The Parting: An Answer to Prayer

Bob wondered to himself if that is how guys do it? When he burst into the church pantry singing, he hadn’t expected to see Charlotte there. At first, he almost stopped singing but felt it would be awkward. Besides, it had been a great day and his spirits were high. Also, he believes the show must go on. Therefore, he continued singing. He even put more into it once he saw the ladies seemed to enjoy it.

He had often heard that attitude attracted women but he always felt that was just something dreamed up in Hollywood to sell movies. Maybe there is something to that line of thought. Not that he believed for a second he could walk to Charlotte’s house, knock on the door, and sweep Charlotte off her feet. Still, confidence was always something he lacked around women he had special feelings for. He felt more confident when he was singing. He realized part of it was an act since, as a performer, there are certain things you do to enhance your act. Is that all he has to do? Act a little to be more secure around Charlotte? Act confident and be confident?

Charlotte was surprised to see Bob come crashing through the door the way he did. Yet, it was fun. She always enjoyed when he sang at church but never saw him the way he was at that time. Bob was always a polite, nice person but there was always something about him that made him…what was the word she was looking for? Forgettable. His singing voice is clear and strong and he projected himself well on stage. Off stage he was so ordinary.

Bob seemed so in command of himself. He was larger than life. She found him more attractive than she previously thought. No! She told herself. Jack was on the other side of the world fighting for his country and his life. She loved Jack. Just because she missed him and missed masculine attention, she would not fall for Bob. How did he peek over the wall she put up? Was she looking back? He wasn’t even trying to get her attention, was he? Did he even know she was there when he came into the pantry? How could he know? How could he so quickly find a weakness in her armor?

The Parting: Getting Serious

Nancy sat at the kitchen table contemplating her coffee. She splurged that last trip to the store and bought some Irish Crème creamer instead of Mini Moos. Jack had been in Afghanistan for a few months now. She had one young man left in high school. She wondered about her life. Where does she go now? Her husband had been dead for 4 years. His death was hard on the whole family but everyone had dealt with it in their own way and had grown. Here she sat wondering to herself, where do I go now?

Jack’s younger brother, John, was months away from graduating from high school. Nancy could see the day when the kids were gone and she was an empty nester. What does she do with her life? She and her husband fought the good fight throughout all the hard knocks life threw at them. Each time they grew closer. She remembered days when the two of them sat crying, holding each other, wondering where their next meal would come from. They were grateful that a neighbor gave them rice. They ate rice for a few days but were extremely thankful. She was determined to do for others who were in a time of need.

She was already doing her part in a small way. She volunteered at the food pantry at her church. It always warmed her heart when she could love on someone who came in for some food. Too often, they entered the pantry with a bit of fear. Usually, they were embarrassed. Nonetheless, Nancy’s smile and warm reception eased their trepidation and they always left with a smile and a glimmer of hope.

Therefore, Nancy knew she wanted to do some type of ministry full time. She wasn’t sure she wanted to be a missionary. Maybe she’d start her own food kitchen or take over the one at church. Whatever God wanted her to do.

Later in the day she went through the canned goods that had been donated. It wasn’t often but sometimes people donated expired items so they all had to be checked. Also, like a grocery, the stock had to be rotated. Old stuff forward, new food in the back. As she looked at and stacked each can, she looked forward to Charlotte coming to visit during her lunch break. Needless to say, she hoped for news about Jack.

Nancy heard the door open and close. She called out, “Hello.” “Hello to you, Ms. Nancy.” was the reply. Bob peered around the corner and smiled.

Hello, Bob, what are you doing here?

I’m supposed to meet Janet so we can go over a piece I’m supposed to sing in a couple weeks. Any news from Jack?

Nothing lately. He says he is healthy. He has some good friends and guys in his platoon are top notch. Thank you for asking.

Please tell him I am praying for him and think about him often.

I will.

With that, Bob walked into the sanctuary. A few minutes later she heard him singing. Since Janet hadn’t arrived, he was singing a cappella. It was a lively tune and he seemed to really be into it.

Charlotte walked in quickly and gave a hug to Nancy. “How are you today?” Nancy smiled and said, “I am well. You? Have you heard from my boy?” Charlotte returned the smile and replied, “No nothing yet.”

The two girls chit chatted while the music in the sanctuary continued. Janet arrived through another door and the two of them went through the piece a couple times. Bob was very high spirits and it showed in his singing. When he finished singing, he and Janet went their separate ways. Bob came back into the pantry with a rush and singing in a loud vaudeville type voice sang the “Hello Ma Baby” song from the Warner Brothers cartoon. Both Nancy and Charlotte laughed at Bob and he carried on with the part.

