Page 137 of Salute, To Bravery
“So, what do you do outside of the Air Force?” He kept eyeing me as if I were some villain in his story.
“I work at an animal shelter, the one down near the bank on the main street,” I said, trying to remain friendly,why does he not find me unworthy of being with his daughter? Did he send me away?
“Interesting.”
He seemed highly uninterested. He seemed bored, as if watching grass grow would be more exciting than this.Why wasn’t I good enough for her? Why would he send me away?
“Dad,” Violet said; it was a warning.
“What?” Mr. Bride said defensively.
“You promised.” She put down her fork and knife. “You promised you would be nice.”
“I am.”
“No, you’re acting like a child during a sermon, bored. Be more alive with the conversation, like you promised. And yes, being alive within the conversation is being nice,” she added, making him hold his tongue.
“Fine,” he said as he rolled his eyes. “I’m very sorry, Ophelia, I’m sure you are a lovely human being.” He still sounded dull.
“Thank you,” I said with even more boredom.
His eyes were full of fury. His eyes were almost black. “So what do you do besides being a Sergeant in the Air Force?”
“Nothing,” he said spiritlessly.
“Dad, how was your day?” Violet asked, trying to lighten the mood. His eyes lit when he looked at her; his eyes filled with love.
“It was quiet, Goofy,” he said, taking a drink of his tea-colored drink.“But it was good, and now it’s even better.”
“You’re too kind, Dad,” she said as she playfully rolled her eyes.
???
The rest of the night was horrible. The conversation lasted between those two, and whenever Violet tried to include me, her father shut me down. It made me feel so belittled and so unloved. He made me feel alone.
I couldn’t stop thinking if Mr. Bride sent me away. I wanted to shut my brain off and relax, but I couldn’t. If this sent me away, what else could he do?
After an hour or so of me being silent, Violet said it was time to leave. Thankfully, her father agreed, and the goodbyes weren’t prolonged.
We left the house and entered the car. “I’m so sorry,” Violet said. “I thought he would be nicer.”
“I think he sent me away,” I couldn’t help saying.
“What?”
“I think your dad sent me to Japan because my sergeant spoke about a Sergeant Bride who told him to bring me out there. And I think it was him.”
Chapter Eighteen.
Violet
Ihave been in a panic all week; not having any sleep didn’t help. I haven’t been able to eat without remembering how he acted towards Ophelia. I hated how he treated her like that—how he treated Ophelia like she was some old newspaper, not holding any purpose.
My eyes stayed on the road as I drove towards my therapy appointment. This was my second session with this group. I liked them, but I missed the other group. It was impossible not to miss them. It was impossible to miss their courage, bravery, and hearing their stories. The girls in my new group were nice and brave, but we didn’t click. I made a promise; I would stay at this place until it did click.
After pulling into the therapy center, I turned off my music and shut off the car. I took a few deep breaths and grabbed my things—locking my red car on my way inside the beige building.
The boring building had the same format as my old therapy center. It had the same colors, uncomfortable chairs, and the unwelcoming smile of a receptionist who disliked her job.
