Fathers Day

"Marissa I'll be fine I promise, I love you, thank you for taking care of me."
"Oh Johnny, I don't want to see you go, You're like a son to me."
"I basically am your son Marissa."
"Just be safe," Marissa took a deep sigh and hugged Johnny while giving him millions of kisses on his forehead.
"Okay. Just thank you, take care of the boys for me," Johnny said, giving Marissa a kiss on the cheek.
"I love you Johnny, Good bye."
"And I love you Marisa, Good bye."
Johnny took one last step down the stairs of Always Chosen Always Loved Boys Adoption Home, his home for the around the last 18 and a half years of his 19 year old life. He took a deep breath and walked out; he walked out passed the gates, passed the old brick mailbox, and finally, passed the old, big, oak tree he used to hide in everyday until he turned 16, and started working to help Marissa, the owner of Always Chosen Always Loved Boys Adoption Home, pay for food and clothing and school for the other boys.
Johnny used to climb up to the top of the tree, maybe bring a book and some nice cold ice tea or a pillow and a small snack and just sit up there and think. You see, if there was any three things Johnny was good at, it was thinking and fighting and reading. After the sun set, Johnny would climb down from the tree and do one hundred work outs. Johnny would do one hundred sit ups, push ups, jumping jacks, pull ups, and then one hundred minutes of rest. After that, Johnny would run to the market and back, which was a five mile journey. By the time he got back to the adoption home, it was time for dinner, and then homework- which he always skipped, and then sleep.
Johnny took a slow jog to the train station which was annoyingly close to the adoption home, and found a nice sturdy bench. Johnny sat down and waited for the train. Johnny waited, and waited, and waited until finally he heard the train pull in. He walked out to the platform and heard a man in a full blue suit yell January 21st 1940 10 PM TRAIN TO ARMY BASE. Johnny ran onto the train, sitting at the very back so that he could watch the train tracks fall away one by one. Its been dark for a while already so it would look very peaceful; just Johnny, the sound of the train, and the moonlight hitting the tracks falling away. Hours and hours passed by and every time Johnny checked his watch, it seemed that time got slower, but even Johnny, who had only been on the train twice before, knew the dangers of falling asleep on the train. Johnny could feel the train finally slowing down to a halt, and heard the rush of men filing out of the train. Johnny took one breath in of the cold, morning air that smelled like a mix of grass and gun powder and smirked.
Johnny was ready for this. Joining the army is the mission of a lifetime. Johnny followed all the other men to what seemed like to be a room with around 500 other men, all of them more buff and tall and army-like then Johnny could ever dream to be, except this one guy in the back who looked like he was 5 feet tall and couldn't carry a baby pig. Johnny walked to around the middle of the room, and sat down on a very cold, metal chair. He waited until someone acknowledged him or at least the 500 other men in the room.
After about thirty minutes, the last train of men came and unloaded fifty more men, followed by one man wearing a black suit with maybe fifty patches on it, who looked more buff then anyone in the room. He wasn't too tall, he wasn't too young, and his voice wasn't low and menacing, but this man had the face of a man who seemed to go through hell and back, and once he got back to earth, he chanted like a little kid on a roller coaster, "again, again, again." This mans badge shined bright enough for Johnny to see that his last name was Humphrey and he was the leader of this army troop. Humphrey stormed back and fourth throughout the room, screaming- more of a loud talking- about what Humphrey expects and what to expect when they all go out into war. He talked about the dangers, the tactics, and what the training is going to be like before they go out to war in a few months. Humphrey talked about the noise of the gunshots, the will to pull a trigger and kill someone, and most importantly, how it is to lose a man out there on the battle field. He told stories of losing some of his best mates out there, how he had to cut off his own left pinky toe to move on, and most importantly; Humphrey told the story about how he was pulled in by the enemy, having to face pure madness, witness the goriest of murder, and watch his own brother die beside him. This was the story that hardened him, the story that brought him to hell and back. Most of the men by then were ready to join the war, it would be an honor to die for their country.