Seeing Charlotte gave Bob a jolt but he was in entertainer mode so, since the show must go on, he continued until the familiar tune was finished. He made certain to split time crooning to both ladies and they both seemed to enjoy it giving their applause when he finished.

At the completion of the song, Bob said with a dramatic flourish, “I must bid you fair maidens adieu but you have made my day with your adoration. I have more shows tomorrow at 1, 4, and 7.” Then he disappeared through the door.

Still smiling, Nancy looked away from Bob and noticed Charlotte still looking at the door. Instantly, her mother bear reflexes were activated.

The Parting: Getting Closer

Bob spent his whole life doing the right thing.  Since he was a little boy, he tried to please people.  At a very early age, he understood that he could watch what other people did.  If bad things, like a spanking or being yelled at, happened to them when they did something wrong, he wasn't going to do it.

He accepted Jesus as his savior when he was at a church camp the summer he turned 13. He never regretted it for a moment. Having God as a part of his life was fantastic. He enjoyed going to church. He loved to sing in the choir. In some ways, being in church was his drug. Life can beat down on a person sometimes. Church is the ultimate pick me up.


Bob remembers the first time he met Charlotte. A bunch of people decided to go to the local Olive Garden after church one Sunday. She was visiting church for the first time and her friend, Vicky, asked her to go out to eat also. At the big table where they all sat, Vicky introduced Charlotte to Bob and the group. Though Bob was nearly on the opposite side of the table, he felt his heart jump. Charlotte's eyes moved around the table as Vicky called out the names of the individuals there. Electricity shot through Bob's body when Charlotte's eyes met his when his name was called.

Bob had seen pretty ladies before but there was something special about Charlotte. Nevertheless, Bob never acted on his feelings. He didn't want to make a fool of himself. While he was well liked in the community and especially at the church, he personally felt awkward around women. At least those he felt were special.

He never really spoke to Charlotte after that until the church pot luck. He knew Charlotte and Jack were committed to each other. Still, something compelled him to sit next to her that day and start a conversation. Talking about Jack was easy. It would be a nonthreatening topic. What better way to get to know such a special lady than to choose a subject that she loves?

Since that day, Bob's thoughts were constantly filled with Charlotte. He was on a high for the whole week. Still, he didn't dare call her or anything. The whole town knew Jack, Charlotte, and Bob. If Bob started to pursue Charlotte, it was bound to get back to Jack one way or another. He didn't want to be part of a scandal. Nevertheless, in his heart of hearts, Bob sent a small but deeply felt prayer to heaven. "God, can it please be Your will that I can get closer to Charlotte?" He couldn't bring himself to ask that he would have Charlotte. For now, he would be satisfied with being closer.

The Parting: Long Distance Relationship

Continuation:  The following contains an actual story I have read before. 


The days turned to weeks and the weeks to months. One night, after a long day at work, Charlotte, pulled out the journal she started and turned to the day after Jack left.  She was reminded the first few hours were hell.  He just walked away.  He never looked back.  She remembered thinking, "Why God, why? Why did you let me open my heart only to crush it like this? If that your purpose then just kill me and be done with it.

She remembered waking the following morning and it seemed all a bad dream but reality quickly hit.  The bad part of the dream was that it was actually real.  Can it get any worse? Charlotte then decided that she had to get into a routine.  She had to do something with herself or she would be a mindless, sobbing idiot.  She determined she would go to work and put on a happy face.  She wouldn't act like nothing happened but she would, how do the English say it, put on a stiff upper lip?

Fortunately, work was a routine she could easily manage.  She found herself regularly looking at Jack's patient information on the computer when no one was looking.  Still, she made it through the day with no tears and, in her mind at least, that was a major accomplishment.

Charlotte also remembered trying to decide whether or not she would cross off each day on the calendar until Jack would return.  She did put a little dot on the days.  She may still put a big "X" through the days.  Maybe when the day gets closer.

She decided send him a letter or email every day. She knew his world was changing like hers but in ways she was certain she may never fully understand.  While he would see war, she would be reminded of him by the many places they had been together.  She would see them every day and her heart would be broken.  He would have no reminders of home except his memories and whatever he brought with him.  She wanted to give him snippets of home as often as possible.

