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“That’d be nice, but you know how it is,” I replied with a faint chuckle. There was always something happening.
Brianna’s smile wilted, and I knew that I said the wrong thing. Why did I do that?
“Trust me, I don’t want to be the nagging, clingy wife, but… spending all of this time apart isn’t good for our marriage,” she explained, her voice sounding stressed and strained.
I sighed, my shoulders sagging under my white button-down shirt. She was right, but my job gave us good pay and benefits that would be hard to find elsewhere. If I waited a little bit longer, I could retire with a better retirement package so that both of us could enjoy the rest of our lives without the fear of going broke and struggling.
“I know, but if we can deal with this for a few more years…”
“Years? David, I don’t know if I can handle a few more years of this. I’m lucky to have you around for even a few months a year!” Brianna told me as she shook her head, her eyes blinking rapidly to keep her tears at bay.
“I know it’s not ideal, but we have to think about our future, Bri,” I said as I sat up more, trying to get through to her. I dealt with the loneliness too, and it sucked, but I looked ahead to how great our lives could be after I retired. That kept me going.
“How can I even picture our future when we’re never together?” Brianna blurted out.
Tense silence lingered between us as we stared at each other, processing her words. I refused to let our marriage fail, but we were facing a huge problem that I didn’t know how to solve. I didn’t even have the chance to respond because my phone rang, making me sigh as I pulled it out of my pocket.
Damn it.
“It’s Major Beckett. I have to answer,” I told her, seeing her bottom lip briefly tremble. Whenever he called, it usually wasn’t news that we wanted to hear. I hit the answer button and pressed my phone against my ear, drawing my eyes away from my wife, who was on the verge of tears. “Sir?”
“Captain, I have an urgent mission for you and your unit.”
White noise mingled with Major Beckett’s voice as he reeled off the mission, but I also couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that this call might lead to the end of my marriage. When I hung up, I looked up at Brianna.
“I’m being deployed in two days,” I said, knowing those were the last words she wanted to hear.
“You only just got back! How is this fair, David? I say goodbye to you more than I love you at this point because you’re always leaving!” Brianna cried, her shaky hand covering her mouth as she tried to pull herself together.
Pain gripped my chest, and all I wanted to do was hold her in my arms. She would’ve pushed me away, though.
“I can’t deny orders, Bri. Maybe this mission won’t last as long,” I told her, not knowing what to say to make her feel better.
“You always say that! But you’ll be gone for months, and I’ll be alone for months. I barely feel married anymore,” Brianna said as a few tears streaked down her cheeks.
Those words hurt more than any bullet I had ever taken. I released a sharp exhale and rubbed my temples, attempting to clear the noise out of my head. It was hard to think straight.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t expect this to happen.”
Brianna sniffled and hastily wiped her tears away.
“Where are they sending you now?” she asked.
“Some place called Vlasica. I think it’s somewhere in Eastern Europe. They’re in the midst of a civil war, and we’re being sent to help the rebels overthrow their dictator,” I explained, at least wanting her to know that I was leaving to do some good.
To my surprise, an intrigued look breaks across her face.
“Really? Vlasica?” Brianna asked. “They mainly speak Vlasic. English is rare in most parts.”
“Yeah. They are urgently looking for someone who can speak Vlasic to come with us for the mission, but that’s quite rare. And that’ll make our job that much more complicated,” I sighed. She still had a spark in her eye, though. “What?”
“I know Vlasic,” Brianna told me. “It’s one of the Slavic languages that I know.”
It soon dawned on me what she was insinuating.
“Brianna, I can’t take you to Vlasica with me. They’re in a civil war! There’s violence and destruction all over,” I said with a firm shake of my head. I refused to risk her safety.
Brianna crossed her arms over her chest in a defiant manner. The way she usually did when I knew not to argue with her.
“David, our marriage has been suffering for a while now. All I want to do is be with my husband more, and this is a great opportunity for both of us. We’ll be together, and I can help! I can be your translator,” Brianna argued. Her face then softened. “I know I’ll be safe with you.”
