Two years I’ve been away. Two long years of hard work, dust, leaving you behind, and dust. But with all that we’ve been through… after all this time, I’m coming home to you.
This has been a rough tour, babe. I’ve come to know unimaginable pain because of all the things we’ve done. I’m not proud to admit this, but I’ve killed people. The things I’ve seen, the things I’ve done… well, they don’t matter because I’m finally coming home!

Your letters over the last two years have kept me warm, helped me through the storm of war. Other guys aren’t as lucky as me, so I thank God every day that I found you and that you have stuck around for so long. You’re an amazing person, babe. Most people would have left or cheated after two years. You’re a very rare breed of person.

I know how hard it can be not to have me there, but my heart’s always with you. My prayers have made it through, finally. Babe, I’m coming home to you. (No I won’t stop saying it).

To respond to some of your questions (since you’re a little worry wort), I’ve always been true. There’s no one else in the world for me but you. You hold my heart, my soul. You hold me in your hands. The trust we have is something I cherish, and I’d never break it. Not for any damn reason. Do you know how long I’ve waited to hold you?

The stars in the night are lending their light to bring me closer to you. Every night over the last two years, I would look up at the sky and hope you were too, so that we could stargaze like we used to. Do you remember that?

It’s okay because we can do that soon. I’m finally coming home to you.

Sincerely,
Your Gunslinger

My eyes flitted over the final sentence. He had come home all right. I’d got him and a flag. He didn’t hold me one last time. We never got to see the stars together again and for that, I would never forgive him. The words had given me so much hope, and he had shattered that in one damn day.

“Come on, Dean. It’s time for the funeral,” Gunslinger’s dad said, patting my back. “Time to say goodbye.”

Folding the letter up, I put it in my breast pocket. My eyes watered as I followed his dad out of our house and into the car.

“I know this is hard, Dean. He was my son,” Gunslinger’s dad said softly. “He’s watching over us now.”

I nodded, unable to form words. We followed the hearse in a line of cars as we made our way to Arlington. My tears finally came as I realized I was laying my husband to rest.

The car stopped and when it did, I took a moment to compose myself. It was hard to say goodbye to a loved one, especially one you hadn’t gotten much time with.

Following my father-in-law to our plot, I took more time to compose myself. I couldn’t let his brothers in arms see me as weak. I would be the last thought they had before we buried him.

The funeral passed in a blur. Before I knew it, we were saying goodbye, and my husband received his twenty-one gun salute. Now, it was my turn to say goodbye for the last time.

I stood by his coffin and laid a hand on it. “For those of you that don’t know, I often called my husband Gunslinger. He was a sniper, a true… gunslinger. We got married shortly after the Supreme Court ruled in our favor.” I smiled, remembering how Gunslinger had pulled out a ring that very day.

“Today would have been our fifth anniversary. Two of our five years he was away, and I’m glad he went out the way he wished. I’ll miss him every day, so today is for my husband, my gunslinger, my Grayson.”

His friends applauded and lowered my husband into the ground. My father-in-law and I stood to the side as dirt was piled on our loved one. We’d never see him again. When they were finished, we stared at his headstone. Twenty-nine years of life wasn’t enough.

“Come on, Dean. The stars are almost out.”

“Shane, I’ve got to stay,” I said, “I need to stargaze with Gunslinger one last time.”

Shane nodded and left. I looked at the freshly covered grave and sighed. Settling myself on the ground, I leaned against Gunslinger’s tombstone. I pulled the letter out of my pocket and set it against his headstone. Tilting my head back, I looked up at the stars that were just beginning to appear.

“You know, Gunslinger, they say the stars are bigger and brighter in Texas, but the stars here are even better. It’s like Mother Nature rearranged the sky so all the best stars shined down on those who gave their lives to our country.

“I always thought we’d grow old together, but you had other plans. I’m only a little upset, babe. You said you’d come back to me. I guess this works. I love you, Grayson. Always will. Now, let’s have on last stargaze.”

The sky darkened even more and the stars shined brighter than before. I smiled softly the.

“Happy anniversary, Gunslinger.”

A shooting star flashed across the sky, and I smiled for real. If I believed in angels, I’d say that was my Gunslinger giving me a message. He’d come back to me and I’m sure, in time, he’d guide me to another Gunslinger. Kissing my fingers, I touched his headstone and stood up.

Goodbye, my love.

Notes

Still doing my short stories based on songs. What are we thinking?