Alex (In the Company of Snipers) by Winters Irish

Author:Winters, Irish [Winters, Irish]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Windy Days Press
Published: 2013-12-03T23:00:00+00:00

“In honor and in memory of the men of the United States Marine Corps who have given their lives to their country since November 10, 1775.”

“I don’t need fireworks,” she declared. “This is awesome.”

“It is, isn’t it?” He looked so pleased with himself, but just then his cell phone rang. He turned away to answer it, but she heard the blatant hostility in his voice.

“What do you want now?” He paused. “Yes, yes, three percent. Write it like that then—No. Make it April. Wait. No. June.” He took another step away, his hand brushing through his hair again. “Then tell ‘em no.”

She walked away and around the huge monument to give him space while he ranted. When she glanced back at him, he was still deep in conversation with someone who obviously didn’t have a life since they were working on a federal holiday. It had to be someone from his office. What kind of a slave driver was he?

Within minutes he was back at her side, his good humor nearly restored.

“Sorry,” he muttered. “Work.”

“You have people working today?” she asked, hoping the amazement in her voice didn’t come across rude.

He grimaced in exasperation. “Not really. One of my techies creates video games on the side. She uses the office computer equipment sometimes. It’s got more bits or bites or something like that.”

“So she’s working on the job while she’s ….” She didn’t know what to say next.

“Yes.” His jaw clenched and Kelsey could tell this was a sore subject for him. “She’s a busybody is what she is. Can’t leave well enough alone.”

These phone calls revealed an entirely different side to Alex. She questioned what she really knew about him as they circled the monument in silence.

“Iwo Jima was one bloody battle.” He peered up at the faces of those men like he knew them. The first burst of fireworks arched across the dark ceiling overhead. Voices all around oooh’d and ahhh’d, but in the brightening crescendo of falling stars, she noticed he brushed something out of his eyes. Another volley of shooting sparks splashed through the night. Kelsey studied his profile against the lighted sky. She saw pride mixed with sadness on his face. The phone calls forgotten, she wanted to take his handsome face in her hands and do something to make him smile again.

“I didn’t know the Marines Corps has been around so long.” She wanted to get his attention off his sad thoughts.

“Since the Revolutionary War. Of course it’s changed a lot since then.” His voice was husky as he stepped back from the monument. Kelsey looked at it one more time before she followed him away from the crowd and walked uphill again.

“Mount Suribachi. That’s the dormant volcano on the southern end of Iwo where those men raised the flag that day. The statue is actually designed after the actual photograph that was taken.” He gave her another history lesson as they walked.

“Were those men killed there?”

“No. Not that day anyway. Three of them died out there, but the others came home.

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