章 2: 2. Funeral
Paul left the colonel's office and limped back to his room. After taking a shower, he changed his clothes. He dressed his wounds again and changed his bandages. Every scar on his body had a story.
Paul's body was like a memory book, carrying remnants of every dangerous day.
To avoid straining himself, Paul didn't move much. He wanted to talk to Rooney. After losing his leg, Rooney must have been in a bad state of mind. Paul was waiting for him to wake up.
Paul was unhappy because he had run out of cigarettes. He had forgotten to buy some when he went to the canteen. "Damn it." He buried his head in the pillow and fell asleep about an hour later.
___________________ Somewhere else
Sam placed the wine bottle on the table and started looking at the man sitting across from him.
"When is your nephew coming, Charles?" Sam looked tired.
"In about a month," Charles replied, smoking his cigarette.
Paul entered the infirmary.
Rooney was gazing at the sky. When he saw Paul approaching, he tried to stand and salute.
Paul returned the salute. He was smiling. "You look good."
Rooney didn't believe him. He knew his own condition. A tear fell from his right eye.
"Hey! I'm here. You're here. Rooney, I know it's not easy." Paul was leaning over the bed.
"You don't know. Damn it. My life is over. I'm a crippled man now. How am I supposed to continue my life?" Rooney was crying. He was only 24 years old.
"You have to try. You have to! For yourself. For your family. For your loved ones. You have to try. We need to be strong for our fallen brothers." Paul looked at him with determined eyes.
Rooney stopped crying. The hopeless look in his eyes was replaced with determination and hope. "I will try. I will try to live a good and happy life. Thank you, Captain."
After talking a bit more, Paul left the infirmary. Today, he would be flying back to America.
He had packed his belongings into a suitcase. He took off his military uniform. He was wearing a white shirt and black pants. After putting on his sunglasses, he left the room.
When he boarded the plane, there were only military personnel on board. They were flying in a military aircraft.
After a 15-hour flight, the plane landed at a military base.
Paul left the military base and headed home.
When he arrived in front of a large farm, he got off the bus. He walked slowly, looking around.
An old man was digging the soil. When he saw Paul approaching, he threw the shovel to the ground.
Paul went to the man and hugged him. "I'm home, Dad."
A tear fell from Richard's eye. To hide his crying from his son, he prolonged the hug. "Welcome home, son."
The creaking of the house door was heard, and an elderly woman with graying hair emerged.
Helen cried as she hugged her son. She was worried when she saw the small scars on his face.
"I'm fine, Mom." Paul smiled as he hugged her.
After talking for a long time, Paul went to his room. His mother had always kept it clean. Paul knew he had little time left. He needed to say goodbye to them.
A few minutes later, he fell asleep. Tomorrow, there would be a ceremony for the soldiers in Paul's unit. Paul would attend this ceremony.
____________ Hours later
Paul attended the funeral ceremony. The event was quite crowded.
Many politicians were there. For politicians, the importance lay not with the soldiers and their families but with appearing in the media.
Some people were trying to chat with the politicians. Paul distanced himself from them, keeping away from insincere individuals. Colonel Adams had requested Paul to make a speech, but Paul declined.
Today, Colonel Adams made the speech instead. Some politicians also spoke.
As Paul scanned the crowd, he spotted Rooney. He was in a wheelchair, having come with his family.
After the funeral, Paul lingered a bit longer instead of leaving. A small child was hugging a tombstone while his sibling seemed confused about what was happening.
The child was probably too young to understand that his father was dead.
Paul realized he couldn't stay there any longer. He was badly affected.
After walking for a while, a raindrop fell on his head.
When he looked up, he saw that the raindrops were increasing.
His hair was completely soaked. His black shirt clung to his body due to the rain.
As he stood in the middle of the sidewalk, looking up at the sky, some people thought he was foolish.
'If I die one day, will the sky cry for me too?'
Paul had lived with them every day. They were his bloodless relatives.
When Paul pulled his eyes away from the sky, he came to his senses. People had taken shelter in closed areas because of the rain. There were only a few people on the street.
Paul took the bus home. The rain was still pouring. He entered the house. His father was snoring in front of the TV. His mother was cooking. She had decided to make his favorite dishes because her son had come home.
"I'm back, Mom." Paul didn't hug her because he was wet, but his mother ignored it and hugged him.
"Welcome home, Paul." His mother was a bit uneasy. She had a bad feeling, but seeing her son calmed her a bit.
"Mom, I'm soaked from the rain. I don't want to get you wet too." Paul broke off the hug.
"You're very wet, son. Change your clothes quickly before you catch a cold. I'll prepare some herbal tea for you." His mother still treated him like a child.
After taking a shower, Paul put on new clothes. He had little time left to spend with his family. The Mentor had told him he had 36 hours.
Paul had dinner with his family and chatted a bit. His mother was pressuring him to get married, saying he was getting old.
Paul tried to convince her that he was still young at 25.
His father smiled as he listened. They had only one child, and he hadn't been home for a long time. Living with his wife for a long time, the house felt quite empty to them.
Before joining the army, Paul had adopted a dog from a shelter for them. The dog had become a source of joy for them.
About 24 hours remained.
Due to the wounds on his body, Paul wanted to rest a bit.
_____________ Hours later
18 hours remained.
Paul woke up early in the morning. While his parents were still sleeping, he prepared breakfast. He woke them up for breakfast.
After a nice morning breakfast, they went to church at his mother's insistence. They didn't usually go to church, but since he was going on a long secret mission, he wanted to spend time with them before leaving.
After leaving the church, they visited some relatives instead of going home.
When they returned home, they spent time together.
___________ After the time was up
Paul received a message with an address on his phone. The sender had signed it with "A.W."
After grabbing his gun, Paul went to the address mentioned in the message. It was a warehouse in a wooded area.
After getting out of the car, he walked towards the entrance of the warehouse. It was a place where construction materials were stored. Paul couldn't see anyone.
When he opened the door, he found some materials inside and Alexander sitting on a chair.
"Come on in." Alexander looked bored as Paul surveyed the surroundings.
Paul sat in an empty chair and began to wait.
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