Love Without a Home. Shari Mong

I signed up. I cannot desert my fellow soldiers. I will serve another tour in Afghanistan, do my time, and I will not reenlist so we can start a family. I promise you okay.”

      Janice sighed. “I have nightmares Kyle. I cannot take this anymore. I want my husband back. I am tired of being lonely, tired of lonely nights.”

      “I know I know,” Kyle hugged Janice. “I will return as soon as I can.” Kyle was sent back to Afghanistan, two years this time. In those two years, Janice and Kyle’s best friend Jerry were having an affair. Janice sent him an email telling him that she could no longer take this.

      After his stay in the hospital, he was packing up to go home when he was given a letter by his commander and a manila envelope from his wife Janice. He opened it. With some of his vision gone, he had to hold it closer to him so he could read it enough to know what it said. It read this:

       Dear Kyle,

       By the time you read this, I will be gone. I am no longer in love with you. Jerry and I are in love now and we want to be together. I am tired of the lonely days and nights. I am tired of being so lonely. I need someone by me Kyle. I watch the news and hear what is going on over there. Jerry and I have been having an affair now for a year and we want to marry as soon as the divorce is final.

       You will find the divorce papers in the manila envelope along with this letter. Please do not try and find me and try to get me back, I will not come back. It would be futile; anyway, I found out that Jerry and I are going to have a baby. It is the family that I have been wanting. Now I will have it. Jerry has gotten a good job and will provide for us.

       I have sold the house and everything in it. I hope that someday you will understand. Jerry and I are happy now. Please let us be.

       Goodbye,

       Janice

      Kyle just stood there. He could not believe what he was reading. While he was away fighting a war and recuperating after his injuries, his wife was having an affair with his best friend, having his best friend’s baby, wanting a divorce, and sold their house. He wondered about the money he had left Janice in case something happened to him.

      He would make a trip to the bank after leaving the hospital. He opened the manila envelope and looked over the papers. He was seeing them but still could not believe it. He had come home to losing his wife, his best friend, his home, and some of his sight.

      He walked out of the hospital and got into a taxi. He told the taxi where to go. He went to the bank first to find out about the money. The teller just looked at him funny when he asked her about the life insurance money. She said he would have to talk with the head of that department.

      He talked to the man. “I am so sorry sir,” the man said. The man was a little older than Kyle and had red hair and brown eyes. “The account is empty. Your ex-wife withdrew the last of it.”

      “I don’t understand sir,” Kyle said in disbelief. “She was supposed to get that money if something happened to me. I am alive and well.”

      “Sir, you gave her power of attorney over everything. You gave her full access to the accounts.

      Here is the form you signed.” The man handed the paper to Kyle. Holding it close to him, he read the writing on the paper. The man was right; he had given Janice full power to his money. Kyle felt defeated.

      “Thank you sir for your time,” Kyle got up and left. He got back into the taxi and told the taxi to take him to his old home. The taxi driver took off. They pulled up to his old house. Kyle got out. He told the taxi driver that he would be just 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.