I Express Myself Through Writing
A Cold Winters Bond
The crisp winter air cuts through his old broken down body. He shivers and pulls tighter on the old work coat he has worn, it seems forever now. Another few more miles along the cold highway , and soon there would be waiting for him a warm cup of coffee and nice soft bed.
This trip wasn't one he had planned on taking, no man in his right mind would venture out in the middle of December during a winter storm in Vermont. Simply should have stayed in the warmer climate of south Louisiana.
He knew though that after many months of denying the fact, his health wasn't any better and constantly being told by an old friend that she would drive there and get him herself. That thought made him tighten up the coat a little more and even without noticing it made him more eager to keep going. Damn old truck had left him 10 miles down the road. With this endless snow and 20 degree temperature, no one would be out on the roads today. He would venture along and keep his attention on the beauty of fallen snow as it sits atop the evergreens.
She sits on her old wooden chair by the fireplace and sips on a warm cup of fresh coffee.He had finally promised her to make the trip. Stubborn old man she thought, so many times that she asked only to hear the same response. Oh I don't want to trouble you he would say, I'll get by alright. Yes he would get by for now but what would happen if the winter proved to be too strong and finally that damn disease got the best of him now. They had been a couple at one time, it seems now many years ago. Even if time had pulled them away from each other, the gift of that one time romance, was what made her keep him in her life.
Had it been that long ago. 35 years is a long time to remember for anyone, much less a older lady like herself. He was a young handsome twenty one year old by the name of John. An army soldier who would be soon leaving on a tour of Vietnam, venturing away for the first time from his home in the small town of Athens Vermont.
She worked at her family's ice cream shop after just graduating from high school. Future plans on college and making a career of being a veterinarian kept her focused and determined. Mary laughs to herself thinking those dreams sure went away fast it seemed. Just took one look into his blue eyes and away went all other plans and destinations. She only knew of one place ,one dream to follow.
His own life had been hell looking back. Those damn Vietnamese sure didn't give a shit about him or his brothers that those ruthless bastards took. So many brothers gone, and even some, he thinks looking back, may never be returned home. A better man he was for making it out alive. A bitter man he was for being there in the first place.
Before he was to leave home, looking for work wasn't easy for a high school dropout.His father worked at the local mill and was able to, even though it was reluctantly,did pull a few strings and got him a job.
After a long week of work , he always stopped by the ice cream shop and ordered a banana split. The young red head with brown eyes seemed to wait for his arrival with a bright smile and soft hello. She made his banana split just the way he liked it, heavy on the chocolate with a drizzle of multi colored sprinkles. His visits to the shop become more and more frequent, sometimes without placing an order. As he would say when she asked if he wanted his usual, no I'm just here to kill the time. Somehow she knew his being there was more than just passing the time.
The weeks and months passed by it seemed all to fast. Days that were not spent at the mill, was passed at Mary's parents business. His nerves were at once still as he finally asked Mary to a date at the movies. Shortly thereafter was more dates and more time spent taking evening walks along the town square.
As the fall quickly came and the tress changed from green to dark browns and darkish reds ,cooler weather seemed to fill the town bringing with it a new and fresh air. Things were starting to change for the former high school dropout , a new outlook on life with a beautiful young woman by his side. Certainly things could always worsen but those thoughts he didn't dare let cross his mind.
It wasn't till a number had been pulled from somewhere in Washington D.C . One damn number that would change his whole life .. one damn number he thought as the miles left to his destination finally didn't seem so far away.
He couldn't have thought of any other way to spend those last few weeks at home, than every second to be with Mary. To learn about her as much as possible. Her favorite color, song,and yes even her favorite ice cream. All things John wanted to remember as he would be thousands of miles away. Nights were spent hand in hand sitting in his old beat up truck. Listening to the birds sing in the square, and watching the stars dance in a a cloudless sky.
