Heart of a Volunteer
Chapter 2: The Stranger
A/N: Seriously, I am not the kind of person who just lies down when things are said. Sorry, but it's in my nature to respond. So, in responce to Oz, Rafe dies. He isn't forgotten. As I said to my friend today, people die. It's the cycle of life. You would not be here unless people before you died. And if you think about that, I'm right. Anyway, I'm not the biggest fan of Rafe. I'm sorry, but I can't feel sorry for him. I guess it's just I am the kind of person to be in positions more like Danny(being blamed for ignorance) than Rafe. Also, RoqueAngel, any praise given to your story is not enough. One of the best stories written here. And to any other author who feels insulted by this, make your story longer. Trust me, people like longer stories better, most of the time.
Danny walked down the stairs as he fastened his tie. A girl was sitting on the couch in a pale blue dress, nonchalantly watching "I Love Lucy."
"Chelsea?" Danny asked.
"I'm Jamie," the girl said.
"Your brother told me your name was Chelsea," Danny protested.
"Well, he has a sister named Chelsea. And Chelsea has a twin named Jamie," she said smugly, not enjoying the fact that she had to share a room with her twin because of this man.
"Oh, twins. Rafe had twins," he said.
She looked up at him strangly. "You knew my father?" she asked.
He sat in a chair next to the couch she was sitting on. "Like a brother," he said.
"Oh," Jamie said. "Can I ask you a question?" she said.
"Shoot," Danny said.
"He never wanted to talk about you. I know this may seem really rude, but who are you?" the girl asked.
Danny sighed, he knew this was coming. He thought about where to start. "You know that tomb in your backyard?" he asked.
"Yea," the girl said.
"Well," Danny started, "that's mine."
Jamie looked at him like he was some kind of alien. "I know it isn't a new development that you get a tombstone AFTER you die," she said.
"Your parents, almost everyone who knew me before the raid thought I had died," he said.
"Why?" she asked.
"That's what the nurse told your father, and he told everyone back here the same. And to answer your next question, I asked the nurse to tell your father that I died," Danny said.
"Why did you do that? Did you not like my parents?" Jamie asked him.
Danny decided to go back and tell her everything, for her own peace of mind. "I'm gonna tell you a pretty long, but pretty interesting story now. Your father and I grew up on this very same piece of land. We were brothers. Now if you look in your dictionary, it'll tell you that a brother is someone who shares the same parents with another. Well, Rafe and I didn't have the same parents, but he was my brother, the only family I had. One month after he first met and started dating your mom, he volunteered to go to England. This was before America was ever in the war. Your mother and I were both stationed in Pearl Harbor. It was a very normal day when I received the information that your father's plane got shot down. Evelyn and I were devastated. Around three months later, I asked her on a date. I'm not sure if it was just to get over Rafe, or just because it felt right, but we did date. On December 6, Rafe showed up alive. Now I'm not really sure if you can imagine being in our position, but Rafe was really angry at me. The next day was December 7, when the Japanese bombed us. After that all happened, your father and I were assigned to a mission to bomb Tokyo. Some problems occured, and he had to crash land near Japanese camps. I went to save him. A battle ensued, and I got shot. I didn't die, but your dad thought I did. I didn't want to argue...I wanted him to know I died."
"Why?" the girl asked, interrupting Danny's thoughts.
"I felt I didn't deserve to be your mother's husband, or be your brother's father," he said.
She looked at him silently. "You're...you're Danny's father...oh," she said.
Danny started down the stairs, and saw his sister with tear-stained cheeks, sitting on the base of the stairs. "Chels?" he asked.
She looked up. "I'm so sorry, Danny," she said before running up the stairs and closing the bathroom door shut behind her. He silently walked back up the stairs and gently knocked on the bathroom door.
He heard muffled sobbing. "What'd ya do, sis?" he asked playfully. He waited for a responce, a slight giggle maybe. Nothing. Damnit. "Seriously, Chelsea, what's the matter?"
Danny and Jamie stood behind Danny Jr., who at the moment was trying to persuade Chelsea to speak. "I guess she heard Jamie and me talking," Danny said.
"Oh," his son said as he backed into his bedroom. Jamie got Chelsea to open the door and let her in, so Danny and his son were alone.
"Are there any other children I should learn about?" Danny asked his son.
"Sorry 'bout that. Forgot about James when we were talking. But that's all. I promise," Danny told his father.
"You call her James?" Danny asked.
"Yea, but only me. 'Lil nickname for her," Danny looked out the window and saw Eric flying the old biplane. He quickly wiped away a tear. "Sorry about all of the emotional outbursts. Not usually like this around here. Rafe was a good man," he said, trying not to let his grief get the better of him. He still had to make it through the funeral service.
