The Reluctant Warrior

~~~~~~

The next morning as I walked into my English class, I was greeted by the sound of applause by everyone in the room, Dr. Howell included.

"Thank you, everyone," I smiled, taking my seat as my face turned a bright red.

"Okay, class," Dr. Howell smiled, "Today we're going to talk about authors who made an impact on American history. Can anyone name a few?"

"Will Rogers," said the guy sitting in front of me.

"Very good," Dr. Howell proudly smiled, "And exactly how did he affect American history?"

"Well, it started with his "Daily Telegrams Volumes" that began during the Coolidge years and then went through to the Roosevelt years during his first term in office." The guy replied, "He called himself 'A Self-Made Diplomat'."

"Outstanding," Dr. Howell grinned, "Anyone else?"

"Allen Ginsburg," another girl replied, "He raised the American consciousness about the war in Vietnam."

"That war was a travesty," another girl said, "My father says that the American military had no right to be there to start with. After all, didn't they drop napalm on innocent women and children?"

"That's such bullshit," I dispassionately laughed, under my breath, or so I thought.

"You have something to add, Mister Duquesne?" Dr. Howell knowingly smiled.

After a small moments thought, I figured that I'd already opened my mouth so; I stood and said, "Yes, Ma'am...she's so full of shit."

"Really," Dr. Howell replied, "And what makes you say that?"

"Look," I began, "My father was a United States Navy SEAL who did four tours over there...and he told me that while most of the troops over there didn't necessarily agree with what they did, they did what they were ordered to do. Those orders came from the Grand Master of Destruction himself, President Lyndon B. Johnson so; if want to cast blame, then blame him and not the precious souls that went over there as strangers and came home as brothers." And by this time angry tears were pouring down my cheeks as I looked at Dr. Howell and asked, "May I please be excused?"

She said nothing, simply nodding her head as I was leaving the room.

~~~~~~

I cut my next class and went home to find Carly getting dressed to go to class.

It was then that I discovered how well she knew me as she looked at my face and asked, "What's wrong, baby?" And after explaining what had just taken place in my English class, she put her arms around me and said, "That why I love you so much...not only because of that beautiful heart that God gave you, but because you don't hesitate to stand up for what is right."

"Then why do I feel like shit right now?" I glumly asked.

"I don't know, sweetheart," she softly replied, "That's something you're going to have to work out for yourself."

Suddenly I had an idea, and smiling at Carly, I said, "Come with me to my parents house today."

"I can't," she giggled, "I've got class today, silly boy."

"Alright then," I smiled, "I'm going down there this morning and I'll be back sometime late this afternoon."

"I love you, Chris," she replied, hugging me tightly, "And don't ever forget that."

"I know, baby," I smiled, lightly patting her ass, "I love you, too."

~~~~~~

"Hey, boy," Dad smiled, coming out onto the front porch as I pulled into the driveway, "Why aren't you in class?"

"I've got something I need to talk to you about, Dad," I solemnly replied, getting out of my car, "And it's important, too."

"Uh oh," he said, "Come on into the house, son. Tell your Dad all about it."

~~~~~~

"Son, that war is still a sore spot to a lot of people, and it will be for a very long time," Dad told me, once I'd explained what was bothering me, "And while I, for one, appreciate what you did, I want you to stop dwelling on the past and look ahead to the future. You have your whole life ahead of you, Chris. Think about that instead of old broken down war horses like me."

"Come on, Dad," I laughed, "You're not old, or broken down."

"That's true," he laughed, "And I can still kick your ass on my worst day."

"I don't think so," I teased, "Besides, I don't fight geriatric patients."

"Ha ha," Dad grinned, "I'll show you geriatric, ya little shit."

The visit with Dad was just what I needed to help me get my focus back. And as I look back now, I realize that I was blessed to have the parents I had.

~~~~~~

"Hi, baby," Carly sweetly smiled, as I arrived back home that evening, "Are you alright?"

"I'm better now," I softly replied, sweeping her into my arms, "I love you so very much, Carly, and I always will."

"I know, baby," she cooed, "And I love you so very much, too."

~~~~~~

We slept in that next morning as neither of us had class until later in the day. The words that my father had spoken to me the day before weighed heavy on my heart, which made me do what I did next.

While she was still asleep, I called my parents to get a little help, financially. And after I told them of my plan, of course Mom was for it.