Jack's days were filled with training, patrols, boredom and terror.  His skills were continually being honed. However, while becoming an efficient killer, he was being taught how to "win the hearts and minds" of the people. While this seemed odd at first, Jack quickly realized it was better to have allies in a foreign land than to have everyone your enemy. He already knew that the enemy there wore no uniform. The enemy looked just like the civilians. The training that hit home the most was told by his commanding officer who did a tour in Afghanistan the previous year.

His CO told the story of an old woman stole a small box of ammunition. There she was, hunched with osteoporosis and walking away with that box. Occasionally, she looked back at them with a toothless grin. The CO told his troops huddled around him that they believed she thought she had a box of food. Since many people in the area were hungry it was common for locals to steal. Now they were faced with a dilemma. Due to the distance she was away from them, it wouldn't be long before she would be out of sight. What if she actually was working with the Taliban and they got a hold of the ammo? The CO was responsible for it and the lives of the people it would be used against. Do they shoot her? She's an old woman. How would he feel if someone shot his grandma? People began yelling at her to stop. She continued walking.

The CO screamed for a magazine with tracer rounds. He began to shoot tracer bullets close to the old woman in the hopes she would drop box. Zing! Zing! Each round cracked by her getting closer and closer. Finally the old woman got the message and dropped the box. She turned and shook a fist and them and screamed something. Then she walked off.

Finally, the CO said that each of them may be faced with choices they don't want to make. A local may start walking toward them and they may have a bomb under their clothing. You want locals to keep their distance whenever possible. It is necessary for them to stop and show what is under their clothes. If they don't you may have to shoot them. You may be sorry if you shoot someone. You may be sorrier if you don't.

Jack longed to hold Charlotte. He wanted to feel her, touch her, smell her. He strained to recall each time he had heard her laugh. She had a contagious giggle. He also missed his family. How he wished he could convey to all of them how much he loved them.

The Parting: Insanity

Though he had been in country for a few months, the last week had taken a toll on Jack. Consecutive nights on night patrol frayed his nerves. The sounds in the dark seemed ominous. Every creaking, snapping, or moaning sound caused new surges of adrenaline to shoot... through his body. If the enemy were out there, he was certain they could hear his pounding heart. After a week with only a few fitful minutes of sleep, Jack was a stumbling zombie. That was the easy part. In the months he had been in Afghanistan, he had seen too many things that were better not to relive in dreams.

The broken, torn bodies of 2 of his friends were the worst. He denoted the second worst to be their screams as the wounded writhed in pain. Pete was the first to get hit. Shot as they climbed one of the many steep hills in the region they patrolled, Pete fell as backward and started sliding down the hill, trailing blood. Jack shut his eyes as he replayed the images again but shook his head and opened his eyes to make them go away. The image of Todd’s death was simply his body. His head was downhill when Jack finally got to him shortly after the medic left. The blood had started pooling in his head and, since his heart no longer functioned, the oxygenless blood left his face with a bluish/purplish hue to it.

Maybe things will change. Only time will tell if someone can transition from warrior to civilian without lasting problems. Maybe the WWI and WWII soldiers had a big benefit. They had a month or so on a ship going across the ocean. They had a buffer zone, so to speak, between death and destruction and a home with clean sheets, mom and apple pie. They could decompress.

It isn’t normal to be a soldier, Jack thought. It isn’t normal when you go on a walk that that you have to be ready to kill someone. Sometimes that is the sole purpose of your movements. It isn’t normal to know there are people that want to kill you. They are making plans to do it. Someone is making plans for you to go kill someone else. He denoted it as insanity! It is all insanity.

The Parting: Every Day Life

They were never really close before. Charlotte and Jack’s mother, Nancy, had a barrier between them. The wall was Jack. Of course, Jack never wanted any friction between his women. They were the two most important ladies in his life. Still, to Nancy it seemed that Charlotte was taking away a son she wasn’t ready to give up. In the month’s that followed Jack’s deployment, the two developed a close bond.

They spoke on the phone almost daily. Every letter and email was shared. Charlotte shared the first letter she received.  

Hello,

I am writing so that you will know that all is well for me. Today I went on my first patrol. I will say it was scary but nothing happened other than we saw a couple dead bodies from a fire fight a couple days ago. The chow here is pretty good. I’m with good friends so, overall, I can’t complain. Please don’t worry about me. I’m with a good group of guys. We have some veterans who know what they are doing. I’m in good hands.

I want you to know that I love you very much. I miss you and can’t wait to see you again. Please write often since letters are such a bright spot in our days. I will write again as soon as time permits.

