The Soldier Next Door

As I take what feels like the longest steps of my life, I look ahead and glance in the direction of a man that is sitting behind a table. A man whom I only but a few moments ago was told would not be here. 

Well, guess that I am surprised, shocked, and ya, a little bit pissed off.

Meeting my fate having to stare a man in the face that I hate was not something I planned for when I left home with half of a confidence in my step. As for now, I have lost that determination that needs to carry me through.

But yet, I need to remind myself what the difference between him and me is. 

Yet, does it make such a difference that I do not lack the strength or the will to push through what will be thrown in my way today?

So as I look at this man and he is becoming closer and closer, I fight the urge to tell him what it is that my burning thought thinks of him. Though, I have been just told be play nice as my lawyer has seen my very intention.NôvelDrama.Org (C) content.

“You dare not say a word to that man,” he warns me but with somewhat of a smirk of a smile. “We don’t want to piss the judge of any more than she already is.”

Well, that there just stops me dead in my tracks, “Yes, and I do believe…”

Yet, he does not get a moment to finish his sentence, for we are now told to get to our seats and stand for the entrance of the Judge that shall preside over this cause.

And yes, slap me fucking silly until Sunday and remind me in how much shit I am in.

From beneath her breath, she only but nods and whispers, “Ethan, good to see you again.”

Now, yes, it is good to see her again…and might I add with clothes on. Our dear Judge was perhaps…well she was…but we had a little fling, encounter, experience… whatever you wish to call a night of sex while being completely drunk out of your mind.

Ya, the boys, Gibbs and Ray, well we went out one night after a rather intense drilling session that day, and as with boys, we drank perhaps far too much and ended up with a bunch of rather attractive ladies.

And this there is where Lucy, our very Judge comes in. Now I never knew if she was seeking more after our encounter, for I made it quite clear that there was nothing more that I wanted. So, she might or might not still be a bit pissed off at me.

Right now…that would make me fucked.

But professionalism in hand, she calls for the court to be seated and only but glance in my direction as she starts to speak, “So, Mr. Hunter, I believe that you shot Mr. Jenkins?”

Now, what do I say?

Yes, the fucking asshole deserved it.

But, “Judge, that is correct.”

Then with a slight smirk on her face, she continues, “Please, can you explain to me why you shot Mr. Jenkins?”

Well, what do I say now?

The man is still a fucking asshole, and that he pissed me off?

Well, we rehearsed this over the phone last night, and perhaps some of it might not be the full truth, but it is my life that is on the line here.

I need to remind myself now that whatever happens now is supposed to be temporary. It may last for the next minute or an hour, but eventually this, this tormented torture of being put under a spotlight, it will subside, and something else will take its place. If I quit now and I do not tell that small little bended truth, the outcome of this will last forever. I am not going to surrender or even have the smallest act of hesitation and give up to believe that walking down the straight and narrow now will save my life. 

So how do I answer this question, I ask myself?

“Well, Judge, the man was threatening my wife.”

I see Lucy’s eyes grow wider, and ya…oh fuck. Perhaps that smile is now going to fade as she has discovered that I am not totally available for whatever that cheeky smile of hers is letting run through her mind.

Yet, “Please explain, Mr. Hunter?”

“Well, his exact words, “If you do not hand her over, then I will come to take her.”

She then looks over to where Brendan is fake, paining his wounds as he is pretending that he is suffering, then with a hitch in her voice, she speaks to him, “It seems that you think that women are objects, Mr. Jenkins. Now, please tell me is this true which Mr. Hunter is claiming.”

“I never…” and it as we fully expected. “I never threatened the man’s wife, nor did I claim that I was coming after her.”

Then, of course, his snot-nose lawyer that is barely twenty decides to object in, “Judge, the man shot my client twice. If he wishes to claim self-defense, then I am objecting to his statement.”

Lucy only but raises her eyebrow, and with a slight shake of her head, she looks rather disappointed in me, “Mr. Hunter, you do see that you cannot claim that you were trying to protect your wife. You went into this man’s house, and you shot him, not once for now reason, but then a second time. Do you understand that this is attempted murder?”

“Judge, the only attempted thing here is claiming to harm my wife. Yes, I shot him twice, but perhaps, my finger slipped the second time.”

She only but nearly bursts in laughter as my lawyer reprimands me, “Ethan, keep yourself in check here. She will drop your ass in jail.”

“Oh, believe me, she has dropped my ass…”

And from behind me, I see Ana raise her brow; well, this is going to leave some explaining, so let me not put my foot into it.

So, next, Brendan’s lawyer speaks again, “Judge the man not only tried killing my client, but he went afterward and tried to bribe his way out of it.”

The Judge shakes her head in confusion, and then she looks over to Brendan, “Please explain.”

Well, Brendan only but grows a smile on his face, “The man said that he will get me into the Marines if I dropped the charges and claim that it was merely an accident.”

The Judge looks back to me, “Please explain, Mr. Hunter.”

“Judge, the man is fucking crazy.” For a brief moment, she only but chuckles, and from behind, I feel the flat of a hand make contact with the back of my head. 

Ya, that must be Ana.

But, “Judge,” my lawyer starts to explain. “Mr. Jenkins called for my client to come to see him to discuss this very matter. I believe that Mr. Jenkins had this all planned from the start. If I may?” My lawyer steps closer to the Judge to hand over a tape recorder. “If I may play this, you shall see Mr. Jenkins’s intention from the start. I believe that he trapped my client to gain what he wanted, which is not only Mrs. Hunter, but a career in the Marines.”

And ya, fuck! I love it!

Brendan’s face has dropped even heavier than a ton of bricks as the words come out in a perfect harmony, loud and clear through that little tape recorder.

“I WILL TELL THEM THIS WAS AN ACCIDENT IF YOU CAN GET ME INTO THE MARINES.”

But wait, the fucking best part, and god, I swear my toes are curling.

“I HAVE A MENTAL PROBLEM.”

Well, take that, you goddamn asshole, and sip on it.

Lucy can see me only barely keeping my excitement in; she looks at Brendan and then at his lawyer, “You have wasted my time.” Then she turns to one of the Police Officers that are present in the courtroom, “Please take him away.”

Now, for one second, there is a chill that goes over my body, for she is not saying who the ‘him’ is, and as she sees the tension in my face build, she continues, “Mr. Jenkins, you will be taken into custody, you will stand trial of bribing a First Lieutenant in the Marines, and you shall face charges of threatening the life of Mrs. Hunter.” She only but waves the Officer off, “Get him out of my sight.”

And with that, Ana races over to me, the tears are streaming down her cheeks while she looks over to Lucy, “Thank you, god, thank you!”

Lucy only but nods her head, “He can get a handful, I know. Now try to keep him out of trouble.”

With that, the Judge leaves the courtroom, and Ray, with a big goddamn smirk on his damn face, only but laughs from the depths of his chest, “Now who would have thought. You can be glad the woman was not scorned.”

Ana pulls away from the warmth of the depth of my chest, “Soldier, is there something that I need to know?

“Perhaps, boo, but can we please go home. I love my uniform, but right now, I feel like a criminal.”

And as we leave the courtroom, that peace finally sets over my heart again.

With that, the thought comes to mind…

The thing about a Marine is even when it doesn’t look like there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, he’s going to keep digging, he’s going to keep trying to do right and make up for what’s gone before, just because that’s who he is.

And this Marine now knows what he needs to do.