Sometimes life gets weird. You lose hope, then you'll fall down, but then you'll get back up again. Sage did. So hang in there; it gets better, with time.
A short story.
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Bringing his hand up to his face, Sage wiped away the tears that were there, now frowning at himself in the mirror as if he was scolding his reflection for crying. He hated crying, but he couldn't lie like it wasn't a good stress relief.
He didn't do it often, only when he was trying to stop himself from going crazy. His flight for the states took off in just an hour, yet he was standing in the restroom trying to convince himself this was real life. It felt like a fever dream.
Usually when a soldier was discharged, they spent the days leading up to their flight getting ready to go; mailing off letters, saying goodbye to their friends and giving some of their stuff away while packing most of the important things. Sage didn't have any friends to say goodbye to, or any letters to send to tell his family about his arrival.
All he had was a thick folder that contained his most important documents-his social security card, birth certificate, military history file, a passport and a document that he was supposed to give to the landlord of his new apartment.
He was also taking just a few lounge outfits that would last him until he could go shopping for new clothes. The outfits only consisted of white shirts and gray sweats; the typical go-to outfit for almost every male alive. It was all he had though.
Besides the few clothes in his backpack and folder full of papers, Sage wasn't taking anything else except the skin on his back. Annabelle informed him to stop at a Cell Service store when he landed to buy a phone because he would definitely be needing one to navigate the common world.
His whole body was jittery and he felt so underprepared. A part of him was ecstatic for a fresh start though. He hoped with everything in him that he didn't mess this up. He wanted life to finally be good for him. The possibility of the opposite happening had him stressed beyond measure.
"It was nice having you, Sergeant. You be good out there, you hear?" David spoke loud over the sounds of the helicopter whirring overhead, and before Sage could even answer, he was pulled into a tight hug.
David patted his back, silently saying a small prayer over him. He was previously best friends with Sage's father, and had promised Suge he would always look out for him. He hoped the world would take care of Sage since he no longer would be able to.
"Thank you." Sage mumbled, but was loud enough for David to hear. He was eternally grateful for all that David had ever done for him.
Shortly thereafter, Sage was being flown by helicopter to the nearest airport that wasn't under Taliban supervision. It took them almost half an hour to arrive, and by the time he landed, his ears felt like they had burst. The crazy thing is, he still had a 29 hour nonstop flight to get through.
It was strenuous getting through airport security, especially after they saw three guns in his backpack through the X Ray screen. They weren't loaded, so it would be fine to fly with them. The clips and ammunition was packed in his bag as well though. Luckily he was licensed to carry.
