EC+AM=4ever Chapter 46 | Teen Ink

EC+AM=4ever Chapter 46

March 20, 2010
By TeamJacobArchuleta ELITE, Chicago, Illinois
TeamJacobArchuleta ELITE, Chicago, Illinois
183 articles 7 photos 484 comments

Favorite Quote:
He's the one I call in the middle of the night. He's the one who makes everything alright. He loves me with no regret...I just haven't found him yet.


August 4, 2009
9:30 a.m.
Evalynne’s House


Ding Dong

I yawned and stretched my arms up above my head as I climbed out of bed to answer the front door. I quickly ran my fingers through my hair, trying to make myself look at least slightly good-looking.

I got downstairs and opened up the door to see a man dressed in some kind of military uniform on my doorstep. “Hello, are you Mrs. Mongolia?” he asked, his voice deep and imperceptible. It felt so strange to hear someone call me Mrs. Mongolia. But that wasn’t my main concern right now.

There were a million thoughts racing through my head. This meant that either something really bad happened to Ash or something really good happened to him. I was hoping with all of my heart that it was the latter. Especially after the scare I’d had the other night.

“Um, yes. Yes, I am.” I choked out, smoothening out the hem of my t-shirt and swallowing hard.

He nodded slightly and opened his mouth to speak, managing to keep a straight and emotionless face the entire time. “I’m sorry to notify you about the death of your husband, Ash Mongolia, who passed away at our base hospital on Monday, August 3. We, the officers and men of this base, want you to know that we share your grief in this time of sorrow.”

My eyes filled with tears, I felt faint, this couldn’t be happening to me. This had to be some kind of sick joke. Maybe I was getting Punk’d. But I knew I wasn‘t. “He’s dead?” I squeaked out, my voice wavering and hoarse.

“I’m sorry.” he replied, his face still completely free of any emotion. How could he just stand there and tell me that my husband was dead while managing to keep a straight face the whole time?

I opened my mouth to speak, but I couldn’t get any words past the huge lump in my throat. This time it was true. He really was gone. I cried so hard that the whimpering sounds escaping the back of my throat sounded un-humanly. “No!” I cried, shaking my head. “That can’t be true! He just texted me the other day saying he was ok!”

I watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down as he swallowed. He stuck out his hand, which held a formal looking letter. I took it from him with shaking hands, barely able to read the text through my tears.

Dear Mrs. Mongolia,

We hope that it will be a comfort for you to know that your husband will be given full military honors and religious rites at the funeral. Our deceased comrades here rest in a beautiful, well-kept cemetery near the base. Each man occupies an individual grave and a beautiful white cross is placed at the head of the grave. Each man’s name appears on the cross.

May the benediction of our Heavenly Father be on you and other surviving members of the family.

Most sincerely,


Wallace H. Petri


Chaplain (Capt) USA



That was it, just those few simple lines. But I couldn’t even stand to read those few. My heart was pounding so hard, I thought it might explode. Ash, the one I fought for, the one I cried for, the one I married. The one I fell in love with. Dead. He was dead. Gone for good.

I would never get to see him laugh or smile again. I’d never get to kiss him again. He’d never hold me in his arms again. He was dead.

This wasn’t fair. He didn’t deserve to die. He was fighting for his country, serving in the military. He was a hero, he was my husband. It just wasn’t fair. Why him? There were tons of guys in the military, yet out of all of them, it was him that had to go.

My knees began to shake and before I knew it, they gave out and I collapsed to the ground. “Ash!” I screeched, as if he would come back. But he was gone. Forever. “No!”

The military officer stood there, looking awkward as his eyes wandered around. He was probably thinking: Ok, what do I do now? This girl’s in hysterics. Do I just walk away? Or run for my life?

But I got a hold of myself. At least enough to stand up again. “How did he die?” I managed to choke out through my tears. I at least wanted to know that much.

The man cleared his throat and told me. “He died Monday morning due to a gunshot to the chest. The medical officers did everything they possibly could to save him, but the wound was much too severe. He just…wasn’t strong enough.”

