February 29th, 1957
It's only been about 3 days since I left. I've done nearly nothing. I just sit up here at the lake house and listen to music. Sometimes I write the lyrics just to help pass the time. I've drank a lot since bein' up here, but I haven't touched a single drug, believe it or not.
I don't even think my family would believe me if I said that. I haven't slept much at all. Granted, I have a hard time sleepin' anyway. Maybe only about 5 hours of sleep since I got up here. Every since Emily's grandpa died, we've said the same thing to each other every night – "goodnight, sweet dreams, see you in the mornin', love you."
That's the only words she's said to me over the phone. It's only about a 15 second phone call every night, and that's the only time I speak to her. Eleanor was persistent with phone calls at first, but now, they're a rarity. I don't have anything to do since she ruined my baseball business. Back when all of this first happened, she decided to tell everyone about it.
Every single detail about the drugs, another woman, everything. As you can imagine, that ruined my business. I reckon no parents want their kids around an addict. I guess I should start lookin' for a job, but I'll do it later. There's no urgency for money right now.
I don't eat a lot, just because I really forget to. My buddy is lettin' me stay at the lake house, rent free. But I still want to be able to support my family. I don't want Eleanor to have to go back to work, especially with her autoimmune disease and all. And I don't want Emily thinkin' I just abandoned her, or any of them, for that matter.
Fact of the matter is, I never wanted to leave. Well, I did, I guess. But it's hard to explain – I never was a wordsmith. I left because I needed to. I don't know what's goin' on with my head right now, but I don't wanna burden my family with all of that.
I reckon I just need some time to figure everything out – what's goin' on with my head, what path I wanna take with my marriage, all that.
As always,
– Edwin Myers
YOU ARE READING
The Soldier's Journal
Ficção GeralA young boy, Edwin Myers, enlists in the US Army in 1941, during the second World War. He's badly injured in the battle of Crete, which lands him in the field hospital. His weakened eyes seem to jolt back to life once they landed on Eleanor Francis...
