© Pamela S. Canepa
The night. So dark, so comforting, especially in the early Autumn. But it’s too busy, too many people, too much traffic. I’ll wait until later.
In the meantime, I’ll pretend to be one of them. A man going home after working late at the office. Someone commuting to her night shift job. A young couple going out to dinner and a movie. An older couple off to see a play. I’m just one of them, a nameless person in the crowd, moving along the sidewalk, past businesses and apartment buildings. Waiting for the light to change, crossing the intersection.
Finally, the crowds thin, the pace slows, the night deepens. No one can see my scars. Her house is just ahead. She used to be my wife. They used to be my children. But then war changed me. They said “go home, go back to your old life.”
The war changed me. The man I was died. I am only a soldier. They call me a “homeless vet,” like it was a badge of honor.
I wrote this for the FFfAW Challenge-Week of September 19, 2017 hosted by Priceless Joy. The challenge is to use the image above to craft a piece of flash fiction no more than 175 words long. My word count is 174.
To read other stories based on the prompt, go to InLinkz.com.
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You illustrated so well the scars that can be left when a veteran returns home.
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Thank you, Michael.
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Can’t decide if I should be fearful for his ex-wife and kids here, there seems to be something unsettling in his voice. Tense.
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He’s unsettled, but not a threat, just like most vets who return from a war. He misses his family but for reasons I haven’t disclosed, can never go home.
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It’s so sad , he should be a no one , without a home, the war robbing him of everything, sparing only his pulse.
Powerful writing, so rich in pathos .
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Thank you, Moon. There are far too many people like him.
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Great story James! Homeless vets is very sad indeed, especially after what they gave to their country! He lost his wife and children. So sad.
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Yes it is. Thank you.
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It’s true that a veteran can never truly go home. War changes people so much, nothing can ever be the same. Terrific writing in this one.
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Thanks.
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For many, the scars of war will never heal, not only for today’s vets but also those of previous generations who fought in bitter conflicts.
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True enough, Keith. Thanks.
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Gosh I can’t decide whether he is going to do good or not. Its sad that this happens so much in your country , the homeless vets thing that is. As always, really like your writing.
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He’s not going to hurt his family. He just missed the life he had and laments his inability to go back home.
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Well that just breaks my heart
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Sounds like a terrible limbo to find oneself in. Sad, but well written story James.
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Thank you.
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Poignant and powerful. Reminded me of Rambo. Thank you for raising this awareness…. what a dark life. 😦
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Actually, I finally got around to watching the very first Rambo movie a few years back and was surprised that it was a pro-veteran anti-war film rather than just an “action flick” like some of the sequels. I was pretty impressed.
Yes, it can be a dark life on the streets for a lot of our vets.
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