No, he couldn’t be saying that. Ash was strong enough. I knew he was. This guy didn‘t know Ash like I did. Ash was strong enough. They had to have done something wrong. “But he can’t be dead!” I shouted. “He can’t be gone! I texted him yesterday morning!”

“I’m very sorry, Mrs. Mongolia. I’d like you to know that you have my sympathy.”

“I don’t need your sympathy! I need Ash!” Now even I thought I was a lunatic. But when the love of your life dies, you can’t really control your emotions very well. He just couldn’t be dead. Why couldn’t it have been me? Why couldn’t it have been me that had her life taken away from her?

But Ash was my life. So actually, I had had my life taken away from me. Like Cole said before he left for Michigan, everything happens for a reason. It’s fate. And when fate happens, you have to look for the good in it. Even when it seems horrible.

But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t find the good in this. Ash didn’t deserve this. He didn’t do anything wrong. That’s one question that I’ve always wondered about. Why do bad things happen to good people?

Can anyone really give a logical answer to that? It just didn’t seem right. If you don’t deserve something, why does it still come? Ash didn’t deserve to die, so why did he?

“Like I said, I’m sorry. And I wish you the best. You’ll soon be contacted about the funeral.” He nodded his head subtly and then turned on his heel and walked away. I shut the front door and leaned my back against it, sliding down to the ground, my tears flowing freely.

That same empty feeling of loss and sorrow that I’d felt the night the power went out returned to me. Except this time it was ten times worse because I didn’t even have that one small ounce of hope. It had already happened. It was done and I couldn’t back and fix it. It had happened. I had lost him.

But it wasn’t fair. He’d carved EC+AM=4ever into that tree for a reason. Because he was promising me that we’d be together forever. What about the text he’d sent me on June 28th? The one saying: But it’s better to miss each other, knowing it won’t last forever than to miss each other, knowing we’ll never get to see each other again.

Well now I knew just how right he was. The pain I felt at that moment was so deep, so severe, so awful, so depressing, so empty…it was like nothing I’d ever felt before. Like nothing I’d ever even imagined was possible. How could one feel this terrible over one person?

Life just wasn’t fair. It seemed that no matter how hard you tried to do the right thing, how good of a person you were, how much you loved someone, you still ended up miserable in the end. But that was just how life was.

Relationships fell apart. Friendships ended. Hearts were broken. Lovers were lost and taken away from each other. But no matter what, the love never does die.


The author's comments:
Probably the saddest chapter in the entire story...

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This article has 20 comments.


samwich7 said...
on Nov. 8 2011 at 7:45 am
samwich7, No, New York
0 articles 0 photos 55 comments
I've been reading this story for hours. Now I'm crying. 

on Nov. 4 2011 at 1:11 pm
Mynameislindsayy SILVER, Seattle, Washington
7 articles 8 photos 52 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I'd rather just except who I am, what's the use of trying to change?"

I am in school right now crying. WHY??!?!!??!

Catiestar GOLD said...
on Jun. 30 2011 at 1:40 am
Catiestar GOLD, Clayton, New Jersey
17 articles 0 photos 54 comments

Favorite Quote:
You be the anchor that keeps my feet on the ground, I'll be the wings that keep your heart in the clouds <3

This is why the world should get over their stupid petty arguments and make a pact for some world peace! Makes me so mad that families are torn apart for these dumb arguments>.>

Catiestar GOLD said...
on Jun. 30 2011 at 1:38 am
Catiestar GOLD, Clayton, New Jersey
17 articles 0 photos 54 comments

Favorite Quote:
You be the anchor that keeps my feet on the ground, I'll be the wings that keep your heart in the clouds <3

WHYYY?!?!?! Why Ash??? Nooo!

on May. 1 2011 at 2:16 pm
twix.n.pixi.stix7 GOLD, Stewartsville, New Jersey
11 articles 0 photos 32 comments

