A good soldier never gives up

An unexpected surprise

  William
Today is my birthday and father has informed me that something special is waiting for me. I was so excited knowing that father is finally going to tell me where he goes at night. As I waited for father to finish my lesson on hand to hand combat, my mind began to wander. Does he go into the villages nearby? Or does he go farther into the desert?

"William, are you ready for your surprize?" father asked me. I nodded and copied him as he put on a coat to deflect the weather of the desert moon.

"Father, where are we going to go?" I asked him. He looked down at me and messed up my hair.

"We're going to see someone very special. Someone who was begging to see how much you have grown since she last saw you." He said with his strong voice. I was proud to be his son, knowing that my father is training me to fight for freedom. He never went easy on me so that I could become one of his great soldiers.

We walked for about three to five miles in the desert before seeing a building in the distance. "Son, when we walk into that building, I want you to close your eyes. Wait until I tell you to open them, or you won't see who wants to meet you." I nodded obiedently as we got closer to the old building. As soon as we stepped inside, I closed my eyes and took my father's hand. He led me away the sounds of women crying, and into another room. "William, open your eyes." was all he said.

I did what I was told and saw a women with brown hair and green eyes looking at me with a smile. "Is-is this him? Is this my William?" she asked father. He nodded and pushed me toward her. I was immediately pulled into a hug by the strange woman as she asked me, "do you know who I am?"

I took a good look at her before shaking my head no. "I'm sorry miss, but I don't know you."

She looked a bit disappointed at me before turning to father. "You never told him? His whole life, he never knew about his mother?" she asked him. I turned to father to confirm if that was true. He shook his head no.

"He didn't need that information, nor did he ask. William, this woman here is Elizabeth Ashton. She is my wife and your mother," father said. I shook my head no.

"No, she isn't. I don't have a mother," I told them. That seemed to hurt her feelings because she took my hands and held them. "You do have a mother. I gave you life. Your my son, my flesh and blood." She dropped one of my hands and placed hers on my right cheek. "My, how you grown. You look more like your father everyday." She took my hands again, she felt the rough skin.

I began to feel out of place as she began searching my arms and legs for scars she was sure to find. "Damien, what happened to him? How has he gotten all of these scars?" she asked as she looked up at me with sad eyes.

"They're my battle scars. Father allows me to go fight side by side with him in some of our battles," I answered instead. "What's wrong, mother? Aren't you proud of me?" she shook her head no as she began to cry. I looked at father as he took my hand.

"A good parent would always have pride in their son. Are you ashamed of him, Elizabeth?" Father asked her.

She shook her head no. "I'm not ashamed of him. I love him and I always will. It's the way your raising him that I'm ashamed of. The world is not as cruel as you teach him. He should be playing childish games with other children, and going to school. Not fighting wars or firing a gun! This isn't the way I want him to grow up. His real father wouldn't have wanted him to grow up like this either!"

Father slapped her hard before saying, "I am the boy's father! The boy is growing into a soldier. He will not become a weak human being."

"He's not a soldier! He's a little boy!" she cried out. Father was angry at her outburst and took me away from her.

"You'll never see my son again for this," was all father said before leading me out of the building and back to camp.