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turned to look at my empty glass and pay the night’s debt. Reaching into<br />
my pocket for a fold of cash, the wind blew through the door as Michael<br />
stepped out. I turned my head to see him, but he was already gone.<br />
The bar was now empty, but the atmosphere had lifted. The dank darkness<br />
of the bar had seemed to have lifted by a fader, but it wasn’t last call.<br />
I produced the appropriate payment and placed it on the bar. The bar<br />
tender produced a finger in recognition for my actions.<br />
I turned and looked towards the door. I thought about the<br />
brightness Michael talked about and what the brightness might look like<br />
to those I had lost. For the first time, in such a long time, a smile came<br />
across my lips.<br />
I could see the brightness.<br />
Michael "Kelly" McCoy is a Captain in the United States Army. He has deployed<br />
to Afghanistan and Iraq for a total of 41 months since his commission in 2003.<br />
"A Drink With Death" was written after his last deployment, as he attempted to<br />
accept the tragedy of war, specifically the death of one of his soldiers; SGT Faith<br />
Renee Hinkley. Kelly enjoys writing fiction and national security focused nonfiction<br />
in his blog Thinking Warrior Journal.<br />
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