Veronica, a tall and beautiful high-school senior, curled her long blonde hair as her two best friends, Stephanie and Jennifer put on makeup in her second-story bedroom in Newark, New Jersey while getting ready for Prom.
Stephanie dabbed on some foundation then looked at her friends. “Guys, I have to confess something.”
Both Veronica and Jennifer immediately stopped what they were doing.
Veronica asked, “What?”
“I should’ve told you this sooner.” Stephanie took a deep breath. “The truth is: Brett isn’t the only guy who asked me to Prom.”
Jennifer dropped her powder brush. “What?”
Stephanie let out a hint of a smile. “Actually, Adam and Matt asked me too. They all asked me on the same day.”
Veronica stared in disbelief. “No way. You got asked by three guys? Who are you? Beyoncé?”
Stephanie went back to dabbing on her foundation, “Well, the thing is, I really like all three of them and I’ve been on dates with them all. I didn’t really know what to do. This whole love triangle thing is a mess.”
Jennifer let her eyes wander upward. “Is that a love triangle or a love square?”
“Good point,” Stephanie answered. “It took me a few weeks to decide because I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings and I didn’t know who to choose, but now I’m conflicted. Sometimes, I think I should have chosen Adam, then other times I think it should have been Matt, then other times, I’m glad I chose Brett.” Stephanie shook her head a bit as she said, “They’re all going to be there tonight.”
“You know what I say?” Jennifer shook her upper body to the music. “Just don’t worry about it and have fun. This is Prom. How many times do you get to go to Prom in your entire life?”
Stephanie dabbed on some eye-liner. “That’s easy for you to say. You have Jason. Plus, you went to Prom last week.”
Veronica stopped brushing her hair. “Wait. What?”
Stephanie looked up. “Oh, she didn’t tell you?”
Veronica turned toward Jennifer. “Tell me what?”
A sly smile crossed Jennnifer’s face. “Jason and I were driving around last Saturday and we were super bored. He knew our rival high school was having a Prom that night so he suggested we just show up.”
Veronica let out a laugh. “No way.”
Jennifer nodded. “Yep. He already had his tux and I had my dress, so we just showed up and walked right in. No one ever asked us for our tickets or anything. We ate a bunch of free food and had the time of our lives on the dance floor. The photographer was following us around most of the night because we were having such a great time. I’m sure their yearbook staff is going to be looking at all of their photos wondering: Who are those people?”
Veronica playfully nudged Jennifer. “You are absolutely hilarious.”
Stephanie looked at Jennifer in the mirror. “You two are such the perfect match.”
Jennifer sat down on the bed, then laid back. “Yeah, we are.” After a moment, she sat up and said, “But you know who I think is a great match? Veronica and Adrian.”
Veronica let out a quick smile then asked. “You think so?”
Jennifer replied, “Oh, I know so. You’re the volleyball star. He’s the basketball star. You’re beautiful. He’s handsome. Match made in heaven.”
Stephanie waved her hand. “Oh, come on, Jen. Adrian isn’t just handsome, he’s super-hot.”
Jennifer let out a quick laugh, “Yeah, you’re right Steph, Adrian is super-hot. Truth is, every girl at the school is just a little jealous you get to go to Prom with Adrian.”
Stephanie’s eyes wandered toward the ceiling. “He’s every girl’s dream.”
“No doubt,” Jennifer said. Then she looked at Veronica. “You gonna kiss him tonight?”
Veronica opened her mouth to answer, but Stephanie cut her off. “Oh, please. Of course she’s gonna kiss him. She kisses everybody.”
Veronica leaned back. “I do not kiss everybody.”
Stephanie began counting on her fingers. “Gary, Allen, Tim, Brady, John, although I can’t blame you for that one. I would’ve kissed John too. Brandon—”
Veronica put out her hands. “Okay, okay. I get the point. I’ve kissed a lot of guys. But it’s different with Adrian. It’s like, when I talk to him, the whole world disappears and it’s just me and him and nothing else matters.”
Jennifer laughed as she turned around to look in the mirror. “Oh, you’ve got it bad girl.”
Veronica sat back in her seat. “Yeah, you’re right. Adrian’s just a great guy and I don’t want to mess it up.”
Stephanie set down her eye-liner brush and looked at Veronica. “You’re not going to mess it up. You’re adorable, Babe.”
Jennifer put up her index finger. “But I do think the fact you’re not coming to dinner with us is kinda weird.”
“It’s not weird at all,” Veronica replied. “Adrian told me he wants to take me some place special.”
Jennifer leaned in. “Ooh. Where?”
Veronica shook her head. “I tried to pry it out of him, but he wouldn’t tell. All he said was it’s somewhere special to him and he wants it to be somewhere special to both of us.”
Jennifer sat back on the bed. “Aw. I take it back. That is so romantic. I wish my date would do something like that for me.”
Stephanie nodded. “Me too.”
“I’m sure the night will be very special for both of you.” Veronica stood up and shook her hips. “But we’ll be there at the dance and we’ll all dance the night away.”
Just then there was a knock on the door.
Veronica’s mom opened the door and entered the room. “Ladies, your dates are arriving.”
All three of them nodded then put on their finishing touches.
Dressed in his tuxedo, Adrian arrived in front of Veronica’s house in his sports car.
He got out of the car and shook the hands of Veronica’s parents in the driveway then gave his friends, Jason and Brett bro hugs. Just then, Veronica, came out the front door, followed by Stephanie and Jennifer.
Veronica and Adrian walked to each other and embraced. But this time it felt different than before—as if there was something more serious behind it. When Adrian let go, he said, “You look beautiful, Veronica, as always.”
Veronica let out a sheepish smile. “Thanks, Adrian. You’re not looking so bad yourself.”
Adrian put a corsage on Veronica’s left wrist and after failing multiple times to pin a boutonnière on the lapel of Adrian’s tuxedo, Veronica got some help from her mom and together they made it look good.
After taking a lot of photos, Adrian put a blindfold on Veronica.
Stephanie and Jennifer squealed with excitement.
Adrian whispered into Veronica’s ear. “Tonight will be a night you’ll never forget.”
Then Adrian walked with Veronica, hand-in-hand, to his sports car. He opened up the passenger door and helped Veronica get seated. Then he closed the door, went around the car, got in, turned it on, and sped away, waving goodbye to his friends and Veronica’s parents.
Veronica thought to herself, His cologne smells so good.
Veronica raised her head, trying to see out of the blindfold, but couldn’t see a thing. “So, are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
Adrian made a right turn. “Not yet. What would be the point of blindfolding you if I tell you where we’re going?”
Veronica started to pull the blindfold down a bit but Adrian saw her out of the corner of his eye, so he grabbed Veronica’s arm and put the blindfold back while saying, “No peeking.”
Veronica threw up her arms. “Oh, come on, Adrian. The suspense is killing me.”
Adrian cracked a sly smile. “Well, you know what’s killing me?”
“What?”
“Why did several men show up to your Chem class in Hazmat suits? I’ve been asking around, but no one will tell me.”
“Oh, you don’t want to know about that.”
Adrian let out a laugh. “I promise you I do.”
Veronica hesitated for a moment, then replied. “Well, okay. Nicole had explosive diarrhea in the middle of class.”
Adrian busted up laughing. “No way!”
Veronica excitedly moved her hands, as if she were talking with them. “Yep. I mean, it was just everywhere. I mean everywhere. We all heard it, and at first, we didn’t know what was going on. But then we saw it oozing all over the place as she ran out of the classroom. It took all of about two seconds to realize what happened before we all rushed out too. There was such a commotion that people accidentally knocked over chemicals and they started mixing with each other.”
“That’s unbelievable.”
“Yeah, the great part of it all was I saw Ms. Thomas making a lot of eye contact with one of the guys who came to clean it up. At lunch, I caught her making out with him on the back side of the football stadium.”
“The real Ms. Thomas comes out.”
Veronica laughed. “Yeah. She and I totally made eye contact as they were kissing. I turned and ran off, but she didn’t seem to care and kept at it.”
“Wow. That’s pretty gutsy.”
“I think she was a woman in need. If you know what I mean.”
Adrian pressed the brake as they came to a stoplight. “Oh, I know what you mean. But speaking of what women need. Why is it that so many women can’t stop watching soap operas and reality TV? It’s like, all day every day.”
“Why is it men can’t stop watching sports and action movies?”
Adrian thought about it for a moment then responded, “Touché.”
Veronica felt the car starting to go upward on dirt. She slyly tried to slip down her blindfold to see where they were going.
Adrian grabbed her hand and set it in her lap. “I already told you. No peeking.”
Veronica playfully groaned. “When are we going to get there?”
“Soon. Oh, I’ve been dying to tell you about what happened during weights on Tuesday.”
“Oh, for the basketball team?”
“Yeah. So, we were all working out, and Coach left for a few minutes. As you know when the cat’s away—”
“The mice will play.”
“And boy did they ever. So, Brett was doing curls in front of the mirror and out of nowhere, Dave pantsed him. I think he only meant to get his shorts, but he accidentally got it all.”
Veronica raised her hand to her mouth. “No.”