Danny's eyes moved to where his son was looking. "Yea he was a great man," Danny agreed. He remembered the first time he went flying in the fire engine red biplane.
*******************************************************************************************************
FLASHBACK
Bristol, Tennessee
Summer of 1928
Danny didn't even shed a tear at his own father's funeral. All the adults thought it was because he didn't know what death was. Old Uncle Bill talked to him about it. The eight year old listened politely, then explained that he knew how his father drank himself to death and that he would never see him again. It didn't matter to Danny. As far as he was concerned, his dad was no father at all. He still loved him, and he hated himself for loving such a cruel man. But he knew that Cole couldn't help acting like he did. And he forgave him once again.
Jake, Rafe's father, was among the few friends and family of good 'ole Cole Walker. Rafe was the only other boy. Danny sat off to the side and stared at his father's body, so peacful and happy. He asked God why Cole was never that happy on earth. He demanded an answer, but God didn't say a word. Danny was so close to God when he was younger. He remembered going to church every Sunday with his mother, then with Rafe's family. Danny knew why God wouldn't answer him. God wouldn't answer an evil question.
Rafe's father asked Danny to ride in the crop duster with him. Danny was more than excited. Rafe had told stories about flying. Rafe was so happy when he talked about flying, Danny couldb't wait.
Jake strapped the boy in. He started the engine. Danny could feel the blood pounding in his head. The plane gained altitude and for Danny, it was love at first sight. Seeing the rows of wheat, he knew he would only feel himself in a plane.
*******************************************************************************************************
Danny quickly realized he was sitting on his son's bed and not on a seat in a biplane. He glanced at the clock. "We're late," he said to his son, who was still watching Eric in the sky. Eric landed, and Danny stood up and walked out of the bedroom behind his father.
Chelsea and Jamie had dried their eyes and Chelsea had already reapplied more makeup. "It's time to go," Danny said to the girls. "We have to meet your mother at the parlor."
The girls both grabbed a packet of tissues before heading out the door and loading into Danny's car. Eric fixed his tie and jumped into the backseat with his sisters. Danny drove them to the parlor and they all walked in together. No one had a dry eye as they saw Rafe's body for the very first time.
Chapter 2: The Stranger
A/N: Seriously, I am not the kind of person who just lies down when things are said. Sorry, but it's in my nature to respond. So, in responce to Oz, Rafe dies. He isn't forgotten. As I said to my friend today, people die. It's the cycle of life. You would not be here unless people before you died. And if you think about that, I'm right. Anyway, I'm not the biggest fan of Rafe. I'm sorry, but I can't feel sorry for him. I guess it's just I am the kind of person to be in positions more like Danny(being blamed for ignorance) than Rafe. Also, RoqueAngel, any praise given to your story is not enough. One of the best stories written here. And to any other author who feels insulted by this, make your story longer. Trust me, people like longer stories better, most of the time.
Danny walked down the stairs as he fastened his tie. A girl was sitting on the couch in a pale blue dress, nonchalantly watching "I Love Lucy."
"Chelsea?" Danny asked.
"I'm Jamie," the girl said.
"Your brother told me your name was Chelsea," Danny protested.
"Well, he has a sister named Chelsea. And Chelsea has a twin named Jamie," she said smugly, not enjoying the fact that she had to share a room with her twin because of this man.
"Oh, twins. Rafe had twins," he said.
She looked up at him strangly. "You knew my father?" she asked.
He sat in a chair next to the couch she was sitting on. "Like a brother," he said.
"Oh," Jamie said. "Can I ask you a question?" she said.
"Shoot," Danny said.
"He never wanted to talk about you. I know this may seem really rude, but who are you?" the girl asked.
Danny sighed, he knew this was coming. He thought about where to start. "You know that tomb in your backyard?" he asked.
"Yea," the girl said.
"Well," Danny started, "that's mine."
Jamie looked at him like he was some kind of alien. "I know it isn't a new development that you get a tombstone AFTER you die," she said.
"Your parents, almost everyone who knew me before the raid thought I had died," he said.
"Why?" she asked.
"That's what the nurse told your father, and he told everyone back here the same. And to answer your next question, I asked the nurse to tell your father that I died," Danny said.
"Why did you do that? Did you not like my parents?" Jamie asked him.
