There is the magic of Valentine's Day.
This work was written for the
Valentine's Day Story Contest 2023
. I hope you enjoy it.
>>>>>
Eve was a sweet young girl of only nineteen when she married James, her high school sweetheart. He was two years older than her, and they had started dating when she was a freshman at the tender age of fifteen. They had dated for a year when James graduated and soon joined the Army. He had insisted she finish high school before they married, and except for kissing, they had done nothing sexual. So the following year, after her graduation on Valentine's Day, she went to her wedding bed as a virgin.
They truly loved each other, as only those forced to have long-distance relationships can know. Neither came from families of means, but they loved each other and were determined to improve themselves. While in the Army, James worked hard to improve his status and, at the same time, went to college. Miraculously in only five years, he got his degree. So, just two years into their marriage, James received his bachelor's degree and, with the help of his company commander, applied for and was accepted to Officer Candidate School. She was ecstatic for him, and although their separation would be for three months while he was at Fort Benning, she knew he had worked hard for it.
Eve was no slacker either, and she also enrolled in college, desiring to be a nurse. At first, she had aimed to become an LPN, but her lover had encouraged her to go on to get her RN. With only a year more to go, the long nights of study would dull the loneliness of separation but only a little.
No matter what, they always celebrated their anniversary on a romantic Valentine's Day. It seemed to have a magic about it this Valentine's Day, for James never forgot, even if they were separated. A card and, at the least, flowers would arrive to brighten her longing for his presence. It was exciting that he graduated just before their anniversary so he could be home for it. She had never been as lonely as the last few days, and her lovemaking showed it. When he went to roll off her, she begged him to remain between her legs, weeping and blushing at her shamelessness. They enjoyed a couple of months of wedded bliss as she lived with him in the officers' housing. After a visit to the doctor, because she wasn't feeling well, she came home to tell him he would be a father. His ecstatic reception of the news overjoyed her.
They enjoyed this bliss as their son James Jr. was born, and shortly after the New Year, unfortunately, this bliss was to end. James received orders to Vietnam. It was a tearful goodbye, and Eve decided to return to her parent's home and await the year-long separation. They celebrated their Valentine's Day anniversary early, but she still got flowers and a card from him on their day.
Days rolled into weeks and then months painfully slowly. Each day she wrote him of her love, and three or four times a week, she would receive a love note from him. Even if it was just a few lines. His date to return was just before their anniversary, and her anticipation was growing daily as the time approached.
One day while caring for John Jr., there was a knock on the door. Her mother answered and then called to her. There was a disturbing edge to her mother's voice, a note of fear. She raced the best she could to the door to find an officer and a chaplain.
Her beloved fought the enemy with great bravery in some forgotten place of no value to anyone. His conduct was so brave he would be awarded a bronze star posthumously. She didn't remember anything else. The funeral was a blur, and her mother often had to help her with the child as the loneliness weighed ominously upon her shoulders.
Eve was responsible and resilient and slowly came out of her funk. Her preparation as a nurse, so encouraged by her late husband, paid off well. She made a good living and was soon living on her own with James Jr. The years moved on, and she was not unhappy except as the days slowly edged up to Valentine's Day. Every Valentine's Day, Eve would find herself checking, expecting that card.
James Jr. grew to be a handsome and spitting image of his father. It was almost unnerving as she would catch a glimpse of him out of the side of her eye and startle, thinking for a split second it was James. Oh, how Eve wished it was. Of course, she told him all about his father. On her nightstand, draped over the picture James had given her the day he left for Vietnam, was the medal with his dog tags,
James Jr. admired his father and wanted to be like him. She convinced him to go to college, and if he desired to enter the military, that was fine, but she encouraged him to take ROTC. In this way, he could join the military as an officer, like his father. He did well in school and, upon graduation, announced he would be entering the Army. Of course, she wept. James Jr. had understood the meaning of Valentine's Day to his mother and had always tried to be around for it, but military service made that impossible. For two years, she didn't have him for Valentine's Day when to her delight, he announced he would be able to be there this year.
