Against all odds (Reg Slivko - Thomas Mann Fic)

Letters

The citizens received the news of the withdrawal of the North American troops from Vietnam with enthusiasm. The spontaneous celebrations spread throughout the country like wildfire. The return of the soldiers, demanded for several years by the pacifist movements, now becomes a dream come true for the lucky families that hasn't lost their children, parents and husbands in the fight.

Among the soldiers, the exaltation was no less. After years of living and struggling in foreign lands, the return feels like a balm destined to heal all wounds, physical and emotional.

At the Da Nang air base, a relaxed atmosphere was already present. Soldiers celebrated the good news by drinking beer and listening Time has Come Today from The Chamberes Brothers.

"Hey! Mills!" said Reles drawing his mate's attention. They were sitting around a small table playing poker. "How many letters do you end up writing her?"

"Ten... fifteen..." Mills replied without thinking it too much.

"How many she wrote you?" ask Slivko.

"I don't know... three, forth..."

"Man, you have a shitty mom" said Cole who was sitting near reading Moby Dick. Everyone laugh out loud.

"Thanks for cleaned that up, Cole. Thank you" said Mills laughing like everyone else.

"What about you Slivko?" ask Reles.

"My mom is the best" answer the soldier still laughing.

"That's for sure!" said Mills, "She wrote you, what? Hundreds of letters?"

"Those aren't from his mom" said Cole who had returned to his reading, "They are from his girlfriend".

Slivko choked while everyone cheered.

"Really?" said Mills skeptically. "Little Slivko has a girlfriend? Who would say it, miracles happen!" Everyone laughed again.

"Actually... it's my ex-girlfriend..." Slivko corrected them when he stopped coughing and regained the ability to speak.

"That's even better!" Mills encouraged him. "She must be willing to see you... if you know what I mean..." He winked and everyone burst out laughing again.

Slivko laughed too and allowed himself to fantasize about that idea. He wasn't very sure of the possibilities he had of going back to his ex, but the truth was that he missed her and hoped to be able to reconquering her. He knew that she loves him, had made it clear when he dump her to enlist in the army, and had stressed it in each and every one of her letters. But, it had been a couple of weeks since they had stopped coming and he was tortured by the idea that maybe she had found someone else, someone who was by her side and could give her everything that he, at that moment, couldn't. Therefore, when he heard that the United States was withdrawing from the war, he felt that fate gave him a new opportunity. Now he could go home and redeem himself.

Meg, meanwhile, had not heard about the events of the past few hours. She was in her room surrounded by a disaster. Had removed all her clothes and shoes from the closet and the drawers and seriously evaluated what to take and what not to her next trip. She was heading to an island in the middle of nowhere, so she rudely discarded a mountain of outgoing clothes, shoes and dresses that wouldn't do her any good. She was thinking how many pairs of sneakers should take when the phone rang.

"Are you watching the news?" received as a greeting as soon as she raised the horn.

"Hi Linda" Meg said, recognizing her BFF voice. "I'm in the middle of an existential crisis here..."

"Turn on the TV! It's on all the channels!" Linda interrupted.

Resigned and in an attempt to get rid of her friend as quickly as possible, Meg obeyed. It took her only a second to understand what she was seeing: the president of the United States, Richard Nixon, gave a speech:

«...We today have concluded an agreement to end the war and bring peace with honor in Vietnam. All American forces will be withdrawal ...»

The words came to her like darts, straight to the heart. Her legs loosened and she fell to his knees hitting the floor with the phone.

"Meg! Are you okay?" asked Linda alarmed.

She couldn't articulate a word, couldn't believe what she was hearing. Tears welled up as she remembered the day Reg told her he was going to Vietnam. She mentally reviewed all the letters that had sent him, thought of all those days, weeks, months, waiting for news. And now, there it was the best news ever.

"Meg! Are you okay?" Linda asked again. "MEG!"

"Yes," she said, coming to herself and standing up while trying to calm the beating of her heart. "Yes... I'm fine."

"They are returning home!" said Linda on the verge of crying and Meg smiled with tears in her eyes. "There's going to be a party to celebrate ... See you there?"

"No... I can't," said Meg remembering that she was in the middle of her room trying to assemble her suitcase to cross the ocean to an unknown island. "I'm leaving ... I got the job in LANDSAT..."

"WHAT?! That's great!"

"Yes..." Meg try to sound excited, but the news of the return of the troops had taken a 180 degree turn to her entire landscape.

"Did you tell him?"

"No... I don't write him anymore..." she replies remembering the decision she had made several weeks ago.

"What? Why?"

"He hasn't answered any of my letters Linda..." said Megan feeling a tight knot in the pit of his stomach that soon turned into anger. "What an idiot!"

"I'm sorry..."

"It's okay," she said, trying to control his emotions. "I have to keep packing, come to give me a good luck kiss"

"Of course, see you soon."

Meg hung up the phone and stays stuck in the middle of the room, looking at her suitcase half done. She was still on time, could call LANDSAT and say that her dog had died or something, decline the offer to be part of the expedition... could stay there, wait for him, see him, embrace him "God! Why I miss that idiot so much!" She thought. Was about to give up one of the most spectacular opportunities that had ever been presented to her. It was not fair. He had left her without thinking twice; left her to star in a massacre in another country. The very idea stirred her stomach. She tossed the phone to the bed and in less than ten minutes had her suitcase ready.