Danny decided to go back and tell her everything, for her own peace of mind. "I'm gonna tell you a pretty long, but pretty interesting story now. Your father and I grew up on this very same piece of land. We were brothers. Now if you look in your dictionary, it'll tell you that a brother is someone who shares the same parents with another. Well, Rafe and I didn't have the same parents, but he was my brother, the only family I had. One month after he first met and started dating your mom, he volunteered to go to England. This was before America was ever in the war. Your mother and I were both stationed in Pearl Harbor. It was a very normal day when I received the information that your father's plane got shot down. Evelyn and I were devastated. Around three months later, I asked her on a date. I'm not sure if it was just to get over Rafe, or just because it felt right, but we did date. On December 6, Rafe showed up alive. Now I'm not really sure if you can imagine being in our position, but Rafe was really angry at me. The next day was December 7, when the Japanese bombed us. After that all happened, your father and I were assigned to a mission to bomb Tokyo. Some problems occured, and he had to crash land near Japanese camps. I went to save him. A battle ensued, and I got shot. I didn't die, but your dad thought I did. I didn't want to argue...I wanted him to know I died."
"Why?" the girl asked, interrupting Danny's thoughts.
"I felt I didn't deserve to be your mother's husband, or be your brother's father," he said.
She looked at him silently. "You're...you're Danny's father...oh," she said.
Danny started down the stairs, and saw his sister with tear-stained cheeks, sitting on the base of the stairs. "Chels?" he asked.
She looked up. "I'm so sorry, Danny," she said before running up the stairs and closing the bathroom door shut behind her. He silently walked back up the stairs and gently knocked on the bathroom door.
He heard muffled sobbing. "What'd ya do, sis?" he asked playfully. He waited for a responce, a slight giggle maybe. Nothing. Damnit. "Seriously, Chelsea, what's the matter?"
Danny and Jamie stood behind Danny Jr., who at the moment was trying to persuade Chelsea to speak. "I guess she heard Jamie and me talking," Danny said.
"Oh," his son said as he backed into his bedroom. Jamie got Chelsea to open the door and let her in, so Danny and his son were alone.
"Are there any other children I should learn about?" Danny asked his son.
"Sorry 'bout that. Forgot about James when we were talking. But that's all. I promise," Danny told his father.
"You call her James?" Danny asked.
"Yea, but only me. 'Lil nickname for her," Danny looked out the window and saw Eric flying the old biplane. He quickly wiped away a tear. "Sorry about all of the emotional outbursts. Not usually like this around here. Rafe was a good man," he said, trying not to let his grief get the better of him. He still had to make it through the funeral service.
Danny's eyes moved to where his son was looking. "Yea he was a great man," Danny agreed. He remembered the first time he went flying in the fire engine red biplane.
*******************************************************************************************************
FLASHBACK
Bristol, Tennessee
Summer of 1928
Danny didn't even shed a tear at his own father's funeral. All the adults thought it was because he didn't know what death was. Old Uncle Bill talked to him about it. The eight year old listened politely, then explained that he knew how his father drank himself to death and that he would never see him again. It didn't matter to Danny. As far as he was concerned, his dad was no father at all. He still loved him, and he hated himself for loving such a cruel man. But he knew that Cole couldn't help acting like he did. And he forgave him once again.
Jake, Rafe's father, was among the few friends and family of good 'ole Cole Walker. Rafe was the only other boy. Danny sat off to the side and stared at his father's body, so peacful and happy. He asked God why Cole was never that happy on earth. He demanded an answer, but God didn't say a word. Danny was so close to God when he was younger. He remembered going to church every Sunday with his mother, then with Rafe's family. Danny knew why God wouldn't answer him. God wouldn't answer an evil question.
Rafe's father asked Danny to ride in the crop duster with him. Danny was more than excited. Rafe had told stories about flying. Rafe was so happy when he talked about flying, Danny couldb't wait.
Jake strapped the boy in. He started the engine. Danny could feel the blood pounding in his head. The plane gained altitude and for Danny, it was love at first sight. Seeing the rows of wheat, he knew he would only feel himself in a plane.
*******************************************************************************************************
Danny quickly realized he was sitting on his son's bed and not on a seat in a biplane. He glanced at the clock. "We're late," he said to his son, who was still watching Eric in the sky. Eric landed, and Danny stood up and walked out of the bedroom behind his father.
Chelsea and Jamie had dried their eyes and Chelsea had already reapplied more makeup. "It's time to go," Danny said to the girls. "We have to meet your mother at the parlor."
The girls both grabbed a packet of tissues before heading out the door and loading into Danny's car. Eric fixed his tie and jumped into the backseat with his sisters. Danny drove them to the parlor and they all walked in together. No one had a dry eye as they saw Rafe's body for the very first time.
