The Soldier Next Door

I wake up the next morning, I guess that I missed supper. Dad is sure going to say something about that. What he will be saying something over is if I stay in here the whole day. I so much just want to get back under the covers and forget about the rest of the week.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

But what I want and can do is two different things. So I have no choice but to get up and have a shower. At first, the shower was a difficult thing, trying to wash and hop around in the same place without slipping and falling flat on my ass. But they say it is incredible how your other limbs adapt and make up for the one you lost.

Getting dressed is going to pose a whole new problem, at the base I would walk around in shorts not caring what people said about my prosthetic leg. But mom and dad do not know so I am going to have to cover it up for now.

As I make my way downstairs I can hear mom and dad whisper.

“I am telling you Mary that boy is hiding something.”

“John just leave him alone, he just came back from an ugly place. He will talk when he is ready.”

I pretend to have not heard them and walk into the kitchen.

“Hey mom, hey dad.”

“Morning my son, I just made your father some bacon and eggs. Can I dish you some?”

“Yes please, mom.”

And of course, my father does not waste any time. “So what are your plans for today?”

“I thought I might take a walk up on the hill.”

“Oh yes,” my mom eagerly starts. “That new girl lives there, why don’t you go say hello?”

“I am not really up to making friends now. I want to figure out what it is that I want to do.”

If I thought my father would be sympathetic, I was wrong. “I agree with you there, you don’t have time to clog your head with a girl now. Don’t be like your brother.”

Mom dishes up for me as Matt comes into the kitchen. “What have I done now again?”

“Dad says I should not become like you.”

“Yes please don’t turn into a loser.”

My father is not the least impressed with Matt’s outburst for he immediately tries to set him straight. “I did not say you are a loser Matt, you should just start getting your head out the clouds.”

“Why don’t you just accept none of your sons are going to become a doctor?”

“If you do not throw your head away in that tech shit then you still can.”

“I am not going to become a doctor dad, deal with it.”

I am not in the mood for this argument, it can go on and on all day long. It is the same thing over and over again almost every day. I rush to finish my breakfast and hand my mom the empty plate.

“Mom breakfast was nice, I am going for a walk.”

“Just take your phone with in case.”

“Sure mom, I will see you for lunch.”

I leave out the back door and start taking the path up to the hill.

We use to come out here as children and play hide and seek. As we grew older and we got into girls, we use to take them to that empty house on the hill, the one where Miss Stubborn stays now.

I have not attempted to try and walk this far with my leg yet but I would just about do anything to get away from that argument in the kitchen. My dad does push his doctor dream a bit too far some days.

After about making it up halfway up, I decided to sit down on a nearby rock. I think maybe my attempt to walk all the way up there will have to wait for another day.

I am just about to get up and leave when I am startled by a voice behind me.

“Hi.”

“Fuck do not creep up on a man like that.”

“Then don’t be such an easy target to creep up too.”

“I did not see you on the pathway. Where did you pop out from?”

“I popped out from there at the top, I live up there on the mountain.”

“Ohhhh, Miss Stubborn.”

“Miss what?”

“They call you Miss Stubborn.”

“But they don’t know my name, they don’t know me. How can they say I am stubborn?”

“That is exactly why you are Miss Stubborn. They say that you don’t want to speak to them.”

“Are you one of them, do you also call me Miss Stubborn?”

“No, I only got back into town yesterday. Don’t worry I am not going to call you that. But what can I call you?”

“Ana. And you are?”

“Ethan, but just because you are actually so nice, you can call me Ethan.”

“Ah thanks, you can call me Ana.”

“I think I take it back, I am going to call you Miss Ana Stubborn.”

“Urgh! Stop with the stubborn. You sound like my damn husband.”

“Oh sorry, are you married?”

“Was married, he passed away six months ago.”

“Is that why you up there alone on the mountain?”

“Not that it is any of your business but yes.”

“You stubborn and feisty, I can’t say that I like it.”

“I did not say you have to like me.”

“Are you always so full of shit?”

“Are you always so full of yourself?”

“That is what my platoon leader also said to me.”

