The alarm started ringing. It was 8.00 AM. Alex curled up in his bed, reluctant to get up. The warm rays of the morning sun shone down on him, prompting him to do his daily routine. With a long yawn, he sat up on his bed, holding a pillow close. To Alex, sleep is something in which there is no compromise. If by any chance he manages to get something below his desired quota, the day becomes a manifestation of his crankiness. Still with half a mind to go back to sleep, he went into the bathroom and had a quick shower before going downstairs to eat. When he got downstairs, he was welcomed by the usual sight. Breakfast ready, a glass of milk on the table and his father going over the day’s news in the paper. He hastily grabbed a chair and switched on the T.V.
“You could at least wish your old man in the morning.”
“Sorry, Dad. I woke up on the wrong side of bed today. Guess my batteries still need recharging” came the reply.
“It’s alright. Eat your food. You don’t want to be missing the bus this time.”
Alex started helping himself to the food while one eye was still glued to the T.V. Mr Henry Frederick was a short, well built man in his late 50s. He took voluntary retirement from the military a few years back, after his wife died of illness. Now he lives with his 16 year old son, Alex, in a small, modest house just bordering the town. Being a man of military standards, he kept to a strict military like regime everyday, although he does not tend to impose them on Alex. His schedule includes waking up at sharp 5.30, quick shower, a jog to the nearby gym and a jog back home after exercise. The standard, run of the mill routine of a military man.
Even though Alex may not have such strict practices, he is not someone who can be categorized as tardy. He kept his books ready in his bag yesterday night itself after completing his homework. Alex had just finished eating when he was startled by the honk of the bus. He briskly grabbed his bag and said bye to Henry and went through the door. Henry looked through the window as he heard the metal clang of the gate closing. The bus drove off, away from view, leaving Henry alone with only the sounds of a news presenter reading the breaking news in the background. This was the usual situation. Henry liked the peace and quiet but he didn’t like being alone for a long time. In his free time, he used to listen to some smooth jazz, do some gardening and the sorts. According to his inbuilt military calendar, today was cleaning day. Something he despised doing but was forced to do. He was disinclined to the idea of keeping a maid to do chores and cleaning work. He felt that it was an unwanted means to drain money and that they could not be completely trusted at all. After all, trust is everything nowadays.
He grabbed a dusting brush and a cleaning cloth and got to work on the cupboard. He kept some fancy figurines in there along with Alex’s various trophies. He had already told him not to wipe too much on his beloved trophies as they may lose sheen quickly. As he dusted and cleaned various memorabilia and other random items, his eyes fell on something hiding at the back of his cupboard. It was a dusty , old, diamond shaped badge of his that he had got for honorary work. He took the badge out and dusted it off and examined it carefully, trying to get more information about this little badge. Once he finished dusting it, he knew instantly what this was. This was the badge that he had got the day his life changed. It was that fateful day when everything toppled and turned. His mind got filled with images of the past and memories came flooding in.
Afghanistan, 1979.
Lt.Henry Frederick had gotten orders to report to base for mission briefing He was in a team of 5 soldiers, each having their own uniqueness and all of them rough and rigid. They had to be so to survive in this unforgiving place. The United States Army was called in to aid the situation which was growing worse by the minute. This was Lt.Henry’s first trip to Afghanistan but the Major chose him for this mission as he knew that he had what it took to tackle the situation. Lt. Henry climbed the Jeep along with his fellow teammates and the driver took them to the base. Major Fawkes was waiting for them in the tent.
“Took you long enough. Grab a seat. Don’t tarry.” Maj.Fawkes pulled down a chart depicting all the major towns and areas in the vicinity and pointed to a particular spot using his pointer and started making circles in the air around it.
“This is it. This is where you’ll be heading. Now, I’m not going to bother trying to pronounce the name nor do you have to know it anyway. The mission is simple but it will be a tight-rope walk throughout. You need to scout the area for any signs of trouble. It is a terrorist hotspot, according to latest intel. So you’d have to stay frosty out there while walking through the streets. The place is mostly desolate but there has been reports of civilian life as well. So be careful. We do not want to get our hands dirty for unwanted reasons. Gather your equipment and regroup at the garage. Your transport will be waiting there. You’ll move out in 20 minutes.”