Adrian slapped the steering wheel with a laugh. “Yep. There he was with weights in his hands, his underwear to his knees. And since he was right in front of the mirror, it didn’t matter where you were in the room, we could all see everything.”
“Now that would make Stephanie jealous.”
“Yeah, well, there were a few cheerleaders who popped in to flirt with some of the guys, and they definitely got an eye full.”
Veronica laughed. “Sounds like you guys have a good time.”
“Oh yeah we do.” Adrian looked over at Veronica. “So, tell me, what’s the one thing you’re not gonna miss about high school?”
Veronica tapped her cheek with her index finger for a few moments then answered, “The one thing I’m not gonna miss about high school is guys grabbing my butt at the school dances.”
Adrian let out a laugh. “Don’t act like it’s just the guys doing the butt-grabbing. My butt’s been grabbed by about 20 girls.”
Veronica scrunched her eyebrows. “20? That’s more than me.”
“Exactly. A lot of these girls are straight up horn dogs. Four to five of them just stood there and looked at me while smiling afterwards.”
“Wow. That’s ballsy. What about the other fifteen?”
“They all disappeared before I could figure out who exactly grabbed my butt.”
Veronica waved her arm in the air. “Wait a second. Then how do you know they were girls?”
Adrian thought about it for a moment, then said, “Oh . . . That’s a good point. You know what, I don’t even want to think about that.”
Veronica let out a loud laugh as Adrian parked the car at the Watchung Reservation in the Watchung Mountains in Newark, New Jersey and said, “We’re here.”
Veronica reached for the blindfold. “Good. I need to get this thing off me.”
Adrian grabbed her hand and put it back in her lap. “Not yet. I need to get you in just the perfect place.”
Adrian hopped out of the car, opened Veronica’s door, took her hand, and helped her get out. While holding her hand, he led her twenty feet then helped her sit down on a bench.
Veronica moaned, “Can I take the blindfold off yet?”
Adrian oriented her body just as he said, “Not quite yet.”
Then Adrian ran back to the car, grabbed the food out of the trunk, and set it down on the bench.
Adrian stood behind Veronica and said, “Okay. Are you ready?”
“Definitely. I think this blindfold’s giving me a rash.”
“No, it’s not.”
“You’re right, it’s not. I just really want to take it off.”
Adrian put his hands up behind Veronica’s head as he said, “Okay. I’ll take it off on the count of three. One, two, three.”
Adrian slowly removed the blindfold.
Transfixed, Veronica stared out at the beautiful vista of both the New York and Newark skyline.
As Adrian sat down on the bench beside Veronica, she said, “It’s beautiful.”
Adrian smiled at Veronica then looked out at the skyline. “Yeah, it seems like it could just go on forever without any problems. It’s perfect.”
After looking at the skyline for a few minutes, Adrian said, “This is my special spot. I’ve never shared it with anyone before.”
Veronica looked over at Adrian. “Why not? Look at that view. If it were me, I’d share this vista with all my friends.”
Adrian let out a chuckle as he briefly look downward. Then his eyes met Veronica’s gaze. “I only wanted to share it with someone special.”
Veronica leaned back, feeling an irrepressible smile crossing her lips. “Wow.”
Adrian looked out at the view. “I’ve been wanting to share it with you for a long time.”
Veronica touched Adrian’s arm. “Why didn’t you?”
“You were always with someone, so I could never find the right occasion.”
Veronica put her hand on Adrian’s hand. “If it’s any consolation, I’m really glad we’re here together right now.”
A soft smile crossed Adrian’s face. “Me too.”
Adrian and Veronica looked into each other’s eyes for just a moment, but it seemed to them both that for this one moment, time stood still.
Then Adrian reached toward the items seated next to him on the bench. “So, I’ve made all this great food,” Adrian said as he pulled items out of a large thick-plastic picnic box. “We’ve got a fruit salad; and a charcuterie board of salami, pepperoni, sliced Italian sausage, gouda, and prosciutto.”
“Wow. I didn’t know I was going on a date with a professional chef.”
Adrian flashed her a smile. “Just wait until you see the main entrée.”
Adrian took a large glass dish out of an insulated food warmer and peeled back the aluminum foil as he said, “And my specialty dish: Baked Italian Ziti Pasta made with ground sausage, ground beef, provologne cheese, sour cream, and mozzarella all in a tasty marinara sauce.”
Veronica looked wide-eyed at all the food. “Adrian, I can’t believe you did all this. This is literally the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me.”
Adrian grabbed a plate and fork then gave them to Veronica as he said, “Wait until you try it.”
Adrian scooped out the Baked Ziti and put some on Veronica’s plate as she ate meat and cheese from the charcuterie board. For a few minutes, they sat there, next to each other, looking out at the beautiful view while eating delicious food.
After the first round, Adrian looked over and said, “Actually, Veronica, I have a secret I want to tell you, something no one else knows.”
Veronica studied Adrian with a hint of a smile. “Is this a funny secret or a secret secret?”
Adrian put down his fork and plate as he said, “I’m sure you’ll figure it out once I tell you. But I need you to promise me you won’t tell anyone else about it. It’s too personal.”
“Of course.”
Adrian hesitated for a moment, took a deep breath, then said, “Two years ago, just after I got my license, my mom got in a really bad car accident and went into a coma.”
Veronica put her hands over her mouth. “How did I not know this?”
Adrian shook his head. “No one did. My dad and I chose not to tell anyone and deal with it on our own.”
Veronica put her hand on Adrian’s arm. “Adrian, I’m so sorry.”
Adrian looked into Veronica’s eyes as he said, “Thank you.”
“How long was she in a coma for? Is she still alive?”
“She was in a coma for a year.”
“A year?! You should have told me. I would’ve been there for you.”
Adrian looked at Veronica for a moment then out at the skyline. “I appreciate that. But your life was good. So were the lives of my friends. It was something my dad and I had to bear alone. Not even my basketball coach knew. I would come to this exact spot several times a week and just look out there at that view. Everyone else was worried about who likes who, who was kissing who, and whether they were cool or not.” Adrian paused for a moment. “I was worried about whether or not my mom was going to live.”
Veronica rested her head on Adrian’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you before, but I’m here for you now.”
“I appreciate that.”
“How is she?”
“Well, she’s been through a lot of physical therapy. She’s the toughest woman I know. She just will not give up. She’s vastly improved in dozens of ways, but she still doesn’t have some feeling in her right foot and sometimes she gets dizzy and needs to lay down. But my dad and I are just happy she’s alive.”
“Wow. People close to you are really suffering and you don’t even know it.”
Adrian nodded.
After a moment of silence, Adrian said, “Now that I’ve told you the most difficult thing I’ve ever been through, it’s your turn. What was the most difficult challenge of your life?”
Veronica sat up and looked around for a bit. “I don’t have anything that can match that.”
“I’m sure you’ve been through something hard.”
Veronica thought for a moment then said, “Probably the hardest thing I’ve ever been through was being out of school for a month sophomore year with mono.”
Adrian let out a laugh. “Oh, right, I totally forgot about that. Who gave it to you? Scott? Jeremy? Jackson? Tim?”
Veronica shook her head.
Adrian put a hand to his mouth. “Don’t tell me it was Nervous Neal.”
Veronica shook her head then looked away in shame. “Worse.”
“Worse? Who could possibly be worse than Nervous Neal? You ever seen that guy try to talk to girls? He puts the awful in awkward.”
“Will the Wuss.”
Adrian threw his hands in the air. “Will the Wuss?! Are you out of your mind?! What were you thinking?”
“In my defense, it was before anyone knew he was deathly afraid of paper, and glass, and pretty much everything else. Plus, I was a 15-year-old girl. We don’t do a whole lot of thinking at that age.”
“I cannot believe you kissed Will the Wuss. How did I not find out about this?”
A sly smile crossed Veronica’s lips. “Simple. I made all my friends swear not to tell or I would tell the whole school about the time we found the jets in Stephanie’s jacuzzi when we were twelve.”
Adrian scrunched his eyebrows. “What are you even talking about right now?”
Veronica patted Adrian’s shoulder. “I’ll tell you when you’re older.”
Adrian looked at Veronica. “If I remember correctly, I’m one month and six days older than you.”
Veronica nodded. “Good memory, but still not old enough to understand what happened in Stephanie’s jacuzzi.”
“Wait. You kissed all those other guys, didn’t you? You’re trying to change the subject to get me to forget.”
Veronica playfully feigned outrage. “How dare you suggest such a thing?! I would never.”
“Yeah, right, I know you better than that. You always change the subject when people are talking about something you don’t like. It’s like the time when I was asking you about your date with Jimmy and you immediately changed the subject and asked me about my basketball—
“Adrian, we really don’t need to talk about the date with Jimmy. Trust me, it’s not something you want to hear about.”
A sly smile crossed Adrian’s lips. “Well, maybe he told me what happened.”
Veronica put her hands over her head. “No, he did not!”
Adrian let out a smile of victory. “I know all about you dusting the crops.”
Veronica’s cheeks turned red. “Oh, I am so embarrassed right now. You are the last person on planet earth who I wanted to know about that.”
