Planning a honeymoon and life threw a curveball.

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Mr. and Mrs. William Batts were finally taking their long delayed honeymoon trip. They were recipients of a Caribbean cruise as prize for opening a combined checking and savings account with Patriot’s National Bank.

Lisa planned on completing the novel she was writing...actually “thinking about” for two years. Bill just wanted to put his feet up, drink beer, and smoke his cigar. They joked it was time to consummate their marriage now that their four children were grown and not likely to interrupt.

The laptop and notebooks were stowed in the computer case and Lisa was zipping the large suitcase containing a wide assortment of casual necessities when a loud thump caused her to jump. “You okay?” she asked moving toward the source of the sound. There was no reply. Her breath stopped somewhere between lungs and nostrils. “Hey, are you alright?” she repeated. There was still no answer.

Lisa at last reached the bathroom door. Opening it she saw Bill lying next to the large garden tub. The expanding pool of red surrounding Bill’s head and the realization he was seriously wounded caused her to shout, “Bill, what happened?”

Bill’s left arm extended away from the tub, and his hand fluttered, but the remainder of his body lay motionless. There was no response to her question.

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Bill was interred with full military honors due to his twenty plus years as a gunnery sergeant in the Marine Corp. The flag presented to Lisa was placed on the top shelf of the hutch in the dining room.

“This certainly was not the way I envisioned how our honeymoon would be spent,” Lisa said aloud as she looked upon the triangle of red and white stripes barely visible behind a blue field with white stars.

By Robert L. Scarry

From: United States

Twitter: @usnavy1990.bob

Facebook URL: https://www.facebook.com/Robert.Scarry3