a minute.
He walked up to the house. He could see the sold sign in the yard. He tried the door, but it was locked. He peeked through the windows; the house was empty just like his heart. The house that he had purchased with his wife Janice would belong to someone else. He had pictured someday that he would have a family with Janice and they would raise their kids here.
But that was never going to happen. His wife, his ex-wife now and his best friend had betrayed him. He felt that his whole world was crashing down on him. He walked back to the taxi and left the house for the last time and never looked back.
After his first tour, he had gone to Brett’s home to give his wife and daughter what Brett had given to him in the mountains of Afghanistan. He had knocked on the door hoping that she would answer. He heard the lock click. She opened the door and looked straight into the face of Kyle. Ellie was a short woman with a heart shaped face.
She had shoulder length strawberry blonde hair and had a little girl in her arms. “Kyle, hello, come on in.” Kyle stepped into the house. It was a nice and quaint house. He saw pictures of her and Brett; the wedding photos, his military photo, and a family portrait.
“Please, sit down,” Ellie pointed to a chair. Kyle sat down. “Would you like anything to drink?” Ellie asked him.
“Coffee would be great Ellie.” Kyle said. She sat Dolly, her daughter in her playpen. Kyle smiled at her and made faces. Dolly just looked at him and smiled. His heart broke again knowing he would not have a family of his own.
A few minutes later, Ellie Docker came out of the kitchen holding a tray. She sat it down on the coffee table. “I have some sugar and cream here for you Kyle.” Ellie smiled.
“Thank you kindly Ellie.”
When Ellie had been told that Brett was killed in Afghanistan, she was devastated. The military had made sure she got the money from Brett’s life insurance.
Brett, before joining the military, had taken out a half a million dollar life insurance policy too. After Brett’s death, Ellie received the money and put half of it away, she wanted Dolly to have college money. The rest of the money from the life insurance paid off the house and was enough to substantiate Ellie and Dolly.
“How are you my dear Kyle?” Ellie took a drink of her coffee.
“I am okay Ellie, thank you.” He looked over and saw the American flag on Ellie’s fireplace that was given to her at Brett’s funeral. “I am on leave for three months, but I will have to go back for another tour. My wife Janice does not want me to, but I promised her after this tour I would not reenlist so we can start a family.”
“I understand,” Ellie responded. “I did not want Brett to go but he was determined. Dolly here was born before he left, so thankfully he got to see her born before he went over there. He talked about you all the time Kyle, in his emails to me. You and him became very close in basic training.”
Kyle took a sip of his coffee. “Yes we did,” Kyle replied. “He was a great man Ellie and an outstanding soldier. We both missed our wives and we talked about after we got out that we would stay in touch and share stories and our families could spend time together, but unfortunately he doesn’t have that chance.”
Ellie’s eyes started watering. Kyle took her hand. “Your husband, Ellie, died a hero. He died defending freedom and doing what he wanted to do. He loved you and talked about you all the time about how much he missed you and Dolly. I was the only one who saw him cry whenever he talked about you two. He saved all your emails and pictures of Dolly.
“He could not believe how fast she was growing. He talked about all the things he would do as a father, he joked about her first date and how he would screen the man she would date,” Ellie laughed at that. “He talked about her first prom, her going off to college, and walking her down the aisle.” Kyle continued. “He wanted more kids.”
“Yes, we had talked after his time in the military and after his release about having more kids,” Ellie said, she sighed. Dolly was laughing. Ellie looked over at her and smiled. “She will never know her father, but I will talk about him to her and show her pictures of him when she gets older.”
“Before I forget,” Kyle said. Kyle took out the letter and dog tags that Brett had given him. “Brett said to tell you how much he loved you and Dolly and that he wanted Dolly to know that he died defending her freedoms and to always remember that you have to fight for what you believe in. He also said he wanted her to know that he died with honor and courage.”
He handed Ellie the letter and dog tags. Ellie took them in her hand and started crying. Kyle hugged her. “I will tell her everything,” Ellie said through her tears. Kyle stayed a little while longer; he held Dolly and kissed her goodbye and told that her father was a brave and good man. He put his hands on Ellie’s shoulder and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
He left her house to head back home. He told Janice what he would be doing and Janice was fine with it. He called Ellie before going back to Afghanistan. Ellie told him to stay safe and come back home. He never spoke to her after that. Kyle had kept his promise to his friend Brett.
Ellie had sold the house that her and Brett lived in and moved away before Kyle came back from his second tour. It was better that way anyway; he did not want Ellie knowing how his life had changed. He was too embarrassed and he knew that Ellie had moved on. She did not need any more heartache or sadness.
He had given up on getting his disability money. It was futile he thought, just like Janice told him that it was futile for him to try and find her. She would not come back to him. He had not only been betrayed by the one woman he had loved since high school, he had been betrayed by the government that sent him to Afghanistan.
But Kyle would never regret serving in the military. He loved his country and knew his father would have been proud. Even if had to do it all over again, he still would have signed up in the military and gone over. He just never thought that he would lose everything.
He lay his head down to go to sleep that night. He looked up at the moon. The tears fell from his eyes. He had not cried since his friend Brett died and after he read the letter from his ex-wife.
*****
Blocks away Elisa had enjoyed her nice cooked dinner and had soaked in her hot bubble bath that Cora had drawn for her. Elisa put on her silk chemise and got into her nice warm bed with freshly clean sheets that Cora had washed and put on for her.
Elisa had everything. Blocks away the man sleeping under the Central Park Bridge did not even cross her mind. Elisa slept soundly until the next morning.
CHAPTER 5
Elisa woke up. She had slept so soundly. She got up to take a shower and start her day again. She remembers when she was told that she would be the Chief Editor of Pose Magazine. Elisa had worked late nights while putting herself through college. After getting her degree in business management, Elisa started taking on more tasks. She had become Maggie Bench’s (who was the former Chief Editor of Pose Magazine) assistant.
Maggie was hard to work for and demanded nothing less than perfection herself. She had given Elisa a hard time. Maggie had called Elisa into her office, which is now Elisa’s.
“Come in,” Maggie said in a deep voice. Maggie was a heavy smoker.
