Girl of Mine (31 page)

“What?” Luke’s grasp on her hand tightened in anticipation.

It was with utter joy in her heart that Jill conveyed Troy’s passionate words to Luke. “He wanted you to know that he was just a dumb twelve year old kid and he shouldn’t have blamed you and taken out his anger on you. It wasn’t fair to you and he regrets it deeply.”

Luke said nothing. His eyes filled with tears, but none fell. It took him several minutes to compose himself. “He said that?”

“Yes, and he made me promise I’d tell you.”

He nodded slowly in the affirmative. Jill couldn’t begin to imagine what kind of hole had just been healed in his heart.

They lay facing each other on the bed, only covered by a sheet, their hands laced together. The moment felt supremely intimate.

“Luke, don’t worry over it. He passed peacefully, surrounded by the people he loved.”

“Thank you, Jill. It’s gonna take a little time for me to get used to all the changes in my life. It feels like life went on without me and I’ve missed so much. It’s like living in an alternate universe.”

“You’re not alone. I’m here for you.”

They dozed in and out of a light sleep, holding each other close, as Luke processed his life. After awhile he was ready to talk some more.

“Every time things got tough over there, I just thought about you. It gave me something to look forward to, something to live for. Made me know I had something wonderful waiting for me at home. Kept me sane.”

“Tell me about Iraq.”

“It changes some people. It brings out different sides of their personality, sides they didn’t know existed. Sometimes that’s not an easy thing to face.”

“What do you mean?”

“Scariest moment I experienced was when we were traveling up to Babylon from Kuwait in a convoy of about seventy-five vehicles. I still can’t believe what happened that day.”

Jill’s stomach felt as though it twisted into a pretzel shaped knot. “What happened?”

“Are you sure you want to hear this?”

“No, I’m not. But now that you’ve brought it up, I want to know, I have to know.”

A small half smile curved Luke’s lips. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have dangled that out there.”

“It’s okay. Tell me, Luke. I want to know what you’ve experienced.”

“We were preparing to leave with our convoy and the convoy commander gets up and gives this great speech right out of the movie
Starship Troopers
. ‘Everybody fights, no one quits. If you quit, I’ll shoot you myself.’ We all laughed and our spirits were good. Then the senior officer in the convoy gets up, somewhat out of turn, and says, ‘Once we get going, no one stops. Do you hear me? Do not stop for ANY reason. NO ONE STOPS.’ That kinda put a damper on things. We could smell his fear. Subdued, we got on the road. We traveled in three groups, about twenty-five vehicles in each group. Each group is called a serial and we travel about ten minutes apart from each other. For tactical reasons, it’s the safest way to travel. If someone attacks, then we’re not all in one bunched up group. It also means we’re not hogging the roadway.

“I was in Serial One, driving along in a Humvee and we got a flat tire. We pull over to the side of the road and call for help. They tell us all the spare tires are in Serial Two. Serial One waits until Serial Two is in sight and then gets a move on, knowing we’ll be safe. We radio Serial Two and they confirm they have a spare tire for us. Serial Two begins to pass by and we wave at them, but no one stops. NO ONE stops. They just keep going, passing us by and leaving us on the road alone and practically defenseless.”

“Why would they do that?” Jill breathed.

“Good question. I thought that was the end of my life, right then and there. They completely abandoned us.” Luke shook his head in disbelief. “It was the longest ten minutes of my life till Serial Three comes rolling towards us. The convoy commander is in this serial. He halts his entire serial, finds out what has happened, takes two vehicles and screams down the road until he catches up to Serial Two. He makes them stop, gets the tire we need, and brings it back to us. I was never so relieved in my life. I grabbed that Colonel and hugged him, etiquette be damned.”

“Why didn’t Serial Two stop?”

