SHORES
"Governor Jonas is here for the meeting sir," Piere, the President's assistant informed him. He waved his hand to her to let him in.
"Dispatch all units to South Collonie Commander Oscar. They cannot catch us off guard. If any help is needed at any point, you let me know immediately," President Leonard spoke on the telecom and ended the call when the Governor walked in. The President beckoned on him to sit and other governors joined the meeting online.
"What news do we have from South Collonie, Governor Paulo?" Piere took down notes from where she sat at the end of the table.
"The city is evacuating citizens to safety as we speak. Those who have underground houses have been advised to start preparing to move in and others are being boarded in trains going to the nearest safe houses away from the camp front."
"I've asked Commander Oscar to dispatch units from the North to the South. Any news from the other lines?"
"They are evacuating citizens as well in other provinces. Soldiers are moving to the South as we speak."
Other Governors added that they had soldiers on standby should they be needed.
"This meeting is adjourned. God help us all," the President added and the meeting ended with Governor Jonas standing up and walking out of the office.
PENSVILLE
"Praise the Lord," Pastor John said and the church chorused Halleluyah. I sat beside my Grams in a blue gown and sky-blue fascinator with the net falling across the left side of my face. I sighed and chorused Halleluyah so Grams would be happy. She couldn't understand why I didn't love God as much as she did and I didn't understand why she loved Him despite losing Pa, Uncle Waltz and my parents. She had only me and sometimes, I wondered if I was ever enough.
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son..." I covered my mouth and yawned so Grams wouldn't see me. I thought of all the Sundays I followed her to church and the same line of thought was preached every time. "For God so loved the world" was the most dominant. It got me so upset. What kind of Father was He that He'll sacrifice His only Son and yet, war was almost upon Crakston? What kind of Father would sacrifice so much for people who did not appreciate Him and what kind of Father was He that He would allow innocent lives to be lost instead of those who deserved it? Pastor John kept preaching and I tried to concentrate but I was finding it difficult. I got up, excused myself and walked out, eyes staring at me. I walked down the stairs to the back of the terrain of the church. I needed to wrap my head around everything Pastor John said about God's love and how it was beautiful. I heard footsteps behind me and turned. It was Aaron.
"Hello Aaron. I didn't know you were in town," I said and went to hug him. He sighed and hugged back.
"How have you been Grace?"
"I've been caring for three brutal women who do nothing but play poker, drink and tell jokes about their significant dead other," I smiled, "how should I be?"
"You're getting it easy. I have lived with my grandmother for three years and I get the other end of the stick. I'd say we're sailing well on ice water," he laughed and I smiled again.
"Were you in the service?" I asked him.
"Ehm, no. I just got here and saw you staring into the far end. Is everything okay with you?"
"Nothing is okay right now in Crakston. War is coming Aaron. I am about to relieve Grams tragic memories and yet, we still have time to talk about God's love. We should be bracing ourselves for the worst. I mean, I am bracing myself for when Ren leaves to the front. I don't... I don't want to be like Grams. She spent most of her years wishing things went differently for our family and now, I...I just..." I broke down and started crying. Aaron pulled me close to himself and I cried harder. If only Ren knew the extent of how deep the cut was on learning that there was a high chance of him being sent to the front. I pulled away after some time.
"I'm sorry. It's just overwhelming and I don't know what to do."
"Sometimes you've got to let the overwhelming in so you can let it go. I know you Grace, at least a bit of you and I know how strong you are. You lost your parents and have been taking care of Grams for a long time now. Look what you did for her. I know everything will be fine, okay? Come, let's get you back inside before the service is over." I took his hand and we walked back in.
Later that night, when Grams was away at Unity and Betty's new home across the street, I entered her bedroom and knelt beside the bed where her trunk was. I drew it out and searched through her clothes and old toys I once played with when I was a child and then, I saw the diary. I needed to read the letters Uncle Waltz and Pa sent her before tragedy struck. I found a letter dated June 17th, 1987 from Uncle Waltz.
"Dear Mother,
I write to you from my least favorite place on Earth right now. It's been intense and the air smells like death. Every day, we pull in the bodies of my comrades and some of them, my friends. You always talked about God and even gave me a small Bible to keep me company when the going gets tough. The going has been tough and the little book has been the least helpful. I need you Mother but it's wishful thinking. I hope I see you soon and with luck, make it back home to you again. My regards to Father. I love you."