Months have passed and Johnny has already completed training. It is April 21st, 1941, and the next day, all the troops fly into the battlefield. For some of them, this is the last time they're ever going to have a nice,warm hot meal.

Humphrey stood up and started talking,"Alright boys, its been a great year or so working with you. Good luck out there tomorrow. Lets all hope for the best. I remember my last night at training like it was yesterday. Weird because it was maybe fifty years ago. Men, all this stuff you hear about America not wanting to fight, wanting to stay out of the war, is a lot of nonsense. When we were all kids, we loved the fastest, the strongest, the smartest men. We love winners, and do not stand for losers.You are not all going to die. Only two percent of you right here today would be killed in a major battle. But the real hero is the man who fights even though he's scared. Some men will get over their fright in a minute under fire, some take an hour, and for some it takes days. But the real man never lets his fear of death overpower his honor, his sense of duty to his country, and his innate manhood."
All the men either clapped or hollered, giving each other manly hugs and showing each other respect in the highest ways. However Johnny stayed silent, he really let those words sink in. All this talk about losing and winning, and dying- it made Johnny nervous, even though he's been thinking about this for most of his life. He got up,chugged his beer straight, let his arms spread out wide, tilted his head up, and let out a scream. This scream was followed by all the army men in the room cheering, even leaving Humphrey smirking, for they all felt what Johnny chose to express. They all were a little scared and for sure, they all felt like letting out a great big scream. After all the men cleaned up, Johnny took a big sigh which was probably his billionth big sigh. Johnny then got up and went straight to bed.
The next morning Johnny woke up earlier then everyone else and took a walk outside. He opened the door to the very back field and just stood there, soaking in everything.
"Nervous kid?" Humphrey said, shocking Johnny.
"Oh uh, you startled me, I never knew anyone knew where this was," Johnny let out, "but yeah I'm kinda nervous sir."
" Trust me kid, if that startled you, this sure isn't the place for you. I understand though, I was nervous my first time going out too, and to be honest I'm still nervous every time I go out to war. I think this would be my last time, I'm a lot older then before."
"Don't say that sir, you still got it in you. I can see the fire still burning in your eyes," Johnny said, attempting to ease both of their nervousness.
"Alright. Well you better get back so you can pretend to sleep and then wake up with everyone else kid."
"Um Okay sir, thank you sir." Johnny rushed inside and wondered how the day would carry on. Just like Humphrey said, Johnny pretended to sleep then pretended to wake up with everyone else. Johnny changed into his uniform and reported outside with everyone else, and then ran straight onto the plane. After a good six hours, the plane landed. The men ran off the plane and into the Europe American Army base. Johnny took a deep breath of the air, oddly still gunpowder and grass, but slightly different. On the plane ride to Europe, Johnny went through what maybe most men went though on the plane. He thought about what it would be like in a couple years when he leaves the army, or if he leaves the army. He thought about living the american dream of finding a nice girl, finding a nice place, having a bunch of babies, and one day retiring with his old gal.Johnny also thought about the alternatives, either dying on the field or becoming a troop leader like Humphrey.dying on the field or becoming a troop leader like Humphrey.
Johnny sat in the army base for one last lecture before he was supposed to go out to war. Humphrey talked to the men one last time about the tactics and the dangers and what to watch out for, reviewing every thing he's said over the last year and a half, like a teacher would the day before a final test. The lecture went faster then Johnny thought it would. Shortly after, Johnny and the rest of the men loaded into a big, green war vehicle- a vehicle Johnny has been imagining about his whole life. One hour passed by and Johnny was starting to get anxious. He looked at his hands and then up towards the sky, and then back at his hands, and once again back at the sky. Johnny then looked at other men in the vehicle, they all were writing letters to their families; the soldiers were writing letters to their moms, dads, sisters and brothers-maybe even wives if they were old enough. All these men were ready to die at there, some even just boys at age 16, and Andrew-the 14 year old who lied about his age. Johnny wasn't ready to die, Johnny has barely even lived. Johnny looked once more at the sky, partially covered by the roof of the vehicle. Then, for the first time in his life, Johnny prayed. Well, one time he went to the church with Marissa but he didn't really pray with any meaning. Oh Boy, did this prayer have meaning. Johnny prayed for the safety of himself, the safety of others, and for forgiveness for everything he’s done and everything he will do. Before Johnny could finish, the doors opened. This is it.
Hours into the war, some enemy men are dead, some of the men in Johnny's troop are dangerously hurt, maybe even dead. Johnny's sure he's shot one person, maybe even killed that person. All. Johnny hoped for was the best. After a whole battle, Johnny ran back into the base, washing the blood and dirt off of his hands and face and slept.
The next morning Johnny woke up earlier then everyone else again, trying to find his way around the place, when he saw someone who looked a lot like the enemy tampering with his ammo. Quickly, Johnny realized it was the enemy. Johnny ran back to his cot, hit the alarm, grabbed the first loaded gun he could find, and ran back to where he could see the enemy, struggling to break a hand grenade. Johnny looked the man straight in the eyes and shot him straight in the neck, causing the enemy to drop the grenade and fall face forward. Johnny watched him fall to the ground, and caught another bullet entering him, as if one shot to the neck wasn't enough. Johnny looked around, who could that be? It wasn't him who shot him the second time, so who could it possibly be? Johnny took a step back and bumped into Humphrey. The proud Humphrey patted Johnny back, and escorted some other men to dispose of the dead enemy body.
"Good job kid, who knows what would happen if he got to pulling that grenade?" Humphrey said, then patted Johnny on the back. Johnny shocked at what just happened, smirked and then turned back towards hit cot. Johnny sat down on the cot and just started thinking about what just happened. Johnny just witnessed maybe the second guy he's ever killed. However, this is the first guy that he actually saw and could assure was dead.