One night he had planned a special date. He had put under a blanket in the back of his truck,a wooden crate filled with apples , grapes and some cheap wine that his mother had bought some time back and never opened. She wouldn't miss it he thought , her only excuse for purchasing in the first place was " just in case we have guests".They drove out to the corner of town,out where the rode led to a small wooden abandoned house. John had already went there the day before and set the old place up with candles and found wood for the fireplace. The night was perfect as she laid in his arms by the warm fire. A night of shared passion and understanding that each of their lives would now be forever changed. A young boy was drafted but now a man would be going to war. A sweet young girl had become a woman in an old house that thankfully could never tell their secrets.
War she remembered would change a man. It made him stronger it's true but it also made him quiet. Things that he might have told her about before was now kept inside locked away. Thinking maybe it was best though cause he wasn't the only one holding back details. Those years he had spent in hell, she had quickly and without any preparation learned how to guide another human into life.
Her name was Hannah Lea and she had all the beauty features of her mother. The long curly red hair and cute small dimples. All except those piercing blue eyes that Mary knew could only come from one person. A spitfire of a girl who had came into the world fighting and by no fault of her mothers seemed to have acquired a stubborn attitude.
How could Mary tell him that in reality she had no thought of hoping to cure his disease. The only reason she had been asking for him to make the trip was for him to finally set his eyes on the gift of life they had made some thirty years before. To get him to come this far was and unbelievable task, how could she make him stay. Fixing one problem at a time she thought, I got him to come here and I'll tackle the rest as it comes.
Mary had called Hannah months ahead and told her about the impending visit her mother was to have. Hannah remembered the stories Mary had told her as a child. All about a man that made her happy , a man that become a father even as he was fighting a war far from home. Eager to set her eyes on his , Hannah had left her life with in New York and flown to her moms in Athens
The closer John got to the old town the more he thought about the day he had left. A stupid fight with his father over money and John's desire to do more than work again at that damn old mill. Many angry things were spoken none of which looking back was the word goodbye. He had left the whole state behind setting his eyes on the south and the emerging oilfields. This place was his old life one left behind so long ago. Only to come back this now for a simple hello ,one last visit he thought ,to see her before his time would come up.
Through the snow and cold he see a soft light in a window. This is it he thought, her parents old home just as he remembered it. The same house he had came to as a young man. Knocking on the door for the first time as her father opened it and he stood on trembling legs trying to say the words that he had practiced so easily before. How many days had he spent as a youth in that house. Now he stood outside of it unable to even knock on its old weathered wooden door.
She heard his faint knock and went the window to look but not able to see his vehicle. Hannah sat quietly in the living room , eyes set on the door eager to see the man whom she only knew from her mothers stories. Mary opened him the door as he hurried in and tried to shake off the many miles of cold.
Finally after what seemed to be half a dozen cups of hot coffee and sitting right beside the fireplace , John began to warm up and feel himself. He had been introduced to Hannah by Mary. She was her moms daughter he was told , but nothing more.
Mary knew she wouldn't be able to keep him there for than a day or two. Even if he had agreed for a few days,she knew him and the thought of staying in Vermont was more than he would want to handle. She had to think of something and somehow break it to him easily. The easier the better no need to spring it on him all of a sudden. He had left once out of anger, she didn't want him to leave his only daughter that same way.
Mary had made a special dinner on the third day of his visit. Even though she had hoped he would stay at least a week. He had told her earlier in the morning that he had already checked out of the local Inn. Time was of the utmost and no more wasting seconds on being sweet he wants to be stubborn well then his stubborn ass will find out tonight.
After a homemade dinner, they were once again sitting by the fire. John had mentioned briefly about his illness and how time had only made it worse. Hannah knowing from her mother had told her, John was suffering from kidney disease. Hannah had knowledge of the threat it could impose on a body if not treated. She had already made calls and looked into the possibility of being tested.
