Reality Check

Reality Check 

The U.S. dropped the “Mother of all bombs” (MOAB) on network of ISIS caves and tunnels in eastern Afghanistan. The daily news reports Donald Trump saying “We’re very, very proud of our military,” “It was another successful event.”  Without hesitation, I role my eyes and I’m sure that this is how the U.S. will get involved in another war. I am caught off guard by my manager calling me back to help because there is a rush. I’m finally am off of work at 10:30 and I rush home so that I can finally be in bed once again before my boyfriend comes back from San Diego.

 We were sitting on the couch watching some comedy show when his mother comes in and says “Did you see what stupid ass Trump did.”  We stay quiet and know that she still has more to say, I am biting my tongue trying to not say anything. She goes on making very valid points but when she said “He is not your commander in chief” the room become quiet. He sat up and said “Yea he actually is, so if there is a war I have to go.” I felt my legs begin to shake and I couldn’t look at Blake. I knew that because he was in the Marine’s he would have to go to war but actually hearing him say that he was going to war was a reality check. I couldn’t move, I almost couldn’t breathe but his mom grabbed my attention and said “We aren’t letting you go right Kimberly.” I nod my head unable to say anything because I was numb. The reality that I could lose him because of a man trying to start this war that he probably knew nothing about.

I finally bring myself back into the conversation and the first thing I hear is Blake say “Yea but if I go to war I’m ready.” I replied “You think that you are.” He nodded and continued to talk about how the U.S. needed to intervene and do something about it. And I said “You’re brainwashed.”  I could see it in his eyes, the anger building, he stood up and said “How? Explain to me how I’m brainwashed. Go ahead I’ll wait.” I said “You know what let’s just drop it because I don’t want to get into it.” His mother said “Blake you know she’s right.” He was still standing in front of me with a look that I had never seen. His eyes went from being a warm hazel color to fading into a dark color that was cold. I said fine “You really want to get into it. I understand that you’re in the Marines and I get it there should be a sense of pride but this doesn’t make you superior to those people that you’re fighting and killing. Because think about it you’re killing people that are have different beliefs than you  and that you don’t agree with. You forget that these people fighting have families just like you do. They are people at the end of the day as much as you try to make them into villains.” At some point, I had stood up too and I hadn’t realized it until I made my point. But I wasn’t done I said “All the movies with wars are the same. There is the white, blue eyed, blond haired, man somewhere in the Middle East and all  of a sudden he is surrounded by people trying to kill him. And somehow he never gets injured but yet kills everyone else. You think that that’s real? Because realistically it’s not you will just be another body to them.” Still standing up he tried to defend his stance and I knew this was a waste of time so I sat down. He talked for 20 minutes and although I was physically there, mentally I wasn’t. He realized it and just stopped talking. We sat there in silence knowing we were both worried.

Later that night before we went to sleep he looked at me and smiles at me with that smile that reminded me why I loved him so much and said “Nothing will happen to me you know that I’ll be out in September after you graduate or maybe even sooner.” I smiled back and said “I know you’ll be fine.” But in the back of my mind I was afraid of not having him come back home.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/u-s-drops-largest-non-nuclear-bomb-time-combat-article-1.3051981