The Soldier Next Door

I have just received somewhat disturbing news. Ana’s husband is very much still alive. Now, this brings two things to mind. Does she know that he is? Or is she in danger? I have no way of confirming this for myself. I am off in the middle of hostile country; there is not much I can do from here. What I can do is phone her for a brief moment.

So as I go to my tent, I feel a somewhat nervous feeling creep into my heart. Or is it fear, fear for Ana and our child? I will simply die if anything has to happen to her by a man that she once trusted. Well, that all depends if she knows about him or not.

And it is with this thought in mind that I, with rather trembling fingers, called Ana’s number. I patiently, in absolute frustration, wait for her to answer the call.

Yet, there is no answer.

…Ana POV…

I have a rather annoying, suppose to be dead husband standing in front of me demanding that I conveniently take him back. Yes, the man did lie to me, and yes, I am still married to him. But he has another thing coming if he thinks he can walk in here and demand me to go back into his life again. I have moved on; he shall find it best for himself to give me that divorce. God, if it can before Ethan returns, that would even be better.

And talk about the very Ethan, I believe that he is trying to phone me right now. Now, do I answer and piss Mark off, or do I ignore it and make Ethan stress his ass off.

But if I thought that the call would go unnoticed by Mark, I was sadly mistaken, for he has now grabbed the phone from my hand and is, much to my shock, either going to answer or reject it.

And what does he do?

…Ethan POV…

I am getting highly stressed, and dare I even say, annoyed. Ana is not answering her phone. I would like to believe that it is because my parents are there, but I know for a fact that they would not have arrived yet.

Now, this brings a whole line of new worries to mind. Has she fallen? Did she, as she insisted, tried to unpack those boxes herself and gotten hurt? Maybe she slipped in the shower and bumped her head? God, there are so many maybes. Why on earth is she not answering the damn phone. The moment she answers, I am lovingly going to ask her what is wrong and then conveniently shit her out for making me worry like this.

But then, much to my relief, she picks up on the other side, only to put the phone down in my ear again. Is she pissed off with me still? She honestly cannot still be mad at me. I mean, she can at least just answer and tell me that she does not want to talk to me right now.

So I am not letting this leave unsaid, and I, once again, decide to phone her back.

And then…

…Ana POV…

Mark has just put the phone down in Ethan’s ear. Knowing Ethan, he is going to be really pissed off now. And he, as he is doing now, he is phoning back. God, I just hope Mark does not do the same thing again. I think Ethan will sit far better if he thinks that I am mad at him when I don’t answer, but having Mark picking up the phone and dropping it on him, is going to get Ethan furious. He will then not stop phoning me until he can get hold of him. He has an hour a day that he can call out, and believe me, he shall sit on that phone for an hour trying to get through to me.

The last thing I want is for Ethan not to have his head in the game; I know that he will not think clearly if he is distracted. The last thing I want is for Ethan to get hurt because Mark thinks it is funny to play this little game with him.Belongs to NôvelDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

So without fail, Mark looks at me as the phone once more starts to ring, “I guess this is lover boy trying to phone you. How sweet, the poor Marine has no idea what is about to hit him.”

And then, Marks picks up the phone…and drops it again.

…Ethan POV…

I am now pissed off, Ana; I don’t care if it is knowingly or unknowingly, but she has now played her game, and I will not stand for it. I don’t give a shit if she is mad at me, but I have the right to know if she and the baby are okay. In fact, I am worried about the baby at the present moment. She can go throw her little tantrum elsewhere.

So I am going to phone her one more time, and if she does not answer, then I shall get my mom to phone me once they are there.

And that is what I do, I dial her number and wait yet again in anticipation for her to answer.

Then finally, well, hopefully, she does not drop it again, but she seems to stay silent for far longer than it makes me feel comfortable, “Ana, is everything okay.”

“Oh, believe me, she is perfectly fine,” from the other side comes the voice of a man that I do not know. Immediately the fear of seven horror sets over my body in all its coldness.

“Who the fuck are you?” I demand him to answer me.

“I guess you have not idea about me then. Guess my dear Ana is still good at keeping secrets.”

I freeze completely as I think I know who this man is that is in my home.

“Are you?”

…Ana POV…

This damn asshole has now gone and picked up the phone, but that is not my problem; he is now speaking to Ethan. It is now only a matter of time, and Ethan is going to know the biggest lie that I have told to him. In fact, Mark is now just taunting him. I do not even want to know what Ethan must be thinking. He, and do I even dare to say, he might even believe that I am being attacked in our home by some unknown man.

But yet this is not believable. And let us not forget the part where he asks Ethan if he does not know who he is. I believe I can just faint right here where I am standing. Now, if I thought this was going to be the extent of the conversation, then I am sadly mistaken.

For next, I hear Mark rather proudly say to Ethan, “This is my wife, the woman that you have been shacking up with. Now, do you not know not to take another man’s wife and play house with her.”

From the other side of the phone, I hear Ethan burst out, “Get out of my fucking house and get away from my fiancé and baby.”

Well, I just wished that he did not say that, for Mark has now lightened up like a flame that is about to rage out of control, “Well, guess this little whore has been really busy. Now I have got news for you, boy, she is coming with me.”

“I promise you, if you lay a goddamn finger on you, then you are dead.”

Without even thinking, I grab the phone from Mark’s hand.

…Ethan POV…

My head is about to explode; this man, the very one I feared, is in my house. And yes, just like Lopez said, the asshole is very much alive and quite loosely referring to Ana as his wife. Well, another question pops in my head, why the fuck are they still married?

But then I hear Ana’s voice come through the phone, and I am so damn relieved that she is fine.

“Ana, please keep him busy; I will get someone out to come to take him away.”

Then she shocks the living shit out of me, “It is fine; he will leave just now.”

This brings a rather bigger concern to mind, “Ana, did you know that Mark was alive?”

Well, if she did not answer me, her nervous stuttering says all that I need to know. I can confidently say that she, probably without blinking, confirms the very thing to me, “Yes, Ethan, I did know.”

“Did you not perhaps feel the need to tell me this, maybe even before I proposed to a woman that is still clearly married. God, I am having a child with another man’s wife!” My voice, I firmly believe, is echoing through the entire camp. But right now, I do not give a shit.

“You have kept this away from me for a whole damn year! How the fuck can I trust you. Even more importantly, are you going to pack up and leave with this man?” The words stun me as it flows so easily from me.

“Ethan, I am so sorry.”

“Sorry, does not cut it, Ana. I think it is high time that you fucking grow up. You are fucking older than me, and you act like a child.”

“Soldier, please.”

“I am not your goddamn soldier” with that, I drop the phone in her ear.

Once again, our relationship lies in tatters; I don’t know if I can ever trust this woman again. Even a far bigger question, do I want to be with her. I will be the best far I can be, but as for the mother, well, right now, I have no idea what I should do with a woman that is still married to another man.

She is a liar, and as I firmly said, grow the fuck up!