Loving Deeply Gives You Courage

Four years in high school did nothing for Ron Griggs popularity. While his classmates were protesting the war, climate change and other causes he was busy learning camp craft and outdoorsmanship in Boy Scouts, then got involved in the cadets. He was a contrarian even in his early development. He dated a few girls but they always dumped him after a month or so, just too clinging and possessive. In short, too weird.

After graduation he moved on to the Military Academy. Finally in his element he excelled at his studies. While his brothers in arms would hit the bars at night Griggs would hit the gym or the pool. He soon altered his very slight yet tall frame into a well muscled, lean fighting machine.

He was not popular among his peers in the Academy either. Once again his enthusiasms were out of touch with his cohort.

Ron Griggs finished four years of study in 3 years. He committed to additional training for special assignment duty but was granted leave to spend most of his fourth year in his home town.

It was really exciting to be back in the old home town. So little had changed over the past three years. Kids still fished in the river and built rafts from cast off construction debris. Wildflowers still bloomed in the fields left fallow.

It was a sleepy little town. In winter the sport was hockey, in spring and summer it was baseball. As he arrived back in town baseball season was just starting. Ron had played baseball as a youth, his old team was scheduled to play their first game of the season. Attending was just too hard to resist.

The bleachers in the park were anything but comfortable. Hard wooden benches did not make for a soft seat however years of use had given them bum contours the lessened the discomfort. He sat and watched the first couple of innings drinking in the nostalgia when he happened to notice someone that he thought he recognized. She was at the far side of the bleachers and sitting alone. He got up and casually walked closer. Ron was right, it was a high school classmate, Anna Fowler.

Never a confident ladies man he feared rejection as he approached her. Screwing up his courage he approached her and she looked up at him.

"Anna? Anna Fowler, is that you? He croaked.

"Yes, and you are?" She asked.

"I guess I have changed since you last saw me, I am Ron Griggs."

"Ron Griggs, the skinny little loser from high school? You have uh...filled out a bit haven't you? I mean wow, you have muscles and shoulders and everything!"

"Thanks Anna, you have filled out a little bit yourself, in a good way I mean." Ron blushed.

To be sure Ron was right. When Ron was a skinny little nerd she was a stick figured ugly duckling. They went on dates for a month or so but broke up. The past three years had seen her go from ugly duckling to an amazingly beautiful swan, no longer stick figured but buxom, with a narrow waist and lovely hips. Raven hair worn shoulder length. She wore a plain white t-shirt and a pair of cut off jean shorts, hardly high fashion but she wore it well.

"Are you back in town for long? What have you been up to?" she asked.

"I am taking the better part of a year off here in town. Then I am back for more training and then assignment."

"That's right you went to the Military Academy. You always were really into that kind of thing weren't you?"

"What have you been up to Anna?"

"Well, I went to university after school with a business major. Unfortunately my parents passed away in an automobile accident six months ago and I had to come back home to run the store."

"I am so sorry to hear that, your parents were great. So the family furniture store is doing well?"

"It is ok for a small town store. I will never be rich but I can make ends meet. I just wish I could have finished my degree."

They watched the ball game in silence for a bit. The home team was down two runs. Ron wanted to ask her to go out for a drink or coffee after the game but his shyness kept him quiet.

"Ron, do you keep in touch with anyone from school? she asked.

"No, I wasn't really close to anyone."

"Yeah, a remember you as a lone wolf. I didn't stay in touch either."

"Anna, would you like to do something after the game?" he asked with a shake in his voice.

"I'd love a coffee. These spring evenings are a little chilly."

Ron removed his jacket and laid it over her lap to keep her legs warm. She smiled and thanked him. Cut off shorts might have been an optimistic choice for this early Spring.

The home team turned it around in the ninth inning and won by a single run.

Anna and Ron talked about their after high school experiences over coffee. She had dated a guy but it didn't work out. Ron of course had no experience. Working out or studying filled his downtime. They also touched on their dating each other in high school.

"I really liked you Anna. One of my faults back then was that I expected any relationship to be long lasting. I really pictured us as a married couple sometime down the road. It was a shock to me that we didn't work out. Then again I had a lot to learn."

"I liked you too. I think that dating at that age really prepares us for future relationships. It teaches us how to react with another person who we really care about."

