Scene 2, Husbands, Love Your Wife

Fog rolled in the background as a light drizzle danced off of a heavy cover of thick, green leaves. Flashes of light could be seen for split seconds from one area in the background and then another, followed quickly by rolling waves of concussions and rat-a-tat thumping. Music swelled while Private First Class Martin looked down at his Sergeant, and friend. Cooper was strong. He had led this squad for the last few months, often going weeks at a time without word, or supplies, from base. Surrounded on three sides by hostile forces, Sgt. Cooper had lead his squad to overcome insurmountable odds time and again. His strong jaw line was almost like a line the enemy could not cross.
Now his body was broken and torn. The man who had never needed anything before now needed Martin. Martin held his friend and leader as he lay bleeding into an unforgiving jungle.
“Promise me one thing, Martin, before I go,” Cooper sputtered.
“I’ll do anything I can, Sarge,” Martin answered.
“Take care of my wife, Alice, and Joey,” Cooper struggled to get the words out, his breathing becoming more ragged.
Martin looked away, his eyes unable to meet Coopers steely gaze. He took too long to respond.
“What … is it?” Cooper coughed, blood frothing at the corners of his mouth. His body jerking with anxiety and worry about his family.
“I’ll take care of them, they will be safe. You have my word,” Martin promised, squeezing Cooper on the shoulder.
Relief flooded Cooper’s body, and his ever hard steely eyes turned soft losing their focus. Sergeant Cooper’s spirit left his body.
Martin reached into his pocket, pulling the written message that had been transmitted to their base just hours before.

Sergeant Cooper, you are hereby directed to report to operations for transport home to respond to a family emergency. At 07:30 one Alice Cooper, and Joseph Cooper were killed in an automobile accident. Deployment Immediate.

Soft music wailed its mournful song, and everything went dark, with the words on the page leaving a faint glowing outline.


***


“Wow, that was some great movie, wasn’t it?” Rod asked eagerly.
“Yeah, I think I liked it,” Samantha responded. “I think the book was better though.”
“Oh yeah, the book really was great, it was a really good read, wasn’t it Sam?” Rod turned to Samantha, looking to catch her eye as the credits rolled.
Samantha studied the credits intently. Her feelings were a little bit of a jumble; she felt overwhelmed. She had been seeing Rodney for several months now. In fact, it was probably closer to say years rather than months now. She had never intended to date Rodney, certainly not exclusively, but over the months her options had started to thin out. But Rodney was always there when she felt lonely or needed to get out.
She turned to look at him. His hair was a dull brown and he had never learned how to tease it just a bit with product to make it look great, despite her numerous subtle hints. His clear complexion was probably his best feature, but he hid it behind glasses with far too thick of rims, and one ear was clearly higher than the other. His wardrobe reflected his personality, safe and a little out of date. She knew he liked to watch to the end of the credits to support all the people who went into making a movie.
“Come on, let’s go,” she said, pulling playfully at his hand.
“Okay, yeah, you’re right.”
They walked out under the green glowing EXIT sign to a parking lot. The spring twilight filled the air with the heavy aroma of blossoming trees and flowers, with just a slight nip in the air to make her shiver.
He put his arm around her, and led her to the bench beneath the cherry tree. He motioned for her to sit down while he paced in front of her.
“Do you remember, about a year and a half ago, when we first met?” he asked.
She smiled, but said nothing.
“You were sitting here, and I came up and sat next to you,” he rushed on.
She smiled as he went on, talking about their first meetings and eventual dates, but the smile didn’t touch her eyes. Inside her mind was racing. Where was this going? Could it really be what she thought? What were her options? Devon at the gym, but he had barely spoken to her. Rick at the Deli, but did she want someone who smelled of pickles? Could she do any better? Rodney did have a really good job. She could probably quit her job and stay home. Thoughts of Days of our Lives and BonBons danced in her head.
Rod knelt before her, lifting a small felt wrapped box to her. “Sam, I love you. Say you love me too, say you will marry me.’
Samantha took the ring and put it on her finger. It was a perfect fit. She paused, looking at how even the faint evening light made the diamond sparkle.
“Oh Rodney, I love you too. Yes, I will marry you,” and she threw her arms around his neck.