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Three Years Later
“Easy does it! John, slow down! John!” Mary cried as she grabbed her young son’s hand. “Jed, tell your boy to mind his manners!”
“John, listen to your mother,” Jed said. The three pushed their way onto the train station platform, doing their best to stay together among the crowd. Washington D. C. was a lot bigger than Dry Gulch, and there were people everywhere.
Mary gave Jed a look, and John laughed. He was used to the way his parents spoke to each other and often found it entertaining. Of course, he’d know that they loved each other above all else. Even with the way they bantered with each other, there was still love.
“Where are you two heading?” Jed asked. It was the same question he’d posed a few times that morning while on the train, but he was nervous. It was difficult for him to think clearly considering his agitation.
Mary gave him another of her looks that drew a laugh from John. “I’m going to take him to see the capitol. It might be the only chance he gets to see it in his life, and I don’t want him to miss it.”
“Of course,” Jed said with a nod. “I’ll meet you over there once I’m done.”
“You might be gone a while,” Mary told him, releasing John’s hand on the train station platform. “John, don’t move.”
“Yes’m,” John muttered. He folded his arms but remained where he was, looking from one person to the next with wide eyes. It had to be overwhelming for someone so young and used to a small town to see how many people could be in one place.
“I want you to take your time,” Mary said as she adjusted Jed’s shirt. “This is a big deal, and I think it’ll do you some real good.”
“I hope so,” Jed agreed. Internally, he wasn’t so sure.
He’d received a letter about two months before. An old general from the war had found him and asked that he come to Washington D.C. to speak with some other soldiers who were struggling.
At first, Jed hadn’t wanted to take the man up on his offer. He’d settled into his life in Dry Gulch, and he was happy with that. But Mary had seen the wisdom in him going, and she’d made it her mission to convince him to take the opportunity.
“I don’t know what I could say that would help anyone,” Jed had protested. But Mary had remained undeterred.
“You’re an inspiration, Jed,” she’d insisted. “You could be the voice of reason they need.”
“For what?” he’d asked. “War is terrible. It does horrible things to those who fight in it. I don’t know what I could possibly do now to help anyone.”
“Look at how much you’ve helped Dry Gulch,” Mary had told him. “Look at how amazing you are as a father and husband. General Michaels is asking for you to come tell others that they can have a life like you do, and I think it would be good for you to do it.”
Though Jed had continued to argue, the train tickets were purchased, and the trip was planned. He was glad when Mary said that she would be going with him, and even happier when she insisted they take John as well.
“You don’t think it’s a far trip for a four-year-old?” he’d asked.
“When will he have the chance to do it again?” Mary had replied. “I think we should make the most of this trip.”
“Alright, I’ll see you soon,” Jed heard himself saying. “The town hall is just up that way. That’s where I’m supposed to be speaking.”
“And from the looks of things,” Mary responded. “We’ll be over there. Look at all that grass! If you come out and can’t find us right away, go over there.”
Jed kissed his wife before parting ways, then he started up the street. He stood tall despite his heart racing in his chest. He tried not to be nervous, telling himself that he had been through a lot worse than what he was doing just then.
It was a good thing, he reminded himself. He was going to talk to men who had lost their will in life. Perhaps he could say or do something that would show them to keep going despite how bad they felt. Jed still thought it was pointless for him to try, but he’d go through with it anyway for Mary’s sake.
“Markum, you made it!” General Michaels cried when Jed finally made his way into the man’s office. “I wasn’t sure you’d actually come.”
The old general reached his hand out to shake Jed’s, and Jed could hardly think straight as he complied. It had been years since he’d last seen General Michaels, and having the man standing right in front of him felt like a ghost from the past.
“Sir, it’s good to see you,” Jed said. “You can thank my wife for my being here. She’s the one who insisted that I do.”
“God bless her,” the general said. “There’s a lot of men here who have been struggling after the war. I’ve been doing everything I can to find men like you who could come speak with them. You know, give them some hope that life does get better.”
Jed wanted to know how General Michaels knew that Jed’s life had improved, but he held his tongue. That didn’t matter. What mattered was what he’d come to do.
“It’s been a town effort, really,” General Michaels said as he led Jed through a hall to a large room. The place was lined with chairs, and most of the chairs were already occupied with soldiers. Just glancing across the room broke Jed’s heart. Many of them were maimed from the war.
Most were missing an arm or a leg, and some were missing both. Seeing what the war had done to everyone was almost more than he could bear. But General Michaels didn’t give him time to think.
“You’re going to be the first speaker of the afternoon,” he said. “I hope you have something prepared.”
“I’m as prepared as I’ll ever be,” Jed said, and his old friend laughed. Michaels put his hand on Jed’s shoulder then directed him to a podium near the front of the room.
“You always were good with words,” Michaels told him. “Just speak from the heart.”
