By Lainey E.

Ethan saw his girl laughing. He was running

through the field holding her hand. The summer breeze made

the day feel perfect. It was warm, sunny, and beautiful—yet that not only described the day, but

her as well. She had flowing, wavy blonde hair and a winning smile; just the sight of her could

take his breath away. She pushed him playfully, and he fell to the ground. They both laughed,

and he got up again and started chasing her. He eventually caught up to her and pulled her

down to the ground with him. Her eyes were sparkling as she leaned against him and said,

“Ethan, please don’t ever leave me. I love you,”

“I love you too, but no matter what happens I know someone who won’t leave you.”

“God?” she smiled.

“Yes.” He looked up at the sky, then back at her. “We should probably go back now. It’s

getting late.” He helped her to her feet. They clasped their hands together and walked home.    

Ethan Davis woke up sweating. The dream had seemed so real—like he could just reach

out and touch his girlfriend, Kara. So many memories of her crept into his dreams at night. Why

couldn’t he just forget about her? He was nineteen the last time he had seen her. Ever since he

was young, he’d dreamed about joining the military. The following year, he had enlisted in the

army, and then attended college, paid for by the army. Now, five years later, he was just about to

finish training.

Rubbing his eyes of the sleepy haze that covered them, he groaned and leaned over the

side of his bed, groggily clicking the lamp on. With a yawn, he sat upright and reached across his

A Soldier’s Promise

nightstand to his Bible, which he had been opening so many times lately—each time he had

another heartbreaking dream.

He turned the pages in his Bible to Jeremiah 29:11 and read “For I know the thoughts that

I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected

end.” He sighed. If only he knew what his expected end was. He missed Kara so much especially

since they hadn’t been together in years, ever since she had gone to college in Michigan. He had

tried emailing her several times, but after just a few, she stopped replying. Cupping his face in

his hands, he fell back into bed, his head sinking back into his pillow.

He would just have to wait and hope that God might allow him to see her again.

~

Kara Evans packed up her suitcase, bound for her hometown, Springfield, Pennsylvania.

As she hefted the heavy bag throughout the room, so many memories began to flood her mind.

Many happy memories were left in Springfield, including her first love, Ethan Davis. She was

going there because she wanted to start her own restaurant. She thought what better place than

Springfield. Besides, she needed a break from Michigan. She went full of dreams and energy,

and now it took her five years to figure out Springfield is where she belongs. She was just

visiting for now. She wanted to check out a few places for her restaurant, but one of the key

places she really wanted to look at was a beautiful large building in Philadelphia. It was much

larger than all the other ones she had looked at online that were in or around Springfield,

therefore creating a larger attraction and an ideal place to begin her restaurant. She took her

suitcase and drove to the airport. An hour and a half later, she was on her way to the place where

she had left her heart.

~

Ethan was glad that basic training was over and that he had about a month of break until

his advanced training began. After that training, he would officially be a soldier. To celebrate, he

thought that he would take a nice walk around town, maybe visit a few places he hadn’t been to

in a while.

He had only been walking around town for a mere ten minutes when his eyes caught sight

of a familiar person. And then he realized that it was her—the girl from his dreams: Kara. But it

can’t be, he thought. Surely I must just be imagining things. But when he looked back in the

store window, she was still there. With a rapidly beating heart, he waited until she came outside,

and then spoke up when she walked around the corner of the doorway. “Kara?”

As she turned around, her eyes widened upon recognition, and he lowered his gaze.

~

Kara couldn’t believe it, and she gasped. “Ethan?” Before she knew it, he had crossed the

barrier that separated them and hugged her.

“How have you been?” he asked when she drew away.

She shrugged. “All right. How ‘bout you?” Kara tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, at

a loss for words to say. “I didn’t think you’d still be here in Springfield.”

Ethan laughed, and the old, familiar sound warmed her heart. “Well, where else would I

be? This is home.”

“Oh I don’t know.”

He looked into her eyes trying to see what her trouble was. She spoke up again. “Maybe

out there somewhere—wasting your life like I did.”

His face immediately fell, and his brow creased sympathetically, and she grimaced. She

hated sympathy. “You want to go grab some coffee and talk about it?”

“I’m busy,” she replied curtly, shaking her head, wishing her rude tone would make him

leave her. It worked, but she regretted the hurt look she saw in his eyes.

