There's a Place For Us (Complete)

Part 31

I. An Exquisitely Tragic Love Affair

(Part 31)

Isabella's eyes opened and she realized her boyfriend wasn't there. Where had Adam gone? And the worst thoughts came to her. He had left her because he hadn't like her performance or the way her body looked or that they hadn't gone all the way... She dressed quickly feeling mortified that she had almost given herself to Adam the night before.

He came back to her house around lunchtime. His hair was a mess and there were bags under his eyes. In truth, he hadn't slept much the night before. Too many thoughts had been running through his mind. "I'm sorry you woke up alone!" he apologized right away.

"Where'd you go?" Isabella questioned.

Adam sighed. "To see if I could take my name out from joining the navy..." he said quietly.

"And?" Isabella whispered, although she already knew the answer.

"I can't," he replied in a hushed tone. His shoulders sagged and his faced was pained, although he tried to hide it from view.

"Adam," Isabella said even though tears filled her own eyes, "it's ok." She placed her hand on his arm in an effort to comfort him.

He shook his arm from her touch. "No. It's not," he said angrily. "We only have two more months until I have to start training," he informed her equally as rough. Isabella's heart sank. She had hoped they'd have more time.

"Then we'll have to make the best of it," she said, trying to sound upbeat even though tears ran down her face, mimicking Adam. Two months. And Isabella knew first hand how fast two months go by. In the blink of an eye.....

March went by exactly how Isabella expected it to go. Rumor got around that Adam would be leaving for navy training. He received looks that meant many things. Some were out of fear of his decision and others were out of respect. Isabella received glances too. Pity glances. They spent most of their time together, Adam and Isabella, doing the things that they would have been doing even if Adam wasn't leaving. They tried not to think about the obstacle they faced before them, but the silence on the subject made them both sore.

Adam stayed up until all hours of the night thinking. Dreading the day that he would finally have to leave. Isabella laid in bed crying sometimes wondering why great things always had a way of leaving her.

April went by even quicker than the month before. Adam's mother cried as he packed bags and sorted through flight information. Isabella masked her face with a brave smile. Adam's dad even got a little bit teary eyed at times.

Finally the day came, when it was time for Adam to leave. A day for last goodbyes...

Most of March and the beginning of April had been rainy. The people of the town were getting used to waking up with the rain dripping down the windows like the tears of the clouds above. The flowers were dying from too much water, and girls started to accept that their hair would get frizzy in the morning as they walked to the bus stop. Tea and coffee was the common drink even though spring had officially started; it warmed the bones of those sick of the wetness.

It was the third week of it raining straight through. Saturday Adam would be leaving.

Ironically, when he woke up that morning, the sun graced them with its presence. It shone through his windows, warming up the glass. As his head rested on the soft pillow, he stared at the outfit that was layed out before him. It stared right back, daring him to deny it.

When he heard commotion start downstairs, Adam got out of the bed and dressed. Before going downstairs, he checked himself in the mirror. He wore a plain, olive green, tight shirt with camouflage cargo pants. He looked different from what he used to. It was true, up until a few months ago he'd never even considered joining the navy.