Enlisted

by Michelle Edwards

  Chapter Thirteen

  Elena

  “You’ve really got to tell someone,” Micah signed to me.

  “I tried. I went to the MP’s, and they told me that without actual evidence there was nothing really that they could do. Plus, I don’t even live on post so that doesn’t help me much.”

  “So, go to the police then.”

  I sighed, “I just want it to stop. I know who I believe it is, but no one seems to believe me. He’s a soldier which already means his word is better than mine, and you remember his parents from high school.”

  Micah nodded.

  “Then I’m coming to stay with you for a few days,” he signed.

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “I want to. Just give me ten minutes to pack and we can head out.”

  I nodded as he bounced off the couch and down the hall to his room.

  I looked around and wondered how I had gotten myself into this. I was angry at myself more than anything.

  I drove Micah and I back to my house. Ace was excited to have another human in the house. I pushed open the back door and let him run.

  “You really did get a dog,” he sighed.

  “Of course, I did. I told you I did.”

  I showed him the guest bedroom upstairs and reminded him that the same rules apply here as at my apartment. If he needed anything, he was welcome to whatever. We were used to staying the night at each other’s places.

  “Anything you have planned for tomorrow?” he signed when we sat down out back with Ace.

  “I have to stop by this girl Angela’s house. Her husband was in Travis’s unit and was killed. She’s moving back to California and holding a yard sale. Kate and I are buying a couple things from her.”

  Micah nodded.

  “I’ll leave my car keys here for you though in case you need to go anywhere. I’ll have Travis’s truck with me.”

  “Maybe I will run to the store and get some stuff for dinner. You know, like we used to.” He smiled.

  “Only if it’s edible.” I laughed.

  “Deal!”

  We spent the rest of the night catching up. I’ve been avoiding going home as much as possible because of what happened with Travis’s friend and then the stalking. It was just too much for me to leave right now.

  My head snapped to the door.

  “What?” Micah signed.

  “Someone just knocked,” I signed back.

  He rose to his feet and jumped around the couch, flinging the front door open. No one was there.

  Micah slammed it shut and locked it behind him.

  “Bring Ace in,” he signed.

  I nodded and jogged to the back door and called for Ace. He came running in, tail wagging and ready for a treat.

  The next morning, I picked Kate up at her house and headed to post.

  “So, he’s just staying with you?” she asked.

  “He’s one of my best friends who has stayed at my place plenty of times.”

  “That may be, but it’s different now. You’re an army wife. You can’t just have random guys sleeping at your house while your husband is deployed. People are going to talk; they will think that you’re cheating on your husband.”

  “But I know I’m not. Travis knows I’m not.”

  “Have you even told Travis he’s here?”

  “First off, I don’t have to tell Travis any time I see a friend. Second, he just decided this last night and Travis doesn’t exactly call me every night.”

  “So, email him.”

  I sighed. “Later.”

  “Good. Now about this stalker of yours?”

  I shrugged, “That’s the entire reason Micah is even here. Someone did knock on the door last night, but like always, no one was on the other side.”

  “And the MP’s really said they can’t do anything?”

  “And they told me that since I don’t live on post so it’s harder for them to do much. Even though I suspect I know who it is, they need actual evidence.”

  “That is some real bullshit,” she huffed.

  “Tell me about it.”

  “Maybe you should get a gun,” she blurted.

  “A gun? Are you insane? I’ve never even held a gun.”

  “Maybe it’s time you check it out.”

  I pulled up to Angela’s house, there was stuff outside.

  “How are you holding up?” I asked her as we got out of the car.

  She shrugged, “Okay, I guess. My family is happy to have me coming home to California. But a part of me feels like I’m leaving him behind here.”

  “You aren’t leaving him behind. You’re taking him with you in your heart. From when Daniel has told me, he was a true hero over there. I fully believe that he will always be with you,” Kate answered.

  She nodded. “I just miss him so much.”

  My heart was breaking for her and my stomach twisted into knots. I hated what she was going through. I hated to even think that Kate or I would have to go through it too.

  We left Angela’s after a few hours. Erin and a couple other ladies came to relieve us.

  When I got home, my car was still in the parking spot.

  I walked inside and saw Micah signing to someone on his phone.

  I kept my distance and went out back with Ace. I hated sticking around because I could understand what he was saying.

  “Sorry about that.”

  “No need to apologize. Is everything okay?”

  He nodded, “There’s something I should probably tell you,” he signed.

  “What’s going on?”

  “I’ve started dating someone.”

  “That’s great!”

  “It’s Bri.”

  “Like my sister?”

  He nodded. “About two months ago we started dating. We’ve been talking for months.”

  “I’m happy for you guys.” I sighed. Part of me was happy, but another part of me was a little upset that Bri didn’t tell me earlier. We usually told each other everything.