Each member of the team listened closely to Maj.Fawkes as he made his briefing. To be completely honest, Henry was scared. This was his first trip and that too to such a hostile place. He had heard war stories of Afghanistan earlier. He came prepared for a gun fight. But the scene here was different. It was a very delicate situation. The Americans couldn’t directly interfere in the Afghan matters due to political reasons. They were here only for peacekeeping, if there was any peace.
The team reached the garage and the transport was waiting eagerly for them. They climbed on to the camouflaged trucks after placing all of their equipment on board. The transportation was quick. They reached their destination very soon. The trucks had dumped them and got on their way back. The place seemed eerily quiet and still. There was no movement to be found. The streets seemed completely deserted. The group made their way forward, their hands clutching their guns tightly. All the stores were locked down. There wasn’t a single person in the street. The run down shacks appeared to be evacuated. Their job was to scout the area for any sign of trouble and so far they could see nothing but empty streets and deserted homes. The place seemed dead. The air all around seemed to emanate emptiness as they scouted the area one by one. The climate was hot and extremely humid. Occasionally, a breeze would blow, spreading the hotness around. They kept on walking through the streets when they came across a lady rolling a trolley laden with fruits. It was a civilian. They didn’t want to even raise their guns in suspicion for they didn’t want any unnecessary trouble. The lady was crossing the street a few meters in front of them. As they got nearer, suddenly the trolley fell over, revealing a man hidden inside. He carried a sub machine gun with him. The soldiers hastily found some cover and raised their guns to shoot but they were reluctant to do so as the man was using the lady as a human shield. It was a premeditated attack. The man had accomplices hidden atop the roofs. They started shooting and soon it began to rain bullets from both sides. The soldiers had adequate cover but the terrorists had the higher ground. Instinctively, one of the soldiers threw a grenade up to the roofs. Screams of panic could be heard before the grenade blew. The accomplices were taken care of. The man. Still using the lady as a shield, didn’t stop firing. Instead, he reloaded and fired with a new found vigour. The blast seemed to have instigated him further. One of the bullets caught one soldier in the shoulder and he fell down, writhing in pain. Lt. Henry shouted, “I have a shot.”
“Take it! Take it now, damn it!”
He looked through the cross hairs and he could see the man. But it was not a clear shot. He hesitated.
“Come on! Take the shot!” came the shouts.
His fingers trembled atop the trigger. He was unsure of what to do. One of his teammates was down due to this rampant man. He had to decide. He had to decide now. He checked through his cross-hairs again, took a deep breath and took the shot. There was a loud bang and the woman fell down on the floor. Immediately another soldier took down the armed gunman. Lt. Henry had shot the shield. A pool of blood lay on the streets as the two bodies lay flat down on the ground. The air had become less tense. Only the sounds of the injured soldier remained as the atmosphere quiets down. Lt.Henry walked over to the bodies and laid his eyes upon the victim of his firing. He felt a pat on his back.
“Good job. You did the right thing. He was going to kill her anyway.”
These words echoed in his head as he tried to collect his thoughts. He was trying hard to comprehend the situation. He had shot an innocent civilian. Was it the right thing to do? Did he break the sacred code? All these questions flew around his mind. It was then that he noticed a fruit stall near to the site. He heard the sound of a crying baby coming from the fruit stall. The stall had similar trolleys, like the one in which the terrorist hid. He took the baby in his arms, trying to console the crying child. After a few seconds, the child stopped crying and smiled at Lt. Henry. It was with that smile did Henry decide to adopt the child. He had taken away an integral part of this child’s life. It was one life for another, he decided.
The troops called in for emergency evacuation and took the injured soldier to the hospital. The others returned back to the base and Lt.Henry explained all that happened to Maj.Fawkes. After hearing the complete mission report, Fawkes decided to suggest Henry’s name for honorary field work. He said that taking the shot required nerves of steel and he took one for the better cause. The fact that he saw the big picture was emphasized. Upon hearing this, the Lieutenant had mixed reactions. He had taken a life. How could that be justified for a better cause, he imagined. But he felt privileged to be receiving this honour. It was, in fact, a trip of a lifetime.
Henry looked at the diamond shaped badge and felt overwhelming emotions taking over him. This badge had been the cause for his life to change in such a drastic way. It was the fruit of misery and pain but it gave him joy and happiness afterwards in a different form. It was such a long time. He cleaned the badge again and placed it near the photograph of Alex. His son.
THE END
Trespass, please. 