No Man Left Behind: A Veteran Inspired Charity Anthology by Elizabeth Knox (black authors fiction TXT) 📕

a letter he had written with instructions to be delivered to me on the day of his funeral. I didn’t even know his name was Samuel until then.”

“Did he send you to me?”

“No.” Her surprise at the question was evident by her eyes. “He said for me not to be afraid of the neighbor if I run into him, he’s more bark than bite. That’s all he said about you. He was really interested in Tasha though. He said a friend of his used to have a dog remarkably similar to her. He never said who, but he hoped I would meet him.”

“That’s it?” Leo asked, not certain what to believe.

She nodded quickly, hoping he wouldn’t be mad. Something was off with his mood today and she was not sure of what to say.

“Was he a close friend?” she eventually asked.

“No one closer,” he answered quietly.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

“I believe you.” He paused a long time and blew out a breath before continuing. “Didn’t even know he was sick. He hid it from everyone. Only a few days ago, he asked me to bring our group to the hospital to see him. That’s when he told us.” He paused again. “I’ve been trying to make sense of our last conversation. But it’s finally beginning to make sense now.”

He straightened from his knees and leaned back against the couch. “He said he had taken care of me. A little lady would fight my demons. Then he said it’s not a woman who fights the demons. I considered it might be the medications causing his thoughts to be off. But it wasn’t. He was clear as a bell.”

“I’m not sure I understand,” Hanna said.

“You said he was interested in Tasha,” Leo reminded her.

“Yeah. Then he asked about me. My goals and dreams. Things like that. Just conversation topics.”

“Oh, he had more in mind than just idle conversation. He knew that fence had a hole in it. It did when he had a dog. That mutt would escape and come here all the time. He knew Tasha would find the hole and you would come here looking for her. I would meet either you or her soon after you moved in.”

“Are you saying he set this up?” Hanna questioned in surprise.

Leo nodded as a smile began to appear, however faint. “That old buzzard’s telling me how to live my life even from the grave.” He chuckled. “That’s just like him. Get the last word in and laugh about it.” He dropped his head to the back of the couch. Just as quickly as his amusement at the situation appeared, it disappeared and was replaced with grief. His eyes blurred as he blinked, attempting to focus on the ceiling above. He was not good with grief. He wasn’t even sure how he was going to move past this shock for some time. As he squeezed his eyes tight, he felt delicate arms sliding around his body. He squeezed his eyes even tighter, unable to push back the tears that had been threatening any longer. He knew how he would survive. Slowly he wrapped his arms around the body pressed against his side. Yes, he had a fighter next to him who was not afraid of demons.

At that same moment, the shrill bark coming from the floor reminded him that he had a little lady who fought demons too. “Come on, girl,” Leo called Tasha as he raised his head from the cushion. Still holding Hanna in his arms, he moved just enough to allow Tasha to squeeze in the hug also.

They remained sitting like that for some time before the tiny dog wiggled her way to Leo’s face and licked his chin. He loosened his hold on Hanna and stretched his neck to see Tasha.

Scrubbing his hand over his face, he took a deep breath. “If you still want to stay here and make this arrangement long term, I can put a doggie door in so Tasha can see both of us.”

“Of course, I want to stay. And you don’t have to put in a doggie door. I can just leave the door open for her to roam the house as she wants.”

“You would be comfortable with that?” he asked with hope.

“If I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t still be here.” She straightened but remained on the couch next to him.

“I remember my grandpa. He would yell out during the night at times. Sometimes, he would get up during the night and pace the floor. Other times, he would move to his recliner and fall back asleep. I didn’t understand it when I was small. But as I got older it made more sense. Not that I totally understand, but I know now they call it PTSD.”

His eyes narrowed as he listened. No one had ever mentioned this to him. Everyone he knew skirted the issue. Even he did most of the time.

“He was in World War II. I don’t know what he did or where he was stationed. All I know was that he was young at the time he was drafted and came home an old man inside. That’s what my grandma told me. He never spoke of it and if anyone was brave enough to ask, he ignored their questions.”

Leo was at a loss for words. He continued to stare at the sweet face that was continuing to become sweeter. He felt that he should be angry at her for bringing up these feelings in him. Such a mixture of emotions, good and bad.

“I’m sorry if I’ve over-stepped,” she said quietly. When he remained silent, she added, “Maybe Sam knew what it was like. What if he did think Tasha could help you? Would that be so bad? He seemed to be an incredibly wise man.”

Leo turned his attention to his lap where the dog lay on her back with her head hanging over his leg. If anyone walked in and saw her position, they would question if she