Rafe was standing along the coast of the beach. It had been 2 weeks since
he came back from the Doolittle raid and hadn't spoken to Evelyn since the
day he got back. She had been pretty distant from him and he knew why. It
was because of Danny. He knew she loved Danny, but what he didn't know was
did she love Danny more then him. Before Danny left, He and Danny were best
friends. They did every thing together. He remembered the time Danny made
paper wings for Rafe to jump off of the barn with, he remembered the time
they were getting their tests done at the hospital - the hospital he met
Evelyn at -Danny helped him with the eye exam, he remembered how Danny's
father use to run him down. Danny went through a lot. Rafe never could
understand how strong Danny was. If Rafe was in that situation, he would be
so destroyed inside out. But ever since the incident with Evelyn and Danny,
Rafe couldn't look at his best friend in the eye and think of him the same
way. Every time he did, all he saw was his best friend stilling his girl.
He had hatred toward his friend. He loved Evelyn and Evelyn didn't love him
back. It was like someone had stabbed him repeatable in the back leaving
him to die gasping for breath. That is what happened to Danny. Rafe
thought. I told him he was going to be a father, and he would never see
Evelyn or his son or daughter again. While Rafe was in thought, he felt a
brush against his arm. It was Evelyn.
"Hey." Evelyn said, looking down at her feet, which was impossible considering she was as big as a house with Danny's child. She had been crying over the loss of Danny and how distant Rafe had been.
"Hey." there had been a long silence.
"It's been a while"
"Yeah it has."
"I was gonna come see you, but I didn't think you - I thought maybe you wanted some time, you know, some time to think." Evelyn thought 2 weeks was enough time for rafe to settle down, but she didn't think it would be this awkward. Rafe wasn't looking at her and she was worried about him. A long pause had gone by, the kind, even though they were at the ocean, you could hear a pin drop.
"You are the one that didn't want to talk." Rafe answered shortly.
"What?"
"IT'S BEEN TWO WEEKS EVELYN! DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG THAT IS?" Rafe had lost it. He was not only feeling sorry for himself, but he was all frustrated and taking it out on Evelyn.
"Well, yea, but you hardly spoke to me when you came back and I just thought you needed time."
"Well did it ever occur to you that I needed somebody to talk to!!! Because Danny isn't here. My best friend DIED! DIED in my arms, I sat there watching him breathe his last breath! For the first time in my life I couldn't protect my best friend. Do you know what it's like to not be able to help your best friend?" Evelyn didn't say anything, she knew he had things he had to say and thought she would just let him talk.
"Evelyn.......I told him about his baby, your baby. When I saw you guys together, Danny looked so happy. I haven't ever seen him like that. He looked found. Like he was loved for the first time, and I had to tell him, I just thought maybe he would live, and come back to his family, like I came back to you. "Evelyn was frozen. She couldn't believe he was telling her all of this. She couldn't believe Rafe told Danny and she didn't.
"Oh Rafe no!"
"I'm so sorry Ev, but I had to." For the first time since they had both been standing there, Rafe looked over at Evelyn. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Her hair was blowing in the breeze; her eyes were puffy with tears as if she had been crying before she came there. He didn't know what else to say.
"I'm not sure I can be here anymore." Evelyn looked up into the eyes she loved so much, but they didn't look like they use to. They use to be loving, adventurous eyes willing to try anything. Now they had a type of glaze over them, like he didn't feel like going on, like he could give up at any moment.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, I think I'm gonna go back to Tennessee. It just seems right. When I went to bury Danny last week, I found out a lot of things that I didn't know about Danny. That is where we lived and I can't just not be there anymore. I came here to be a pilot, with Danny, and with Danny not here-"
"I understand" was all she said
"But, you can come with me. If you want I mean, you don't have to"
"Well, I don't know Rafe, I live here."
"Yea, well, it's getting cold; you might need to get back. I don't want you to catch a cold or anything."
"Okay Rafe, I'll hope to see you soon." With that they both went separate ways. Rafe went to the barracks and Evelyn went to her house that she shared with 2 other nurses.