Slowly and cautiously Mary spoke of the old days. Of how they had dated and his ability to sweep her off her feet. She talked about their last night together in that old abounded house, before he was shipped off. She told that many things had changed after that night. How she was forced to become a mom and learn how to raise a child. She said how hard things were even with her parents there, she only wanted him. She told him to look at Hannah blue eyes .. it's the same eyes you have. The same ones I fell so deeply in love with.
John had so many different confusing thoughts in his head. Was she telling him what he thought. Had she lied to him all along, gotten him to come all this way to spring this type of news on him. I'm a father,after all theses years, your telling me that I'm a father!! John needed time, more time to think. Damn I can't stay here but then I can't leave again. I can't make that same mistake twice he thought. I don't want to walk out on another family of mine.
John would stay a few more extra days. Time to clear his mind and get used to the thought of being a father. Sure it wasn't what the hell he expected but if Mary had got him to come all this way, the least he could do was try to stick around and learn. Guess in his old age the stubbornness he was famous for was starting to ware thin.
Cold climates is not really good for anyone much less a person with a sickness. The many miles walked in the cold had taken a toll on John. A severe cold had set in and with the urging of both Mary and Hannah , he had went to get checked out at the hospital.
The doctor told him that he was lucky to have came in when he did. Few days more and the cold would have been full pneumonia. On that part he was lucky, but the doctor had more news.
A full kidney transplant was badly needed and if not gotten soon John would have less than six months. Receiving that type of news was frightening even for a old war vet.
Mary knew she was no match and only hoped that a kidney would come available. She didn't think of asking her daughter. That would be too much of a problem. How could she asks of Hannah to give up so much for someone she barely even knew. There would have to be another way.
Two years later as another cold Vermont winter approaches. Sitting by the old fireplace and sipping on a hot cup of coffee, sat a retired red headed veterinarian named Mary. An old army vet named John with those piercing blue eyes. An a New York woman named Hannah who had came to Vermont to be a part of a strangers life and save her fathers all at the same time.
The crisp winter air cuts through his old broken down body. He shivers and pulls tighter on the old work coat he has worn, it seems forever now. Another few more miles along the cold highway , and soon there would be waiting for him a warm cup of coffee and nice soft bed.
This trip wasn't one he had planned on taking, no man in his right mind would venture out in the middle of December during a winter storm in Vermont. Simply should have stayed in the warmer climate of south Louisiana.
He knew though that after many months of denying the fact, his health wasn't any better and constantly being told by an old friend that she would drive there and get him herself. That thought made him tighten up the coat a little more and even without noticing it made him more eager to keep going. Damn old truck had left him 10 miles down the road. With this endless snow and 20 degree temperature, no one would be out on the roads today. He would venture along and keep his attention on the beauty of fallen snow as it sits atop the evergreens.
She sits on her old wooden chair by the fireplace and sips on a warm cup of fresh coffee.He had finally promised her to make the trip. Stubborn old man she thought, so many times that she asked only to hear the same response. Oh I don't want to trouble you he would say, I'll get by alright. Yes he would get by for now but what would happen if the winter proved to be too strong and finally that damn disease got the best of him now. They had been a couple at one time, it seems now many years ago. Even if time had pulled them away from each other, the gift of that one time romance, was what made her keep him in her life.
Had it been that long ago. 35 years is a long time to remember for anyone, much less a older lady like herself. He was a young handsome twenty one year old by the name of John. An army soldier who would be soon leaving on a tour of Vietnam, venturing away for the first time from his home in the small town of Athens Vermont.
She worked at her family's ice cream shop after just graduating from high school. Future plans on college and making a career of being a veterinarian kept her focused and determined. Mary laughs to herself thinking those dreams sure went away fast it seemed. Just took one look into his blue eyes and away went all other plans and destinations. She only knew of one place ,one dream to follow.