Then I took one of Carly's rings, left her a note that said I'd stepped out to "go to the store", then made my way to a place that would help seal our future together.

~~~~~~

I went to a jewelry store that was about five blocks from the campus, got out of my car and then went inside.

To make a long story short, I bought a solitaire, one-carat Marquis-cut diamond on a twenty-four carat gold band, which by pure luck, was the exact same size as Carly's ring.

~~~~~~

Carly was still asleep when I got back to the house so; I was able to put her ring back in it's place so that she wouldn't miss it. Then I began to make us some breakfast, as I knew the smell of food cooking would wake my beautiful angel from her sleep.

~~~~~~

"Good morning, Baby," Carly yawned, coming into the kitchen and hugging me from behind while I stood at the stove, "You're up kind of early aren't you? Is everything alright?"

"Baby, I'm alright," I knowingly smiled, "I just happened to wake up a little early, that's all."

"Good," she grinned, "I'm starving. What're you cooking?"

"Western Omelets with Biscuits and Gravy," I smiled, "Sit down and I'll make you a cup of coffee."

"Okay, sweetie," she happily chirped, taking a seat at the kitchen table.

~~~~~~

After class that afternoon, Carly and I made love, and afterwards I told her, "I want you to call all of our friends, baby, we're going Pepper's tonight, because I've got something very important to discuss with everyone, okay?"

"Anything for you," she softly replied, as she tenderly kissed my lips.

~~~~~~

That night at Pepper's all of our friends were there, roughly thirty people in all. We ate, drank, and most of all simply enjoyed the company of one another.

It was beginning to get late when I suddenly climbed up onto the table, and making sure that I was loud enough so that everyone in the whole place could hear me, I said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, can I have your attention, please?" And as soon as the whole place went silent, I continued, "There's girl in here that most of you know. Her name is Carly Banks, and I want everyone to know that I love her with all of my heart. I also want you all to know that I'd die if I ever had to live without her so; I'm asking her in front of all of you fine people here tonight if she would do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Then I hopped down off of the table and pulled the ring box out of my pocket, and looking into Carly's beautiful blue eyes, I smiled and said, "Will you marry me, Carly?"

"Yes," she began to cry, "Yes, I'll marry you," which elicited a loud round of applause from the whole restaurant as I placed the ring on her finger.

"Did I make a big enough fool of myself for you, baby?" I asked, smiling.

"Oh, shut up and kiss me," she replied smiling, as tears of joy rained down her face.

For the rest of the night, people stopped by our table on their way out to offer their congratulations. The owner of the restaurant even gave us, Carly and I, our meals and drinks that night for free; but most of all, the radiant smile on my beautiful Carly's face made everything so worthwhile.

~~~~~~

"I can't begin to tell you how very much I love you, Chris," Carly told me, that night as we lay down to go to sleep.

"You already have, my love," I yawned, as she curled up beside me, "You already have..."

~~~~~~

Later on that night, I woke to the sounds of Carly crying in her sleep. And as I put my hand on her shoulder to wake her from whatever nightmare that was plaguing her; she suddenly sat straight up in the bed, and at the top of her lungs, screamed "CHARLES, NO, STOP...PLEASE DON'T. NOOOOOOOO."

"CARLY, it's me, Chris," I said, turning on the light, "It's okay baby, I'm right here."

"Oh, Chris," she cried, melting in my arms, "I'm sorry, baby."

"Shh," I soothed her, holding her closely to me, "It's okay now, baby girl. I'm right here and I'm not going to let anyone or anything harm you."

It was right then and there that I decided that it was time for that asshole, Charles Leboux, to pay for his sins. And I was going to personally make sure that the proverbial book would be thrown at him for what he did to Carly when she was still a young girl.