 “All right—well, maybe some other time, then. Do you have paper?” Ethan asked,

looking her directly in the eyes.

Right then Kara felt like he was looking into her soul, trying to discover all of her secrets,

and she felt herself inadvertently drawing away from him.  Still, she fumbled around in her purse

and pulled out a sticky note, and he wrote something down.

“Here’s my number if you ever want to talk.” He handed it back to her, and then

continued. “What are you doing in Springfield anyway?”

“I’m just visiting for a little bit. I’m thinking about starting a business in Philadelphia,”

she answered him, wishing that their abrupt conversation would end.

 “Oh? That sounds cool.” There was an awkward silence, then Ethan spoke up again.

“Well, I’d best be leaving you then. Goodbye!”

“Goodbye.” He walked a little bit, then turned around and mouthed “call me,” grinning

widely as he made the phone sign with his hands. Kara smiled. Same old Ethan she thought. Her

smile suddenly fell. What he doesn’t know is that I am different.

            That night, Kara crawled into her bed and thought about her life. I am not ready to share

my heart with another man after what I went through with David. She thought. But God knew

her heart. After she went to Michigan, she’d let go of her faith, convincing herself she didn’t

need God, but when the hard times had come, she knew in her heart what the truth was. She

needed God, and He would be the only one to get her through it all. And He had. Now she just

had to keep looking forward.

~

At seven a.m. the next morning, Ethan heard his cell phone ring. He didn’t recognize the

number, but picked it up anyway. “Hello?”

“Ethan?”

“Yes? Is this Kara?”

“Hey,” Kara sighed over the phone. “Yes, it’s Kara. I’m sorry it’s early, but I had to call

you.”    

“I’m glad you called. Hey, you sound like you’ve been crying. What’s up?” Concern

filled his voice.

“Oh, I guess I was just wondering if you were still up for that coffee date.”

“Of course. How about Sean’s coffee shop in town? The one we used to always pass on

the way to and from school?”

“Yeah, I remember. I’ll meet you there in, say, forty-five

minutes?”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Thanks Ethan. You’re a true friend.”

“Don’t mention it. See you there.” He hung up, and he was filled with so much joy that

he could hardly contain it. He was finally going to see Kara!

~

Kara had been waiting in the coffee shop for Ethan for only five minutes before he

walked in with his jeans and an unbuttoned blue plaid shirt over his white t-shirt. She was taken

aback by how handsome he looked as he sat down across from her.

“Hey,” Kara began quietly.

 “Hey, Kara. What’s going on?” he asked with concern in his eyes.

“I guess I just need someone to talk to.” She bit her lip and looked down at the table, her

cheeks coloring bashfully.

“Well, I’m here for you. Talk about whatever you want to.” He smiled at her, and she

blushed. Then her face went sullen again. “I don’t know where to start.” She sighed.

“Then start from the beginning.”

“You mean Michigan?” He nodded. She wasn’t up for reliving her story, but she knew

that she had to tell him. It was only fair for him to know what had happened to her.

            Kara went on to explain that she had gotten a two year college degree in business.

“Then,” she explained, “a friend of mine offered me a job teaching at his elementary school. He

knew I didn’t have a teaching degree, but he was desperate for someone willing to teach, and for

someone to agree on the salary. So I took the job and started teaching the first and second

graders.” She took a break to take a sip of her coffee. “I met one of the other teachers. His name

was David. We connected really fast, and it wasn’t too long before we started dating.” She saw

disappointment flash in Ethan’s eyes. “We were actually engaged a year after we met. Then I

started hearing rumors that he was seeing other women, but I disregarded all the comments as

gossip.” She sighed and gripped her coffee mug all the more tightly. “However, a month after we

were engaged, I saw him kiss another woman. I knew then that I had to break off the engagement

—but what I didn’t expect was his breaking up with me. He came to me before I got the chance

to confront him. He said we were just too different, and that marriage just wouldn’t work out for

us. That was when I knew I had to come back home and start over.”

            “I’m so sorry,” Ethan responded as he watched tears fill Kara’s eyes. She then smiled,

trying to wipe away her tears.

“It’s all right,” Kara told him. “Enough about me. I haven’t heard anything from you.

What have you been doing all these years? I’m sure you’ve had a girl or two who were interested

in you,” she said, teasing him.

