“Wow. Okay. So many things make sense now.”
“I know. It's pretty crazy when you think about it. I mean, here I am, principal of a high school, it's about the farthest thing from what I used to do that I could imagine.”
“And what made you want to be a Navy SEAL in the first place?” I questioned.
“Well, there was this girl.”
I smiled warmly. “It’s always a girl,” I said trying to lighten the weight of his words.
“Isn’t it?” he said with a slight smile. “Thing is, the relationship we had, it really messed me up. Long story if I were to really get into it, but the short is, she was having a long-term affair behind my back, she was a real piece of work. And when I found out, I just had all this anger and these feelings of betrayal inside that I didn’t know what to do with it all. I had always been someone who had lived for adrenaline rushes, and pushing myself to the absolute limits, so I guess I wanted to do something that would really push me to the absolute limits. And somehow I ended up in a recruiter’s office and eventually signed up to be a Navy SEAL.”
“And then... and then you were sent to Iraq.”
He nodded. “That's right. And I... when I was there, I saw things, things you can't imagine. Things you can’t forget. It's worse than any of these movies show. Way worse. And I lost so many good friends there. Good, good men who died too young, whose lives were cut far too short.”
I squeezed his hand. “I'm happy that you made it back. And I'm sorry you had to go through such a terrible, terrible experience.”
“Thank you,” he said. “You know, no matter how many medals or honors I won for my actions there, it wasn’t enough to mask the experience.”
“You were decorated?”
“Yeah. I keep 'em all in a drawer, hidden away. I moved on from that part of my life, and want to keep it in the past. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing but love for my country and my brothers in arms, but my SEAL days are over.”
“I understand. And I'm sorry if I seemed pushy about it,” I added.
“It's alright. I know why you asked. I shouldn't have kept it from you in the first place.”
“Well, now I know, at least, why you don't want to watch war movies. So, rest assured, I won't be suggesting things like that again anytime soon.”
“Thank you. I'm really glad that you're so understanding about all of this.”
I looked into his eyes and then kissed him slowly and deeply.
“Why wouldn't I be? You've been so very good to me, Everett. I'm so, so grateful to have a man like you in my life. Someone honest, someone good. Everything you've done for me... It really means a lot; it does, trust me on that.”
“Thank you. I really do appreciate that.”
“Well, let's put a movie on then,” I suggested.
“That sounds like a great idea.”
But before we could, Everett's phone started ringing. He looked at it and then turned to me.
“Sorry, I have to take this. Bad timing, I know, but it's important.”
“Hi, Ben... uh-huh... Seriously? Right now? Damn, alright... Yeah, I know it's serious. I'll be there right away.”
He put the phone down on the sofa, and I could see from the look on his face that something serious was going on.
“Drug situation,” he said grimly. “I am so sorry, Viv. I have to go, right now. Do you mind keeping an eye on Janie while I’m gone?”
“Of course not. It's alright,” I said. “I know you have to do what you have to do.”
“Where did I put the truck keys,” he said like a rhetorical question. He placed his phone on the sofa next to me, and he got up and hurried to his bedroom to search for the keys.
His phone buzzed as a message came through. I glanced at it, curious, and as my eyes read the first part of the message, which was visible on the screen without me having to unlock the phone or even touch it, nausea started spreading like poison through my veins.
“Hi Everett, it's Liza again. I just wanted to say that I can't stop thinking about how amazing it felt when you put your arms around me this afternoon, and I've been longing for you…”