ll be back. And when I get back, I’ll have a surprise for you, Sugar.”
***
Seconds passed. Then minutes. And then hours, days, months and a year. A year had passed, and she did not feel any less alone. She found it hard to focus, at times wearing a mask so that no one could see, hiding the emptiness lurking inside her. She coveted her weekly call, looked forward to it, if not anything else. If she couldn’t see him face to face, voice to voice was good enough.
“So, Sweetness-and-Light, how did your day go today?” he asked her, curious as to what she had been doing with herself since last week.
“Okay… How about yours?” there was a hint of boredom in her voice, she was almost monotonous.
“As good as it could get without you… The guys found an old guitar the other day; don’t know how they got it… But they asked me to play,” he explained.
“Did you?”
“Yeah, and I tell you what, they sure loved it! Played them Little Wing and Kashmir, all your favorites. Told them it was for my girl back home, they all got choked up…” he chuckled.
“I…”
“Yeah, Sugar?”
“I loved it more. When you’d play, I mean,” she stopped abruptly.
“I know, I wish they hadn’t given that thing away, I would’ve played for you.”
“It- it’s not the same. Over the phone, I mean.”
“Well, I’m sure it wouldn’t sound as good as it would live, but-”
“No. I mean it’s not the same as you playing. For me. With me. By my side.”
“Oh… I’m real sorry, Sugar. I wish I could be back home with you, really, I do! I’d sacrifice the world to be with you,” he half-whispered.
“Yeah… me too…” she answered.
“But, until then, I do have some good news to tell…” he joked.
“Like what? The guys found another guitar in a rundown mosque or something?” she questioned, her words sprinkled with sarcasm.
“No, better- guess!”
“I have…” she giggled, “…no idea.” This seemed more like a real conversation.
“Are you sure?” he teased.
“C’mon, tell me; Tell me!” she begged.
“Alright, go to the front door,” he instructed.
“Okay…” she replied, slightly confused.
“Now put your hand on the knob…”
“Uh-huh.”
“Close your eyes…”
“Yeah?”
“And open the door.”
“’Kay, it’s open.”
“Now open your eyes,” he breathed.
She could smell his sweet breath even before she saw him. Carelessly dropping the phone, she immediately thrust herself into his arms, squeezing him in something ten times tighter than a bear hug. He embraced her back, much more gentle than she. He kissed her head softly, while she cried tears of uttermost happiness and joy.
***
They spent the entire day cuddling on and off, making up for lost time.
While they were getting ready for bed, he suddenly stood up. “Kitten, do you remember what I told you before I left?”
“About a surprise?” Just him being there was good enough for her- she didn’t need anything else, and thusly, forgot for a second.
“Yeah, you still want it?”
“Sure, why not?”
He got down on one knee; she eyed him suspiciously. He reached for something behind him; she wondered what it could be. He revealed a little box, which when he opened it, contained a beautiful ring; she stood there in shock.
“Will you marry me?” he proposed.
She did not dare to move or speak, afraid that if she did, the dream would end.
“Kitten?” he asked, a little worried she hadn’t replied yet.
“Yes.” She got down to his level, looking him in the eye, and smiling.
He kissed her, letting his passion do all the talking.
Finally, it was getting late, and even though she nearly refused to, she started to doze off a little. Chuckling, he carried her upstairs piggy-back, and set her down on the bed.
She stirred.
“Is something wrong, Sugar?” he cooed.
“When I wake up, will you still be here?”
“Of course, Sweetness-and-Light, that’s part of the surprise,” he whispered, lying next to her. He kissed her eyes, and laid her to sleep.
The. End.