He tried to laugh. “Actually, no, I haven’t. At least, none that were good for me. I guess I

just couldn’t bring myself to date anyone. I always kind of hoped you would come back.”

“But I’m back now,” Kara whispered, and her face turned serious. She looked as if she

might cry again.

            Ethan continued telling Kara about what he had been doing the past couple of years. He

explained “I decided to become a soldier, and I actually just finished basic training.” That

seemed to cheer Kara up. She then said, “I knew you would become a soldier. That is what you

and your father always wanted for you.”

“Yeah. I guess it was.” Ethan smiled, and Kara could tell he was thinking of some good

memories.

            After two and a half hours of talking and catching up they decided to go home. Kara was

very happy with how the morning had gone. She felt herself falling in love with him again, and

that was okay with her. Before they left, Ethan had asked her out on a date for this coming

Friday night. She felt her cheeks glowing with heat as she said goodbye to him. She felt like a

giddy teenager again. This could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship God was rekindling.

*                                  *                                  *                                  *

            Four months had flown by. Ethan had been busy with advanced training for the army, but

he always made a point to visit Kara in Springfield on the weekends. Kara had been busy trying

to find a place for her restaurant. She finally settled for a smaller but nicer-looking building for

her restaurant, and it was in Springfield so she wouldn’t have to travel forty minutes into

Philadelphia every day. It was Saturday evening, and Kara’s restaurant’s grand opening started at

5:30 p.m. A big turnout was expected, for all the people had been anticipating Kara’s grand

opening of her restaurant called “The Evans Family Diner”, which she had named for her family.

Ethan was smiling as he was thinking of the plans he had for that night at the restaurant.

            By 6:00 p.m., Kara could not contain her excitement as one by one, people flowed into

her restaurant. Her parents and older sister had come to help her start the opening. They had

moved to North Carolina for a job after Kara had left for Michigan. Having her family there with

her made her feel wonderful. About a half hour later, Kara saw Ethan walk in with a big grin

spread across his face. She ran over and embraced him. “I’ve missed you! I haven’t seen you in

two weeks!” Kara said, so excited to see him.

Ethan looked almost as surprised as she looked at how many people had shown up. After

Kara finished going around to the tables and greeting customers, she returned to the back of the

room where Ethan stood. The next thing that happened took her off guard.

            Ethan stood on a chair and yelled out to the crowd, “May I have your attention, please?”

Everything went quiet and all eyes were on him. He then said, “If you are enjoying Kara’s

restaurant, please give her a round of applause.” Everyone started clapping and cheering after he

said that. He looked over at her, and Kara blushed. She could see his body shaking as if he was

nervous for some reason. After the crowd hushed, Ethan said “I also have something I would like

to say.” His body started shaking as he knelt onto the ground on one knee.

            Ethan pulled out a box from his suit coat pocket, then opened it, and Kara almost fainted.

“I love you Kara. Will you marry me?”

Kara gasped, and without another thought nodded her head yes as tears streamed down

her face. She couldn’t speak. Every time she tried to say something, no words would come out of

her mouth. Then the whole room filled with screaming and cheering as the crowd became

excited about what had just happened. Ethan and Kara hugged, and they both knew they would

remember that moment until the day they died.

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *

 April twenty-eighth was the wedding date, and it finally arrived. The wedding had just

begun, and Springfield Christian Church was filled with people. Kara and Ethan had grown up in

this church, and so many memories were associated with it. Elegant decorations were hung up all

over the auditorium. “Here Comes the Bride” started playing, and Kara came down the aisle in a

beautiful white wedding dress. It had cropped sleeves with a small amount of lace at the top. The

bottom of her dress was long and flared out. Her long blonde hair was curled and flowing down

around her shoulders. Ethan held his breath as he gazed at his beautiful bride.

At the altar, Ethan and Kara looked beautiful together. Ethan looked dapper in his army

uniform. As the two said their vows, they looked each other in the eyes, meaning every word.

The ceremony ended, and the preacher said, “I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss

the bride.” Then Ethan and Kara passionately kissed each other in a beautiful kiss that seemed to

last forever. The music started playing, and Ethan and Kara walked out the door arm in arm.

They knew they had a long road ahead of them, but they knew with God’s help they would get

through their marriage.

