Today's prompt is the word 'hard.' Levi's certainly had a hard life with the unexpected death of his parents. His Uncle Roy had his own share of heartaches too. Even the hospice nurse, Melody has experienced a rough existence. Life can often be difficult that's why the moments of peace, happiness and love are infinitely precious. 

Summary: Levi is sitting on the ground after tripping. He's recalling his early years when he came to live with his uncle and the fight that stopped the two of them from talking. Angelique, a dark haired beauty, who suddenly became his intended after he received partial payment on his bonus as explosive ordinance specialist. Angelique was the one reason behind throwing off his last remaining relative.



The Inheritance

If that wasn’t bad enough, it took him a while to stop his pay going into their joint bank account. It was hard handling legal matters overseas. His uncle would have helped, if he asked asked for his help, but pride stopped him.

An anonymous letter alerted him to the situation. He assumed the letter was from Roy since it was typed. Not on a computer, but on an actual typewriter that left a heavy imprint with each keystroke. He didn’t know anyone who owned a typewriter.  The letter only confirmed his original suspicion that his wife did not care overly much for him. The other men received letters, cards and boxes of stale cookies that were ambrosia to the homesick men. He received two letters. One from Angelique at the beginning of his deployment, in it, she reminded him that she needed all his pay for bills. The other was from the anonymous friend.

Time to get up and stop feeling sorry for himself, he decided.  The tree that slowed his fall also served as a crutch, helping him regain his footing. Birds scattered, squawking in alarm as he came nearer indicating a nearby nest. Somewhere on the island, he had buried his own time capsule.  For some reason he couldn’t quite remember, he was afraid that his parents would vanish from his history. His uncle helped him to assemble the memorial, finding old faded pictures of his parents when they were dating. Photos he’d never seen until then.

The urge to see those photos propelled him over the terrain, staring at the scattered rocks. His marker was a ring of stones with two lines through it. It was a druid symbol. He remembered that, apropos to nothing other than being a sign. No such sign existed. What did he expect? Years passed, wind and water would have moved the rocks, not to mention other young boys who took advantage of his refuge.

Recap: 
Levi is on the island where he used to seek sanctuary as an orphaned teen. After falling, he considers how his life changed from the time when used to frequent the island.








EXCERPT
He could have called his uncle anytime during his enlistment, but he didn’t. Pride kept him from making the call.  If he contacted Roy, then he’d asked about how he was doing in the Army.

The Army itself wasn’t too bad.  The strict discipline, the routine, even knowing what to expect on most days, gave him a feeling of stability and belonging. It gave him a purpose when Angelique left him, taking his enlistment bonus with her. Roy warned him that the dark-eyed beauty bore him no love. His initial response was the man had no clue what love was since he was a lonely, bitter old man that no woman chose to love.

Wincing, he remembered the shock on his uncle’s face. He could have hit him with a two by four and not done as much damage. Roy managed to say, “You’re wrong,” before turning away.

At the time, he thought he meant he was wrong for marrying Angelique. Yeah, Levi would admit now that his uncle was right. A letter from an anonymous friend tipped him off. Angelique ran through his pay as if water while he awaited orders in a desert hellhole. That part wasn’t unexpected.  Besides, he wanted to take care of his wife.  He liked the idea of someone waiting for him to return.  He’d idealized the woman giving her traits she did not possess.

As the only civilian in the recruitment office, Angelique had access to enlistee information.  Roy insisted she knew who got the better enlistment bonus. Levi’s hefty bonus for enrolling in explosive ordinance job specification could have inspired her sudden love for a man five years her junior. The fact she took off with another man using his enlistment bonus only confirmed Roy’s theory.

The story left off with Levi standing on the pier as Melody walks away. He stares after her wondering how he can stage an
'accidental' meeting. Once he realizes what he is doing, Levi decides to row across the lake and forget any future plans to meet the intriguing Melody. We catch up to him while he is in the rowboat.

Today's prompt is glass.


Excerpt

The island grew larger as the boat’s nose slipped into a shallow, gravely area that served as a beach. It wasn’t his intention to visit the island, but here he was. He stepped out of the boat into the chilly water to pull the rowboat ashore.  The first time he visited his island sanctuary alone he’d made that mistake of leaving the rowboat among the rocks as if it’d stay like a trained dog. After a brief exploration of the place, his heart sank as he’d sighted the rowboat drifting back to the pier, similar to a horse returning to its barn.

There was no chance of the boat disappearing on the small lake. He remembered the despair he felt, knowing that Roy would have to rescue him from the spit of land. At the time, he cursed himself and the island for causing his dilemma. His expectation was for Roy to come rowing across the lake, irritated that he even bothered to take his brother’s child to raise. The pain felt similar to a broken glass splinter wedged into his already bruised spirit. Why had he thought that, since his uncle never raised his voice or even argued, except for the last time. It was probably their only disagreement.

The thought of their acrimonious parting caused his stride to quicken.  His prosthesis slipped on a few stones on the ground, causing him to pitch forward. A quick grab at a nearby sapling slowed his descent.

“Hell” The word popped out as his body landed heavily.  “That’s what I get for rushing around. Roy warned me an impulsive action often led to regret.”   Levi sighed and picked up the stone near his hip and threw it. “You were right. I should have listened.”

He sat enjoying the sun’s rays. No heat in the sunlight, but it beat sitting in a hospital bed. 

 

Today's prompt is building. I will freely admit changing the word homes to buildings to suit the prompt. It will stay homes in the original text. Newcomers to the story, here's a quick summary.  Roy has left his modest house and rowboat to his hospice nurse, Melody, and his estranged nephew, Levi. They are supposed to jointly share the items. Needless to say, neither one is cool with the plan. In fact, they suspect each other of mercenary motives. They haven't met until recently. Upon meeting, they discover an inconvenient attraction to one another. Melody recognizes the family resemblance and leaves in a hurry. Levi is still clueless to Melody's identity. 


Today's Tuesday Tale
A few hard pulls on the oars sent him in the direction of the small wooded island. It wasn’t much really, just enough trees to hide a boy. His sanctuary looked small and sparse close up. He’d imagine Roy could have spotted him through the skinny tree trunks. No wonder the man never asked where he’d been. 

A few buildings dotted the shore he wondered, which one his mystery woman lived in. As well as he could remember, most of the residents were old. She might be visiting. Why was he bothering to think of her? She’d made her opinion clear. His masculine instinct made him aware of attractive single females in his vicinity. A quick glance at her left hand confirmed she sported no wedding band. Her eyes flared with awareness when he turned. No mistaking it, and yet her interest cooled suddenly, which made no sense.

He replayed the meeting in his head. Perhaps, he was too forward asking her to go for a boat ride. She didn’t know him, which explained her hesitation and questionable excuse. That was it. Once he got settled in the house, he might meet her again around the lake. A snort escaped him as he realized what he was doing. Planning  an impromptu meeting that would somehow lead to a happily ever after. Yeah, right.

No woman had much use for a man who was only a partial man. A fellow patient at the rehab center told him that women were crazy about wounded warriors as the center referred to their patients. Women felt like it was their patriotic duty to welcome them home. His roommate expected a heartier welcome than he did. Even if Levi’s lack of welcome was a forgone conclusion, it didn’t mean he liked it.