"It teaches how to deal with heartbreak. At least that is what I learned." said Ron.

"It does that doesn't it. But here we are older and wiser.

Anna nervously stared down at her coffee cup as she asked, "The chamber of commerce is sponsoring a dance this Saturday night. Would you like to come as my date Ron?"

"Absolutely!"

For the next few days Ron toured the old town on foot or on a bike, the way he experienced it as a kid. The old school, the armoury where the cadets drilled, the church, the playgrounds. It brought back a lot of memories, some good, mostly not. Small towns tend not to be kind to misfits and Ron had no illusions, he was definitely a misfit.

The dance was a splendid affair at the community centre, probably the most modern building in the town. There was a live band and they weren't half bad in Ron's opinion.

Anna wore a mid-length dark blue dress that complemented her shapely form. The dress accentuated her breasts. Ron had no idea what type of bra she might have been wearing but it certainly wasn't hiding her nipples.

Anna had been looking forward to this event for a while. She was so happy and relieved that Ron would be there for her. It was so much better than going alone. She was impressed with how Ron had changed from a terribly insecure boy to a fit and ready for action soldier. She remembered the saying, "Mighty oaks from little acorns grow."

Ron couldn't believe his luck. Anna, his high school sweetheart was dancing with him! Oh the joy of holding her close and smelling the fresh scent of her hair. The warmth of her body held against him and the gentle rocking motion as they danced was exciting him in a rather embarrassing way. Anna noticed it but held him even closer pressing her breasts into his chest as they swayed to the music. They both hoped that the song would never end.

Ron and Anna held hands as they walked home. Ron told her how much he enjoyed the evening and Anna said that he had made the event a wonderful experience for her. She then stood on her tiptoes and kissed his lips.

Ron nearly floated home!

The two of them became inseparable and they grew closer each day. Ron would drop by the store to help her out often. The walked the trails, they strolled hand in hand along the riverfront. They enjoyed life together until it was time for Ron to return for his special training and eventual deployment.

Ron had lost his nervousness around her but saying goodbye was really hard for him. He realized that he was in love with Anna but he was so uncertain of the future given his status in the military.

Anna felt the impending loss of this man she had come to love.

Just before boarding the train Ron surprised her.

"Anna, meeting you again was a God send. You mean so much to me and it is so hard to imagine that we won't see each other as often as we have been. I will miss you so much. I promise I will write to you as often as I can. Anna, I have something for you."

He reached into his pocket and took out a ring box and opened it in front of her.

"I am just a poor soldier but I did have some money saved up. I would like to give you this ring as a promise that I will return before deployment. I love you Anna."

"Ron it is beautiful, a sapphire! I love you too Ron and I can't wait till you are back."

They hugged and kissed goodbye.

Special training was a tough nine months of physical training and for Ron it included tradecraft in espionage for lack of a better term. It turns out Ron was especially good at it.

Ron kept his promise and wrote as often as he could. He had to avoid any information regarding training so most of the conversations tended towards how things were back in town. They missed each other and promised they would meet up again.

Once the training was completed he was given a month to go home and set things up to be looked after prior to deployment. All he could think about was Anna.

The trip back on the train was taking forever! He was imagining holding Anna in his arms and loving her. When the train finally arrived at the station in town he could see Anna waiting on the platform for him.

She rushed to him as he stepped off the train. They embraced, holding each other as if their lives depended on it. Finally breaking apart they walked hand in hand through the street to her house.

Ron kissed her as soon as they got through the door. She kissed him back, hard. Ron gently caressed her back, his hands moving lower to her ass. She ground herself into his leg as she unbuckled his belt and unzipped him. In moments he stepped out of his pants then stripped down completely.

Anna was completely naked by the time Ron was. They simply stood there taking in the sight of their two nude bodies. They had never seen each other nude before. Oh they had seen parts but never the whole package at once.

Ron couldn't get over how beautiful her body was when it wasn't covered up. Her breasts were full and ripe. Lovely hips that were made for love and the child bearing that follows it. That lovely pear shaped ass was just too wonderful for words.

Anna was equally amazed and transfixed by Ron's chiseled physique. His training regimen really worked for him. She was also glad to finally see that rather large and impressive body part that he had so often pressed against her. She watched as it swelled before her eyes.