“Oh, are you in the Marines?”

“I was, got my bus ticket back home.”

“My husband was also in the Marines but he came back in a body bag though.”

“I am really sorry to hear that. I would invite you for coffee but I am staying with my folks.”

“It’s fine, do you want to come back up to my place?”

“Only if I can post it in the town blog, I finally spoke to Miss Stubborn.”

“Urgh. How am I going to live down that name? I am not inviting the town to my home.”

“Let me take you for lunch in town tomorrow instead. What do you say?”

“First coffee and then lunch. Mmmm. What are the town folk going to say?”

“That I am lucky?”

“Now you just flirting, let me go make you that coffee.”

I walk with Ana up to her house. She seems like a nice girl. I watch as the wind plays with her long brown hair, the way that the seams of her dress flap in the breeze. She is damn hot and so beautiful.

She shows me inside, it is exactly still the same as I remember it.

“You know the guys in town use to bring their girls out here when they wanted to get laid.”

“You got to be kidding me? I live in a whore house?”

“Well now that you say it like that, yes you do.”

“Thanks for that image in my head, tonight I am going to dream of people making out.”

“Is that what you dream about? That is hot!”

“If I knew you better, I would have slapped you.”

“You are quite the kinky girl, you dream of people making out and spanking men.”

“I said slap and get that image of me out your head?”

“Which one? You being naked or the spanking one.”

“Urgh! You damn near impossible.”

“That is the best compliment I have received all day.”

She slaps me on my shoulder.

“Does that mean that we know each better?”

“I have known you for twenty minutes and I already want to strangle you.”

“I have known you for twenty minutes and already seen you spanking men naked in my head.”

“You such a jerk.”

“Says Miss Stubborn herself.”

“The next time you say that name, I am really going to strangle you.”

She serves us coffee while we sitting around the kitchen table. We make small talk about town, I do not ask her about her husband and she does not ask me why I left the Marine Corps.

I am drinking my coffee as slow as I possibly can. I don’t know what but something just wants me to stay with her. Seven years in the Corps does make a man lonely. Yes, I had a few girlfriends on and off through the years but none of it worked out. The chances of me getting a girl now, let alone her, it will never happen.

I finally finish my coffee and say my goodbyes.

“See you at eleven tomorrow?”

“Eleven tomorrow.”

“It was nice to meet you Miss Stubborn.”

She just laughs at me as I start making my way down the path home. I do not notice the big smile on my face as I enter the kitchen. My mom is the first one to see me walking inside.

“You better be smiling for a good reason because you missed lunch.”

And as my father always does, he feels to reprimand a grown-up man.

“Your mother phoned you nearly six times.”

“Sorry, mom but I got distracted.”

“Did you see some lovely birds up there?” she asks.

“Oh yes there is definitely a lovely bird up there.”

“Oh, what type?”

“The female type.”

This does raise Matt’s attention as he now eagerly asks. “Damn dog, did you met her?

“Yes, I met Miss Stubborn.”

“Oh tell us about her.” my mom curiously asks. “Is she really as pretty as Maggie says she is?”

“Mom she is beautiful, I have never seen a more beautiful woman in my life before.”

“So what is her name? When are we going to meet her?”

“Her name is Ana. And I am taking her for lunch tomorrow.”

I watch as my father just shakes his head. “Oh god, there goes the town gossip again. It seems all they talk about these days are my boys and their sex lives.”

“Dad it is just lunch.”

“Nothing is just lunch when it comes to Maggie.”

After supper I go straight upstairs to my room as I throw my jacket over the chair, a piece of paper falls out of my pocket. I smile as I open to see what it is. It is her number, it is Ana’s phone number. I immediately take it and send her a text.

“I see you are still being sneaky”

“It is just too easy to sneak up on you.”

“I will see you tomorrow.”

“Eleven. I will be waiting for you.”

I drop my phone down onto the bed next to me.

“Ana.”

I cannot stop smiling as I say her name. I have not been so excited about a girl in almost forever. I cannot wait to see her again.

But as I fall asleep her name is soon forgotten as the same nightmare plays all over in my head again.