His own life had been hell looking back. Those damn Vietnamese sure didn't give a shit about him or his brothers that those ruthless bastards took. So many brothers gone, and even some, he thinks looking back, may never be returned home. A better man he was for making it out alive. A bitter man he was for being there in the first place.
Before he was to leave home, looking for work wasn't easy for a high school dropout.His father worked at the local mill and was able to, even though it was reluctantly,did pull a few strings and got him a job.
After a long week of work , he always stopped by the ice cream shop and ordered a banana split. The young red head with brown eyes seemed to wait for his arrival with a bright smile and soft hello. She made his banana split just the way he liked it, heavy on the chocolate with a drizzle of multi colored sprinkles. His visits to the shop become more and more frequent, sometimes without placing an order. As he would say when she asked if he wanted his usual, no I'm just here to kill the time. Somehow she knew his being there was more than just passing the time.
The weeks and months passed by it seemed all to fast. Days that were not spent at the mill, was passed at Mary's parents business. His nerves were at once still as he finally asked Mary to a date at the movies. Shortly thereafter was more dates and more time spent taking evening walks along the town square.
As the fall quickly came and the tress changed from green to dark browns and darkish reds ,cooler weather seemed to fill the town bringing with it a new and fresh air. Things were starting to change for the former high school dropout , a new outlook on life with a beautiful young woman by his side. Certainly things could always worsen but those thoughts he didn't dare let cross his mind.
It wasn't till a number had been pulled from somewhere in Washington D.C . One damn number that would change his whole life .. one damn number he thought as the miles left to his destination finally didn't seem so far away.
He couldn't have thought of any other way to spend those last few weeks at home, than every second to be with Mary. To learn about her as much as possible. Her favorite color, song,and yes even her favorite ice cream. All things John wanted to remember as he would be thousands of miles away. Nights were spent hand in hand sitting in his old beat up truck. Listening to the birds sing in the square, and watching the stars dance in a a cloudless sky.
One night he had planned a special date. He had put under a blanket in the back of his truck,a wooden crate filled with apples , grapes and some cheap wine that his mother had bought some time back and never opened. She wouldn't miss it he thought , her only excuse for purchasing in the first place was " just in case we have guests".They drove out to the corner of town,out where the rode led to a small wooden abandoned house. John had already went there the day before and set the old place up with candles and found wood for the fireplace. The night was perfect as she laid in his arms by the warm fire. A night of shared passion and understanding that each of their lives would now be forever changed. A young boy was drafted but now a man would be going to war. A sweet young girl had become a woman in an old house that thankfully could never tell their secrets.
War she remembered would change a man. It made him stronger it's true but it also made him quiet. Things that he might have told her about before was now kept inside locked away. Thinking maybe it was best though cause he wasn't the only one holding back details. Those years he had spent in hell, she had quickly and without any preparation learned how to guide another human into life.
Her name was Hannah Lea and she had all the beauty features of her mother. The long curly red hair and cute small dimples. All except those piercing blue eyes that Mary knew could only come from one person. A spitfire of a girl who had came into the world fighting and by no fault of her mothers seemed to have acquired a stubborn attitude.
How could Mary tell him that in reality she had no thought of hoping to cure his disease. The only reason she had been asking for him to make the trip was for him to finally set his eyes on the gift of life they had made some thirty years before. To get him to come this far was and unbelievable task, how could she make him stay. Fixing one problem at a time she thought, I got him to come here and I'll tackle the rest as it comes.
Mary had called Hannah months ahead and told her about the impending visit her mother was to have. Hannah remembered the stories Mary had told her as a child. All about a man that made her happy , a man that become a father even as he was fighting a war far from home. Eager to set her eyes on his , Hannah had left her life with in New York and flown to her moms in Athens
The closer John got to the old town the more he thought about the day he had left. A stupid fight with his father over money and John's desire to do more than work again at that damn old mill. Many angry things were spoken none of which looking back was the word goodbye. He had left the whole state behind setting his eyes on the south and the emerging oilfields. This place was his old life one left behind so long ago. Only to come back this now for a simple hello ,one last visit he thought ,to see her before his time would come up.
