Chapter 18 I had been in a long dream. Now I was awake, back at the military base where I belonged. Aunt Martha made huge pots of her famous pot roast and set up several tables in the community yard. Everyone from the base helped prepare the meal, washing vegetables and cooking together before sitting down to eat. Everyone was smiling, everyone's eyes a little misty. They raised their glasses high: "Welcome home, Eleanor!" Mrs. Linda, now over eighty with dementia, shakily used her fork to put more pot roast on my plate. She kept saying, "Eleanor's too skinny! Eleanor needs to eat!" Luke, the neighbor boy who once gave me fireworks, tried to convince me to sneak into the restricted raining area on the weekend and got chased three blocks by his mother with a wooden spoon. she yelled as she ran after him: 'Stop teaching Eleanor your bad habits! Haven't you caused enough trouble?" The once-troublemaking boy now wore a crisp military uniform, serving under Preston. He squeezed through the crowd surrounding me, poured me a glass of cherry wine and said: 'Sometimes it feels like you never left at all, Eleanor." We'd been apart for seven years, but there wasn't a hint of awkwardness between us. Preston seemed to have had a few drinks, his eyes slightly red. He smiled: "That's right. Eleanor was always here." Aunt Martha stuck close to me, then noticed Preston with his drink. Her face darkened as she walked over and snatched the glass away: "You know your condition! How dare you sneak alcohol!" Everyone from the base chimed in: "Don't let him drink!" Chapter 18 General Miller couldn't hold back any longer: "Eleanor's home now, Preston." SP F "Take better care of yourself. Spend more time with her." "It's time to leave the Army, don't you think?" Aunt Martha replaced Preston's drink with warm water, her eyes reddening: 'I heard there'll be a Memorial Day parade next year, the biggest in decades." 'Our country keeps getting better, Preston. You need to get better too." Everyone's voices trembled as they agreed: 'Yes, your health comes first." Preston kept his eyes down, serving me food, only answering: "I'm fine." No one could convince him. I had no other option but to look after his health whenever I wasn't working. Aunt Martha made nutritious soups, and after my shifts, I'd bring them to him at the base. I personally made sure he took his medication morning and night. For his midday dose, I enlisted Luke to watch Preston take it. Months passed, and thankfully, Preston's health remained stable. Carter made the long journey to see me several times. I was surrounded by so many people at the base. My once-thin frame had filled out a bit. He would stand at a distance, watching me, his eyes full of sadness. I occasionally heard news. Carter and Vanessa had been fighting. She'd thrown hysterical fits to prevent him from visiting me. In one of her dramatic displays, she accidentally fell from a second-story window. She severely fractured her left leg and spent a long time in the hospital. This time, she really did end up with a scar on her face. Carter, lost in his thoughts, didn't visit her. After I left, he seemed to suddenly realize how much he'd wronged me. As a result, he began to resent Vanessa. My life continued peacefully. One evening, Preston finished early at the base and came to pick me up from the hospital. We headed home together under the warm summer moonlight. We took the bus, then got off and walked along the tree-lined path leading to the military housing area. Moonlight filtered through the trees, creating long, gentle shadows stretching ahead. It seemed to guide us toward an endless, bright future. Full of hope, I said to Preston: "Let's go to Boston together for the Memorial Day parade next year!" I made plans constantly, perhaps from a deep-seated fear I couldn't name. I believed that people who care about each other should fill their calendars with future promises-because until those dates arrive, we would both need to stay healthy and whole to keep them. In "A Relationship Kept in The Dark" by CrushReel, the storyline unfolds as renowned photographer Jane finds herself drawn to the charismatic rookie model, Hector. Little does she know that Hector harbors a secret—he is actually the heir to a powerful business empire. As their romance blossoms, Hector grapples with concealing his true identity to capture Jane's heart. However, their love story takes a tumultuous turn when jealousy rears its ugly head, threatening to unravel the delicate balance they've built. This modern romance novel delves into themes of hidden identities, unexpected love, and the complexities of maintaining a relationship shrouded in secrecy. 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