~

Throughout the next year, Kara and Ethan cherished every moment spent together

because they knew it wouldn’t be long before Ethan had to leave for the army. Finally the day

came when Ethan was being deployed. Kara tried to be as strong as she could for him, but she

couldn’t keep the sorrow from welling up inside of her. She drove him to the airport, and now it

was time to say goodbye. Ethan turned to her and lifted her chin, looking her in the eyes as she

tried to hold back her tears.

“Baby, I’ll be back,” he said, trying to encourage her.

“You don’t know that,” Kara responded, letting her gaze fall to the ground so she

wouldn’t have to look at him.

 “Kara, don’t do this. You know I was born to serve my country, and I’m going to do the

best I can. Yes, there are some risks involved, but they are chances worth taking.”

She looked him in the eye right then. “I know. I’m sorry.”

Everything went silent for a minute. “Ethan?” Kara then asked.

“Yes?”

“Will you promise me something?”

“Anything,” Ethan answered, putting Kara’s hands in his and kissing them.

“Promise me that you won’t leave me. I need you.”

Ethan replied, “I promise. I will come home to you.”

“Good,” Kara said, nodding, trying to stifle tears, “because your baby and I are going to

miss you desperately.”

Ethan’s somber face turned to one of shock, and he squeezed his wife’s hand. “My baby?

Kara, are you pregnant?”

 “Yes!” Kara started laughing through her tears and then she saw something she had

never seen before. A tear slipped down Ethan’s face too before he finally spoke up. “Oh, Kara,

I’m so happy!”

“Then what is the matter?” Kara asked, confused.

“This makes it harder to leave you now, knowing that my son is on his way.”

 “Who said it’s a boy?” Kara teased. “I think it would be nice to have a girl.”

 Ethan smiled, then kissed her with a kiss that took Kara’s breath away. She knew this

would be the last kiss she would receive from him in a long time.

*                                              *                                              *                                  *

Kara, now nine months along in her pregnancy, had been feeling labor pains since early

that morning. Now she was starting to wonder if they were contractions. The pain kept getting

worse, and she finally called her parents. “Mom,” she said, “Can you and dad pick me up at my

house? I think my baby is ready to come.” Her parents arrived 10 minutes later and drove her to

the hospital while worrying if they would get there on time. Later while she was on medication at

the hospital, just minutes away from having her son or daughter, all she could think about was

Ethan. I wish he could be here right now. She thought. They had been writing and emailing each

other for the past nine months as often as possible. Ethan’s first question every time was “How

are you and the baby doing this week?”

The doctor interrupted her thoughts when he came in, and the nurse began prepping her

for delivery. She knew the baby was finally coming. Twenty minutes later, Kara was handed her

beautiful baby boy. She was overjoyed that Ethan had gotten his boy he wanted. As the baby

cried, Kara held him so close. She was amazed at how much he looked just like his father.

Her mother walked over to her and asked, “What are you going to name him?”

Kara looked up and handed her mother the baby. “I was thinking Ethan Ryan. Just like

his daddy.” Suddenly a wave of exhaustion came over her and she was left alone to rest. She

knew her baby was in good hands and she could rest easy.

Two hours later, Kara woke up sweating and screaming. The nurse and doctor came into

her room immediately, trying to calm her.

“What’s wrong?” the nurse asked her.

Once settled down, she finally spoke up. “It seemed so real.”

“What did?”

“My dream. My husband was fighting, and out of nowhere, a bullet came and killed him.

He was in so much pain.”

“It’s not real.” The nurse responded softly wiping her face with a cool rag. A few

minutes later her parents came in the door holding Ethan. Evidently the doctor had gone to get

them. She was so happy to see the three of them that she almost forgot about her nightmare. But

a vision like that could never completely go away.

~

It was Christmas Eve, three months later, and Kara heard a knock on the door. She put

Ethan Jr. in his crib and rushed to the door. She assumed it was her parents coming to see how

the baby was, but when she opened the door, her mouth dropped open as she was staring into the

face of Ethan. “Ethan!” She screamed and hugged him.

Ethan kissed her then asked “How did you manage to become even more beautiful while

I was away?” Kara couldn’t speak a word. She just stood there holding on to her Ethan and

taking in every word he said.

Ethan was very excited as he came into his house. It had been a year since he had been

home, and so much had happened. He was glad he had chosen to surprise Kara. He was even

happier as Kara picked up his beautiful baby boy he had been hearing about for the past three

months, and put him in his arms. Ethan was so proud. Now he had a wife and son here with him

for Christmas, and he knew even though he couldn’t stay long, he would treasure this week with

his family.