Through the snow and cold he see a soft light in a window. This is it he thought, her parents old home just as he remembered it. The same house he had came to as a young man. Knocking on the door for the first time as her father opened it and he stood on trembling legs trying to say the words that he had practiced so easily before. How many days had he spent as a youth in that house. Now he stood outside of it unable to even knock on its old weathered wooden door.
She heard his faint knock and went the window to look but not able to see his vehicle. Hannah sat quietly in the living room , eyes set on the door eager to see the man whom she only knew from her mothers stories. Mary opened him the door as he hurried in and tried to shake off the many miles of cold.
Finally after what seemed to be half a dozen cups of hot coffee and sitting right beside the fireplace , John began to warm up and feel himself. He had been introduced to Hannah by Mary. She was her moms daughter he was told , but nothing more.
Mary knew she wouldn't be able to keep him there for than a day or two. Even if he had agreed for a few days,she knew him and the thought of staying in Vermont was more than he would want to handle. She had to think of something and somehow break it to him easily. The easier the better no need to spring it on him all of a sudden. He had left once out of anger, she didn't want him to leave his only daughter that same way.
Mary had made a special dinner on the third day of his visit. Even though she had hoped he would stay at least a week. He had told her earlier in the morning that he had already checked out of the local Inn. Time was of the utmost and no more wasting seconds on being sweet he wants to be stubborn well then his stubborn ass will find out tonight.
After a homemade dinner, they were once again sitting by the fire. John had mentioned briefly about his illness and how time had only made it worse. Hannah knowing from her mother had told her, John was suffering from kidney disease. Hannah had knowledge of the threat it could impose on a body if not treated. She had already made calls and looked into the possibility of being tested.
Slowly and cautiously Mary spoke of the old days. Of how they had dated and his ability to sweep her off her feet. She talked about their last night together in that old abounded house, before he was shipped off. She told that many things had changed after that night. How she was forced to become a mom and learn how to raise a child. She said how hard things were even with her parents there, she only wanted him. She told him to look at Hannah blue eyes .. it's the same eyes you have. The same ones I fell so deeply in love with.
John had so many different confusing thoughts in his head. Was she telling him what he thought. Had she lied to him all along, gotten him to come all this way to spring this type of news on him. I'm a father,after all theses years, your telling me that I'm a father!! John needed time, more time to think. Damn I can't stay here but then I can't leave again. I can't make that same mistake twice he thought. I don't want to walk out on another family of mine.
John would stay a few more extra days. Time to clear his mind and get used to the thought of being a father. Sure it wasn't what the hell he expected but if Mary had got him to come all this way, the least he could do was try to stick around and learn. Guess in his old age the stubbornness he was famous for was starting to ware thin.
Cold climates is not really good for anyone much less a person with a sickness. The many miles walked in the cold had taken a toll on John. A severe cold had set in and with the urging of both Mary and Hannah , he had went to get checked out at the hospital.
The doctor told him that he was lucky to have came in when he did. Few days more and the cold would have been full pneumonia. On that part he was lucky, but the doctor had more news.
A full kidney transplant was badly needed and if not gotten soon John would have less than six months. Receiving that type of news was frightening even for a old war vet.
Mary knew she was no match and only hoped that a kidney would come available. She didn't think of asking her daughter. That would be too much of a problem. How could she asks of Hannah to give up so much for someone she barely even knew. There would have to be another way.
Two years later as another cold Vermont winter approaches. Sitting by the old fireplace and sipping on a hot cup of coffee, sat a retired red headed veterinarian named Mary. An old army vet named John with those piercing blue eyes. An a New York woman named Hannah who had came to Vermont to be a part of a strangers life and save her fathers all at the same time.
46-50, M