“All I ask is that we get no nose burners today.”
Veronica shook her head. “I can’t believe we’re talking about this.”
Adrian playfully touched Veronica’s arm. “See, this is what happens when you try to avoid answering my questions. It’s best to just fess up. You kissed all those guys, didn’t you?”
“Which guys?”
“Now you’re just stalling. Scott, Jeremy, Jackson, Tim, Nervous Neal, Mi—”
Veronica cut Adrian off. “Okay, you can stop there. Yes, I kissed all of them and many others.”
Adrian looked at Veronica while shaking his head.
Veronica put her head down in shame. “That’s bad, isn’t it?”
Adrian shook his head. “It’s not good.”
Veronica raised a hand to her chest. “I promise I’ve turned a corner. I don’t just kiss random guys anymore. My kisses mean something now.”
Adrian studied her for a moment then said, “That’s good to hear.”
“Plus, Adrian, you should know that because I’m Christian, I’m saving myself for marriage.”
Adrian nodded. “Even better.”
Veronica scrunched her eyebrows. “Wait. What? Really?”
“Yep, the only woman who gets all of me is my wife, once I have a wife, of course.”
“How did we not know this about each other?”
Adrian thought for a moment then said, “Sometimes great things are right in front of you and you don’t even realize it.”
“Well, Adrian, speaking of great things. You’ve given me this amazing dinner and an incredible view. I got something that I thought was amazing, but compared to what you’ve done for me, it doesn’t seem so spectacular now.”
Adrian looked over at Veronica. “It’s the thought that counts. What is it?”
Veronica reached into her purse and pulled out a small wooden box then gave it to Adrian.
Adrian looked at the design on the box then read it aloud. “Life is about making music. So, let’s make some together.”
Veronica explained, “Inside are four customized guitar picks. I remember you playing the guitar at the school talent show last year. I still remember the song:
How easy, it would be to show me how you feel
More than words is all you have to do to make it real
Then you wouldn’t have to say that you love me
‘Cause I’d already know
Adrian said the next two lines:
Hold me close, don’t ever let me go
More than words is all I ever needed you to show
Adrian and Veronica said the last two lines together at the same time:
Then you wouldn’t have to say that you love me
‘Cause I’d already know
Adrian beamed. “More Than Words by Extreme. I can’t believe you remembered that.”
“It’s a beautiful song.”
“Well, I remember you bringing the house down with your version of I Will Always Love You. I mean, seriously, who knew you were the next Whitney Houston?”
“I’ve been taking voice lessons for years. But that’s what I’m saying with my gift to you is that we should make beautiful music together. You on the guitar and me singing.”
Adrian grabbed Veronica’s hand. “Thank you so much for this gift and I would love to make beautiful music with you.”
Adrian and Veronica kept talking, eating, and laughing. Then they went to Prom and danced the night away, getting closer and closer on each slow song. During the last song they gazed into each others eyes as an irresistible force pulled them together. Their heads moved forward and the world seemed to fade away as their lips met in a passionate kiss they would never forget.
That was the beginning of their relationship.
Adrian, Veronica, and Adrian’s parents, Mike and Patricia, sat around the dinner table as Mike said a prayer to bless the food. Once he finished the prayer, they passed around the oil tossed flour tortillas, seasoned ground beef, shredded cheese, sour cream, lettuce, and tomatoes. Then they began eating Patricia’s delicious homemade tacos.
Veronica put a dollop of sour cream on her taco as she said, “Mr. and Mrs. Harris, thank you for inviting me to dinner tonight.”
Mike nodded. “Well, our son seems to be very interested in you, so we wanted to get to know you better.”
Patricia touched Mike’s arm. “And Adrian says you’ve been recruited by Long Island University to play volleyball.”
Veronica put some cheese on her taco. “Yep. It’s always been my dream to play Division 1 volleyball. I’m so excited!”
Mike picked up his taco and smiled. “I’m happy for you Veronica. That’s really great.”
Patricia glanced at Adrian then looked back at Veronica. “Adrian hasn’t made a decision as to where he’s going to play basketball yet—”
Adrian put down his taco. “Actually, everyone. I have an announcement.”
Everyone’s eyes were glued to Adrian as he stood up and said, “I’ve decided I’m going to play basketball at Long Island University.”
Veronica squealed in excitement then jumped up and hugged Adrian. “Yes! Yes! Oh, my goodness. This is the best news ever!”
Veronica peppered Adrian’s face with kisses as his parents clapped then walked around the table and hugged him.
When the jubilation subsided, everyone returned to their seats, then Veronica grabbed Adrian’s hand with a big smile.
Mike looked at his son. “So, why did you choose Long Island?”
Adrian smiled for a moment then said, “Well, I’ve been talking to the coach and he said I’ll start as a freshman and that I’ll get a lot of playing time. He offered me a full-ride four-year scholarship which is a dream come true. I’ve always wanted to play D1 basketball, so it’s a great opportunity.”
Adrian looked into Veronica’s eyes. “Plus, there’s the added bonus that I get to go to the same school as this beautiful girl.”
Veronica leaned over and gave Adrian a peck on the cheek.
Mike nodded then everyone started eating the delicious tacos again.
After a bit, Patricia couldn’t help but smile as she looked at Adrian and Veronica. “Looks like you two have a pretty good relationship.”
Veronica glanced at Adrian then met Patricia’s eyes. “Yeah, it’s a very good relationship.”
Adrian put his arm around Veronica. “It’s better than good. I’d say it’s pretty great.”
“Yeah,” Veronica said, dreamily looking into Adrian’s eyes. After a moment, she turned her head and said, “Speaking of which. I wanted to ask both of you if you have any relationship advice for us. It’s common knowledge that the divorce rate is super high and I’m not saying we’re going to get married or anything yet, but you two seem to have a good relationship and I was hoping to pick up some tidbits of wisdom from you.”
Mike set down his taco. “Well, before we got married, I caught her in my arms. Now I catch her in my pockets.”
Adrian and Veronica laughed as Patricia hit Mike’s arm while playfully saying, “Oh, shut up.”
Mike put his arm around Patricia as he said, “It’s true.”
Patricia looked at her husband. “Okay, if that’s how you want to do it, how about this? I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury.”
Adrian and Veronica laughed louder as Mike playfully said, “Oh, it’s like that, huh?”
Patricia motioned her hands toward herself as she said, “Come on. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
A sly smile crossed Mike’s face. “Okay. Here we go. We always hold hands. If I let go, she shops.”
Patricia tried to hit Mike on the arm as she said, “Oh, no you didn’t.”
Mike playfully blocked her hand while saying, “Oh, yes, I did.”
Patricia looked at Veronica. “Marry a man your own age; as your beauty fades, so will his eyesight.”
Mike let out a chuckle then said, “My wife dresses to kill, she cooks the same way.”
Adrian and Veronica laughed for a bit, then Mike looked at Patricia. Patricia thought for a moment then threw her napkin on the table. “I’m out.”
A victorious smile crossed Mike’s face. “Okay, here’s the knockout punch. Marriage is like a game of chess, except the board is flowing water, the pieces are made of smoke and no move you make will have any effect on the outcome.”
Everyone laughed as Patricia pointed at Mike. “There’s actually a lot of truth to that.” Patricia kissed Mike on the cheek. “Okay, you win.”
Mike stood up and took a bow. “Thank you. Thank you.”
After Mike sat down, Patricia looked at Veronica. “Here’s some serious advice and this may not apply to you yet, but it may come into play at some point. Don’t fight about money, because after you’ve fought and said mean things to each other, the amount of money in your bank account will be the same.”
Mike shook his head. “Oh, don’t tell me you’re—”
Patricia cut Mike off. “Yes, I am.”
Mike put his arm around Patricia. “We married in college and were dirt poor, working all day, scrapping and scrimping, and barely getting by. After a few years, I think we were both totally stressed out because of the constant strain our financial situation put on us.”
Patricia nodded. “So, we had this big blowup at each other. I told him I wanted more and he said he was doing all he could.”
Mike looked up at the ceiling for a moment then at Veronica. “After we said some nasty words to each other, I went for a walk—a long walk. I found myself sitting on a bench in Central Park watching some ducks swim around. I thought about their situation. They literally have nothing—no home, no bed, no grocery store, no job, no way to make income. They have nothing. But there they were, swimming around in a pond, playing with each other without a care in the world. Part of being a human is work; there’s no getting around that. But I realized that I needed to have a bit more perspective. Maybe our problem was we were solely focusing on money. I suggested to Patricia that we should go to Church to start getting some perspective on life. She agreed and we went the next Sunday. We haven’t stopped since. It was good for us to learn about helping other people, to learn that there’s more to life and existence than just making money, having a nice home, and going on vacation after vacation.”
Patricia leaned forward. “Plus, Mike met a man in our congregation who was a very successful stock broker. After a year, he asked Mike if he wanted to give it a try. Mike accepted the offer, was given a ton of materials, studied hard, and has become a very successful stock broker.”
Mike grabbed Patricia’s hand. “Well, the past few years have been very good for the stock markets, so that’s certainly helped.”
