Scorpion had given me an idea of where Snake’s gravesite was located, yet after parking the truck, I found it difficult to turn off the engine.
A full minute passed.
Then another.
“I lost my grandfather while I was overseas. I wasn’t here for him,” I said quietly.
“I’m so sorry. Were you close?”
Sighing, I rolled my hand over the steering wheel. “Yeah. We were close.”
“Is that why we’re here?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “My grandfather was cremated, his ashes strewn off the mountain, which is so like him.” I’d spent a full afternoon with my parents, catching up and reminiscing about my grandfather. It had been more healing than I would have imagined.
“Then why are we here?”
“I wanted you to meet someone special.” I still hesitated, my head aching.
“Your friend will always be with you,” Mitch said in a hushed voice.
I thought about her few words, a moment of sadness settling in. “I know. It’s just difficult to accept that he’s gone.”
“What is the one thing that he’d want to say to you?”
A slight chill shifted down my spine as I thought about all the interactions I’d had since I was fifteen years old. One thing came to mind, allowing a moment of utter clarity. “He’d tell me to live my life as if every day was my last.”
She squeezed my hand again, intertwining her fingers in mine. “Then that’s what you need to do. What this experience forced me to realize is that life can be taken away in a heartbeat. We have to learn to find joy in everything we do.”
Her words were wise, her strength giving me courage to face the past as well as the possibility for a future. I pulled her hand to my mouth, rubbing my lips back and forth across her knuckles. There were no additional words that needed to be said. After taking a deep breath, I was able to open the door and climb out, the chill in the air filling my lungs. At least the location was beautiful, located near the precious mountains Snake had always loved.
As she joined me, flanking my side, I took a few seconds to gaze up at the snow-covered mountains. I’d never really noticed just how beautiful they were, the view majestic. I’d never felt like Montana was home, even though I’d grown up in Missoula.
Today, I realized that I never wanted to leave.
She reached for my hand, her comfort and support something I desperately needed. As I headed for the location of his grave, a sense of peace finally washed over me. When I found the headstone, I struggled to hold back the anguish that gripped my heart.
The only sound for a few seconds was the whistling wind, but I could swear I heard Snake’s laughter.
“How did the mission end?” she asked a few minutes later.
I wasn’t certain I was prepared to fall into that realm, yet the images came fast and furious, filling my mind with the same angst and anger I’d experienced for months. “Hawk was determined to get Snake away from the insurgents. Sadly, the man we’d looked up to and respected for years didn’t think we’d have a chance. But that didn’t stop Hawk. He refused to allow any single member of our unit to languish in some prison cell.” I could barely get the words out, my heart aching.
She stroked my arm, the gentle and loving gesture allowing me to continue.
“Hawk devised a plan how to get him back, also freeing so many other soldiers who’d been held captive. We thought we were prepared, moving into the enemy’s territory late one night. We knew exactly where Snake was being held, the conditions deplorable. The five of us were on board, prepared to strike no matter the conditions. What we hadn’t anticipated was that the same damn informant had obviously tipped off the Afghanistan soldiers.”
I heard the ugly glitch in my voice, could barely get the rest of the words out.
“We were so close, so damn close. Then I detected a fucking asshole, the goddamn enemy soldier approaching. I was prepared to shoot, but something…”
Her slight sigh was ragged, filled with the same anxiousness that I wasn’t able to push aside.
“I couldn’t fire. I have no idea why. But that soldier… that enemy tossed a grenade into the hellhole of a prison. The building exploded. We couldn’t do anything, the fire too hot. Too fast. Too…” A single tear slipped down my cheek as I stood staring at his gravesite. Every part of me shook from the ugliness of the memory, my mind trying to accept what had happened.
What I hadn’t been able to do.
Mitch did nothing but hold my hand, clasping her fingers around mine.
And for a few seconds, I was able to hear in my mind one of the last things Snake had said to me.
“You know, it’s funny about this war,” Snake said as he took another sip of his drink.
“What’s that?” I asked, knowing there wasn’t a single thing that had brought any levity.
“You learn who your friends are. You realize that without people by your side, nothing in life matters. I’d so grateful that I have such good friends. And if you’re able to find love somewhere along the way? All that much better.”
The words would forever remain haunting, but Snake had been a wise man.
“My mother told me once that the only thing in life that matters is finding somewhere you feel safe and loved. You and your buddies were there for each other when you needed it the most. You also gave that to me when I had no idea whether I’d live or die. You are a very special man and one of the most giving individuals I’ve ever met. Never forget that, Reaper. Now, you need to allow Nash to live.”
Her words were heartfelt, more so than the
