I honestly have been spending the last few days trying to write something, anything...but its all crap. I wrote a three parter short story back in 2003 (god I almost typed in 1993) back when the Iraq war started. Its a love story and I really enjoyed writing it, and some people said they enjoyed reading it. I've been looking over it again to get some inspiration, and I thought some new people might get a kick out of it. So here it is, this first piece is simply entitled, "He..."

He carried a picture of her wherever he went. During the day, while on
duty as a soldier and enduring the extreme heat of the Iraqi desert,
the picture was safely tucked in his pocket. Every so often, he would
absently pat that pocket to ensure it was still there. Sometimes it
earned him strange glances from the men in his unit. Dan quickly
learned to do it when no one was around.

At night, lying in his cot, he would take the picture out and stare at
it intently while his tent-mates snored loudly. By now, he had
memorized every aspect of her face: the aristocratic arch of her brow;
the glossy black texture of her hair; her rich, dark-chocolate eyes
which revealed her intelligence and wry humor.

The picture was of his best friend, Kate. It was a portrait from one
of those photography studios in the mall. She had taken the time to
apply make-up and worn an elegant, but simple black dress that
accentuated the graceful curve of her neck. She seemed to be smiling
directly at him. Just for him, he liked to think.

Yet it had been nine months, six days, thirteen hours and six minutes
since First Lieutenant Daniel Huffman last saw a live glimpse of her
face. That time had been spent on active duty since the conflict
started. He completed his duties with the excellence and precision
that was second nature to him. Life during deployment often meant
enduring long work shifts, always wondering if the unknown person
approaching you was friend or foe. He endured because he had little
choice in the matter. His love for her only deepened as time passed.
Yet he still hadn't dared to tell her of his feelings, fearing
rejection. However, as time passed he realized he would have to, lest
he lose her to someone else. He swore to himself that if...when...he
got back to the States, he would.

They wrote each other frequently via snail mail. Sometimes through
email if he could sneak onto a computer. Kate included the picture of
her in one of the many care packages she sent him. This particular
package included beef jerky, Good 'N Plenty (his favorite), wet naps
(for quick on-the-spot bath), toilet paper (one could never have
enough of this) and a videotape of recent episodes of The Daily Show
(good place to get the news).

Dan had never considered himself a writer, but the letter-writing
provided an outlet for his emotions. It helped to cope with the
monotony of the daily routine as well as the relentless onslaught of
the heat. It helped him to endure the terrifying moments when live
rounds exploded or there was live weapons fire around the compound.
She would never truly understand what he was going through. She was a
civilian and safe on the other side of the world. But her willingness
to listen and the unflagging emotional support in her letters kept him
sane. He tried to express how he felt once in a letter:

Kate...for all the crap I keep telling you about...I'm glad that you
are there to listen. It helps me get through each day. Sort of like I
am load of dirty laundry...all the colors, whites and darks are mixed
together. Somehow you manage to get everything clean, get them all
separated and folded nicely...how lame a metaphor is that? You mean a
lot to me, I hope you know that.

It was as close as he dared to declare his feelings for her. He
wondered if she realized the subtext of his message.

The only time he really went out of his mind was when he recieved an
urgent call from his mother. Kate was in the hospital. He went crazy
with worry until Kate herself called him directly from the hospital.
There were only two things that were broken, she said. One was her
arm. The other was her relationship with Brad, whom she had kicked to
the curb. He sighed in relief on both counts.

After what seemed an eternity, the order to come home had finally come
through. He wanted to be home. He wanted to have the satisfaction of
being in his own place. He wanted to drink a beer while lounging on
his sofa, watching a game on television. He wanted to sleep in his own
bed. How long had it been since he had done those things? Most of all,
he wanted to be in the comfort of her arms, because that above all
symbolized home to him. Everything had been packed up and all the
soldiers were loaded on a commercial flight back to the United States.
On the long flight home, he thought of the last time he saw her...

She and a group of their mutual friends had gone to some dive to
celebrate his last night of freedom. Kate volunteered to be the
designated driver, and after a long night of carousing, she had
dutifully driven each of the others home. Only Dan and she were left
in the car and they shared a comfortable banter on the way to his
apartment. When Kate reached in front of his building, she slid into
an available parking space and turned off the ignition. Dan glanced at
her in surprise. He thought she would merely drop him off and leave.

"Brad is going to get jealous when he hears we've been alone," he
joked to break the increasing tension. Their friendship over the last
three years had evolved from friendly teasing to a rock solid
friendship, each unhesitatingly being there for the other through
various crises.

"He'll get over it," Kate replied. "I'll miss you. I wish you didn't
have to go."

"I know," he replied. "But I'll be back."

"Well, this may sound lame, but I wanted you to write me, if you
could. If you need someone to talk to, I'm here."

"I will," he promised. He had been planning on doing that anyways.

"I care for you, you know," she said.

"Same here," he said casually. He ruffled her hair as one might
towards another guy. "Hey, why are you so serious now? I'll come back
and then we can resume annoying the hell out of each other, as
always."

She slid him an unfathomable gaze. "Fine," she said. "Well, I guess
this is it then."

Kate leaned towards him, intending to kiss his cheek in farewell. At
the last second he turned so that his lips softly met hers. Time
stilled for a moment before she pulled away. His green eyes met her
wide-eyed brown ones, and his world suddenly shifted from beneath his
feet. He stiffened as a sudden realization hit him. He loved her.

"Kate..." he murmured, his voice suddenly husky. "I..." Yet the words
crammed in his throat as he tried to express the depth of his emotions
to her.

Awkwardly, she cleared her throat and shifted away, as if to put some
distance between them. The moment was gone. Dan shook his head,
mortified at what he had been about to reveal. She had a boyfriend,
for god's sake. She probably didn't feel the same way. To her they
were still the best of friends, platonically. He was going away
tomorrow. His earth-shattering declaration would have to wait.

"I should go," she mumbled. Not sure of what he was feeling himself,
he opened the car door.

"Goodbye, Kate," he said quietly and was gone...

Dan shook himself out of his reverie when the plane landed. He got his
gear together and waited patiently while others filed out before him.
Everyone was called to formation. The soldiers who were almost home
and could certainly hear the cheers of their waiting families expertly
lined up in three rows and stood at attention. It was an impressive
sight to behold. "Great job!" the Commanding Officer barked. While the
senior officers made the usual rousing speeches of "Well done!", Dan
tried unsuccessfully to scan for a glimpse of Kate out of the corner
of his eye. The speeches lasted another ten minutes.

Finally, the command all had been waiting for: "Dismissed!"

Families and soldiers surged towards each other. Dan walked quickly
towards the waiting area. Suddenly he spotted her, standing beside his
mom, dad and brother. Kate waved.

"Son!" his mom cried joyously as she ran forward to greet him. He
dropped his gear and ran forward as well, embracing his mother in a
fierce hug. He could see his dad heartily clap his younger brother on
the shoulder, his face all smiles.

He took in the sight of her. She was smiling too, but stood a slight
distance from his family as he walked towards his father and brother,
one arm around his mother. As if she didn't want to intrude on the
family privacy. Was she glad to see him? Did she have any idea of how
he felt? Did she feel the same way?

The jubilation he felt at finally reaching home and seeing his loved
ones turned to nervousness as he finally stood before her, face to
face. She smiled he stepped towards her.

"Hi," he said, his heart full of emotion as he swept her, weightless,
into his arms...

to be continued...