~~~~~~

I had an early class the next morning, but a phone call to Dr. Barnes, informing him of what was about to go down, excused me from being there and he told me that he would allow me to make up anything I missed.

~~~~~~

As soon as Carly left for class, I got on the phone and called the one person I trusted more than anyone...my father. I told him about what had happened to Carly when she was young, as well as who was responsible.

And when I was done, he asked, "What do you need me to do, son? I'll help you anyway I can."

"It's like this, Dad," I told him, "I did some digging and I found out that there is no statute of limitations on statutory rape; and I want this motherfucker's head on a platter."

"Alright, son, you keep cool," he calmly replied, "And I'll be there in an hour."

"Thanks, Dad," I smiled, "I knew I could count on you."

"And as long as you're doing the right thing," he said, "I'll always be there for you, too. Do you get my drift, boy?"

"I don't understand, Dad," I replied, "What do you mean?"

"This is what I mean," he said, "We're going to catch this asshole the legal way. We're not going to rush over there like a couple of vigilantes on a war crusade, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," I smiled, "Thanks again, Dad."

"You're welcome, son" he replied, right before hanging up, "I'll see you in a little while."

Okay," I grinned, "Bye, Dad," and then we hung up the phone.

~~~~~~

Knowing that Dad wasn't due for at least another hour, I decided to go for a run, this time though, I was going to run around the entire university campus. That would burn up enough time to allow me to not only work off some of the nervous energy I had, but also enough time to be showered and ready when Dad arrived.

All kinds of things went through my mind as I ran that day. The thoughts of Dad's teachings were also weighing heavily within as well. But most of all I thought of my beautiful Carly. And I realized that, until I met her, I'd been watching life pass by me from the sidelines, and that it was her and only her that would make, and keep me whole.

Granted, I may have only been twenty years old at the time, but because of the influence of my father from such a young age; I had seemingly been given a kind of wisdom that was a few years beyond my own.

~~~~~~

After I finished my run, and had showered and cleaned up, I was drinking a glass of orange juice in the kitchen when I heard Dad's truck pulling up in the driveway outside. And the first thought that came to my mind was "Thank God, the cavalry has arrived."

~~~~~~

"Hey, Dad," I smiled, as he walked into the house, "Thanks for coming."

"You're welcome, son," Dad replied, "But I've been giving this thing a lot of thought on the drive up here, and before we do anything else; you and I need to have a talk."

"What do we need to talk about?" I replied, as I handed Dad a soft drink from the refrigerator, "That son of a bitch, Charles Leboux raped Carly when she was only sixteen and now he's gonna pay for it."

"And I agree with you whole heartedly, Chris," Dad said, as we sat down at the table, "But before we do anything, I want you to tell me something."

"What?" I asked, "What is it?"

Dad sat up straight in his chair, looked me directly in the eyes, and then said, "How do you feel about Carly...I mean, how do you really feel about this girl, Chris?"

"I love her so much it hurts," I said, "I mean, I don't know what I'd do without her. I asked her to marry me ya know."

"No, I didn't know that, son," Dad smiled, his eyes filling with happy tears, "Now you know how I feel about your Mom."

"I thought that SEALs didn't cry," I teased, "But that's okay, Dad, I won't tell anyone."

"Have I ever told you what a pain in the ass you can be sometimes, boy?" Dad chuckled.

Yeah," I laughed, "You've told me that several times over the years."

~~~~~~

"Alright," Dad said, "This how we're going to do this thing with Leboux. As soon as Carly gets here, the first thing we've got to do is to take her to meet with an old friend of mine."

"She doesn't know about what I'm doing, Dad," I admitted, "I'd like to keep her out of the loop on this if I can."

"I hate to tell you this, Chris," Dad pointedly replied, "But unless she formerly files charges, and is willing to testify against him in court, then we have no case and Charles Leboux will get away with statutory rape."

~~~~~~

When Carly came home from class that afternoon, she was wearing that beautiful smile that made my knees go weak every time I saw it. She was especially happy that day when she saw Dad's truck in the driveway.

"Jake" Carly smiled, hugging Dad, "What're you doing here?"

"What," Dad teased her, "I can't come up here to see my soon to be daughter-in-law?"

"I know that Chris told you," she giggled, kissing Dad on the cheek and then showed him the ring I bought, "Besides, we haven't told anyone yet."

Dad suddenly stood up, and catching Carly totally by surprise, Dad lifted her off of the ground and into his arms. And then after kissing her on the cheek, he smiled and told her, "Welcome to our family, baby girl."

"Thank you...Daddy," Carly sweetly giggled, making Dad blush brightly.

