Page 45 of Love Story
Cody didn’t want to attract attention to himself, so he stayed and watched, unnoticed. The signs, the flowers, the setup. The guy was a romantic, for sure. Cody sort of wanted to see how the moment turned out.
Must be pretty sure she’ll say yes,Cody thought. The way he’d been sure when he asked Andi Ellison to marry him. Both times. He tried not to think about it. The guy—who Cody guessed was Trey—led the girl—Kaylee no doubt—to the flowers that lined the wall. Then he took the blindfold from her eyes.
Cody couldn’t hear them, but he could see Kaylee’s surprise. She was still clearly remarking over the sea of flowers when Trey led her to the easel. Now the girl was starting to get it. She put both hands over her mouth and then hugged the guy.
He was grinning so big, Cody had to smile, too.
Cody watched as Trey led the girl toward the lifeguard station. Only when they reached a spot with just the right view did she see the enormous sign. She took a few seconds to read it, and as she did, Trey dropped to one knee and pulled out a ring.
Kaylee must’ve said yes, because the two were instantly in an embrace that looked familiar for one reason. It was the same way Cody and Andi had held on to each other when they got engaged. When they were together.
The guy slipped the ring onto her finger and they held each other again. Just as the sun came up over the mountains behind them. The two kissed, lost in the moment.
This was Cody’s chance to find another beach. He’d waited long enough, and now that the surprise was over he needed to leave. A few parking lots down, he found a spot by himself. He rolled down the windows of his car and stared at the ocean. He had four days to find her and change her mind.
Open her heart to me, please, God. After the mess I’ve made of things, I can’t do this on my own.
With Me all things are possible, My son.
The words practically seemed audible. Cody loved when this happened, when God spoke to him in moments like this. Almost like a father. The encouragement made Cody more excited to go.
He watched the morning beach come to life, the seagulls as they began their dive for fish and the occasional jogger running along the shore. Suddenly Cody remembered a Bible verse from his reading time yesterday. It was from Lamentations. God’s compassions are new every morning.
Just like the beach. And working at Oaks Christian. Like his mother’s new life since she’d been out of prison. Everything had the chance for new life, because God’s grace and second chances were new every morning. Now Cody could just hope they’d be new for him and Andi.
Ideally, sometime in the next four days.
•••
THE ROAD WASrough beneath the Humvee, making Cody’s job harder. He sat shotgun, hisAR-15loaded and ready. Insurgents were moving into the streets at the edge of the city. Cody and his fellow soldiers had orders to get there and clear the buildings, anywhere the enemy might be hiding.
Cody looked around at his buddies, three of them across the backseat, and the one driving. They were his best friends. The five of them ate together and slept in the same tent together. Whenever they had a mission, they traveled together.
But for some reason Cody couldn’t remember their names.
He was about to ask the driver, when it happened. An explosion ripped through the jeep and suddenly blood was everywhere. Blood and body parts and screams, flying through the air, consuming Cody. He was still in the air, still spinning around above the desert floor, still surrounded by bloody body parts, and all of it was happening in slow motion. Only something was different now.
Something was terribly wrong with him.
Don’t look down, Coleman. Don’t do it.But the bodies of his friends cried out at him.Look what this war did to you, Cody... You have to look...
And his friends were missing limbs. One of them no longer had a head. And finally their voices won out and Cody stared at the place where his legs used to be. They were both missing. The body parts flying around the air were his own. I have no legs! He screamed the words.Someone help me! Someone catch my legs and put them back where they belong. I need them!
No matter how loud he screamed, no one listened. No one seemed to hear. So Cody tried to reach out and catch his legs himself.If I can just reach them, everything will be okay.He stretched out his hand for them, but his body wouldn’t cooperate, like his arms weren’t working at all.
Again he heard the frantic voices of his friends.See what this war did to you, Cody. See what it did.
Cody felt terror run through him. He didn’t want to look, didn’t want to know what had happened to his arms and hands. But he had no choice. He had to look hard through the blood still swirling around him, but as he did, he saw for himself.
His arms were missing. Both of them.
And then, with his own blood and body parts still spinning around him, Cody released a guttural scream like nothing he’d ever heard. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t feel his heartbeat, and then it occurred to him.
He must be dead.
God, how could this happen... I’m not ready to die. I was supposed to marry Andi Ellison. Please, God... put me back together. Please...
“Sir?” The voice was pleasant, kind.