  “She was mad that I wouldn’t tell her exactly why I was here. I mean I figured you hadn’t told your family yet, so I didn’t want to spill the beans.”

  I nodded. He was right. I hadn’t told my family. How do you bring that up in a conversation? I knew once my father found out, he would demand I move home until Travis got back to the states. I needed to handle this myself.

  Micah made dinner later that evening and we spent another night up half the night talking and watching a movie.

  ***

  Micah went home a few days later and I was left to my own thoughts and silence again.

  I pulled my buzzing phone out of my pocket. A smile spread across my face at the unlisted number.

  “Hey there stranger.” I said into the phone.

  The line went dead.

  I scrolled back through my phone and the number was unlisted, the same way it looks when Travis calls me.

  My phone buzzed again, same unlisted flashed on the screen.

  “Hello?” I asked into the phone.

  “Why in the hell did I have to hear from another soldier in my unit that there was some random guy at our house?” Travis spat from the other end.

  I sighed, “It wasn’t just some random guy. It was Micah. He was only staying here because I wanted some company.”

  “Isn’t that why we got the dog?”

  “You mean why I got the dog.”

  “You know what I mean Elena,” he groaned.

  “Look, I don’t know why it’s such a deal. You know Micah, you know he’s not into me or me into him. Plus, he’s dating Bri.”

  “Your sister Bri?”

  “One in the same.”

  He sighed. “It doesn’t excuse the fact that someone here told me something you should have told me.”

  “It’s not like I can just pick up the phone and call you. And I did email you the other day and asked you to call me as soon as you could so I could tell you something important.�
�

  “I can’t just call you when you ask. There are protocols I need to follow. Specific times that I can call. If I’m out on a mission I can’t call you in the middle of a gun fight or when I’m cover head-to-toe in someone’s blood!”

  I froze at the last part. I knew he was referring to Andrews, but I hated that he used it in an argument against me.

  “Look I’m sorry, I should have just emailed you. Next time I have something important to say, I’ll just shoot it to you in an email.”

  “Great thanks. I have to go. Love you.”

  The line went dead, “Love you too, I guess.” I sighed.

  I was furious. Furious that Travis was so angry at me for nothing. Furious that someone here thought it was their business to tell their husband or boyfriend things about my life.

  Kate came over later with Gunner.

  “I told you something like this was going to happen.”

  “It’s no one’s business but mine!”

  She shook her head, “You’re an army wife. Your life is like it’s under a microscope. Anything you do or say can easily get back to your husband. And to make matters worse, your actions have consequences against him.”

  I held my hand up to her. “Wait a second, so you’re telling me that if I don’t like something and I express that to someone else, it could get back to my husband and he could get in trouble for it?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

  “Holy shit that’s messed up.”

  She nodded.

  “How do you know so much about this?”

  “My dad was in the army. I grew up in this. I’ve learned a lot. That’s why being with Daniel was so easy for me, it’s all I know.”

  I sighed, and this life was the exact opposite of what I was used to. How was I going to remember all of the rules and regulations and steps that I needed to even be his wife? I knew being an army wife was going to be trying, but this is a whole new level of difficult.

  “Now what do I do?”

  “You continue living your life keeping your personal life as private as you can.”

  I shook my head, “I should just go back and live with my parents.”

  “And let those bitches win? Are you nuts!”

  I laughed, “So fight then?”

  “Nope, you enlist in some ears.” She winked.

  “Know where I can find a good pair or two?”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Travis

  Elena and I email for several weeks after I flipped out on her. I tried to keep my distance from many of the guys in the unit. Most of them just complained about their wives or girlfriends back home cheating on them. I could not understand it and I didn’t think I wanted to either. I overreacted toward Elena, when I knew damn well she would not do that. When someone told me, their wife saw at guy at her house, my first thought should have been her brother or Micah, but instead I let these jokers get the best of me.

  I hated going out on missions now. Every time I did, I thought about Andrews. I could remember the day all too well.

  We were doing our forty-eight hours with the Iraq police at what they called One West.

  We were doing our best to keep them in line and help them in the city when they needed it. This day though was different.

  Our platoon sergeant was there to help relieve some of our soldiers. Sometimes we just needed a few hours of sleep in those forty-eight awake.

  A truck of Iraq police pulled through the gate; fear spread across their face.

  They began to speak to the police official in Arabic.

  “What are they saying?” I muttered to the guy next to me.

  He shrugged.

  “What did he say?” my platoon sergeant asked the interpreter.

  “They were ambushed. Told if they didn’t leave the country now their families would be killed.”

  “Tell them not to leave. We’ll up their pay.”

  He nodded and relayed the message.

