The Russian Billionaire’s Secret(165)
They walk out the door of the Starbucks, each of them holding their coffee in hand. “That’s a nice truck,” Kim says, making conversation.
“Yeah,” Robert answers, “Timmy’s done well for himself.”
“Timmy?”
“Yeah, he’s my baby brother. He was smart, like you. He went to college and got a degree in Marine biology. He’s doing research for the University of Wisconsin on the different animals and plants that live in Lake Michigan.”
“What do you mean, ‘smart like me?’” Kim asks him.
“Well, you both went to college, got your degrees, and are working to help others understand the world better. Me? I joined the Army right out of high-school, and have spent the last 15 years in hell-holes all over the damn globe, getting shot at, and seeing friends die.”
Rob is starting to withdraw into himself, due to the frustrations that he has with himself for having to discharge before he could retire. Having earned a Medal of Honor, would have granted him a 30% raise in his pension if he had retired. Instead, he was just over a year into his fourth enlistment, and the damn doctors made him get out, because of a few flashbacks and nightmares. He doesn’t care what the shrink says, he feels weak, and there’s no escaping that feeling.
“Robert,” Kim says softly into the silence that has suddenly and unpredictably fallen between them. “If you want to talk about anything, I’ll listen. PTSD is a very serious thing.”
“How did you know that I’m diagnosed with PTSD?” Robert asked, suddenly defensive.
“My brother is a Marine…my dad was a fighter pilot, and my grandfather was killed in Korea. My dad’s uncle was in the same unit as my grandfather, and saw his brother-in-law get killed. I know what PTSD looks like.”
Chapter 5
Getting To Know Each Other
She knows what PTSD LOOKS like? Robert asks himself. What the hell does that mean?
“Look,” Kimberly says, with authority, “The way I see it, you have two choices…you can either let your past dictate to you in the present, or you can let it go, and we can spend the day catching fish for supper.”
“It’s not that simple,” Robert says. “I can’t control when I have a flashback.”
“Maybe not, but you can control how much it affects you. Have you seen a therapist?”
“Yes,” he answers, sheepishly. “I haven’t really wanted to share that with anyone, though.”
“Look, it’s nothing to be ashamed of, Rob,” she says. “Would you apologise for being a diabetic or a cancer patient? Of course not! In this situation, the right thing to do is to seek help, just like in those situations.”
“I suppose you could be right…”
“I am right,” Kimberly said, “Now, are you taking me fishing, or not?”
Robert, although taken aback by Kimberly’s direct nature, is glad that she neither thinks him weak and to be neither pitied, nor so strong that he shouldn’t feel the way he does. There is something refreshing in the young maiden’s directness, because she does not discount what he is dealing with the way so many Americans do, she does not think him incapable of facing the challenge.
“Yeah, let’s go fishing,” he says, as he turns down Lakefront Drive, heading for a boat ramp that is big enough to launch the massive 19 foot long vessel. As they are working together to launch the boat, Kim really notices the tattoo on the inside of his right arm, and asks, “What are those on your arm?”
“Just some tattoos,” he answers without going into detail, and trying to hide them from her view.
“Let me see them,” she says.
“No, it’s okay. They’re just tattoos of some of the medals I received overseas.”
“Can I please see?” Kim asks, just the hint of begging cutting through her voice.
“Oh, I guess so,” he says, rolling up his right shirt sleeve, conceding to her.
“Oh wow…so you earned what…four Bronze Stars? Three for valor? ”
“Yeah, I did,” he answers.
“And, two silver stars?”
“Yes.”
“Three purple hearts too? Wow…but I don’t know which one those two are.”
“The first is the Distinguished Service Medal, the highest honor the military has besides the Medal of Honor.”
“And is this the Medal of honor?” Kimberly asks, indicating the correct medal.
“Yeah, that’s it.”
“For Valor…”
“…at risk of life and limb above and beyond the call of duty.”
“How did you get that?”
“For the same thing that got me diagnosed with PTSD.”
“I’m guessing that you don’t want to talk about it right now?”
“No…”
“Okay,” Kimberly answers. “Let’s go fishing.” They spent the entire day on Rob’s baby brother’s boat, catching largemouth bass and other assorted sunfish. Kim even managed to hook a large Muskie, but the line snapped before she could land the apex predator in those waters.
They stopped for a short period of time at about 1 p.m., and Robert bought them each a cheeseburger lunch from a national fast food chain that had a franchise location close to the water. As they sat eating, talk turned to Kimberly, and how she came to be a teacher.