Mourning Fire (Preview)

1

"Mandy? Are you finished loading the clothes on the bus?" My band mate, Sid asked from my house.

"Just about! Only two more bins!"

We were packing up our bus for the tour we're about to go on. I was in charge of putting our numerous bins of clothing on the bus and assigning bunks. Sid, the lead guitarist, was in charge of all guitars and its equipment. Zak, our drummer, was in charge of his drum stuff (which was in a separate van) and our food and drink supply for the first month. Carlisle, the very British bassist, was in charge of his equipment and our merchandise. Last but not least, Alan, the rhythm guitarist, was in charge of all other equipment and double checking anything we missed. Tommy, our tour manager, was sorting some last minute stuff out with the bus driver in my house. This was going to be a great tour, I could tell. We were headlining, and the bands Our Rebellion and American Outcasts were the openings. The members of Our Rebellion and our band, Mourning Fire were really close. In fact, their drummer Christina (Chris for short) Jackson and I are best friends, so I'm happy they're touring with us. American Outcasts were nice people, but we weren't as close with them, still fun none the less.

I loaded the two bins of clothes with Zak's name on the side onto the bottom bus and closed the door. I went back inside to find Alan going over a checklist on the couch and the guys helping him.

"You guys have your bags for the first day on the road?" He asked. A chorus of yeses(sp?) rang through the living room. "Alright, then we're all good for tomorrow. Remember, we leave at 5 am from here, so don't be late." And with that, the guys, Tommy, and our bus driver Derick, dispatched from my house. It was nearing 7pm, so I decided to order myself some Chinese. Lemon chicken, shrimp fried rice, and an egg roll: my favorite. I ate alone in my dining room like I usually do, thinking. Thinking about everything and anything. My past, the present, my future, the band, our tour...Damon...

No. Stop, Mandy.

If you think about him, you'll be sad, which will turn into minor depression, and you won't be hype enough for tour, so stop it.

No matter how hard I tired to stop, I still kept thinking of him.

I put my trash away and went upstairs to my bed room around 9 (the thinking is what really occupied my time). I picked up a picture from my dresser. It was of Damon and I. I brought it to my chest and whispered,

"I love you so much, babe."

I didn't care about changing into bedtime clothes, so I crawled into my bed and under the sheets.

10 minutes.

15 minutes.

A half hour.

An hour.

I just couldn't sleep.

Damon was on my mind.

Damon;The greatest boyfriend ever. I love him so much. He's currently serving in the military, and I miss him, so, so much. I haven't seen him face to face, I haven't touched him, I haven't hugged him, I haven't kissed him in four years.

Four whole years.

Some of you may know what this feels like, having a loved one deployed in the military. For those who don't know, it's the worst thing in the world in my opinion. Sure it's great that they're fighting for our country, but sometimes you don't hear from them for a while. Them being away from you for so long, so far away, missing them to the point that it hurts. You never know of they're still alive or not, but I can't afford to think like that. Most people can't either. Every time you get a phone call from and unknown number or an unexpected visitor knocks on your door, you never know if it's someone telling you they've passed away while fighting. It's so frightening. But my Damon is a strong one, I know that as a fact.