"You're welcome, pretty girl." He grinned, regaining his composure, "But there's something we've got to talk about."

~~~~~~

Chapter Eight

"What is it?" Carly asked, smiling suspiciously, "What're you two rascals up to?"

"This is pretty serious, baby," I solemnly replied, the smile suddenly disappearing from her face, "We're going after that asshole, Leboux, and he's going to pay for what he did to you...I can't stand seeing you wake up in the middle of the night, covered in sweat and tears, not to mention being terrified any longer."

"I can't let you do this, Chris," Carly began to cry, "Charles Leboux is a very dangerous man. I don't want to see you, or your father get hurt."

"That's not gonna to be happening in this lifetime, baby-girl," Dad protectively replied, "At least not by anyone or anything where Leboux is concerned. You rest easy, Carly, but I need to ask you some questions..." and then turning and looking at me, Dad said,

"Oh, ok," I said, "What do you want me to do?"

After reaching into his pocket, Dad fished out a twenty-dollar bill. Then handing it to me, he dismissively replied, "Go get a burger or something. Come back in an hour or so."

"Ok," I smiled, leaning down and kissing Carly, "I love you, sweetie. Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'll be okay," she replied, "And I love you, too, baby."

~~~~~~

Carly later told me what happened between her and Dad.

She said that, right after I left, Dad told her, "My son tells me that Charles Leboux raped you at sixteen, while he was married to your mother."

"Yes, sir," Carly meekly replied, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"Hey, hey, sweetie," Dad said, quickly taking her hand, "It's okay, Carly. We're going to make this asshole pay for what he did to you."

"I need to tell you something, Mister Duquesne," Carly said; fear saturating her tone of voice, "Charles said that if I ever told anyone about what he did, he would kill my mother and my little sister."

"That evil bastard," Dad angrily hissed, "What else did he say?" And when Dad noticed Carly's hesitation, as well as the look of pure terror washing across her face, his voice as he tenderly told her, "I'll tell you what...let's start at the beginning, why don't we..."

~~~~~~

I took Dad's advice and headed down to Pepper's to get something to eat. However, as opposed to having a burger, Pepper's was infamous for their hot wings and shrimp combos. And because Carly there to pick through my shrimp the way she always, and still to the day does, I was looking forward to actually being able to eat the whole thing.

"Hey, Chris," smiled Liz, one of the bartenders, "How are you?"

"Doing good," I grinned, "How are you, Liz?"

"Oh, you know," she giggled, "Same shit, different day. Oh, I meant to tell you what a great job I thought you did playing Spartacus."

"Thank you," I humbly replied, "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"Are you kidding?" she smiled, "My boyfriend and I saw it both nights, and you were great."

"I'm glad you enjoyed," I grinned, "In the mean time, let me have some Buffalo wings, hot, with Coconut Shrimp."

"You got it," she smiled, "And what to drink?"

"Unsweet iced tea," I smiled.

"It'll be a few minutes," she said, "But I'll be right back with your tea."

~~~~~~

The food was good, as usual, and after a piece of cheesecake for dessert, I was ready to go back home, and back to Carly and Dad.

~~~~~~

I don't know why things happen the way they do, but as soon as I walked past the alley behind Pepper's; I saw three of what looked like gang member, surrounding what looked like a college student.

As I neared the scene unfolding in front of me, I saw that the college student was the same football player whose ass I had kicked defending Kevin. Part of me wanted to keep on going, but the other part of me said that I needed to go help.

So, listening to that part of my conscious, I walked into the middle of the four men. And not knowing the football player's name, I looked at him and said, "What's going on, Dude?"

"I'll tell you what's going on," snarled the biggest of the gang members, "If you keep walking then you won't be harmed, asshole." Using my peripheral vision, I noticed that one of the gang members had a gun stuck into the front of his pants. So, as opposed to causing a fracas, I quickly snatched hold of the gun, taking it from the hoodlum asshole it belonged to. And then pointing it in the direction of the gang members, I pulled the hammer back and growled, "I'm giving you three the opportunity to leave unharmed. If not, you will, all three, regret it, I promise you."

Suddenly I was rushed, and because it was coming from the right side, I went to kick my attacker in the face until the football player grabbed him by the hair and began pounding on the attacker's face with his fist. And by the time everything was over, two of the three gang members were lying on the ground, out cold, and the other was pinned to the wall, his own gun placed firmly at his throat.

Once the police had arrived and taken our statements, as well as the three assholes into custody, the football player looked at me, and extending his hand, said, "My name is Mike Thompson, you're Chris Duquesne, and it's damn good to meet you."

"Hi, Mike," I smiled, "It's good to meet you, too."