Map of the city recently established and without walls. Circa 1550 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Drake dodged bullets flying past as he engaged the enemy in mortal combat, his platoon mate was shooting rapidly, his face contorted in war rage as they moved into enemy territory, by the end of the night, his friend laid beside him dead. They counted their losses, evacuated the wounded and retreated back to camp.
Lying down on his bunk bed, Drake’s exhaustion and the death of his friend temporarily took a backstage as he gazed admiringly at the picture of his bride of twelve months. She was his saving grace, the few letters she wrote to him gladden his heart but it wasn’t the same like seeing her in the flesh. Her picture was also his only source of comfort and in a way, he would survive his stint at the war front only because her thoughts gave him strength.
The war dragged on longer than expected and after twenty-four months, he came back home unexpectedly. The cab driver dropped him in front of his house and he walked slowly to the front door, his heart beating with excitement. But he held it all together and knocked the door, there was no response but he saw someone peeping through the window.
Finally after waiting for about ten minutes which seemed like ten years, Anna opened the door by an inch, Drake’s broad smile was met with stony silence.
”Hello darling,” Drake crooked out in what he thought was a normal voice, but his wife said nothing and she also had problems looking up.
Drake’s intuition was to push her back into the house and then he saw the protruding tummy. It didn’t take him long before he made mental calculations to know that he was not the father, his bag dropped to the ground with a thud and he felt faint.
And then he heard the unmistakable voice of his friend, who couldn’t be drafted to the war because of an illness.
”Honey who was that?” Jonas called out from the room and they both heard footsteps, Anna’s eyes was still drawing maps on the ground beside her husband.
Jonas pulled the door back to show his rumpled pyjamas and hairy legs. Drake doesn’t need a soothsayer to tell him what has gone on while he was away fighting for his country.
Jonas retreated back to the safety of the living room while Anna finally found her voice,
”I am sorry,” she said and wanted to touch him.
Drake’s dream was over, his visions for a happy family crashed like a pack of dominoes at his feet. Ever so slowly, he picked up his bag and turned away from his home…
If you were Drake, what would you do?
*****
Most of you must know by now that I am a story-teller and I guess it runs in my genes. My mum would keep you enraptured for hours on end about tales and rib cracking jokes, my dad would look on smiling just adding titbits to the tales.
And I have one good news, the second edition of my novel, ”The Feet Of Darkness” would be out soon and I would love the candid opinions of my friends.
Seyi Sandra David 
What a horribly sad scenario… 😦
Yes it was, it was a true story and it did not end there, I ended it to find out what people think. Drake (not his real name) was so bitter he got ill and wanted to kill himself but he didn’t. He met a man who preached to him, he found God, forgave his wife and moved on. He is now one of the richest men in Korea with his own family.
What bitter lessons that can turn into sweet when we find God’s peace and forgiveness at their end!
You’re absolutely right!
There’s nothing you can do in a situation like that. You just go. You just leave, as you described Jake doing.
Yeah, he left but there was no explanation that could have lessen the pain, it was just pure betrayal but he later found love and happiness with someone else…
I think there would have to be some talking. The situation is obvious, but Jake can’t just walk away. There’s a house, there’s property. I think, initially, I would walk away, as he did. I might wait for her to make contact. There would have to be closure, as this relationship is obviously over. Or is it? It’s very complicated, isn’t it?
But he did Jeff, he left everything. No amount of explaination could have rectify that level of betrayal. He was depressed and attempted suicide but God was merciful to him. He finally forgave his wife, found peace and another lovely woman. He is now a christian with children, wealth and honour!
I’m glad things ended well for him. I found myself going through about a dozen different scenarios to answer the question, “What would you do?”
Everything, absolutely everything happens for a reason. Always a chance to grow and be groomed for the next thing God has to offer. Life is a gift, we may not always like the wrapping but it is still worth being grateful
My thoughts exactly, although when one is going through trials it’s kind of hard to see the reason behind it but afterwards one tends to understand. Thanks for your comment and for checking my site!
Cheers.
That has to be an incredibly horrible feeling, finding out your love is with another man, AND pregnant…..terrible.
Yes it was terrible for him but he lived and succeeded, it was hard but he let go, and he let God take charge. I guess that was when he won!
Interesting – having to deal with the horrors of war and then family betrayal. Nice emotional content in this story, made me sad and then hopeful for Drake that he would find a better life. If I was Drake, I would find it hard to take this scenario at first but it’s great to see in the comments that he found someone else and is having a happy life with them. I like to think that no matter how bad a situation is, you can still find happiness if you are a good person, you remain honest and true to yourself and you allow the triumph of human spirit to shine through the darkness. Thanks for sharing and look forward to reading your books in the future.
Thank you for your kind words, I’m happy you loved the story, I did too. Thank you for stopping by my blog, I wish you continuous success in all that you do! Wishing you a great year ahead!
Cheers-:)