Patricia smiled at Mike. “Now, you’re just being humble.”
Veronica took a sip of water then said, “That’s some really good advice. I like how you guys turned your problem into something that would be beneficial for you instead of just letting it fester.”
Mike gazed at Veronica. “But back to my joke about catching Patricia in my arms before we were married. I understand Adrian told you what she’s been through.”
Veronica nodded.
Mike looked at his wife. “The truth is: Patricia belongs in my arms.”
Tears welled up in Patricia’s eyes, then she put her arm around her husband and rested her head on his shoulder. Mike kissed her forehead then said to Patricia, “This is where you belong, Babe. This is where you belong.”
Patricia whispered, “I know.”
Patricia looked up and said, “Veronica, the truth is: Love doesn’t make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.”
Veronica smiled then let her gaze fall on Adrian.
For the rest of the night the four of them stayed there around the table eating dinner and dessert while talking and laughing.
Adrian and Veronica dated for the next 16 months, going on fun dates, graduating together, then going to college together. Their plan was to graduate college, get good jobs, then get married and start a family. They were young and felt no need to rush.
One morning, early on in their sophomore year of college, Adrian was in the kitchen, cooking bacon and eggs for breakfast when he heard Veronica frantically knocking on his door, “Adrian! Adrian! Open up! Adrian!”
Adrian set down the spatula, turned off the burner, and walked to the door. He opened it up and was stunned to see Veronica was in tears. Her hair was a mess. She rushed inside and said, “Adrian. Two airplanes just hit the Twin Towers.”
The news didn’t fully register as Adrian said, “What?”
Veronica paced around the apartment. “I don’t know exactly what’s going on or why. Have you talked to your dad today? Did he go to work?”
Adrian shook his head, then went over to the landline and dialed his home phone.
Patricia answered the phone, and Adrian said, “Mom, Veronica just told me two planes hit the Twin Towers. Have you heard anything about this? Did dad go to work today? Is he okay?”
Patricia’s voice immediately began to shake. “I haven’t heard anything about this. He did go to work today though. I’ll call him then call you back.”
Adrian put up a hand. “Actually, we’ll come to you.”
“Okay. Bye.” Patricia said then hung up.
Adrian set the phone down, rushed into his bedroom, grabbed the key to his car, then he and Veronica sped to Newark.
In the middle of the drive, they heard a newscaster say on the radio, “This is Frank Goldstein. At 8:46 this morning, American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center’s North Tower. At 9:03, United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower.”
Adrian hit the steering wheel. “My dad works in the South Tower. He has to find a way to get out of there!”
Frank Goldstein said over the radio, “At 9:37, American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon.”
Veronica threw up her hands. “What is happening?!”
Goldstein’s voice came over the radio again. “It is still not known who has done this or why. Nor is it known how many people have been killed or injured. Oh, I’m told Mitch is on the ground near the Towers. Mitch, can you tell us what is going on there?”
The voice of field reporter, Mitch Smith, came over the radio, “Yeah, Frank, there are policemen, firefighters, and ambulances everywhere.”
Frank Goldstein asked, “How badly damaged are the towers?”
Mitch Smith replied, “Right now, both the North and South Tower have an airplane lodged in them about two-thirds to three-fourths of the way up. People are continually coming out of the ground floor of both towers as crews are trying to help them es—”
Through the radio there was a very loud crashing sound, like an explosion.
Mitch Smith frantically yelled, “Oh no! Oh no!”
Frank Goldstein asked, “Mitch, what’s happening?”
Mitch Smith answered, “The South Tower just fell. The entire building just collapsed. There were many police officers and firefighters over in that area. Frank, I don’t know how anyone could have survived it.”
A tear ran down Adrian’s cheek as he cried out, “No!”
Just then Adrian turned down his home street and parked his car in front of his childhood home. Adrian and Veronica jumped out of the car and ran inside, finding Patricia standing in front of the TV looking at the South Tower in rubble.
Adrian hugged his mom as she cried uncontrollably while saying, “I couldn’t get a hold of him. I tried, but I couldn’t reach him.”
The entire day, Adrian, Veronica, and Patricia were glued to the TV and radio hoping for any sign of Mike.
It would take weeks to confirm what they already knew inside but refused to accept: Mike was killed in the 9/11 Terrorist attack.
While sitting at a secluded table in Blackstone Steakhouse in Long Island, Adrian looked at both Veronica and Patricia then said, “The reason I wanted to have dinner with both of you tonight is because there’s something I need to tell you.”
Adrian choked up for a moment, then looked away. “Ever since dad’s passing, I’ve felt just an overpowering need to do something. I can’t just sit here and let these terrorists keep coming and killing our people. So, I signed up for the Marines. I start Monday.”
Patricia shook her head. “Whoa. Wait a second. This is something you should’ve talked to me about first. I don’t want you going out there. It’ll be very dangerous.”
Adrian looked up at the ceiling then at his mother. “Well, what am I supposed to do? Sit around and act like nothing happened? Act like it’s okay if they come do it again?”
Patricia sat back. “No.”
Adrian clenched his jaw. “Well, I have to do something. And this is the very best thing I can do.”
Veronica was shaking. “Adrian, I understand you’re going through something that I can’t imagine, but what about your schooling, and basketball? What about us?”
Adrian took Veronica’s hand. “I’ll serve for a few years and we’ll end all terrorism on US soil. Then when I get back, we’ll get married, just like we always planned.”
Veronica nodded then hugged Adrian tight.
When Veronica let go, her arms were still shaking. “Swear to me you’ll make it back. Swear to me.”
Adrian looked right into Veronica’s eyes and said, “I swear I’ll make it back. No matter what.”
Tears fell down Veronica’s cheeks. “Remember that guitar pick box I gave you on our first date?”
Adrian nodded. “Of course.”
Veronica grabbed Adrian’s hand. “Take it with you then bring it back to me. Swear you’ll bring it back to me.”
Adrian squeezed Veronica’s hand then gave her a peck on the cheek. “I will.”
With tears coming from their eyes, both Adrian and Veronica stood up and hugged each other for a long time.
Adrian sat next to a window in the rear seat of an M-ATV 4×4, a reconnaissance truck used by the US military, as he and four other Marines crossed the barren Afghanistan landscape 50 miles away from Camp Rhino which was located in the Registan Desert, 100 miles (190km) southwest of Kandahar, in the south of Afghanistan.
The sun was barely peeking over the western hill in the early morning as Sergeant Taylor, who was sitting in the passenger seat, looked to the row behind him and said, “Corporal Harris, how are you enjoying your first trip through Afghanistan?”
Adrian replied, “After three months of pure heck in Basic Training, then two months inside Camp Rhino, I’m glad I finally get to be out here seeing some action.”
The other three Corporals let out a laugh as Sergeant Taylor leaned back in the passenger seat, “Hopefully, you won’t see too much action today. Don’t forget, our mission today is to simply find the location of where the Taliban stores their weapons so we can send men in to blow it up. We are recon only.” Sergeant Taylor let his hand fall to his machine gun. “No action unless absolutely necessary.”
Corporal Miller spoke up. “Sarge, I heard you saw some action when you first got here.”
Sergeant Taylor nodded his head, “Yep. I was in the first battalion that came to Afghanistan last year. We were told to form into squadrons and find a good place to set up camp. My squadron went a few miles north of where Camp Rhino is today and found an old abandoned school. As we were checking it out and radioing back to camp, we got pinned down by Taliban fire. Artillery rounds were impacting close to the school for several hours with barrages of small-arms fire. I thought to myself, ‘Well, it’s been a good run.’ Suddenly, we all heard a loud twang, and a thick cloud of dust erupted inside the building. I looked up to see a horseshoe-shaped indent in the corrugated tin roof over our heads. Everyone burst into uncontrollable laughter—one of the artillery rounds had been deflected by the thin tin roof. Deflection is a funny thing. It could have just as easily been a dud round. Either way, I take a kick where I can get it. Amazing thing is that with the amount they dropped on us, we only had two casualties. Both made it.”
Corporal Davis, a tall and muscular African-American, asked, “How did you make it out?”
A smile crossed Sergeant Taylor’s lips. “We blasted our way out with RPG’s and machine guns. That’s how.”
Corporal Jones wiped the sweat from his brow. “Wow, sir. Is that how you became a sergeant?”
Sergeant Taylor nodded. “We kept the little detail about the indent in the tin roof to ourselves and we were all made sergeants for our bravery. That’s how the military works. But it prepared me for more intense gunfights.”
Adrian took a sip of water from his CamelBak then asked, “Like what?”
Sergeant Taylor turned around. “One time, my teammate and I were pinned down on top of a roof. It was one of those little aggravating gunfights where we just couldn’t find the guy to kill him, and we were trying all kinds of unique things. It got to a point where my teammate and I sat down behind our cover to think through a solution to finally kill the insurgent who had us pinned down. I’ll never forget. A smile crept across my teammate’s face despite the bullets impacting our cover. I’m like, ‘What the heck are you thinking about right now?’ My teammate gave me the weirdest answer, ‘I’m like, breaking freaking crayons, bro.’ We both busted out in laughter. After regaining composure, we figured out a way to take out the insurgent.”