Christmas had gone by way too fast, but both Kara and Ethan knew this was the best

Christmas either of them ever had. It had been a week already and Ethan had to go back to the

army. It was tough leaving his son and wife, but he knew his duty was to his country first. He

waved goodbye as he saw Kara and Ethan Jr. for what he didn’t know would be his last time.

~

February had come and Kara was figuring out bills for her restaurant. It seemed that the

Evans Family Diner was going out of business. Springfield was a small town and not too many

people were coming anymore. Kara was frustrated, but she determined to do whatever it took to

keep it running. Her parents were at her house, watching Ethan and making her dinner. She

would forever be grateful for them.

Five minutes later, the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it!” Her mom yelled across the house. After

Kara heard the door open, her mom said, “Kara, there is someone here for you.”

“Coming!” Kara yelled down the hall. When she reached the door, Kara’s expression was

filled with panic. Standing at the door were two tall serious looking officers in Military uniforms.

“I have a letter for you, ma’am.” The one man said in a deep tone of voice. She took the

letter from his hand, ripped the envelope open, and read these words. We regret to inform you

that your husband, Ethan Ryan Davis, was killed in action on the thirty first day of January Two

Thousand and Ten. The room started spinning, and Kara’s vision began to blur. She then fell to

the floor and everything went black.

Kara woke up fifteen minutes later, after the men had left. Her entire inside felt like it had

been ripped to shreds. She saw her mom and dad with worried expressions sitting next to her on

her bed. She sat up then walked over to the crib where her baby was lying. She picked him up

and sat back on her bed. She held him close to her rocking him back and forth. She then burst

into tears. Her dad put a hand on her shoulder. “Leave me alone!” Kara yelled. In her grief, she

didn’t care if she was being rude.

“Honey,” Her mom uttered.

“I said leave me alone!” Kara barely choked out with what felt like a flood rushing down

her face. Her parents left.

An hour later, her mom came into her bedroom. “Are you going to be all right?” Her

caring mother asked.

“No.” Kara sobbed out. “He promised me he wouldn’t leave. He promised me he would

come home. He promised!” Ethan Jr. started crying because of her yelling. Her mom took care of

the baby while Kara sat with a far off look in her face as the tears slowly started to come to a

stop.

“Ethan’s remains are being brought to the states tomorrow.” Her mother started

explaining, “You choose whether he is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, or if you would

rather have a private funeral and burial in Springfield.” Her mom put her arm around her and

gave her a hug. “You have a day to think about it. You must make your decision by the end of

tomorrow.”

Two days later Kara was at the funeral for her husband. She decided to have the funeral

in Springfield, but to have Ethan buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D.C.  At

the funeral, many soldier friends of Ethan had come to pay their respects. She hadn’t known how

many people his life had influenced until his funeral. The funeral was held in the same church

that they had been married. She had estimated about 500 people had shown up for this funeral.

She didn’t even know half of them. Amazing grace started playing as Ethan’s casket with an

American flag draped over it was brought down the aisle to the front of the church.

Kara’s eyes had remained mostly dry for the entire ceremony. She felt as though she

already had cried all the tears she had. Now, a couple hours later, Kara, her family members, the

soldiers, and a few friends had arrived in Washington D.C. for Ethan’s burial. A hole was in the

ground and the casket lay next to it ready to be put in the ground. One of the soldiers played

Taps on the bugle. Kara had Ethan Jr. in a stroller while they watched Ethan being buried. Kara

said her last goodbye to Ethan then walked away. Good thing it was warm out because she

needed a place to be alone and think. She decided to go to the nearest park.

Kara sat thinking on the park bench. She had been thinking of the idea for a while, but

now she made her decision. She would restart her restaurant here in Washington D.C. She would

start a new life for her and her son. She thought about what she had said the other day. The

words replayed in her mind. He promised. Suddenly, God brought a sense of peace over her. She

was no longer afraid of tomorrow because now she realized Ethan had kept his promise. He

hadn’t left her. She could see him in every American Flag that flew, she could see him in every

smile of Ethan Jr., and she could see him in every soldier’s salute. But most importantly, she

could feel him in her heart. He truly had kept A SOLDIER’S PROMISE.