The next day, Rafe was in his room packing. He missed Evelyn. He wanted to be there with her. He had found so much stuff about Danny when he went back to his house. Like how Danny lived. He knew he lived in a broken down house, but a house without a kitchen? Rafe used to go over to Danny's before it got really bad with his father. They kept talking about how they were going to fix it all up. His room was very different then he remembered. When he was younger Danny's room like a little bigger then what it really was. But it was about the size of a large closet. Danny's stuff sat in his room, the stuff that he had. A pair of shoes, a change of close, a pile of pillows were he slept, and an old china plate where he had his last meal in that house. He moved in with Rafe after his father had killed himself with a gun when Danny was about 14.
Rafe didn't think Evelyn would ever forgive him. I guess I won't see her again. Rafe thought. He finished packing his bag and headed out the door. A taxi was waiting for him. He loaded his stuff in the back and got in. Looking back, leaving the worst part of his life behind. Except maybe Evelyn.
"Hey." Evelyn said, looking down at her feet, which was impossible considering she was as big as a house with Danny's child. She had been crying over the loss of Danny and how distant Rafe had been.
"Hey." there had been a long silence.
"It's been a while"
"Yeah it has."
"I was gonna come see you, but I didn't think you - I thought maybe you wanted some time, you know, some time to think." Evelyn thought 2 weeks was enough time for rafe to settle down, but she didn't think it would be this awkward. Rafe wasn't looking at her and she was worried about him. A long pause had gone by, the kind, even though they were at the ocean, you could hear a pin drop.
"You are the one that didn't want to talk." Rafe answered shortly.
"What?"
"IT'S BEEN TWO WEEKS EVELYN! DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG THAT IS?" Rafe had lost it. He was not only feeling sorry for himself, but he was all frustrated and taking it out on Evelyn.
"Well, yea, but you hardly spoke to me when you came back and I just thought you needed time."
"Well did it ever occur to you that I needed somebody to talk to!!! Because Danny isn't here. My best friend DIED! DIED in my arms, I sat there watching him breathe his last breath! For the first time in my life I couldn't protect my best friend. Do you know what it's like to not be able to help your best friend?" Evelyn didn't say anything, she knew he had things he had to say and thought she would just let him talk.
"Evelyn.......I told him about his baby, your baby. When I saw you guys together, Danny looked so happy. I haven't ever seen him like that. He looked found. Like he was loved for the first time, and I had to tell him, I just thought maybe he would live, and come back to his family, like I came back to you. "Evelyn was frozen. She couldn't believe he was telling her all of this. She couldn't believe Rafe told Danny and she didn't.
"Oh Rafe no!"
"I'm so sorry Ev, but I had to." For the first time since they had both been standing there, Rafe looked over at Evelyn. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Her hair was blowing in the breeze; her eyes were puffy with tears as if she had been crying before she came there. He didn't know what else to say.
"I'm not sure I can be here anymore." Evelyn looked up into the eyes she loved so much, but they didn't look like they use to. They use to be loving, adventurous eyes willing to try anything. Now they had a type of glaze over them, like he didn't feel like going on, like he could give up at any moment.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, I think I'm gonna go back to Tennessee. It just seems right. When I went to bury Danny last week, I found out a lot of things that I didn't know about Danny. That is where we lived and I can't just not be there anymore. I came here to be a pilot, with Danny, and with Danny not here-"
"I understand" was all she said
"But, you can come with me. If you want I mean, you don't have to"
"Well, I don't know Rafe, I live here."
"Yea, well, it's getting cold; you might need to get back. I don't want you to catch a cold or anything."
"Okay Rafe, I'll hope to see you soon." With that they both went separate ways. Rafe went to the barracks and Evelyn went to her house that she shared with 2 other nurses.
The next day, Rafe was in his room packing. He missed Evelyn. He wanted to be there with her. He had found so much stuff about Danny when he went back to his house. Like how Danny lived. He knew he lived in a broken down house, but a house without a kitchen? Rafe used to go over to Danny's before it got really bad with his father. They kept talking about how they were going to fix it all up. His room was very different then he remembered. When he was younger Danny's room like a little bigger then what it really was. But it was about the size of a large closet. Danny's stuff sat in his room, the stuff that he had. A pair of shoes, a change of close, a pile of pillows were he slept, and an old china plate where he had his last meal in that house. He moved in with Rafe after his father had killed himself with a gun when Danny was about 14.
Rafe didn't think Evelyn would ever forgive him. I guess I won't see her again. Rafe thought. He finished packing his bag and headed out the door. A taxi was waiting for him. He loaded his stuff in the back and got in. Looking back, leaving the worst part of his life behind. Except maybe Evelyn.
