Chapter 1226: Kevin's Emotional Side (part one)

Leena looked at Kevin without saying a word. It was the first time that Kevin had exposed his emotional side to her. Kevin was a red-blooded military officer and always remained calm under all circumstances, so sometimes people forgot that he was just a human being, who could get sad and vulnerable.

That's where I met Bruce. I was told that his father was also a soldier who sacrificed himself to defend our country when his son was little. Bruce didn't have much of a chance to get to know his dad. He admired his father and chose to be a soldier too when he grew up. That way, he could become a great fighter, just like his role model," Kevin said softly. An image of a fit and cheerful boy smiling at him surged into his head.

Bruce worked very hard in training and soon stuck out from the crowd. He was promoted as our squadron leader," Kevin continued, lowering his eyes. The pain was written across his face.

The storyteller dwelt on this painful memory. His agony reverberated to his audience, who rested her chin on one hand and looked at him with worry. A frown marred her features.

As the days passed by, we became experienced soldiers. Bruce was the best we had in the army. We were close, just like brothers. We promised each other that we would treat the other's parents with respect like they were our own. We imagined holding our wedding together on the same day. Our children would be brothers if they were boys and sisters if they were girls. But if there were a girl and a boy, we hoped that they would get together. If one of us died, the other would shoulder the responsibility of the child and take care of our parents until they passed away," Kevin said, tearing up. They had been young and ambitious in envisioning a beautiful future. Neither of them had expected death to come so early.

"You must have been heartbroken the day he died, right?" Leena asked. She was never trained in the army, but she could sense how great the comradeship had been between them.

When the moment came; when the bullet lodged in his head and his face was covered with blood, everything suddenly became too real. I felt death stare at me in the face. But what about our dreams? We had so many things that we didn't have the time to do. What about our loved ones? How could they get through the agony of losing him?" Kevin bit his lips. The scene flashed through his mind. It had happened a long time ago, but he didn't feel better when the painful memory stirred in him once again. There was no way he could forget all of this. Bruce had sacrificed himself so that they could get back to safety.

Leena's eyelids fluttered. The tears in her eyes finally rolled down. She could imagine how painful it was to see your brother die in your arms and have no way to save him.

"He was twenty when he died. It's the greatest age of our life. But he gave us the chance of survival and sacrificed himself to defend our country. He died along with the enemies," Kevin said, staring out of the window. He, as a soldier, had experienced a lot of moments like this, but Bruce's death had had the biggest influence on him because he had died in his arms.

"So today was the day he gave up his life to our country?" Leena sniffed silently. Upon hearing Bruce's story, she knew why Kevin had brought her to this place. Bruce clearly meant a lot to him. They were as close as family. Leena was his wife, and Kevin wanted to share his story with her.

"Yes. Every year I come here to have a drink with him and update him about what's happening in the army. He would love to hear it," Kevin answered. A few times he had military missions on this day, so Kevin came here a couple of days earlier or later - as soon as he was available.

But we could at least arrange for a better life for Mamie," Leena said carefully. Kevin was sensitive when it came to Bruce, so Leena was afraid that she had said something wrong.

"Yes. I mentioned the idea to her many times before, but she didn't accept it. She says that she is used to living here. The memories of her husband and son are here, so she doesn't want to leave." Kevin turned back to look at Leena and frowned. He raised his hand to wipe the tears on her cheek. Leena was so warm and sensitive that she cried upon hearing someone else's story, but Kevin felt relieved to share this painful experience with her.

But we should offer her a better apartment to live in or renovate her place, shouldn't we?" Leena suggested, when she recalled how dilapidated Mamie's home was. She wouldn't have believed that someone could live there until she saw the place with her own eyes.

"I suggested it to her once and she said no. Her house has a lot of memories and every part of it reminds her of her husband and son. If we renovated the place, some torn and old furniture would have to go. Her memories would disappear with them too." Kevin scooped Leena into his arms. Even though he cared about Mamie very much, there was little that he could do. He could only ask her neighbors to take care of her, as he was too busy to visit her often.

"Maybe it was these memories that helped her get through those tough days. But don't worry. I will visit her whenever I can," Leena promised him. Mamie lived quite far away from them and Leena's feet hurt to climb up the steep mountain road, but she was willing to do the effort and visit Bruce's mother for Kevin.

"Thank you, Leena. You are an angel," Kevin said, kissing her on the head. The sadness that had been obvious on his face a moment ago hid itself once again. Kevin was back to his usual aloof nature. That was how men were, they kept their true feelings covered up all the time. No matter how pained or exhausted they were, they had to act tough in front of their loved ones.

Kevin only spared one day for himself to feel sad. For the rest of the year, he was always on his feet. He knew Bruce didn't want to see him sad. He had sacrificed himself so that Kevin could lead a happy life and make his dreams come true, not for him to wallow in grief. Kevin couldn't let him down.

Leena couldn't fall asleep that night and rolled out of bed. She came into the den and took out her sketchbook. Her pen flowed rapidly across the paper and a beautiful dress was sketched. It was penned in deep blue and was reminiscent of a wide sea. It held a tinge of sadness to it. Leena drew the design in accordance with how she felt. As a fashion designer, everything could become her muse. It was Bruce's story that made her feel so down.

Like every day, Kevin opened his eyes at dawn and reached out to the woman who was usually by his side, but found that Leena was not next to him like he was used to. Startled when his hands landed on an empty space, he sat up and looked around to try and find her. He was a light sleeper and always woke up before Leena got out of bed. He must have slept in because he felt too sad yesterday.

Oh, you are up. I made breakfast. Have a bath and come downstairs," Leena said when she walked in and ran into Kevin.

"Why did you get up so early today? You look terrible. Did you have a bad night?" Kevin asked, stroking her pale face.