The Colonel's Daughter by Lili Tufel Read Free Book Online

pointed at a bird distracting Jasmine while extending his other arm and with a quick-draw grabbed a pair of blue geraniums that bordered the path.
    “I don’t see him, where?” She looked around.
    “Right, there…look at him…he is fighter, he’s definitely squawking.”
    She caught him taking the soft beauties.
    “Hey, keep your hands in the vehicle at all times, mister.”
    He lifted the flowers and gave them to her. She stopped to admire her lovely gift.
    A young orderly pushing a wheelchair came to rest beside them. The passenger was a wounded Sergeant Major who addressed Javi using military jargon.
    “Want some lifer-juice soldier?” Holding up a thermos filled with coffee.
    “How are you doing sir?” Javi saluted from his wheelchair.
    The Sgt. Major gulped his coffee. “Sure beats that dirka stuff we drank out there.”
    “No thank you sir.” Wrinkling his nose, Javi looked at Jasmine.
    “So tell me. How’s that Full Bird…Colonel Johnston doing? I heard about what happened to your boys at the chow hall. I wonder if the old Colonel knows you’re still alive.”
    Javi scratched his neck.
    Jasmine put her hand on Javi’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry but Capt. Santos doesn’t remember many details right now. He needs more—”
    “It’s okay Jasmine.” Javi interrupted, “My mind’s been clearing up a bit. I actually had a dream with the old Colonel. He kept asking me to come to Tampa.”
    Sergeant Major looked up at the male orderly. “Better quit shamming around. I need to hit the head pronto.”
    The orderly chuckled as he pushed the wheelchair.
    Jasmine smiled at Javi. “Somebody really needed to go to the bathroom.”
    Javi chuckled.
    “Shamming…haven’t heard that one in a while. The Colonel used it a lot on the guys when they pretended to be working thinking he wouldn’t notice.” Javi’s eyes lingered on Jasmine’s chest.
    She gripped the wheelchair and pushed forward. “Are you sure you weren’t one of those guys he yelled at?” She stopped near a bench and took a seat.
    “Me? No, not me,” He smirked.
    “It is not my intention to pry into your personal life but my job is to find out information about your family. Colonel Johnston, I’ve seen him on the news. He’s a hostage in Afghanistan. Did you know him well? If you remember anything else, please tell me. I want to help you find your family. It’s not fair that you stay alone.”
    Javi stared at Jasmine’s soft features and rosy lips and felt comforted. Years of burying personal information from the world had made it nearly impossible to excavate but her sweet demeanor plowed through his dry field of thoughts. “The Army has been my life for so long. All those guys are my family.” He agonized over the thought of looking into the dead eyes of his friends at the mess hall. He drew a breath and continued, “When I first got to Helmand Army Camp, there was a large auditorium with a thousand guys ready to watch a movie. I don’t even know the title. I walked in just as the National Anthem began. All of us snapped to attention. Something must’ve happened to the music because it just stopped. Those guys didn’t move. You could hear a pin drop. The music started up again but something happened and it shut off completely. Most people that age, around here, would probably be yelling obscenities just to start the damn movie. But not these guys, they stood at attention. And suddenly a thousand men sang in unison,” he sniffled, and quietly sang, “O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.” He paused, “That’s my family,” placing a hand across his bandaged forehead covering the tears in his eyes.
    Unable to speak, Jasmine reached in the pocket of her sweater drawing out a tissue to wipe her own tears.
    Out of the deep recesses of his heart, Javi verbalized his emotions as best he could. “The Marines have their Semper Fidelis, their Latin motto for always faithful. It’s an immensurable