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By habit her hand snaked across the bed that morning. All she felt was the chill of the morning air on her sheets. She sighed for the thousandth time, cried her millionth tear, and rose to start her breakfast.
He rolled over in his sleeping bag and smelled a warm fire. He sat up expecting to see Lou warming her hands on the fire but instead saw Lt. Martin heating up his boots. “Morning Martin” “Mornin’ Kid, sleep well?” “Yah, I guess.”
The sun comes up,
“Morning Lou, how are you feeling today.” Louise woke herself up from her dream to notice Rachel was talking to her. “Oh sorry, what did you say?” “Louise, your mind is in the clouds.” “I know, he’s been away for three months but sometimes its as if he is standing right beside me, like he never left. You know what I mean?” Rachel sighed, she had hoped Lou would be getting used to the separation by this time. “No I guess you don’t…” Lou finally said.
“It’s like she’s all I can think about.” “Well you better start thinking about what is going on in battle or you’ll get your hide filled with lead. What good will you be to her then?” Lt. Martin replied.
The morning ends,
Lou started to clean out her tiny room and opened one of the drawers of her dresser. One of Kids shirts was on top she lifted it up and sniffed the collar and it was as if he was really there. She stood frozen for several minutes imagining herself in his arms. She slipped the shirt back into the drawer and turned away. She stood in her room unaware of where she was or what she was doing.
Kid suddenly felt Lou in his arms and he was holding her tight. The wind seemed to carry her smell along with it filling his heart with joy. He stopped what he was doing and stared into the sky.
All afternoon,
Lou laid her head down on the pillow her head full of things she should have done during the day but she never seemed to do. Her body crying out for Kid. She lay until sunrise focusing on one star out the window.
Kid on a far off battlefield bedded down under the stars and stared until exhaustion overtook him staring at the very same star.
I dim the lights
Kid stood near Katy ready to leave with the rest of the men. But his mind was else where, think and saying to himself what he wanted to say to her.
I want you so
Lou sat before a sheet of paper a thousand things to say but nothing to write. Her thoughts gave her a thousand things to say to get him to come home but all were too selfish and she knew he would come back when it was time. Finally she wrote…
All afternoon,
Kid’s reply was simply,
I know, I will always love you. Remember that.
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