Tales of a Chemical Romance

We're on a boat on our way to the mainland. I look over at my brother and he smiles quickly, turning back to face the beach fast approaching. I bite my lip and close my eyes, picturing her singing as she cleans the house, applying a thin layer of that deep black cherry lipstick I love so much.

My attention is brought back to the water when Frank nudges me from behind.

The boat's dock is lowered and we run into the shallow water, hitting the sand. I take cover behind a few sand bags, watching my brothers in arms fall dead around me. I search for my own brother and find him up with Bob and Frank at an RPG.

"Mikey! Get your ass up here!" Gerard yells at me, waving his arm.

I take a few deep breaths and take off in a run, dodging the various explosions around me.

Then..

I'm down.

**************************************************

I've been hit. Jesus Christ, I've been hit.

"MIKEY!"

I tilt my head back to see my brother attempting to make his way back over to me but Bob holds him back.

"Alright, Mikes. We're gonna get you fixed, just hold on."

It's Ray. Good ol' Ray.

"Ray.. Tell.. My girl.."
"Nah, soldier. You're gonna tell her yourself in a couple of months, alright?" He wraps a few bandages over my chest but I can tell that it won't do any good.
"MIKEY!" my brother's voice sounds off again and I tilt my head back, reaching my arm over my head for him.
"Gerard.."
"Mikey! No, let me go! Let me go, goddamn it!"

I look back to Ray, my eyes full of tears. "Tell her.. All of you.. Tell her I love her.."
"You'll do it, man." His eyes are now filled with tears too. "You'll do it.."

My wife's smile is the last thing I see.

**************************************************

I'm starting a load of laundry just as the doorbell rings. I wipe my hands on my apron and make my way to the front room. I pull the front door open and see my brother-in-law, Frank, Ray, and Bob standing on my porch in their uniforms.

"Oh my God!" I scream happily. "You're home! Come on in!" My smile falters when I notice my husband isn't in the mix. "Where..Where's Michael?"

Gerard clears his throat and pulls out a manila envelope from his breast pocket.

"No.." I cover my mouth in fear of the inevitable.

"On behalf of the United States Army, we regret to inform you that soldier Michael James Way--" His voice cracked on his brother's name. "--Michael James Way has served his country well but died in action on October the 8th, 1944--"

My body slumps to the floor as I sob out in despair. Gerard slumps down as well, cradling my body in his arms, sobbing with me. "I'm so sorry.. Babe, I'm so fucking sorry.."

I push him off of me, my voice sounding like a broken record. "You were supposed to bring him back! Alive! Not in a fucking 6 by 3 wooden box!" I sob again, whispering through my tears. "You were supposed to bring him back.."

**************************************************

It's been a year and a half since my husband had passed. Standing at the sink in my in-laws', I look out into the back yard where my brother-in-law runs after his daughter. She's only 15 months but she's waddling everywhere she can. I smile and look down at the dishes in the sink, draining the water and drying my hands on a towel. I walk over to the back door and step out onto the patio. My eyes catch sight of a little boy with blonde hair and golden eyes, running up to greet me with his cousin. He's wearing his father's favorite baseball cap and flashes me a toothy smile.

"Do I look like Daddy?"
"Yes, Michael." I kneel down in front of him, taking the cap off and brushing his sweaty hair back. "You are the shimmering ghost of your Daddy."

Notes

I cried writing this.
I am a heartless woman.