“Remember that senior officer, the one who told everyone ‘Do not stop?’ Later I heard he was on the radio yelling at the top of his lungs, telling everyone ‘DO NOT STOP. DO NOT STOP.’ He left us out there because he was scared. The guys told me when the Colonel stopped them and got the new tire, the senior officer was sitting in his vehicle, rocking back and forth, holding his head in his hands. He wouldn’t talk to anyone and he wouldn’t look anyone in the eyes. He let fear get to him.”

“It’s hard to believe he would do something like that.”

“People react differently in scenarios where their life is in danger. He was labeled a coward after that trip. The soldiers called him Doctor Scary. He couldn’t shake the nickname.”

“He was willing to leave soldiers behind. That’s not okay.”

“No, it’s not. Whatever prayers you were sending my way that day, they worked.”

“I pray every day for your safety. Every day.”

Luke scooted forward and pressed his lips to hers ever so gently. “I love you, Jill.”

“I love you, Luke.”

“When I’m over there, I can feel how much you love me, like it’s being transmitted over the airwaves. It gets me through the day. You gotta hold onto something and I hold onto you.”

“I don’t know how you do it.”

“Laughter gets us through a lot.”

“Tell me a funny story.”

Luke ran his hands through her hair. “Most of ‘em are funny after the fact, not so much during. Never during.”

“Tell me one. I need something to erase the image of you stranded on the roadside in Iraq.”

“Jill, I’m not so sure any stories I tell you will make you feel good.”

“It’s all right. I want to share in your experience. I don’t want you to go through this alone.”

“There is one image in my mind that makes me laugh out loud every time I think of it.”

“Go on.”

“We were living in the presidential palace on a hill in Babylon. Keep in mind, the palace was like living in a cave. The Marines had taken the area, but then they’d left. While gone, the locals stole everything and trashed the place. It was just a shell of what it once was when the Marines finally returned and occupied it again. Even the windows and the electrical wiring were gone.

“The palace had several stories and many rooms. We were living in the bottom story with a wide open veranda all around us. Down the hill, in a large field was a helicopter landing area. Marine security forces were all around us, keeping us safe. Sniper teams were always on the roof of the palace, catching anyone who dared to come near. We would often hear shots fired in the night and we’d thank our lucky stars for the Marines.

“On this particular night we were all sacked out in our bottom story room, talking, reading, and relaxing. Most of us were wearing shorts and t-shirts and enjoying a little down time. Suddenly we hear a gigantic whooshing sound, I mean it’s super loud, and it rushes right past the palace. It’s quickly followed by a second whoosh. Then we hear two powerful explosions that cause a shockwave to literally shake the palace.

“We froze, wondering if we were under attack. The senior officer tells us to grab our gear and move under the archways of the palace. He tells us, ‘Stay in the room. Do not go outside.’ He knows the Marines will shoot anything that moves out there and they will all be on high alert.

“The senior officer is a former Explosive Ordinance Disposal officer and he says it sounded like two 2.75 inch rockets flying by. The only 2.75 inch rockets he knows of in the area are on Marine Cobra Helicopters. He tells us to stand down, he thinks it was an accidental discharge from a Cobra.

“We wait where we are, ready to act if need be. Then all of a sudden we hear a bunch of commotion and someone screaming, ‘Battle stations. Battle stations now!’ It’s Doctor Scary. He’s wearing his boxer shorts, long black socks, his body armor, helmet, and ammo vest . . . and that’s all. He looks like
Marvin the Martian
. He’s carrying his M-16 and he passes by our room in full view as he’s trying to run. Instead he slips on the marble floors and does a perfect
Risky Business
slide on his socks. Funniest thing I’ve ever seen.”

The thought of a man in boxers and socks and body armor, looking like
Marvin the Martian
, brought a smile to her face. At the same time, she also understood why Luke had said it wasn’t funny until after the fact.

“We have our own mission at the palace. The Marines are the security force, keeping us safe while we perform our mission. We’re prepared to fight—and believe me our gear was at our sides—but we don’t have battle stations. The senior officer says calmly, ‘Disregard that order. Stay put.’ The only person panicking was Doctor Scary.