It is now June 20th 1942. Johnny and the rest of the troops have been in war for more then a year now. Johnny has been shot only once, in the left shoulder which left nothing more then really a bloody shoulder. It happened six months ago. Johnny and Humphrey were in the battlefield, shooting and attacking, watching men drop left and right on both sides of the war. Johnny had just turned around and spotted a man loading his gun, aiming straight for Humphrey’s face. Without thinking, Johnny jumped in front of Humphrey, saving his life. Ever since then, Johnny and Humphrey had become close friends, talking about Humphrey’s old war stories.

"Johnny, I have some news, and you’re not going to like it. report to the medic," Ricardo, a man from the troop with a small build and a white buzz cut, scram at Johnny. Thats all Ricardo had to say to get Johnny to start running to the medic. Oh no Oh no Oh no. What happened? Please don’t be Humphrey. Please don’t be Humphrey. Please don’t be Humphrey. The thoughts repeated through Johnny’s mind like it was a broken record. The second Johnny got to the medic, his heart stopped. There he was, there the legendary war hero and Johnny’s only friend, Joseph Humphrey, laid on a cot. Tubes were popping everywhere of Humphrey’s body. Johnny’s heart dropped, far out of his body, far into the ground, deep into where lava flowed throughout the core of the earth and shot back up into his chest in no more then 3 seconds. Johnny paced around the 100 feet by 100 feet room, with white walls, filled with bandages, knives, needles, and 300 hundred or so injured soldiers. However, no soldiers here were as important as the troop leader, Humphrey. No one knew the tactics and the stories like Humphrey did.

After what felt like an eternity pacing throughout the medical room, the nurse came in.

"Excuse me, are you Johnny?" the nurse with the big hips, curly blonde hair, and red piercing lips said. For a second, Johnny sat there, not hearing anything. This girls beauty had distracted him from what was going on. He looked on her name tag, Nancy Evans.

"Excuse me sir. Are you Johnny?" Nancy said again.

"Oh uh yes uh," Johnny stuttered, still dazed from her beauty," What. What do you need?"

"I looked at your files, and you and fifty other men have the same blood type as Humphrey."