Waltz.
I opened another letter. It was dated September 24th, 1987.
"Dearest Mother,
I watched my comrades pull some bodies into the tent and one of my closest friends Nathan was one of them. Last week, Pablo died of excessive bleeding from his missing arm. I was heartbroken..."
I didn't wait to finish it. I opened another one, my heart began to race. October 12th, 1987.
"Dear Mother,
I am losing my mind. Christian clings to me and I to him. We have lost friends and we only have each other left. We hardly sleep. The front is not beautiful and neither is your boy anymore. Please pray for us. It has to end..."
I opened another one.
"Dear Mother,
I am losing my mind. Christian clings to me and I to him. We have lost friends and we only have each other left. We hardly sleep. The front is not beautiful and neither is your boy anymore. Please pray for us. It has to end..."
I dropped to the floor and the tears rolled down. Was this Ren's fate? To be caught up in the front and eventually lose his mind? What letters was I going to receive from him? I pulled another letter that wasn't tied with the others. I opened it. It was April 14th, 1985.
"Dear Mother,
We are at the front. This is my first letter to you and I know many more will come. I made friends. Nathan, Christian, and Pablo. They share the same faith as us and it's a relief to know that I won't be the odd one talking about God. We fellowship quietly and I am sure you know why but with time, I am hoping to draw more people to us. How is Pensville? How is Father? I have been gone for seven months but it feels like forever over here. Training is going well. Oh Mother, there is so much to say to you with so little time and a lack of paper. We have been told that soon, we can take relief to go see our families, even if it's for a short time. I can't wait to see your lovely face again. My regards to Hope and Palmer. Please write back your comforting words. I will need it in the days to come."
Waltz.
I understood why Grams kept it aside. This was the first period of getting a beautiful writeup from Uncle Waltz and when the days got darker, she had to separate it, in order to remember what it felt like to picture his happy face and his warm smile. I was three when Uncle Waltz died in 1991, August 25th. He too believed in God and where it got him was worm and termite dinner. There were so many letter exchanges until 1989 and then Grams stopped receiving them. Somehow, I knew she had begun imagining the inevitable news but dreaded coming to terms with it. She was holding onto faith. I rolled my eyes. Faith wasn't going to get Ren out of the coming darkness. He needed his family beside him and he needed bravery and strength.
There was a knock on the door and I hurried to arrange everything back into the trunk. I arranged my hair and dress and went to answer. It was Ren.
"Can I come in?"
"Of course," I stepped aside for him to enter. "What troubles you to come this late Ren? Is everything okay?"
"I got my letter today," he pulled it out of his coat and gave it to me. I hesitated to collect it and finally, I did. I scanned through it and returned it.
"I see," is all I could say to him while trying not to choke on my tears. The reality was setting in.
"I leave in three weeks Grace and right now, I want to spend every moment I have with you," he walked up to me and kissed me. I kissed him back and for a moment, the bad news was outside the door. I pulled away to catch my breath.
"Grams could be home any minute," I looked at the door.
"I don't care right now, Grace. I love you so much and I don't want to be apart from you."
"I love you too Ren but this is something beyond our control. You cannot run away from your duties. This is already hard for me to come to terms with." I was breathing heavily and my head was spinning.
"Marry me," he said and time stopped.
"Wait_ what?" I raked my fingers in my hair.
He was on his knees already and opened the small royal blue ring box. The ring had a center with a round old European cut diamond. It had step-cut emeralds above the finger and at the base of the shank. I stared at him and the ring for minutes and my mouth had no words.
"Say something, please" he talked me back to the present.
"Yes, Ren. Yes, I will marry you," I stuck my finger out for him and he fixed the ring then got up and hugged me. I hugged and kissed him at the same time and we laughed. Someone knocked on the door, interrupting our happy moment. My guess was Grams because she had stayed out too long. Ren went to the door immediately.
"So?" the voice by the door asked.
"She said yes," he said and I heard shouts from outside. He stepped aside for Grams, Unity, Betty, Aaron, and a lot of other people.
I smiled at the faces I saw and how everyone was happy. No one felt more happy and more afraid like me. I was getting married to Ren, who was leaving me to the front; a repetition of my family's tragic drama.
"Congratulations," I heard someone say behind me.
"Than_" I paused. I couldn't fathom what he was doing in Pensville or my Grams house. "What are you doing here?"