Favorite Quote:
"you can dream big
or you can dream small
the important thing
is that you're dreaming at all"
~me! haha i wrote that :)

meanie! how can u possibly be happy?? >:(

on Apr. 21 2011 at 9:15 am
eileentotheleft BRONZE, Los Alamos, New Mexico
4 articles 0 photos 31 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Perfectly perfect is fine (or so the story goes), but nature left all on her own will make the perfect rose." -Persnickity

ha. I agree. Don't worry about it, though, she'll have another guy in a few days.

on Jan. 13 2011 at 2:44 pm
xXmusicluvr4lifeXx BRONZE, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
4 articles 0 photos 56 comments
same for me lol...this is my 3rd time reading the whole series & this part still makes me cry even though i'm rooting for cole haha :)

StormyNight said...
on Sep. 15 2010 at 8:47 pm
StormyNight, Yucaipa, California
0 articles 0 photos 14 comments

Favorite Quote:
Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die!

NO!!! How could you make him die? So sad!

on Aug. 26 2010 at 8:26 am
MythicWeaver BRONZE, Hampton Bays, New York
2 articles 0 photos 22 comments

Favorite Quote:
There is no such thing as coincidence, there is only the inevitable

your writing is amazing but still........

AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!


on Aug. 20 2010 at 2:17 am
HippieNamedAnna PLATINUM, Kansas City, Missouri
21 articles 7 photos 90 comments

Favorite Quote:
Let It Be-The Beatles
Music is the only thing that makes sense any more-Me
Make love, not war-a bunch of people
Roses are red, Violets are blue, I have five fingers, The middle one's for you-Me :)

NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IM LIKE, IN TEARS NOW!!!!!

Emmaline said...
on Aug. 8 2010 at 4:01 pm
YESSSS!!!  I was totally happy when i read this!  i was all like 'thats what u get stupid girl!'

on Jul. 29 2010 at 12:14 pm

How did I know this was coming.

-.-


on Jul. 15 2010 at 10:03 pm
pinkypromise23 PLATINUM, Cranston, Rhode Island
30 articles 0 photos 412 comments

Favorite Quote:
i know that you believe you understand what you think i said, but im not sure you realize that what you heard is not what i meant.

as much as i hate ash, im crying right now.

on Jul. 12 2010 at 2:46 am
sundaelover116 BRONZE, Ann Arbor, Michigan
3 articles 0 photos 17 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind" ~Dr. Suess

D*** war!!!!!!!!!!

on Jun. 16 2010 at 8:45 am
whyshouldIlove SILVER, Algiers, Other
6 articles 4 photos 56 comments

Favorite Quote:
Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead. Benjamin Franklin

I've already read that months ago, but I just wanted to re-read it again and Im crying so bad right now!

on May. 23 2010 at 10:44 pm
ashkash95 SILVER, New Hyde Park, New York
9 articles 0 photos 99 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Love never fails." 1 Corinthians 13:8

OMG HE CAN'T DIE! I HATE YOU FOR THIS! (lol but this story is absolutely amazing)

on May. 10 2010 at 11:54 pm
feartheuntypical GOLD, Nelson, Other
13 articles 0 photos 46 comments

Favorite Quote:
A writer is somebody for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.
- Thomas Mann

Ash annoys me but I still cried when I read this. 

Emmaline said...
on May. 4 2010 at 10:55 am
I also like this part alot! I don't like Ash what so ever! When I read this for the first time, I was nearly bouncing off the walls it made me so happy!  =-)

on Apr. 17 2010 at 6:23 pm
TeamJacobArchuleta ELITE, Chicago, Illinois
183 articles 7 photos 484 comments

Favorite Quote:
He's the one I call in the middle of the night. He's the one who makes everything alright. He loves me with no regret...I just haven't found him yet.

lol i'm sorry it made u sad, but i'm also pretty amazed and excited that my writing actually got through to u. thanx so much for reading it :)

on Apr. 17 2010 at 1:26 pm
Lost-In-Life GOLD, Whitby, Other
11 articles 0 photos 299 comments

Favorite Quote:
It's never to late, if it weren't for the last minute many things would never get done!

I'm so sad right now! Why do you have to write such a sad book!