"Yeah, what about it... Miss Nancy Evans?"

"Well Johnny, those fifty other men are all sadly dead, so you’re the only one out here who can save Humphrey’s life."

"Oh..my god. Alright then. I'll do it," Johnny said, a little slower and a little louder then how he was talking before. The nurse continued talking about the procedure, but Johnny wasn’t listening. Johnny was only thinking about two things; He was thinking about Humphrey and how he is taking the chance to save him and about Miss Nancy's lips and how they moved so slowly.

"Alright so we'll do the procedure tomorrow morning on Humphrey.. Were going to test you today though okay?" Nancy said, caressing Johnny's arm, shaking him out of his day dream. Johnny’s eyes shot fully open, only around 24 hours until all of this. Johnny started sweating- his heart beating fast, like a hummingbird who just drank a whole gallon of sugar water. Nancy opened up her tool bag and brought out a needle and some cleanser. She slowly wiped Johnny’s arm with the cleanser, then lifted and shook a needle. Nurse Nancy stuck it into Johnny’s arm then pulled a lever back, taking blood from him. Then she connected the blood needle to a bag hanging on a rack. She filled one fourth of the bag up and then took the needle out. She then, cut open a hole in his pants, where his thigh is fattest, and the cleaned it with the cleanser. She then brought out another needle, and conducted the same ritual on his thigh that she did with his arm. She then filled the bag all the way up to the tip.

The surgery was made to Humphrey on June 21st, 1942. Hours into the surgery, nurse Nancy called Johnny into a secret room in the back.

"Hello Johnny, I read on your file that you have no biological father and mother on file," Nancy said.

"Uh... Yes thats true. Once I get out of here though Im going out to find them," Johnny explained.

"Well I was taking a look at Humphrey and thinking about you and you two look very simular. Then I found a picture of Humphrey when he was 25 years old and you and him look just the same," Nancy went on.

"What are you saying here nurse?" Johnny asked firmly.

"Well I'm not saying anything for sure, but I think maybe Humphrey could be your dad. You look alike and it says here that the date you were sent to the adoption home was three months before Humphrey entered the army for the second time-"

The surgeon scram for the nurses. All the nurses ran to the surgeons side, checking Humphrey’s vitals and all praying to themselves. The surgeon pulled off a couple risky moves, and Johnny had to be removed from the room. Johnny stood outside for a whole eight hours until nurse Nancy called him back in.

Johnny looked at Humphrey and started crying. His heart truly shattered. Humphrey had lost his left leg and most of his left arm, leaving a nudge connected to his shoulder.

Nurse Nancy brought Johnny back outside for a second to tell him," Listen here Johnny, I want you to say your good byes to Humphrey. I'm sorry, but keeping him like this just wouldn’t make any sense."

Johnny screamed repeatedly, "No! No! No! He isn’t dead, he isn’t dying, he isn’t.” Johnny ran into the room, sobbing.

"If you could hear me, know that Ive never met anyone as interesting as you. Its been a great honor working with you," Johnny stammered out of his mouth.

Slowly, Humphrey adjusted positions then croakily said, "Listen here son. I'm sorry me and your mom had to give you up for adoption. You see I was being...I was being drafted and we would love to keep you but we just...we just couldn’t. Son, Son I..." Johnny nearly fainted until he heard Humphrey continue.

"Son, I'm sorry. I love... I love you." Humphrey’s vital signs slowed down. Johnny knew it was time.

"I love you too dad... and dad...." Johnny managed to get these words out of his mouth," Happy fathers day dad."

Everything went blank for Johnny then. Johnny couldn’t hear anything, he was sobbing crazily but he couldn’t make any sound- no matter how hard he tried to scream. Johnny couldn’t feel anything either, like he was floating through space. Johnny new everyone had their time, but it just wasn’t fair. Johnny never had a father there for him, until he joined the army. There at the army is where he met Humphrey. Humphrey was like a dad to him, and was truly his dad. Nurse Nancy held Johnny back, while another nurse put a white blanket over Humphrey’s face.