  The men shook their heads and stripped down to their t-shirts and boxers; they were out the door faster than they came in.

  “Now what?” I asked aloud.

  I knew that look my platoon sergeant had on his face, and it wasn’t a good one.

  “Those prisoners down there. How many are there?” he asked the interpreter to ask the police official that had stayed.

  They went back and forth. The police official kept calling us crazy for even suggesting letting the prisoners out.

  “You two, come with me.” My platoon sergeant said pointing to me and another guy. We followed him and the interpreter down to the prison where he went to each prisoner and asked them what they were in for.

  Stealing, drinking, just a few petty crimes. There were a couple of men who were in for murder, they didn’t leave.

  Our platoon sergeant offered them pay if they put on a police uniform and guarded the compound all night with us.

  They agreed and we took them back to the main building.

  The police official scoffed as we geared them up with guns and put them on the roof.

  I'll be damned. Those men stayed all night through all of the shooting and bombing.

  The next morning, my platoon sergeant kept his word and got each of the men paid just before we left to head back to post.

  “That was some seriously crazy shit.” Daniel laughed as we drove back.

  I nodded.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Elena

  “Did you leave your door open?” Kate asked me as we rounded the corner to the row of townhouses where I lived.

  I shook my head as we got closer.

  “No. Police first.” She sighed, pulling out her phone.

  I held onto Ace’s leash tighter.

  When the police arrived, they were in and out of the house asking if anyone was hurt, if anything was missing.

  I told him all I could. I even explained that I had contacted the MP’s, but they couldn’t do anything until I had evidence; the officer agreed.

  “Why don’t you stay at my house tonight?” Kate questioned as I stood outside the door still holding onto Ace.

  I shook my head, “No, I can’t let him push me out of my own house. Besides, I should probably send Travis an email. And call my parents.”

  She nodded, hugged me and headed home.

  “Let’s go boy.” I said pulling Ace into the house. I went through and made sure everything was locked before I got comfortable on the couch. My first thing was an email to Travis. I knew he would be mad, but he did tell me to tell him anything in an email.

  Calling my parents was a little more difficult. They were angry that I didn’t tell them. Furious that I refused to come home. My father demanded that he come stay with me for a bit. I agreed to one week, but that was only for his peace of mind.

  Travis called me the next day. I had never heard him so angry before.

  “That’s my job here. To keep you focused on your job there!” I yelled.

  “No Elena, that’s bullshit, and you know it. You are supposed to come to me first. Not keep things from me.”

  “You and I both know if I told you before you’d be more worried about my safety here than yours there. I have support here. Kate said—”

  “I don’t give a damn what Kate says. We don’t have to follow by every single rule or suggestion from others. We make our own.”

  I nodded even though he couldn’t see me.

  “You know, this makes me wonder what else you’ve been lying to me about.” He sighed.

  “You really think I would keep stuff from you? Lie to you?”

  “Who knows at this point.”

  “If you are only going to call and yell at me, maybe you should stop calling for a bit.”

  “Good idea.”

  The line went dead, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to cry or scream or both.

  My dad came to stay for a week. It was not easy changing my routine to match his. He insisted on coming onto post with me every t
ime I needed to.

  The first night I was without him, Erin talked me into coming out for the night.

  I walked out of the local bar with Kate and Erin and a couple of the other girls from the spouses meeting. A few of us had husbands deployed.

  We were laughing over the married women trying their hardest to pick up soldiers in the bar. It was something I didn’t believe until I saw it first-hand.

  “Have a good night!” the girls waved as I jumped into the Uber.

  “This isn’t the way.” I said when I noticed that we were headed away from where the townhouse was.

  “There’s an accident on the normal route, I’m taking another way. Don’t worry, you won’t be charged extra,” he muttered.

  The longer I was in the car, the more I started to freak out. I pulled out my phone.

  “What are you doing?” the guy asked from the front seat.

  “Just checking my messages.” I lied. I quickly typed a message to Kate.

  The car came to a stop and the back door opened.

  “Let’s go.”

  It was too dark to see who got in, but I knew the voice.

  “She just pulled out her phone.” The driver said.

  The guy grabbed my phone from my hand and shut it off.

  “I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for weeks, Elena.” He sighed.

  “Yeah, well I’ve been busy.”

  “Clearly. But no worries, we are together now, right?”

  “What do you want Tim?”

  “What do I want?” He laughed.

  “I want those years in school back. I want you to feel just half as bad as you all made me feel every time you tossed my hard work into the trash.”

  “We were kids, we are adults now.”

  “It still hurt. No matter what age I was or am now!” he yelled, causing me to jump.

  The car came to a stop and he placed his hand over my mouth so tight it caused me pain. He pulled me out of the backseat and into the house.