Legacies

With a sigh, I sifted through the piles of trash sprawled across my living room table. Just my luck, the only call I got from Mom in at least a year was to tell me that she stopped paying for the family storage unit my great-great-grandfather bought and it went to auction, so if I wanted anything from it I'd have to buy it since no one else was interested. I only bought the damn thing after my girlfriend wore me down, claiming that it would help me reconnect with my family or at the very least find something interesting. Most of them cut me out after dad died, so I had no real desire to reconnect with them. But I just couldn't say no to her, especially when she fluttered her hypnotic cornflower blue eyes. So there I sat, spending a Saturday afternoon sifting through my great-great-grandfathers garbage.

"Find anything interesting?" an angelic voice chirped, followed by the click of a closing door. I turned around, and was met with the same bright blue eyes that convinced me to buy the hunk of junk in the first place. Her slightly disheveled blonde locks, tattered from her morning workout, framed her face and highlighted her sparkling smile. The slight sheen of sweat from her jog paired with the lights of the apartment gave her a modest glow.

"Not really, just junk. Thanks a lot, babe." I rolled my eyes, while she narrowed hers.

"Don't get an attitude with me, I didn't force you to buy it! I just hinted that it might be a good idea, and you went for it! You must have wanted to find out more about your family deep down, or you wouldn't have gone for it!" My eyes fell to the photos and boxes scattered across the table and bit my lip in thought. Maybe she was right...I could have said no when I had the chance!

"I'm sorry, angel, you're right! C'mere" I patted the couch cushion next to me. She smirked and sat herself beside me, her eyes focussed on the display of garbage in front of her.

"Does anything look familiar?" I chuckled and gestured to the assortment of crap,

"Not really. I mean I heard that we had a unit when I was younger, but they never let me look through it. I sifted through a pile of photos, all of which depicted people and places I'd never seen or heard of before. My angel pursed her lips in thought, and after a few moments of thought gestured to a box of old books,

"That looks like it could be interesting!" I shrugged, and picked up the box. What do I have to lose? As I picked up the box of old books, a tattered photo wedged between two caught my eye. I slid it free and blew the dust from it, revealing my great-great grandfather in a line of men, all in military uniforms, with the phrase, "Last day with the boys. Miss them. July 24, 1944" scrawled on the back. My left eyebrow rose in curiosity. 1944 would mean he served in WW2, which no one bothered to tell me. That seemed like a detail to mention at some point! Last day with the boys...was that their last day before being sent home, or did something else happen? I had no idea!!

I let out a soft chuckle as a grin spread across my face. She said I'd find something interesting, and I did...kind of. So Papa Robert wasn't as boring as I thought! I decided to sift through the rest of the books in that box, thinking I might find more military memorabilia. But since God has a sick sense of humor, I had to sift through decades worth of National Geographic magazines and history books before I got to anything interesting. At the bottom of the pile sat a small bundle of papers folded like a letter. My grin spread into a smile...I wondered what else I was kept blind to, and what better way to learn than from the man himself, right? I nudged my girlfriend,

"Look at this! I wonder what it is..." She raised an eyebrow and chuckled,

"Well there's only one way to find out babe!" She nuzzled into the crook of my neck

I picked up the bundle and wiped it free of dust, and with an eager grin, I unfolded it and started to read.

"Let's find out!"