“Do you want me to start now?” Jed asked.
“Whenever you’re ready.”
General Micheals stepped away from the podium, leaving Jed in front of the room. Jed turned to face the other men, then he cleared his throat.
“My brothers,” he said. “I never thought I’d say this, but it feels good to be back.”
To his surprise, his remark was applauded. Encouraged, he continued.
“Of course, none of us would want to be back on the battlefield, but look around. It feels good to be around the men who have fought next to you. If not physically, but in spirit. I don’t know any of you, but yet, I feel like I’ve known you all for years.”
More applause responded, and Jed suddenly felt far more comfortable. Perhaps Mary had been right. Perhaps it was good for him to speak to the other men.
Jed continued with his speech, doing what he could to encourage the men to keep pressing on with their lives. He spoke of what happened when he returned to Dry Gulch, and how he had fought with all that he had left in him to save the town he loved. He shared how he’d almost given up when he’d lost his parents, and how he had felt it was a lost cause.
It was difficult for him to be entirely honest with his feelings, as he’d been taught during his time in war to not show any feelings. Yet, the more he shared with the men in the room, the better he felt sharing more.
When he’d finished speaking, Jed felt he had shared the story of his entire life. But then, Michaels surprised him.
He walked back to the front of the room and put his hand on Jed’s shoulder. Instead of addressing Jed, however, he addressed the room.
“Do you have any questions for him?” Michaels asked. “After hearing such a remarkable story, is there anything you want to ask?”
To Jed’s surprise, hands went up all over the room. Though it had been obvious that the men were listening to what he had to say, he hadn’t realized just how invested the other men in the room had become with his story. He didn’t know what to do at first, but Michaels picked one of the men.
“You sir,” Michaels said.
The man rose, and Jed’s heart thudded when he saw that the man was missing his other arm. The man still smiled and looked directly at Jed.
“What would you say is the most important thing you have to live for?” he asked.
“What do you mean?” Jed asked, uncertain of what the other man was asking.
“Just what I said,” the man replied. “You have a powerful story, friend, but I struggle to decide to get up in the morning. What made you decide to keep going, really?”
Jed hesitated. At first, he wasn’t sure how to put his thoughts into words. He looked around the room, though he wasn’t looking at anything in particular. Then, he looked out the window. It was then something caught his eye that told him the answer to the question.
In the distance, out playing in the field, he saw Mary and John. They were laughing and running around as though they didn’t have a care in the world. The sight was enough to bring a tear to his eye, and his throat constricted.
He took a moment to gather himself, then he turned back to the man who had posed the question.
“I mentioned already that I met the woman that I wound up marrying,” Jed said. “I admired her at first. I thought she was feisty, I thought she was full of spunk. But then, I realized there was so much more to her than what I had initially thought.”
Jed drew himself up to his full height and smiled brightly. Talking about Mary filled him with such joy that he could keep going for hours. And to his surprise, it seemed that his joy was contagious.
“I can’t promise any of you that you’re going to find someone wonderful to share your life with,” he said. “But I can tell you one thing… if you get out of bed in the morning and chase your life, you’re going to put yourself out in the world. That’s where you’re going to find people who love you, and who you can love in return. Trust me, I know it’s hard. I was ready to give up so many times when I was a prisoner in that camp, but I’m so glad I didn’t. If I had, I’d never have the life I do now.”
His response was met with more cheers, and it was then that Jed realized the tears were running down his cheeks. Michaels stepped forward and put an arm around Jed’s shoulders and led him away from the front of the room so another soldier could take the podium.
“How are you doing?” General Michaels asked. “Are you alright?”
Jed squared his shoulders as he looked at his old friend. “Sir, I’ve never been better.”
General Micheals seemed to relax but was then surprised when Jed nodded toward the door.
“Thank you so much for having me today,” Jed continued. “But there’s somewhere else I need to be.”
“Where are you going?” General Micheals asked, but Jed only paused for a moment as he stopped in the doorway.
“Sir,” he said. “I’m going to find my family. I’m ready for the rest of my life.”
General Michaels saluted him, and Jed responded in kind. Then, he walked through the door with more life than he’d felt in a long time.
The rest of his life was waiting.
OFFER: A BRAND NEW SERIES AND 2 FREEBIES FOR YOU!
Grab my new series, "Guns and Justice in the West", and get 2 FREE novels as a gift! Have a look here!
Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed my new western adventure story and the extended epilogue! Let me know what you think below.
A very thoughtful story that shows what soldiers faced then isn’t any different than what soldiers who returned our more recent wars have faced and it is wrapped around a good story with a good plot and believe able characters. I recommend it to anyone wanting to be entertained and enjoy the history that goes with it.
Thank you, Larry! Glad you enjoyed it. Your comment is spot on, some things never really change.