AN: This is a short one shot I wrote after being inspired on my way to work one morning last spring. I never posted it because it was so short but decided to go ahead. It is based off of two country songs. The first song that it was based off of is In Color by Jamey Johnson. The second song being That Ain't Nothing by Craig Morgan. Both songs are really good and I suggest you check them out if you haven't ever heard them.
This story is really short. I was using it as a practice for the 3rd person point of view. I normally write in 1st person.
That Ain't Nothing
The older man looked down at his home or actually the rubble that once was his house. The same very house he helped his father build with his own two hands. He was sad to see it crumble but it wouldn't break him. He found a way to be happy even though his life was nothing but.
His fifteen year old grandson and his middle aged son walked up. His son put his hand on his shoulder and shuddered as he saw the lone tear roll down his weathered face. He had never seen his father cry before.
"Its okay dad, you can come stay with us," Ed. Jr. had said to his father. The older man didn't say a word. He just nodded his head in consent.
A reporter happened to walk up as well. She had short blonde hair cut into a sharp bob. Her violet blue eyes almost twinkled as she looked all around at the damage. She asked, "Sir what will you do now that this twister took all that was dear to you."
"Oh sweetheart this ain't nothing," he told her solemnly.
"But sir your whole house is in a pile. How can you be so nonchalant about that?" she asked him incredulously.
"I'm still alive ain't I?"
"But your home is," but the old man cut her off.
"Madam my home was just a bunch of walls. True I helped my daddy build it before he was taken in an automobile accident when I was just thirteen. It saddens me to see it gone but life must go on." She tried to argue again but he wouldn't allow it. He knew she was fishing for a story but he wasn't going to allow heart ache to set in so she could get her story.
"If you want to know about tragedy, I can give you a real story," he said as he eyed her carefully. She nodded her head and began to say, "Jane Vulturi here with a local man who lost his home but not his faith. What is your name sir?" She asked as she put the mike in his face.
The man stuttered a moment but his intense green eyes never wavered a bit. "Edward Cullen," he said proudly.
"Well Mr. Cullen, can you tell me what can be worse than losing your home in an F-3 sized Twister?" She said with a small smile. She braced herself thinking she'll hear something horrific.
"I was born in '33 on an old cotton farm. They thought they were going to lose me," he said quietly. "It was hard growing up in the mist of the depression. I had two brothers. Emmett was so joyous and fun to be around even though he lost his arm in a farming accident when he was eight." He paused for a moment. Mainly to allow what he just said to sink in. "My older brother was Jasper. He was my best friend and my right hand. I lost him in a no win situation in a place named Vietnam." He stopped this time because of the pain it dredged up. "I helped carry his casket off that God forsaken plane."
"Wow," is all Jane could say. She had tears glistening in her own eyes.
"I had to. It's all I could do for him. He died saving my life. We were being ambushed by a couple of commie bastards. He pushed me down, jumped up and ran while shooting. He was amazing." Edward said with a look of awe on his face. "I felt so bad for his wife Alice. The guilt ate me alive knowing I made it home on two feet and he came home in a God damned box."
"Do you need a moment, Mr. Cullen?" the reporter asked out of sympathy.
"No, I'm good. She gave birth to their daughter three months later. A lovely baby, Mary Alice was. I took care of that little one like she's my own. Alice introduced me to my wife back in High School. Bella's letters of endearment were what kept me grounded while I was in Nam." Edward said with a wistful smile.
"What was she like?" The reporter asked. He looked down and noticed something shaped funny in the rubbish. He picked it up and tried unsuccessfully to hold back a sob. He dusted it off and showed it to the camera. It was and old black and white photo of a young happy couple. The woman had dark hair and a white dress. The man was wearing an Army dress uniform. Both were smiling from ear to ear.
"This was the happiest day of my life. It was hot that summer but it didn't matter to us. All we could think about was how much we loved each other." He said.
"It's a beautiful photo, it's amazing that it's completely intact," Jane whispered.
"Oh but it did my Bell no justice at all. She was so lovely. We met in high school and fell in love instantly. We got married right after my boot camp training. Our first children came a year after little Mary Alice. We named the twins after Jasper in honor of his sacrifice for my life and Ed Jr." He paused a moment and looked back down at the picture.
"How many children did you two have?"
"Three total, Jasper, Ed Jr. and my Princess Lucy." He said. But added, "We lost two due to one miscarriage and one still birth. If it wasn't for the twins, I don't think my Bella would ever survive the heartache of losing two babies. They came after the twins so she didn't have much time to dwell on it."
"I see you have one grandson but how many of them do you have?"
"This one is Edward the third. He was the first. Ed Jr. here had three, Jasper had four and little Lucy had six. Can you believe that? All of them range from two years to fifteen. At least my Bella got to see them all," he said with a tremble in his voice.
"What was the hardest thing that happened in your life?"
He paused for a moment. He looked at the picture as he traced her image slowly with his fingers. "Watching my wife of sixty years lose the fight for her life was. She was diagnosed with breast cancer. It progressed rather quickly. It got to the point where she wanted to stop all treatments so she could enjoy the rest of her days. We did what we could to make her happy and comfortable. It broke my heart to watch her health deteriorate right before my eyes." He said as more tears fell from his eyes. The hard-nosed reporter even had to wipe away a few tears of her own.
"So what is next for you, Mr. Cullen?" She asked after a pregnant pause.
"He is going home with us," bellowed the loud voice of his grandson.
"Eddie," his father tried to admonish him.
"What I'm only speaking the truth," the boy whined.
"Leave him be, Ed. He's right you know." Edward said out of defeat after all he will be eighty next year.
"Well Mr. Cullen I wish you the best of luck in the future. Here you have it everyone. When something horrible happens to you; with the right attitude and frame of mind you can survive anything. Back to you Alec."
AN: Like I said, I knew it was short but I hope you liked it.