we keep this love in a photograph

Chapter 69

It was routine by that point. Another skirmish to report on, another drive through arid desert under a stretch of pale blue sky as they drove past husks of homes, through foothills and terrorised towns. The lull of the truck was almost enough to put her to sleep as she hugged her pack against her chest in the back, one of the soldiers driving them down a long and bumpy dirt road, bleached shrubs and yellowing grass scattered around them as a warm breeze blew in through the windows. Dust billowed behind them as the convoy roared past, out in the Sangin Province, the British staking their hold in the region with frequent skirmishes with rebels and civilians.

They'd been at it since dawn, the sky still purplish and a frigid edge to the morning breeze as they'd set out from the last base they'd been stationed at. The monotony of the drive was all too familiar to Rosie and she closed her eyes to the brightness of the light, mind turning to thoughts of what this report will be about. They'd been briefed on the basics before leaving but Rosie would have to parse through the information, coax more out of other soldiers as she liased, perhaps an eye witness or two and some offical, redacted documents to snatch a nugget of information from for the official piece. Jaehyun was there with a sleek looking camera, far superior to the little film ones Rosie used for her hobby, ready to take photos to document whatever they could find, while the other soldiers in the platoon were there for recon, for aid, for security or whatever else was required of them at the time.

The drive took hours, until the heat inside the truck was suffocating with their layers and the burden of their equipment, sweat beading on Rosie's forehead beneath the brim of her helmet, and she pulled the worn photo of Jennie out of the front pocket of her jacket, a tenderness to her face as she smoothed a gloved thumb over the image of her.

"Excited to be going home?"

She glanced over at Jaehyun and gave him a quick grin, "couldn't come sooner."

"Well, I guess I'm the fool for signing up for more," he said with a grudging smile, scratching at the prickle of overnight stubble shadowing his jaw. "You set a date yet? For the wedding, I mean."

"Not yet."

"You'd better get on that. Not very often a girl like that comes around, Park. You'll be set for life."

Snorting, Rosie elbowed him and shook her head as she pocketed the photo, "don't be an ass."

He flashed her a smile and reached for the rubber drinking tube attached to his water bladder, taking a sip. Looking out the window, Rosie watched the landscape pass by as her mind turned to thoughts of Jennie, of marrying her, of just seeing her again. It wasn't the same through the screen and there was a stomach-swooping sense of nervous excitement at the thought of seeing her again. And this time she'd never have to say goodbye again. Smiling softly to herself, Rosie stared out at the bluish smudges of distant foothills as she rattled around in her seat.

It was an eight hour car ride out, the Humvee's roaring along the road as monotonous beige spread out, occasionally interspersed with pale green shrubs and trees. Rosie was used to long car rides and managed to nap through some of it, the sun too warm on her and making her drowsy as they bumped along, clouds of white dust in their wake, and she was content to wait it out until it was time to do her job. That seemed to be most of being stationed overseas; waiting for something to do and trying to stay busy while you waited. Paperwork and cleaning seemed to be all she did most of the time, unless there was a story to be sought out, and then it was right back to the paperwork as she put it all into words for another press release, another junket, another headline for the news back home.

Eventually, they pulled up at a small town, armed soldiers climbing out of the massive trucks, locals shying away at the sight of them while the early afternoon heat beat down on them. It was searingly hot and Rosie was sweating beneath her helmet as she shaded her eyes, a grave look on her face as she looked around. Everyone fell into their roles and she kicked up dust as she walked at Jaehyun's side while he fiddled with his camera, checking the settings while Rosie pulled out a little notepad and a pen.