Confused, Corporal Davis said, “What?”
Sergeant Taylor leaned back. “I learned that when you’re in a really tough situation, if you can find a little humor it’ll let you think straight. He later told me that on a plane flight before coming to Afghanistan he sat next to a hot Psychologist and struck up a conversation with her. He asked her what he should do in a time of heavy stress and she said to think about breaking crayons.”
Corporal Jones shook his head. “I can’t believe that worked.”
A big smile crossed Sergeant Taylor’s face. “Oh, it worked for him later that night too.” Sergeant Taylor looked ahead. “I’ve been doing a lot of talking. You guys tell me some stories from Basic.”
Corporal Davis cleared his throat then said, “I was standing in formation one morning before training began. One of the DIs saw someone mess up and started yelling at him.
“C’mere, you!” he bellowed in his Drill Sergeant voice.
“For some reason, two people, instead of just the guy he yelled at, responded, ‘Moving Sergeant Airborne!’ and broke ranks. They began running toward him to report for their butt whuppin’. The DI was only watching the guy he yelled at; he didn’t notice the second person until that guy, Private Yu, appeared in his field of view. Knowing the second guy’s name, we all started holding back laughter at the train wreck we saw coming.
“‘WHO THE HECK ARE YOU?!?!’ the DI yelled.
“‘I’m Yu, Sergeant Airborne!’ the unsuspecting soldier answered.
“The Drill Sergeant completely lost it: ‘YOU’RE ME!?!?!? WHAT THE *&%$ YOU MEAN YOU’RE ME?!?!?!?’
“The entire formation lost it. All semblance of military bearing was gone. Some people were laughing so hard they were falling down.
“Yu, knees knocking but still apparently not understanding the miscommunication, replied, ‘No, Sergeant Airborne, I’m not you. I’m Yu!’
“Hilarity ensued. I guess Yu didn’t realize the DI couldn’t see the spelling of what he was saying, because they are pronounced exactly the same way. By this time, more than half the company was rolling with gut-busting laughter, completely unable to even pretend we had military bearing.
“The Drill Sergeant then let out a stream of profanity laden with threats and promises as to what he was going to do to Yu’s mother, family, dog, and anything else he held dear.
“At the end of this evil tirade, the DI finally noticed Yu’s name tag and realized the mistake. ‘Oh, you’re not me,’ he said, ‘you’re Yu!’
“The Drill Sergeant forgot why he’d called the first guy to the front, but because he’d lost all control of the formation, he had to re-establish discipline. The smoke session that ensued lasted about 2 full hours, but it was worth it!”
Adrian and the rest of the Marines in the truck busted up laughing.
Corporal Jones shouted, “That’s great.”
Sergeant Taylor chuckled. “That’s gotta be the best Basic story I’ve ever heard. Harris, what have you got for me?”
Adrian looked out the window and thought for a moment, then said, “We were drilling on the parade deck, and this one recruit kept messing up. Our Drill Instructor stopped us, stomped up to the recruit, and started wearing him out. Gave him the classic DI: screaming in both ears, spit flying, smacking him in the face with his cover.
“Eventually, the recruit broke down, and silent tears started streaming down his face. The DI took his finger, wiped a tear from the recruit’s eye, and licked it, telling the recruit, ‘Now I own your soul.’”
Corporal Jones chuckled. “That’s good.”
Corporal Miller put a hand on his stomach with a laugh. “I can’t believe the recruit was crying.”
Adrian responded, “Yeah, I don’t think he’s a Marine anymore.”
Sergeant Taylor looked at the Marines in the second row and said, “With all these funny stories, I want to tell you one more.”
“Our team didn’t have our usual pilots and we were being flown by an aviation unit that we hadn’t worked with much in the past. We were loaded onto two MH-47 Chinook helicopters to infiltrate our target. High winds coming down the mountains made flying conditions difficult. When our Chinook attempted to touch down, the pilot struggled to make a steady landing and took several tries; each failed attempt to land was followed by a rapid gain in altitude while spinning. Meanwhile, the other helicopter landed on its first attempt and offloaded its Marines.
“We were having a blast on our Chinook, pretending the scary helicopter ride was a roller coaster and that we were in Disney World, laughing constantly.
“You’d see the mountains under us just whizzing by out the back out the Chinook. It took about four attempts to put her down, and when he did, we were a ways away from the other chalk. But hey, we were finally down.
“We executed our mission, detaining several people from the targeted house. The call for our exfil was radioed into command, and eventually the same crew of Chinooks came thundering in.
“When our pilot made the first attempt to land, we all had to take off running with our detainees to avoid getting stomped on by the actual helicopter.
“Sure enough, this guy can’t put it down again—the first attempt sends us running like mushrooms about to be stomped by Mario. Have you ever seen an exfil circle, with PUCs, pick up and run in a complete brownout as a helicopter follows them around trying to land on them? Yeah, that actually happened.
“The pilot landed after about three attempts, and we loaded up with our detainees. We had a safe flight back to base to prepare for the inevitable follow-on mission.
“Although we got to share the camaraderie together in the bird, I don’t know if I’ve ever laughed so hard in my life as I did seeing a helicopter try to land on me in the middle of the night in Afghanistan.”
Adrian put a hand over his mouth. “No way.”
Sergeant Taylor responded. “Yep, some pilots just weren’t made to be pilots, but they’re here anyway because we need the manpower.”
Just then, a thunderous explosion landed right in front of their truck. Corporal Miller turned the steering wheel hard right and swerved out of the way.
Adrian shouted, “What was that?!”
Sergeant Taylor pointed out the front of the vehicle toward sand dunes ahead of them. “They’ve got Javelins. Everyone out of the car right now!”
Adrian leaned to his right and saw a Javelin, which is an anti-tank missile, flying fast through the air heading right at the truck. In one motion, Adrian grabbed his machine gun, a grenade launcher, and the radio as both he and Corporal Davis, who was on the other side of the truck, opened their doors and jumped out of the moving vehicle, rolling across the hot desert.
The next moment, their truck exploded with a thunderous boom as the Javelin struck it head on.
The truck flew in the air and landed twenty feet behind them, then rolled several times. Adrian got up and ran as fast as he could as bullets scattered all around him. He reached the smoldering truck and jumped behind it to take cover. A moment later, Corporal Davis landed right next to him, breathing heavy.
With sweat running down his face, Corporal Davis asked, “Are they all dead?”
Adrian yelled above the sound of gunfire. “Yeah. There’s no way they could have survived that.”
Adrian put the radio to his lips and called into Camp Rhino. “This is Corporal Harris. Our recon vehicle has been hit and destroyed by a Javelin. Only Corporal Davis and I are alive. We’re about 50 miles east of Camp Rhino. We need exfil immediately.”
A marine came on the other side of the radio. “Corporal Harris, we’ll get a chopper in the . . .”
All of a sudden, Adrian heard explosions and gunfire on the other side of the radio.
The marine on the radio said, “Corporal Harris, Camp Rhino is under heavy fire . . . Oh no. No.”
Adrian heard several enormous explosions through the radio.
The marine on the radio said, “Camp Rhino has been destroyed. I don’t know how many men are left here to . . .”
Adrian heard the marine on the radio shout with a loud groan. Then silence.
Adrian said into the radio, “Hello. Hello?! Is anyone there?!”
At that moment, both Adrian and Corporal Davis felt a strange but strong electrical sensation.
Corporal Davis turned to look at Adrian. “What was that?”
While being pinned down by bullet fire from the Taliban, Adrian hit the radio’s call button many times and tried speaking into it, but it wouldn’t work.
After a couple minutes, Adrian looked at Corporal Davis. “I think we got hit by an EMP.”
Corporal Davis shook his head. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying Camp Rhino’s been destroyed and our radio doesn’t work.”
Corporal Davis started freaking out, “No. No. No. I should not have come here. I should’ve just stayed in medical school. Now we’re both going to die on some desert road in who-knows-where Afghanistan.”
Tears began to fall down Corporal Davis’ cheeks as he hyperventilated.
Adrian thought for a few moments, then an idea popped into his head. He looked at Corporal Davis and said, “If an accountant’s wife can’t sleep, what does she say?”
Corporal Davis stopped hyperventilating and looked at Adrian. “What?”
“What does she say?”
Corporal Davis shook his head. “I don’t know, man.”
“Dear, could you tell me about your work day?”
Davis let out a bit of a chuckle. “That’s pretty good.”
Adrian ducked down as bullets hit the vehicle. “Yeah, this is way more exciting than being an accountant.”
Corporal Davis took a few deep breaths. “You’re not wrong about that.”
A smile crossed Adrian’s face. “Okay. Here’s another one. A woman dressed up as a policewoman, then surprised her husband in their bedroom and told him he’s under arrest on suspicion of being good in bed. After two minutes, all charges were dropped due to a lack of evidence.”
Corporal Davis let out an audible laugh. “Now that was funny.” He took a few steady breaths. “Thanks, Corporal Harris.”
“You can call me Adrian.”
Corporal Davis stuck out his hand. “Yeah, I’m Dante.” They shook hands, then Dante said, “Okay, what’s the plan?”
