A Ship Sailed (A Short Story)

“Are you sure about this?” I asked with an expressionless face.

“Yes.” she replied firmly.

“Ok…babe I’m going to miss you.” I embraced her tightly.

“I’ll miss you too.” she kissed me.

“I wish this would last forever.” I felt a tear trickle down my face.

“Are you going to be alright?” she looked deeply into my wet eyes.

“I will. I’ll be waiting for you to come home ok?” I whispered in short breaths.

“Ok.” she smiled with a nod and tightening our hug.

“It’s time to go ma’am.” the officer interrupted.

“I love you so much, remember that.” I kissed her passionately and sealing my words of promise.

“I love you too.” she kissed me lovingly in acknowledgement.

And there she was, leaving me by myself as she walked past the two giant metallic doors where two bulky security guards stood watch. I didn’t have a choice because the choice was hers to make.

“Did I do something wrong? Or did she?” I thought as the doors closed.

In the back of my head, I knew I wasn’t going to see her for a few years nor have any contact with her whatsoever. But what could I do? It was her decision and it was her life. Whether I thought the decision was good or bad, I was going to support her and wait for her until it was all over.

A couple of weeks ago we were unstoppable, we were in control of the world and our joyous lives. Money wasn’t going to be a problem until a few days ago when we discussed about it. We all wanted more in our lives and we knew that, but it wasn’t going to happen with the amount of money each of us was making.

“Hey babe, I think we should consider our options.” I flipped through the newspaper section where the jobs were listed.

“Yeah? What is that?” she looked at me with a raised eyebrow while sipping on her morning coffee.

“Something…business related…” I glanced at the ads without looking at her.

“Honey, if it involves money…it’s all business related.” she placed the coffee down and crept up beside me.

I placed my newspaper down on the marble counter and looked into her adorable brown eyes. She flashed a smile and then kissed my cheek unexpectedly when I was about to talk.

“Don’t start…” she placed her finger over my lips and grinned.

“Fine…” I murmured.

“Don’t forget work.” she pressed my nose with her index finger and walked away from me back to her seat.

I looked at my watch and jumped up from my chair. I was five minutes behind my regular schedule to work and now I was in a hurry to get out of the house. I grabbed my blazer rested on the back of my seat and slung it over my shoulder.

“Honey, when you come home from work I’ll tell you the solution to our money issues.” she shouted as I walked to the front door.

“Alright, sounds good dear.” I hollered back and slammed the door shut heading for work.

The day at work was usual mainly because my desk job had nothing interesting happening each day. I filed some paperwork for the upper management and then went to a long meeting about company financials. After that, I headed straight home on time eagerly waiting to find out what my girl had to tell me.

When I went down the intersection where I make my turn right to go home, I saw a military jeep parked at the driveway. In the back of my mind, I was feeling uneasy and nervous because I had never seen the military enter such a rural part of town. I rushed out of my vehicle and ran towards the open front door where a soldier dressed in combats guarded the entrance.

“Hey!” I shouted as pushed through him to get inside my house.

In the living room, another soldier stood in the kitchen with his back towards the sofa. A military officer of some sort dressed in an olive green attire sat beside my girl with a folder and a laptop down on our sofa.

“Babe, what’s going on?” I looked around the room and then back at her.

“You were not supposed to see this.” she looked at the folder in front of her.

“Pack your things ma’am. We’re moving.” the officer stood up and grabbed the folder.

“What? What’s going on?” I demanded impatiently.

“I’ll let you folks talk it out. We’ll wait outside.” the officer waved at his men.

“Did you do something wrong? Why is the military here?” I questioned her and waved wildly.

“No…” she spoke quietly.

“Ok…ok…tell me what you did please.” I said softly lowering my tone of voice.

“I…enlisted. They needed combat medics on the field. Pay is great.” she answered with uncertain eyes.

“Oh, but why?” I whined.

“Money is good and I’ve got relevant experience which they require immediately.” she placed her hand on mine.

“And they want you to leave now?” I asked and held onto her hand.

“Yes, paperwork’s signed.” she pointed at the officer standing outside the door.

“Babe…I…” I was lost for words.

“It’s okay. I’ll be back before you know it.” she assured me with a light smile.

“How long will you be gone for?” I asked with a frown and brushed her smooth hair.

“Four year deployment, but with breaks in between.” she stood up and walked to our bedroom.

The next few hours, I watched her grab a small suitcase and pack her belongings into it. I was in some sort of trance because I was in a state of shock from what had happened. I asked the officer if I could come and bid my farewell before she left for good. He was understanding and allowed me to hitch a ride in his jeep to the local airport.

“Here we are.” she looked at the metal doors leading to the security screening.

I remember that specific moment when we held on to each other and I gave my word. She did not have a single drop of tear on her face that day. That day on, she became a fighter.