Things Only Musician Understand

Part Eleven: JJ's Journal

Our flight was the wrong flight. We ended up in central Japan instead of Beijing. They're telling us that the only available next flight is in a week. so we either swim, or we wait. I'm surprised that they didn't make us swim. I've been wandering around some in the market, because we were all told we had the next week off, all we had to do was show up on time, or we were out of the battalion and they were leaving us here too. Searching in the market, was eye opening. People here work hard for any of the money they can get. I came to jeweler who was making a pendant, and etching words into the back, when I asked him what it was. He looked at me, like Eliza does when she's determined, or in the middle of really hot sex. "It is a pendant that I made, to ward off spirits, from the lucky wearer. Demons in particular, because they are everywhere." he said in haltering English, with lots of hand gestures. "I understand the sentiment. How much do you want for it?" I asked thinking of Eliza. But instead he leaned into me, and whispered "do your job, as a good man, and you , can have, for free, no charge." I promised him, and have written to him on the things that I have done. He gave me the pendant, and I put it around my neck, on the chain, that held my dog tags on it, to keep close to my heart, before I gave it to Eliza. On the chain, was also a ring, it had a black stone, and a simple band around it, engraved with the words "my fiery girl" on the inside. I have decided, that I will marry Eliza when I return, if she is not already promised to another.