Adrian looked down at his weapons. “Well, I have a grenade launcher and we both have machine guns. They’re only using small arms fire which means they’re probably out of Javelins.”
Dante nodded. “Good thing.”
Adrian pointed to his left. “Take a peek out on that side and I’ll take a look on this side. We need to know where they are.”
Dante nodded then inched over a bit, and slightly peeked his head out as Adrian did the same on the other side of the flaming truck.
After a quick second, they both came back.
Dante spoke first. “They’re up on that hill. Maybe 50 yards away. About three or four of them.”
Adrian lifted the grenade launcher. “Okay. There are two others up on that hill that are about thirty yards away. Plus, the hill on this side is really close to us. So, here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to fire the grenade launcher at the insurgents on your side first then on my side. Then we’ll have to run up and over the hill on my side very fast while shooting at them with our machine guns. It’s going to be about a 100-yard sprint. Did you ever play any sports?”
Dante’s voice shook as he responded, “Yeah, I played football in high school and college.”
“Good. I played basketball. Just imagine you’ve got a linebacker chasing after you as you’re running to the end zone.”
Dante wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Okay, yeah.”
Adrian loaded two grenades into the grenade launcher as Dante asked, “Are you sure it’ll work?”
Adrian clenched his jaw. “We’re going to make it work.”
Dante nodded as Adrian lifted the grenade launcher, set it up, and aimed it over his back shoulder then looked at Dante. “You ready?”
“Yeah. Just like football.”
Adrian fired then quickly repositioned the grenade launcher and fired again. After a moment, two large explosions rang out and the bullet fire died down.
Adrian and Dante immediately got up and sprinted up the hill closest to them while firing their machine guns at the two insurgents at the top of the hill. After a few shots, both insurgents were dead.
Adrian and Dante reached the peak of the hill and jumped over the other side so they weren’t visible to the insurgents on the hill across from them.
Dante shouted, “I can’t believe that worked!”
Adrian smiled. “I can.”
Bullets hit the top of the hill near them.
Dante ducked his head down as he asked, “What now?”
Adrian motioned toward the others. “We have to take out those insurgents on the hill across from us. They think we’re right here.” Adrian pointed to his left. “I’ll go that way a hundred yards and you go the other way a hundred yards. I’ll fire another grenade at them. Then they’ll think we’re both where I am. They’ll expose themselves just enough for you to take them out.”
Dante nodded and began to move.
Adrian crept alongside the hill until he was far away from where the Taliban bullets were hitting the hill. Then he set up the grenade launcher, looked at Dante, and fired.
The grenade flew through the air and a moment later landed with a loud explosion throwing sand everywhere.
The insurgents scrambled to turn and fire at Adrian’s position. Just then, Dante climbed up the hill and began firing his machine gun, killing all of the remaining insurgents on the opposite hill.
Both Adrian and Dante let out a shout of excitement, then they ran back to each other and gave each other a hug.
Dante cried out. “That was amazing!” Then he went to the top of the hill, looked around, and said, “Okay. What’s the next step?”
Adrian answered. “We need to get to a US military base.”
Dante came back down the hill a bit. “Yeah, but Camp Rhino was just assaulted. Sounds like it was destroyed.”
“Yeah, we definitely can’t go back to Camp Rhino. Do you know of any other military bases in Afghanistan?”
“The only other base I’m aware of is Bagram, but that’s in the north of Afghanistan.”
“How far?”
“I don’t know, several hundred miles.”
Adrian bowed his head for a moment then looked up at Dante. “Look, no one knows we’re alive. No one knows where we are. There is no exfil team coming for us. Our only hope to stay alive is to make it to Bagram.”
Dante waved his hands. “Adrian, I don’t think you understand. We don’t have a map or a radio, and neither of us knows exactly where Bagram is or how to get there. This could take months. How are we going to survive that long in the desert?”
Adrian thought for a moment, then took a deep breath. “Well, we’re going to have to go from town to town. I’ve never stolen anything before in my life, but every Afghan who sees us will try to kill us. We can’t get jobs, so our only option will be to steal what we can.”
Dante sat down in the sand, shaking his head. “You can’t be serious. I’m no thief.”
“Me neither, but now our life is about survival. All we have is each other and God.”
Adrian walked to the top of the high hill and did a 360-degree turn, taking in the landscape. Off in the distance, to the north, he saw some smoke rising.
Adrian pointed toward the smoke. “There’s a town that way.”
“How far?”
“I’m not sure. Fifteen to twenty miles.”
“Adrian, how are we going to do this? How are we going to live in the desert for months?”
Adrian looked at Dante for a few moments, then answered, “One step at a time, one day at a time. We know we need to go north, so we head that way. We’ll hit towns along the way to get food and water. You still have your CamelBak, right?”
“Yeah, it’s full right now.”
“Good. I have mine too. So, we can carry water with us while we travel. We both have knapsacks full of MREs and Granola bars. Not many people in Afghanistan have cars, and if they do, who knows how much gas they’ll have in them. But we’ll try to hotwire cars along the way if we can. But we can’t ever draw attention to ourselves. The moment we draw attention to ourselves is the moment we’re dead. We have to fit in—become Afghans.”
Dante touched his knapsack. “Well, I have an English-Pashto Dictionary and an English-Dari Dictionary. I wanted to learn the two official languages of Afghanistan while I was here, in case I needed to converse with the people.”
“That’s great. We’ll study the languages as we travel so we become fluent. We’ll become Afghans in order to survive.”
Adrian reached down his hand and helped Dante stand up.
Once Dante was standing, Adrian looked into Dante’s eyes and said, “Ready?”
Dante slightly shook his head. “Not really. Isn’t there some other way we can get to a military base?”
“You have a better idea?”
Dante thought hard but couldn’t come up with anything. “Nope.”
Adrian reached into a pocket and pulled out the guitar pick box from Veronica.
Dante asked, “What’s that?”
Adrian looked down at it as he replied, “My girlfriend gave me this before I left. I promised I would return it to her and I fully intend to keep that promise.”
Dante nodded, then they started walking north.
After walking twenty miles all day in the hot sun, they neared a medium sized village at dusk and crept to the top of a hill overlooking the town.
Adrian pointed to the center of the village. “Look, there’s a market.”
Dante squinted. “Yeah, I see a market. So, what about it?”
“If they have a market, it means they’re selling bread and other food.”
“Okay. But how are we going to get it?”
Adrian looked down at the machine gun and grenade launcher he was carrying. “I have one grenade left. I’ll make a distraction while you slip into the market and grab bread.”
Dante shook his head. “I don’t like this plan.”
“You got a better idea?”
Dante looked around, then resignedly said, “Nope.”
Dante got up then took a few steps toward the village as Adrian said, “Oh, and grab us both some Afghan clothes. We both stick out like sore thumbs in our cammies.”
Dante nodded and started to move toward the village as the sun set.
Adrian watched Dante for a few minutes until he was ready to enter the village. Then Adrian ran down the hill and across the wall for a few minutes. Once he was far away from the hill, he took the last grenade out of the grenade launcher, and tossed it as far as he could.
The grenade landed with a loud explosion and Dante ran into the village as many people in the market turned and ran toward the sound of the explosion while maintaining a safe distance.
In the midst of the commotion, Dante grabbed as much bread as he could and stuffed it in his knapsack. Dante quickly walked through the market and nabbed Afghan clothing. Then he turned around and walked out, but was forced to exit the village another way than the way he’d entered because people were walking toward him.
As Dante made his way to the periphery of the village, he passed by a large warehouse and was stunned as he watched a Jeep drive through a side entrance into the warehouse.
Excitedly, Dante ran out of the village and back to the top of the hill where Adrian was waiting on the outskirts of the city as a group of Afghan men searched around the wall for what could have possibly caused the explosion.
Adrian looked at Dante and asked, “Mission accomplished?”
Dante handed Adrian some of the goods. “Yep. I got bread and clothing. Here you go.”
Adrian clapped Dante on the back. “Good work, Dante. Thank you.”
Dante took a few bites of bread and drank some water then said, “Adrian, you’re not going to believe what I saw in there. There was a Jeep driving into a large warehouse. I think that’s the location where the Taliban stores their weapons. And since they have a Jeep, who knows what else they have in there.”
Adrian did a double take. “Really? Wow. I thought our mission was just about survival at this point, but maybe we could do something to help our American soldiers.”
“What are you thinking?”
“Dante, do you know how to hotwire a car?”
“Uh, no. I’ve never stolen a car before.”
Adrian grimaced. “Me neither. Do you think you could figure it out? I mean, you did go to Medical School, right?”
“Maybe. If I try. But I won’t have much time because sooner or later they’ll find us.”
“Well, one of us has to hotwire the Jeep while the other sets up explosives all around the warehouse. We have to blow that place to smithereens.”
Dante took a deep breath. “That’s really risky.”
Adrian nodded. “Yeah, but think about how many Americans we can save. The Taliban knows we were building up Camp Rhino and has already destroyed it. Think of how much more ammo they have in there. This blow will incapacitate their efforts here in the South.”