“A Marine corporal comes by a few minutes later to make sure we’re all okay and to let us know it was an accidental discharge from a Cobra. It missed the palace by about six feet.
Six feet.
If it had hit the palace, I wouldn’t be here right now. It was a terrifying moment, but afterwards we were all howling with laughter at the sight of Doctor Scary looking like
Marvin the Martian
while doing his
Risky Business
slide in his boxers and body armor.”

Jill moved closer and hugged Luke just as tight as she could. In a tense moment like that, the soldiers needed something to make them laugh. She’d laugh about it later, when Luke was home for good, safe and sound. “Stay safe, Luke. Please stay safe.”

The rest of the night was spent in each other’s arms, showing, rather than telling, how they felt about each other.

Jill held tightly to Luke’s hand as the minister spoke. Troy was being buried next to his father in a pristine section of the cemetery. The grass was green and perfectly trimmed with not a weed in sight. The array of numerous flowers boasting every color of the rainbow bespoke how loved Troy was in life. Huge oak trees lined the area, making it a beautiful resting place. A light wind blew, ruffling the hair of the many guests present to pay their final respect to Troy Kelley. Joni stood next to Mrs. Kelley, who looked quite frail sitting in a wheelchair. Yet she proudly held Troy’s sleeping son, her grandson, in her arms. Tears streamed down both of their faces.

Luke remained stoic, but his grip on her hand was fierce, revealing his tension. He looked majestic in his Class A uniform and black beret. His military demeanor was rigid, but by no means impassive. Luke’s mom and dad stood on the other side of him and Madelaine occasionally ran her hand over his back in a comforting fashion.

“I had the opportunity to visit with Troy before he passed,” the minister said. “He was in good spirits. His wife, Joni, was at his side and he held his son, Lucas, in his arms. His mother was in attendance as well, watching over her beloved son. I asked Troy if he was at peace. He did as few do . . . he looked me in the eyes and, without hesitation, he told me he was at peace. When it’s time to leave this earth, there isn’t much that is more important than that.”

Several of the guests nodded and some smiled at the thought.

“I asked Troy if there was anything he’d like me to say at his graveside service. He replied in the affirmative and handed me this note.”

The minister held up a piece of paper.

“It was written by his lovely wife, Joni, as dictated to her by Troy. I asked him why these particular words were important to him. He said it was important that a certain person attending his funeral hear this message. He said the person who it was meant for would know it when he heard it.” The minister chuckled lightly. “I guess that eliminates the female population in attendance today.” The guests joined him in light laughter, the kind that relieved tension and sadness.

“So without further ado, at Troy’s request, I share this short, but powerful message with you.” He cleared his throat and donned his reading glasses.

“There is one thing I did in my life that I’m most proud of. It’s the one thing that allows me to leave this earth with peace in my heart. It’s not what you might think. It’s not worldly acclaim bestowed upon me for writing successful novels. It’s not even my crowning glory; my beautiful wife, and my precious son who will carry on my name. They are rewards I treasure above all, but I certainly don’t deserve them, nor did I do anything to be worthy of them. The absolute best thing I ever did was not for myself. As a matter of fact, I did it with no thought for myself. It’s the only truly selfless thing I’ve ever done. About now, you’re all probably asking yourself, what did you do, Troy Kelley? What is this noble thing you accomplished that you are so very proud of? Well, I’ll tell you. The best thing I ever did in my life was when I saved the life of my friend.”

The minister removed his glasses. “I hope that message brings peace to one of you here today.”

Luke bowed his head and his body trembled as he broke down. Jill looped her arm through his and held on to him, letting him know he wasn’t alone. He wiped the tears from his face and pinched the bridge of his nose, attempting to gain control of himself. Troy’s communication from beyond the grave had hit its mark and conveyed the intended message.