Shadows of Shelly

Shelly - The Chalange Part 14c

FOURTEEN-c

Shelly – The Chalange

They looked at my Brit with awe.

Brit spoke, "I am sorry that I upset many of you. Combat is a bad place to die. I respect each one of you for having the courage to be here. You have an awesome task before you. It is a job that leads to death. Most of you are battling for a country where you were not raised. If you live, you will be a hero. We are brothers and depend on each other to stay alive.

Not only are we fighters, but we are rescuers. We save people from harm who cannot protect themselves. For that, your new country will reward you with citizenship. Your wives and children will gaze upon you with esteem. If I shout at you, it is to challenge you to be a brother among brothers. Thank you, let the battles begin."

They cheered for Brit. There were gleams in their eyes. Some had tears. No one had called them brothers in years. One burly former prisoner said. "I read your books for several years. Can your fiancé whip any man?"

"Let me tell you the truth, she is only one of five people who ever whipped me. Her Daddy and three of her uncles taught both of us. She knows over a dozen ways to kill a man with one blow. If you disrespect her, get your buddies to dig your grave. You will need it!"

"Sir, no disrespect, I read it in this book." He holds up a Son of Dog comic book. "I suppose you have a kick-butt dog also." Everyone laughs!

"Nobody owns Son of Dog. He is my friend. If he likes you, he will lick your face. If not, you better run for your life." Everyone gathered around the man to look at the amusing book. Comics are his best reading level. If he does not understand the words, he looks at the pictures, and makes up his own words.

Brit said, "We in leadership have to talk and illustrate what we say on their level. This is absence of judgment. They are not dumb but are limited by their lack of education. They understand what it means to be a brother and want the respect of their families. If it takes a Son of Dog comic, so what!"

"You frighten me, even though you realize what you are doing. Your brain computes faster than anyone with whom I am familiar. The part about me whipping you was stretching the truth."

"No, it wasn't. Eleven years ago, you whipped me when I was thirteen. That is when I fell in love with you. You knocked sense into me. Until then, no one cared whether I lived or died. My gift of knowledge was received when you unlocked something in me that I did not see in myself.

Believe me when I say you can thrash any of these front-line guards. They have not had a good workout in years. They appear to be mean and tough, but it is all bluff. I had to challenge them, in order, to get their attention.

War is not pretty. There has to be a reason to be better prepared than our enemies. It is more than patriotism. It is protection of our friends and families when the enemy is at our borders. It is more understandable than any idealism. Remember that I talk to dogs. They talk back through wagging their tails, growling and giving looks of approval."

Brit made sense. My thoughts accumulated as my love accelerated in additions of affection and appreciation.