Blue Eyes
Everything seemed to have happened so fast.
First I was with my new wife, Tiffany, on our loving honeymoon. We had just finished the 3rd day, and we were heading back to our hotel, following our tour guide who was as well our translator. The restaurant we had just finished eating at had been a bit loud and crowded and it gave Tiffany a headache, so we left a bit early and decided to call it a night. I loved this idea, as every time we went back, before we slept, we made love like newly weds do. Only 4 more days before we had to catch our flight back to Canada, go back into our routine lives.
The walk seemed long, but in her presence, nothing was a bother really. She took all the bad out of my life, like you suck the venom out of a wound. I had made her laugh a lot and she graced me with her beautiful smile. Oh, and her nice round blue eyes, the ones I first fell in love with; the ones that haunt me most now.
I remember the next moment so clearly - oh, how can I forget? We were walking down the streets, which had felt slightly deserted. Usually, here in Qingdao, China, there are many citizens outside, walking to their homes, their families, their lives. But not that night, oh no - There were only maybe a dozen of us. The sky was dark, as it was night time, and not many street lights were shut. We walked along the side walk and Tiffany didn't seem to be bothered by its emptiness, so like she - neither was I. And then it happened.
A group of tall armed figures scattered the street. They were yelling something, but I - being foreign - did not comprehend a single word. My wife seemed scared, so I had to act strong. I held her closely against my chest and questioned our, now looking terrified, translator.
"They come. They say go home and don't get out. They say die if don't go now. All. All go home in house and safe there. They come. Oh. I go home. You go home. Safe. Go now. Go!" He translated his best, in panic, before an armed woman, seemingly an officer, grabbed him by the arm and ushered him away.
She released him and the man, Yurizo, ran. I had stared for a while at his retreating figure before Tiff pulled at my neck.
"Oh no!" She shrieked as she held on tighter.
I looked down at her, barely containing the fear in my eyes. Not fear of the figures but fear of the unknown, of being stuck in China, of terrorist acts during my honeymoon. The uniformed men and women were still walking or running down the streets, holding out their intimidating automatic weapons like if it were a toy, yelling out orders in - I assume - Chinese.
"Let's go back to our hotel before something happens here." I whispered to Tiffany, taking her hand protectively in mine and pulling her down the street, the opposing way of the armed people purposely. I could always find us a new way to the hotel.
She kept up to me, matching the length of my multiple strides by her own powerful ones. Though, we didn't walk very far before getting stopped. A man and a woman had made the universal language for "stop", hand out, palm facing straight ahead, fingers together and pointed towards the sky. Again, I pulled Tiffany to me. I did not know what these people wanted but I wouldn't let anything happen to Tiffany, she was the reason for my life. The female officer, or actually uniformed person as I had no clue whether they were on the good or bad side of the law, spoke in their tongue, words that were above me. The woman repeated herself, clearly irritated by our lack of response. That's when the man spoke up - it sounded almost the same, but obviously with some Chinese (if that's what it was) curses - and Tiffany replied, in English.
"I don't speak Chinese. Please. I want to go back home. We have done nothing wrong."
I wanted to tell her it was useless, that they probably don't speak English, but the woman seemed to comprehend her a bit; possibly only female intuition, but I didn't care. My new job as her new husband was to keep her save and love her, and now above any other time, I wasn't going to be stopped. The male whistled and two other "uniforms" came to us. The woman spoke to the new people followed by a long silence. I looked to my wife again and smiled slightly. How could I smile at a time like this? I have no idea - but I did to reassure her - even if I needed reassurance myself. Suddenly the original two, with the assistance of the next two "uniforms", grabbed us by the arm and moved us down the street, in direction of our hotel. Tiffany let out a small scream and I told her that she shouldn't, because whether they were on the good side or the bad side of the law, screaming would only annoy. She nodded slightly and walked more easefully.
I still curse myself. She had put her trust in me, and I abused it. I pretended to be so calm and sure of the situation that I did not realise the danger we were in. That if she would have yelled like she wanted, maybe she would be here with me, or safe back at home. But no, instead now she is gone with all the other women, to be mindless slaves for men soldiers of the China army. While she was over there, I got brought in a cell, and got taught how to speak Chinese. They got a translator to explain to me about their war against the United States and my role as a soldier. How I was to get up at a certain time, eat a certain thing and never argue with my elders. How I was to fight until my death - sleep when it was permitted, eat when appropriate, train all the rest of the time until I went to war. They explained how - if I came back alive, they would have my Tiffany waiting for me.
Of course, I had always argued to know how she was doing, where she was, if anyone had harmed her, when I could see her again. The only answers given to me were all relatively the same, "You will know when you are told." which only aggravated me. I was almost sure she was worried to death about me as I was for her. Eventually, some man told me that she was in some sort of "woman school" to learn how to cook, take care of children, wash clothes, do housework, how to tend to people's needs as a priority, how to not have a life for her own, how to not argue with orders, how to be enslaved. That's not my Tiffany, and it's not how I want her to be either, but who was I to argue? I couldn't, without getting killed. It was the Chinese way.
So now, as I lay on the battlefield, waiting for someone to find me, I think of her. How she is the love of my life, how her smile brightens the room, how I fell in love with her eyes the moment mine fell upon them. How we had both wanted to spend our lives together, happily married and with children. We decided to marry, and we had the best moments of our lives then, with our families together. The next week, we had decided to do our honeymoon, to visit China for a week. We both have a passion for foreign cultures, especially that one, so here we both are, but thanks to a certain moment we can not be by each others sides, exchanging tender caresses or making love to each other like we should. No - oh I am a lucky person, but luck comes in both sides.
And as my thoughts drift to Tiffany and to her possibly pregnant belly, I take my last intakes of breath. People may think I should be sad, laying here alone, wounded, cold, hungry, tired, and away forever from my wife, but I am really thankful that I had those 3 days of honeymoon before the moment lead me to my last.
And asI lay here on this battlefield, contemplating forever sleep, somewhere in China, I know that my wife is thinking of me, possibly with my son or daughter in her stomach. My last breaths come and go and now I am dying, in love with the blue eyes of my wife whom I will live in her memory. And as I lay here, I take my last breath - then nothing.
So its a short story - but I really liked it, so I posted it up here! Reviews 33