“I love you.” He said to his girlfriend as he headed for the security area of the airport for departure. As he got further away from the girl he’d only met months before, he thought about how he met this amazing girl. It was a beautiful summer day, on the California coast. He thought as the flashback continued and his face lit up. He saw her with a group of beautiful women, but she just stood out. She had eyes like glowing sapphires, only to be complimented by her flowing golden hair. Her sun kissed body, sparkled in the mist of the ocean. He talked a few of his friends into going over to them, with him. They didn’t know that he had a hidden agenda, to use them as a distraction to get to this extravagant woman. As the group of ordinary men met the group of women, he walked right up to the mesmerizing beauty and courageously asked. “I’m James, and you are?” she turned to him and cracked a smile and giggled. Thinking he had been rejected, the light in his face faded and the look of gloom covered his face. “My name is Alice.” She giggled, now trying to hide her growing smile. “So what brings you here?” he nervously said, trying not to stare at her gleaming smile. “I come here to see friends, and a long walk on the beach.” She moved her hand away from her face revealing soft pink lips. “That sounds like a lot of fun, mind if I join your walk on the beach some time?” he chuckled, trying not to seem nervous. Alice smiled and shot a look at one of her friends, only to turn back to James. “Well actually I was going to go on a walk right now, and I’d be happy for you to join me.” She bubbly said. James nodded without hesitation. As she started for the shore line James followed, smiling. As the two walked down the beach and soaked in the sun, the life story of James and Alice flowed from their lips. Small stories about James’s brother and him growing up, and Alice and her mom staying strong after her dad left. When the sun drowned in the ocean surface, James and Alice noticed the day had flown by.
“Do you want to stay for the sun set?” James joyfully asked Alice, smiling. She turned and nodded with her blue eyes shining in the sunlight. They sat down in the warm sand and scooted closer as the minutes passed, and the heated air cooled to the brisk feeling of night. When the moon filled the sky her head slowly fell on his shoulder, his arm snuck its way to lie on her shoulder. “Look at the stars!” Alice squeaked as she noticed the bright stars filling the sky.

James quickly falling back into consciousness as the intercom shouted, “Now boarding for flight 417.” James jumped up grabbing the large bag he carried, the smile not leaving his face. He walked up to the ticket booth and they checked his ticket. “I see your off to Iraq, are you nervous?” the employee inquired. He chuckled and looked at her. “Yes maim.” He replied strictly in military tone. He saluted the woman and walked onto the plane, taking his seat he closed his eyes to revisit the first time he ever met Alice’s mom.

Alice was sitting on James’s bed smiling. “Are you ready to meet my mom today?” she questioned giggling. James smiled as he turned to meet her gaze, and nodded as he walked over to the bed. “I’m sure she’s great, I mean she raised you and you’re amazing.” He grinned as he kissed her forehead. She wrapped her hands around his waist and embraced him, as she got up from the bed. They soon left his apartment, only to arrive at a small home. The house was a faded white, surrounded by large trees. She grabbed his hand as he got out of the car, and quickly dragged him to the front door. She rang the doorbell and looked at him with a glowing smile, and all of his nervousness disappeared. An older woman, grey just barely noticeable in her hair answered the door with a kind, caring voice. “Why hello there, Alice. Is this that James, you keep telling me about?” she bantered as she invited us in. as we got into the living room James noticed a large couch, in front of a coffee table. He sat on the far side of the couch, and Alice sat next to him and grabbed his hand. The rest of the afternoon seemed to slip by, as James and Alice’s mother, Mary talked about Alice’s childhood.

The soft voice of an attendant woke him, “sir, were landing soon.” He rubbed his eyes and looked out the window, squinting. He was speechless at the endless desert of sand. As the plane landed he thought of Alice once more. Smiling he got off the aircraft, to be greeted by his commanding officer. “Okay boys, keep your heads down and you just might make it out of this place alive.” He laughed as he pointed the way to their bunk. He ran patrols and protected his squad for one month before he got a letter from Alice saying that she is pregnant. As his eyes ran across the page his face lit up and he couldn’t help but smile. The next seven months flew by, until a well aimed bullet from a rifle landed in the left side of his chest. He blacked out only to awake to the med bay of his base.
“Is there anything you want, sir?” his commanding officer asked, a gloom look on his face. James nodded and waved his hand for the man to come closer. He got down next to James’s head. “I want to see her.” He replied weakly, and the man stood up and nodded again. James’s world faded to black once more, only this time when the world came back into view this time he was surrounded by his brother and Alice. James looked to Alice and smiled at her large belly. She looked up and smiled. “Do you know what day it is?” she questioned. He shook his head and chuckled lightly. She rubbed her stomach and smiled. “It’s supposed to be the day; your son comes into the world.” She sang walking over to grab James’s hand. “The doctors say I’ll probably be going into labor soon.” She continued. As the last words left her mouth she squeezed his hand and held her stomach. James’s brother jumped up and pressed the call nurse button and helped support Alice. As the nurses rushed in, James’s chest started to hurt immensely, he groaned and grabbed his brother’s hand, and asked at a moderate whisper. “Help me.” His brother looked deep into James’s eyes and nodded, then yelling at a nurse that hadn’t left the room yet, “help, this man is in pain!” the nurse turned quickly and ran over the James’s and pulled the covers from his torso. The machine keeping his heart rate started to beep less, and James world faded to black once again. Alice was in another room, pushing the son she had been waiting for the past nine months. Through the night she pushed, and he held on for life. As the morning started her pushing had seized and a baby boy now getting used to the world, her chest started to hurt, and due to birth complications, the world she had been in had gone away. James’s had also stopped fighting and now laid in the bed lifeless, with his brother at his side crying. Days later James’s brother and Mary stood above two coffins being lowed into graves. A small baby lying in Mary’s arms cried as his brother started to shovel dirt on the coffins.