Love,
Jack

 

Both women began to respect one another. Charlotte began to see the strength in Nancy a women who overcame a financially poor childhood to become a mother who fiercely protected her family. She was loyal, proud, and loved her family. Nancy came to understand that, while Charlotte was young and still trying to find her way in the world, her heart was good. More and more she believed that Charlotte wasn’t trying to steal Jack away for selfish reasons. She truly wanted what was best for him.

Charlotte settled into the routine of life on the home front when your soldier is off to war. Work continued to be work. There were clothes to be washed, food to be cooked, dishes to be done, and cars to be maintained.  Sprinkle in the little mishaps and aggravations that happen on occasion and you understand her life.  She thought about Jack often and prayed for him even more often.  People at church continued to be supportive and she appreciated the prayers offered up for protection and safety for Jack.  It gave her peace.

An interesting thing happened one Sunday.  A young man from church, who was a couple years older than Charlotte, sat next to her at a pot luck lunch after the Sunday service.  His name was Bob. They began talking about Jack. Bob had many question about Jack’s deployment, his unit, and how long he would be in Afghanistan.  Bob was a animated and smiling.  While their conversation was pleasant enough and there was no indication of any advances from Bob, Charlotte felt uneasy.  Still, Bob was no stranger. He lived in the town his whole life and everyone knew him and liked him.  Nevertheless, call it women’s intuition if you like, but Charlotte decided to put a barricade between her heart and Bob.  She was Jack’s girl.

The Parting

This is a story that is coming to me and I have to write it down. I don't know where it will go or how it will end.  I welcome your feedback.

His eyes were closed. He didn't want to see her face. He couldn't bear to see the hurt. "I love you." he mumbled through tight lips. The tears began to flow from her eyes. She knew she'd never see him again. It seemed obvious. They held each other and savored every moment. They memorized the feel of each other's body as they pressed against one another. The love was genuine. Well, as genuine as the love of 20 year old kids can be. Still, the prospect of the impending separation loomed over them ominously. Jack was going off to war.

Jack was 4 months older than Charlotte but they have been serious about each other since Jack went off to basic training over a year ago. Charlotte was a receptionist at the chiropractor's office Jack used after an injury he got once when roller blading. At first, Jack enjoyed seeing the petite red head with the green eyes simply because she was beautiful. Still, the more he visited the chiropractor, the more he flirted with her, he hoped she was as interested in him as he was in her.

Charlotte certainly noticed the tall, muscular boy the moment he walked in the office. She memorized every bit of information he put on the forms. While she always smiled when he walked into the room, she was very reserved around him. She had a wall between them. A jock had hurt her before. She wasn't going to let that happen again.

"I love you too, Jack." Charlotte whispered. She was so afraid. She had finally opened her heart to love and it was being ripped from her. She felt her heart was being torn from her body.

Jack never wanted to hurt Charlotte. In spite of the stereotypes about athletic types, Jack was a very caring, compassionate young man and he was able to get around the wall Charlotte had. He didn't take her by storm. The wall melted in love. Around Charlotte, he was a gentleman. He praised her in private and in public. He also sent flowers to her office from time to time. Most of all, he was genuinely interested in her day when they got together. Sometimes her mind would be crazy and she felt as if she was being pulled in 100 different directions. Nevertheless, Jack would calmly listen to her ramblings and smile. He was her rock.

"Char, I want you to remember something. Remember the time we sat under the stars and we pointed out the constellations?" She nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks. "We picked Orion as our spot in the stars. Whenever you look at Orion, know that I will be too. That is our meeting place. That and letters and emails is how we will be with one another."

They embraced again. Their lips met in a loving, desirous kiss. Each was gathering the strength for the moment they had to part. It was coming too soon. Charlotte was trying to communicate with Jack subliminally. Wishing her emotions could be willed into him so he would understand and accept what she feels, who she is.

Jack broke the bond first. Pulling away and wiping tears from his eyes. "I love you and will write as often as I can." She stood there not believing it was all happening. "I love you, too." she mouthed since no sound came from her throat. "We will be fine. We've talked about this. You are the only one for me. We'll get through this." Then he turned to leave. He would not look back. His heart was broken enough. He didn't want his last glimpse of Charlotte to be one of sorrow. He preferred to see her as he knew her to be: vibrant, beautiful, vivacious. My Charlotte, he thought.

Charlotte, watched Jack walk away wishing he would turn one last time but she knew he wouldn't. They hadn't dated that long but she knew him well enough. Damn him! "Jack, you better come back to me," she whispered.