Dante thought for a moment then said, “Okay. Yeah. Let’s do it.”
Adrian took his last sip of water. “Plus, I saw a well over by the warehouse where we can fill up our CamelBaks.”
Dante nodded, then they got up and crept down the hill, away from the Afghan men searching for them, and to the backside of the village. They entered the village, went to the well, drunk as much water as they could, filled up their CamelBaks, then headed toward the warehouse.
Two Afghan men stood guard at the entrance of the warehouse; the outlines of their bodies were illuminated by the lights inside the warehouse in the dark.
Adrian whispered to Dante, “Knife.”
They both pulled out heavy duty knives, split up, and crept toward the guards.
At the exact same moment, they both shoved their knives into the chests of the two guards so that both guards fell dead without a groan. Then they drug the dead bodies of the guards into the warehouse, and seeing there was no else inside the warehouse, they stashed the dead bodies underneath a tarp in the near corner.
Adrian looked around at all the weapons and cars. “Look at this place. There must be thirty Jeeps in here.”
Dante walked along the rows of weapons. “RPGs, Javelins, mines, machine guns, nearly unlimited rounds of ammo. These are all American made.”
Adrian stopped walking. “What are you thinking?”
Dante looked at a large stack of machine guns. “I’m thinking someone’s a traitor. Someone is selling American weapons to the Taliban.”
Adrian ran over to the weapons as he said, “Which is why we have to blow it sky high right now. Look to see if you can find the keys to any of these cars. If not, try to hotwire one.”
Dante looked around then asked, “What are you going to do?”
Adrian knelt down and grabbed a rocket. “I’m going to set this place to blow.”
Dante ran to the Jeeps as Adrian grabbed several Javelins and placed one in each corner of the room. Then he lined the warehouse with grenades. Adrian grabbed a stick and lit it on fire with his lighter then turned to Dante. “How’s it coming?”
Dante was bent under the steering wheel of one of the Jeeps. “Not good. There are no car keys anywhere in here. I’m trying to hotwire this Jeep, but I don’t know how and I don’t know that there’s even any gas—”
At that moment, Afghan men burst in through the entrance on the far side screaming and yelling while aiming their guns, but they didn’t shoot because they saw explosives everywhere.
Adrian and Dante crouched down and ran for the exit near them.
Adrian tossed the burning stick toward several grenades. They both exited the warehouse then heard several loud bangs, followed by one very loud boom as the warehouse exploded, killing every Afghan man inside it.
With the warehouse smoldering in flames behind them, Adrian and Dante ran north as fast as they could into the dark night.
Corporal Lewis, the Casualty Assistance Calls Officer assigned to Adrian’s case, knocked on the door of Adrian’s childhood home. Adrian’s mother, Patricia, opened the door and invited Corporal Lewis into the living room where Veronica was seated.
Veronica’s hands were shaking.
Patricia motioned toward the reclining chair. “Please take a seat, Corporal. Would you like a glass of water?”
Corporal Lewis sat down and responded, “No, thank you, ma’am.”
Patricia sat down on the couch and clasped her hands together. “Well, what can we do for you?”
Corporal Lewis sat forward. “Ma’am, I’ve been sent here to inform you that three months ago your son and several members of his squadron were attacked while performing a reconnaissance mission. We know that several members of the squadron were killed immediately. Due to the fact that Camp Rhino has been destroyed, we have lost all ability to control the region. We have done everything in our power to find your son, but there is no trace of him. He has been declared Killed In Action. I will help with any and all preparations for the funeral.”
Both Patricia and Veronica cried out as tears poured down their cheeks. Then they hugged each other for a long long time.
After two years of walking through hot deserts, zig-zagging their way through Afghanistan, blending in with the people, avoiding the police and the Taliban, sleeping under the stars on sand or dirt, stealing food and water, and having to not exist while fending for their lives at all times, Adrian and Dante saw the US flag waving up high in the distance at Bagram Airfield.
Their excitement turned into tears of joy as they ran the last mile toward the base. When they reached the perimeter, they were met by several soldiers who stopped them.
One of the soldiers asked, “Who are you?”
With his hands up Adrian replied, “I’m Corporal Harris and this is Corporal Davis. We were attacked on a recon trip two years ago when Camp Rhino was destroyed.”
The soldier replied, “You’re Marines?”
Adrian nodded. “Yes, but we’ve been living as Afghans for the past two years. We had no map and no radio so we had to figure out a way to find Bagram.”
The soldier said to the others. “Take their weapons then take them inside. Make sure they are who they say they are then have them meet with the Brigadier General. He will definitely want to talk to them.”
After being stripped of all weapons, Adrian and Dante were led inside where they were processed and identified. Then they were led into the office of Brigadier General Mitchell.
As Adrian and Dante sat down, Brigadier General Mitchell said, “I can’t believe you two are alive. We notified your families that you’d been Killed In Action. They’ve had your funerals and everything. How did you survive?”
Adrian leaned back in the chair. “To be honest, sir, we did whatever it took. We also took out a Taliban weapons depot somewhere near Kandahar two years ago.”
General Mitchell replied. “That was you guys? We received intel on that, but had no idea what happened. We assumed the Taliban was playing with too many explosives and got burned. Well, your families are going to be very happy to know you’re alive. I’m going to have my assistant call them right now.”
Adrian put up a hand. “Actually, sir. Could you not?”
General Mitchell looked at Adrian as he said, “O-okay.”
Adrian met General Mitchell’s confused gaze. “I want to surprise my family in person.”
General Mitchell nodded. “Yeah, I can do that. Now you two go take a shower. You both smell terrible.”
Dante laughed. “That’s what living in the desert for two years will do.”
Just before they left the office, General Mitchell said, “Hey, what’s the first thing you’re going to do when you get back?”
A smile crossed Dante’s face. “Eat a cheeseburger.”
General Mitchell nodded. “That’s exactly what I would do. What about you Corporal Harris?”
Adrian turned around and said, “I’m going to do what I should’ve done a long time ago.”
Adrian walked up to Veronica’s childhood home in full military outfit and knocked on the door.
After a moment, Veronica opened the door and stood there in shock as her jaw dropped wide open. Then she fell to her knees.
Tears flowed down Veronica’s cheeks. “They said you were dead.”
Adrian picked Veronica up and gave her a long hug. When he let go, he said, “That’s what they thought.”
“How did you make it out?”
“I did a lot of things—a lot of things I’m not proud of. But I did what I had to in order to survive. The only thought that kept me going was you, seeing your face and being with you right here in this moment.”
Adrian took the guitar pick box out of his coat pocket and put it in Veronica’s hand. “You made me promise to return it to you. Here it is.”
Veronica took the guitar pick box, wiping the tears from her eyes, “I can’t believe you’re here. I cannot believe it.”
“After what I’ve been through, I realize that I don’t want to wait anymore. I just want to be with you right now. I want to marry you right now. We can go down to the Justice of the Peace and get married today. I’m done waiting. The Marines said they’ll pay for all my schooling. I can be whatever I want. Money won’t be an issue. Let’s just get married.”
A thin man with dark hair in his mid-twenties walked up from behind Veronica and stood next to her.
The man looked at Veronica and said, “Honey, who’s this?”
Veronica hesitated for a moment then said, “Gary, this is Adrian. Adrian, this is Gary, my fiancé.”
Adrian took a step backward. “Your fiancé?”
Veronica nodded. “Adrian, they said you were dead. You were gone for two years. I went to your funeral. I mourned your death. Then I had to move on with my life.”
Adrian looked at Gary then at Veronica. “Drop this loser.”
Gary stepped up into Adrian’s face. “I’ll show you who the loser is.”
Adrian snarled. “I’d like to see you try. I’m a Marine and I just fought my way through Afghanistan. I’d have no problem going through you.”
Veronica put her hand on Gary’s shoulder and pulled him back. “Plus, Adrian’s a blackbelt.”
Gary took a few steps back. “You know what, there’s no need for a physical altercation. Why don’t we settle this like gentlemen?”
Adrian got down on a knee and pulled a black box out of his pocket. He popped it open, revealing a beautiful diamond ring then looked up at Veronica as she started to cry. “Veronica, for the past two years I’ve suffered heat stroke, exhaustion, fatigue, and starvation. I’ve been abandoned and nearly alone. The only thought that kept me going was you, seeing you, being with you. Veronica, drop this loser and marry me. I love you. You are the most incredible woman I’ve ever met. Veronica, will you marry me?”
Veronica bawled her eyes out. “Adrian, you don’t know how bad I’ve wanted to hear those words for so long, but I had to move on from you. Gary is my fiancé. I love him and we are going to marry in two weeks.”
Adrian folded up the ring box, put it back in his pocket, then stood up. “If you marry this loser, one day, you’re going to wake up and realize you walked away from the best thing that ever could have happened to you.”
Veronica began to cry hysterically then turn and ran up the stairs.
Gary looked at Adrian and said, “For the record, I am not a loser.” Then he slammed the door shut.
Adrian turned and walked away from Veronica’s home, then went to his childhood home.
Within twenty minutes, Adrian stood in front of the door and knocked.
