Nathan had had a rough past year. Only a couple of years back, he had been climbing the army ranks fast, but an ambush in the war zone had seen him sustain severe injuries on his legs.
He was soon dismissed from the army on medical grounds, and from there, his life began on a downward spiral. He sunk into depression, yet life did not stop for him.
Nathan had to sustain himself, and the only job he could find was working for the city as a garbage man. He was determined to stay afloat, and he took his job seriously.
“Stop for a second!” Nathan said abruptly, forcing the garbage truck driver to come to a sudden stop. They were doing their rounds around the estates collecting garbage.
“What is it, Nathan?” wondered Owen, staring intently ahead.
They stopped in front of a newly renovated house, and Nathan could make out what seemed to be a burial flag hanging from the dumpster
“I hope that’s not what I think it is!” he said, quickly grabbing the door handle and jumping out.
He bolted towards the dumpster and could not believe it when he realized what he’d seen was indeed a burial flag. “How could anyone have so much disrespect for a man that served this country to his last breath?” Nathan muttered under his breath.
Upon close inspection, he found a display case right under the flag. He seemed to recognize the name engraved on the case — James. Nathan and James had been deployed to the South after the war broke out, and he tearfully remembered how James had saved his life on the battlefield.
[Nathan] was falling in love with the young woman, and it seemed like a dream far out of reach to imagine himself with her. After all, it was barely a day since they met.
Even though Nathan left the battlefield severely wounded, so much so that his dismissal from service was imminent, he was grateful to James for saving his life.
It shocked him that James was dead. But at that moment, he was more concerned that James’ family could disrespect him so much that they threw away his burial flag.
That evening, as he sat in his apartment, Nathan could not suppress the bitter taste in his mouth. He was determined to find where his colleague was buried and pay him some respect.
He turned on the old computer in the corner of his shabby apartment and began searching the archives. Hours later, he struck his luck.
***
Veterans Day was quickly approaching, and Nathan planned on visiting James’ grave and paying tribute to the man that had without whose bravery he would’ve died years ago.
On the said day, Nathan woke up early. He had a long drive ahead of him as James’ grave was in a different city from where he lived. Hours later, he draped James’ flag over the fallen soldier’s headstone and stood staring at it for a long time as tears involuntarily ran down his cheeks.
It could have been minutes or even hours, but he was so caught up in the moment that he did not hear footsteps approaching. He became startled when suddenly, seemingly out of the blue, he saw the silhouette of a woman in the corner of his eye.
He turned to see a young woman standing beside him. “So… sorry I did not see you there,” he stammered, offering a hand in greeting. “I’m Nathan.”
“Hi, I’m Susan, James’ sister. Are you the one who brought back my brother’s flag? Did you know him?” the words stumbled out of her mouth.
“Yes, James was my colleague, and I found the flag in a dumpster!” he answered, staring straight ahead.
Susan narrated how they had recently moved and lost the flag. And for the first time in weeks, Nathan felt relieved that James’ family had not intentionally thrown away the flag.
The two stood there for hours talking about James and Nathan’s time in service, and by the end of the day, they knew quite a lot about each other. Susan was incredibly grateful to Nathan for bringing back her brother’s lost flag, and to thank him, she invited him to her house for a Veterans Day family dinner.
That evening, as Nathan sat surrounded by Susan’s family, he could not explain the sparks in his heart. His eyes were fixated on Susan, and he was almost sure his cheeks were red from embarrassment.
He was falling in love with the young woman, and it seemed like a dream far out of reach to imagine himself with her. After all, it was barely a day since they met.
However, that was not his only worry. He knew people that had fallen in love within minutes, and it had lasted a lifetime. His main concern was that he collected garbage for a living. “Would Susan accept him with that kind of job?” he wondered.
He waited until Susan carried the dishes to the kitchen and offered to help. Once they were out of everyone’s earshot, Nathan confessed, “Look, Susan, I know we only met today, but I think I am in love with you.”
Susan stood there, saying nothing, but Nathan could read every one of her emotions from her huge pretty eyes. “Now, this is not a call for action, and I know you may not feel the same way, especially given my line of work… but…”
“I thought I was crazy for feeling this way!” she screamed, jumping into Nathan’s arms. They hugged for a while, each unable to detach themselves from the warmth of their newly discovered affections.
“Oh, and don’t worry about working as a garbage man. I have been looking for a trustworthy person to overlook my employees at my shop in the city,” she said matter-of-factly. “I’m sure you are the perfect fit for the job.”
Six months later…
People were streaming into the small garden wedding to witness the marriage between Nathan and Susan. The past six months had been like something from a storybook.
Nathan was finally happy, and with Susan in his life, depression was a thing of the past. They exchanged rings as their family and friends looked on, and as Nathan slid that ring on Susan’s finger, he couldn’t help but think that even as James lay in his grave, he had, once again, saved his life.
