Starry Nights

Chapter 1: Alex

June 3, 2010

The sound of gunfire awoke Alex with a startle. He dropped to the floor and searched for cover before he realized that he wasn't in any danger. His heart racing as he stood back up and it was then he heard Denny laughing from across the room. "You freaked out, dude!" he cried out as he fell to the floor laughing. Alex quickly threw on the first pair of pants he could find, a flannel, and an old pair of vans he'd had before he enlisted. He headed straight for the door knowing he had to get out before he hurt Denny, literally. As he walked out of the apartment, Denny called out, "Hey, c'mon man you know it was just a joke dude. Chi--." That was the last thing he heard Denny say before he slammed the door. He had no idea where he was going. All he knew is that he needed to get out.

He knew Denny was known for his pranks and jokes, but this time he had taken it too far. Denny knew Alex still hadn't recovered from his time in Afghanistan. Denny knew that he still woke up thinking he was in the middle of a battle-zone. Denny knew all these things yet he still insisted on scaring the hell out of Alex.

He walked down 12th Street to get to the subway, still having no idea where he was going. When he went to purchase a ticket he just pressed the first option he saw, paid for it, and got on the subway. He had always hated the subway, but it was less of a hassle than trying to hail a cab or purchase a car. In fact it was the quickest and easiest way to travel in Manhattan, but he still hated it. Every subway he'd ever ridden had a stench of sweaty people coming home from a long day at work.

When the subway started moving he lost his balance, almost falling on the woman in front of him. He looked around at the people surrounding him. He had learned to observe his surrounding carefully without even thinking about it during his stay in Afghanistan. He had learned to always be alert and attentive 24/7.

He got off at a stop near Central Park figuring walking would make him feel better. When he got outside he felt himself begin to calm down. As he started walking down the trail that looped Central Park, he wondered what he was doing out here. He was out here by himself, in an outfit that he'd worn yesterday, plus the fact that he hadn't shaven or showered since he'd gotten off the plane. He was in the middle of Central Park and he looked like shit. He knew people were staring, and suddenly he wished that he hadn't come out here.

He suddenly heard the faint sound of someone singing and playing the guitar. He followed the sound knowing he had nothing better to do right now. He saw a street musician playing a beaten up guitar singing Goodnight Moon by Go Radio. He listened to him until the song was over and placed 5 dollars in the musicians guitar case. The song was one of Alex's favourites and the musician had sung it brilliantly.

"God bless you man, thank you", the musician said.

"No, thank you, that was brilliant sir. I love that song."

"Well, I'm sure glad you liked it."

Alex smiled before turning around to continue aimlessly down the path hoping that he'd figure out what on earth he was doing out here. He sat down on a bench and he felt his thoughts drift back to Denny.

Denny had been his best-friend for as long as he could remember, but at the moment he had no idea why Denny was still his best-friend. Denny was a good guy, he'd just stopped growing up when he'd gotten into high school; physically and mentally. Denny was at most 5'2" and he was just about the most childish guy you could imagine. He would always pull pranks and jokes on anyone and everyone.

He worked at a gas station and made just enough to support himself and pay for the apartment. He'd dropped out of college after 1 year and that was when his parents had stopped talking to him. Alex could kind of understand why Denny was the way he was now, because Denny's parents had always pushed him throughout school hoping he would make something of himself. They must have pushed Denny to the point where he just went mad and couldn't take it anymore and just stopped growing up.

Alex on the other hand had parents who just didn't care, and who hadn't pushed him to make anything of himself. When he would come home, his dad was almost always drunk and his mom would be asleep or watching TV. Alex's grades had never been good and by the time he got out of high school, he'd basically had no choice but to enlist.

Alex felt the world begin to form around him again and realized that he'd spaced out for a good 30 minutes. He got up and figured he should go back and explain to Denny that he still hadn't recovered completely. But he knew that Denny would do the same thing he always did. Denny could never say sorry, but he would always imply it. He would say things like, "I had no idea it would upset you", or the classic, "I feel real bad, dude." Part of him wished Denny would apologize, but he knew he wouldn't, it just wasn't like Denny to apologize.

As he was walking back he watched the joggers race past him wondering what they were thinking. He wondered what they would go home to, what their lives were like. He sometimes wished that he hadn't joined the Marines. It wasn't that he didn't like the people he met or the job, in fact most of the people he met were some of the best friends he'd ever had. The real reason he wished he hadn't was because of Afghanistan. Every day the mere thought of that place would haunt him. Any sudden movement someone would make behind him put him on edge and made his heart race. He hated this feeling more than anything else. The fact that he couldn't sleep without a guaranteed dream of that hellish place he'd gone to made him queasy at night.

But if he hadn't joined the Marines, what else would he have done with his life? Worked at a gas station like Denny? No, that wasn't a life for Alex. It was in these moments he realized that he wouldn't have amounted to much without enlisting. He knew as soon as he got out he was going to go to college though. Any college would suffice, he just needed an education in order to get himself a good job. He hoped that he could someday counselor or a psychiatrist. But he knew in order to become successful in that field he would need a PhD, which he did not have the time nor the money to get. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he had no idea what he was going to do after he got out of the Marines, so he pushed the thought from his mind and continued walking.

He was walking back and the musician was still playing his guitar and singing, but this time he didn't know the song. He stopped to listen for a second before watching the couple and their child disappear from the bench and continue on with their day. Sometimes he wished inanimate objects could speak, because he thought that they would have the best stories to tell. For instance a set in Hollywood could tell wonderful stories about all of the actors that have been there and what they are really like. Before long he realized that he had spaced out again and now the musician was playing a song he knew. It was one he'd heard a long time ago but hadn't listened to in a while, Falling Slowly by The Swell Season (another one of his favorite songs).

As he was listening, he turned to sit on the bench the family had just been at. Instead, he saw what he believed was the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen; Natalie.