Adrian’s mom, Patricia, soon answered and put a hand over her mouth. She couldn’t hold back the emotion. Tears began running down both their cheeks as they stood there, staring at each other for a few moments, then gave each other a big long hug.
After a few minutes, Adrian went inside and they talked and laughed all night long as he explained many of the details about his experience in Afghanistan.
The day before Veronica’s wedding, Adrian sent Veronica a text: So, do I get an invitation to your wedding?
Veronica sent a text back: NO. YOU ARE NOT INVITED TO MY WEDDING.
Adrian replied: What? Why not? After all we’ve been through together, and after what I’ve been through to see you, I think that’s the least you can do.
Veronica answered: No. You just aren’t. DO NOT COME TO MY WEDDING.
Adrian shook his head in disbelief.
The next day, Adrian and his mom sat at the same spot on the Watchung Mountains where Adrian and Veronica went on their first date. For two hours, Adrian and Patricia passed a pair of binoculars back and forth, staring at the beautiful wedding venue, the flowers, the laughing people, and the catered dinner.
Adrian looked at his mom as she peered through the binoculars. “Does she look happy to you?”
Patricia nodded. “She does look happy.”
“That’s good. Honestly, all I ever wanted for Veronica was for her to be happy. And if that man makes her happy, then I’m happy for her.”
Patricia gave Adrian the binoculars. “What about your happiness?”
“I wanted to be happy and I was so sure that once I made it back, Veronica and I would be together again.”
“I guess it means you’ll just have to get out there and date.”
Adrian put the binoculars to his eyes. “And find someone as good as Veronica? Not likely.”
“There are other women for you out there. Women who are every bit as good as Veronica.”
Adrian shook his head. “It’s a difficult task to measure up to Veronica, but I hope you’re right.”
Patricia stood up and said, “I am right. Come on. We’ve been here long enough. It’s time to go.” Then she started to walk toward the car.
Adrian stared through the binoculars one last time.
Patricia looked back at Adrian. “What are you doing? I thought we were leaving.”
Adrian nodded and set the binoculars down on the bench. “I just wanted to see Veronica one last time. I know I’ll never see her again.”
And he didn’t.
Adrian parked his sports car then walked to his regular spot to enjoy the beautiful vista in the Watchung Mountains. As he neared the bench, he noticed something unusual. There was a small object right where he normally sat.
Adrian walked up to the bench, then bent down to get a better view of the object. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Sitting in front of him was the guitar pick box he gave Veronica fifteen years earlier!
He immediately rose his head and began looking around for Veronica.
After a few minutes, he gave up and realized she wasn’t there, so he sat down.
A wide smile crossed his face as he picked up the guitar pick box and read the newly engraved words on the bottom:
How easy, it would be to show me how you feel
More than words is all you have to do to make it real
Then you wouldn’t have to say that you love me
‘Cause I’d already know
Hold me close, don’t ever let me go
More than words is all I ever needed you to show
Then you wouldn’t have to say that you love me
‘Cause I’d already know
Adrian’s mind flashed on memory after memory of Veronica. Then he let his imagination run wild thinking about the children he would never have with her, the good times he would never have with her, and the romance he would never have with her.
While in the midst of these thoughts, Adrian heard a voice call out behind him.
Immediately, he turned around and saw the only woman he ever truly loved.
Veronica smiled as she said, “Thought I might find you here.”
Adrian looked at her for a few moments as a confused yet excited smile crossed his face. “Veronica, I never expected to see you again.”
“I know,” Veronica replied as she sat down next to Adrian.
Confused, Adrian slightly shook his head. “Why are you here?”
“I just got a divorce.”
“Really? What happened?”
Veronica looked at the beautiful view for a moment then back at Adrian. “You were right, he was a loser.”
Adrian let out a chuckle. “I tried to warn you.”
“Yeah, I know, I know. But it was more than that.”
“What was it?”
Veronica put a hand to her mouth for a moment then said, “As far as I knew, you were dead for two years, and my life was going on a different path. I had to make out of my life what I could. So, I dated and found a good man and I married him.”
Adrian frowned. “And you didn’t even invite me to the wedding. I can forgive you for marrying another guy, but to not even invite me to the wedding, after going through heck on earth for two years. I’m going to be honest, that really hurt.”
A tear ran down Veronica’s cheek. “How could I invite a man to my wedding that I loved more than my own husband? How could I invite a man to my wedding that I wanted to marry more than my own husband? I wouldn’t be able to take my eyes off you and that wouldn’t have been fair to him.”
Adrian leaned back. “Wait. What? Really? That’s why you didn’t invite me?”
Veronica nodded. “The day you got back, I ran up to my room and cried for days. I didn’t know what to do. I thought about calling the wedding off, but I was so confused. My fiancé got so upset at me and accused me of still being in love with you. I vehemently denied it hoping to convince him . . . and myself that it wasn’t true.”
Adrian was stunned. He sat silent for a few moments then said, “You looked so happy at your wedding.”
“How do you know? You weren’t even there.”
Adrian let out a sheepish smile. “My mom and I sat right here and watched it with binoculars.”
Veronica nodded for several moments then said, “I chose that venue in honor of you, though I could never tell my husband that. My mom told me that if there was ever a day where I deserved to be happy, it was my wedding day. So, I put on my best fake smile all day. But once we left the reception, I was a ball of tears. I cried so much that we didn’t even make love the night we got married, or the second night. It wasn’t until the third night of our marriage that we finally made love.”
“That’s an image in my head I’m not particularly fond of.”
Veronica took his hand. “Adrian, if you had never come back, my marriage to my husband would’ve been good. But knowing that you were out there somewhere, the perfect man, and that you could be mine. I just couldn’t shake the thought that I could truly be happy with you.”
Adrian let out a playful smile. “I tried to tell you.”
Veronica hung her head. “You were right. The day I let you walk away was the biggest regret of my life.” Then she met Adrian’s gaze. “I let the best thing that has ever happen to me walk right out of my life. I know it’s fifteen years too late and I don’t know if you’re married or in a relationship or if you even have a job. I’m here because I want to tell you that I do love you, I have always loved you, and I will never stop loving you. I should have told you the truth fifteen years ago.”
Adrian paused for a moment as an irrepressible smile grew across his face. “Wow. Those are words I never thought I would hear from you.”
Veronica squeezed his hand. “So, what do you say?”
Adrian hesitated for a moment, then said, “Well, I guess I should tell you that I went to med school and I’m now a Cardiologist.”
“Really? That’s amazing.”
“Yeah, you broke my heart and I figured the best way to heal it was by fixing other people’s hearts.”
“That’s amazing, Adrian. Congratulations.”
“Thank you. And I’ve dated quite a bit in the past fifteen years, trying to find someone who is even close to you, but it seems like an impossible task, so I’ve never married.”
Veronica quickly grabbed Adrian’s face and leaned in, but just before she kissed him, Adrian put his hand on her face to block her. “Wait.”
Confused, Veronica leaned backward. “Why?”
Adrian pulled his phone out. “I made you wait for two years, so I guess it’s fair you made me wait fifteen, but I am in a relationship with someone right now, so before we kiss, I need to do the worst thing I’ve done in the past fifteen years.”
“What’s that?”
Adrian typed on his phone as he said, “I’m breaking up with my girlfriend by text. I only operate above board, as you well know.”
Adrian hit send then looked into Veronica’s eyes. “Now we can kiss.”
Adrian dropped his phone on the bench, put his hands up to Veronica’s beautiful face, then they leaned into each other and shared an unforgettably passionate kiss.
After a few minutes, Adrian pulled his head back and said, “I’m going to have to go over to her house tomorrow and break up with her in-person, you know.”
Veronica put her hands in Adrian’s hair. “Yeah, now stop talking about her and kiss me.”
Adrian leaned in and they shared a soul-transforming kiss.
Adrian and Veronica dated for a short time, got engaged, then six months later they married. Adrian’s mom couldn’t stop crying throughout the whole ceremony.
Many marriages end in divorce, some are okay, and few are great.
But having gone through so much to finally be with each other, their marriage was one of the greatest of all time. Full of continual love, happiness, and joy. Not because they were superior to others, but because they deeply treasured and cherished each other.
Adrian Harris is a writer, author, and business owner. He hopes to soon open his own movie studio and become a movie producer, director, and actor. Read Adrian’s Bio.
Adrian Harris is a writer, author, and business owner. He hopes to soon open his own movie studio and become a movie producer, director, and actor. Read Adrian’s Bio.
*Comedy Short Story
Adrian parked the car in the driveway as he and his beautiful wife, Hannah, arrived at home. As they got out of the car, Hannah looked at the blooming flowers in their garden then at their two-story house, “It’s good to be home.”
Wicked is the Prequal to the 1939 The Wizard of Oz. Wicked stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Just like The Wizard of Oz, Wicked is a musical. You should know that this movie is Part 1 and as of right now, Wicked: Part 2 is expected to come out November 21, 2025.
Feminism today says it’s all about empowering women. But is that really the case? In this article I’ll take a close look at the ideologies, goals, and positions of Feminism today and assess their impact and consequences on women and their children, as well as men.