Anna spoke first.

"We've been waiting for this for so damn long Ron. Please make love to me. Make me yours tonight and always."

"Anna my love. I want you. I have wanted you for so long now and finally now finally I will have you, tonight and always."

They fell to the bed and kissed long and hard. Ron kissed her long neck and slowly moved down to her pale shoulders. She shivered with excitement and her nipples hardened. Ron took each of them into his mouth and thoroughly kissed them. He then kissed his way to her flat belly and finally to her womanhood. The fragrant essence of her wetness excited him as he had never been before. He kissed her and used his tongue on her, finding the little button that made Anna shiver and moan aloud. She climaxed twice.

"Ron, I want you inside me now. Be gentle at first. I don't have much experience."

"Neither have I my love. I will be gentle. I want so much to fill you."

He then gently placed himself at her wet and waiting opening and ever so slowly he entered her.

Ron could not believe how warm it felt as he entered her. It was so wet and warm and comfortable. Anna couldn't believe how full she felt with Ron's member fully inside her. He was balls deep in her and she was luxuriating in the sensation. As Ron began slowly moving in and out of her they both moaned and groaned in their passion.

"Faster" she whispered in his ear and faster he went.

"Harder" she cried and he pushed with more force as he re-entered her each time.

"I am coming" Ron shouted.

"So am I! Fill me Ron. Oh fuck I am ahh, ahhh aaaahhhh!

Ron and Anna lay together on the bed holding each other whispering sweet words in each others ears.

It was that night that they decided to get married before he had to be deployed. They had one month together so they made the most of it.

They had a small wedding in St. James church chapel. They exchanged the traditional vows and made promises to each other. At the reception dinner afterward they offered each other a special quotation on love. This was the quote that Anna gave Ron.

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. Attributed to Lao Tsu

And this was his quotation to her.

If I had a flower for every time I thought of you...I could walk through my garden forever. Alfred Tennyson

The rest of the month they spent together in a state of bliss but the months end came far too quickly.

Ron Griggs received his orders and was deployed overseas. The exact location is classified but it was not in an active war zone however it was dangerous because he was gathering intelligence on weapons and how they got into the hands of enemies. Human intel was crucial in the effort to find a way to stop or at least slow down arms distribution.

There was a particular building that was known to be a warehouse storage facility for artillery ammunition and other explosives. Using a very small "buttonhole" camera he was able to take photographs of truck's making deliveries and some loading up. He was careful to disguise himself each time he was at the location, one time in a painter's overalls, another dressed as a mechanic, other times in a suit. She me times the simplest tradecraft is thee best, carrying a clipboard can get you anywhere. The photos were then forwarded to his handlers back home.

On this particular day he was wearing coveralls and a hard hat. He walked along the street and by the warehouse taking pictures as he came near the loading docks. As he passed one large truck suddenly the world went black.

Ron Griggs awoke in what he guessed was a hospital. There was a nurse in the room with him and she began asking him questions in a language that he didn't understand. He tried to speak but couldn't. He tried to remember what might have happened to him but couldn't. Then the horror set in, he didn't know who he was.

Eventually a doctor tried to communicate using a few different languages. French, Russian, Spanish then English. Ron couldn't speak but his eyes must have confirmed that he understood English.

"We are pleased that you are conscious finally. You are in hospital and have been here for six months in a coma. There was an explosion in a warehouse, a massive explosion. There was only one survivor, you. You have sustained very serious injuries. Arms, legs, ribs, skull and spine all with multiple breaks. You also had a lot of organ damage. We suspect a part of your brain has been damaged which is probably why you can't speak. We don't know who you are, you had no identification on your person. We hope that you can recover soon."

Ron's handlers back home knew he was gone when the photos stopped coming. They had heard about the massive explosion and the reports that everyone at the building had perished. The protocol was that when an asset like Ron was killed in action or even if captured by the enemy they were to be simply classified as MIA, missing in action. Their presence in the country would be denied. This was standard practice in clandestine operations.

So it was with a very heavy heart that Ron's CO broke the news to Ron's young wife Anna that her husband was MIA overseas.

Anna was destroyed by the news. She took it so hard that they took her into the town medical facility. Her tears went on for ages and there were fears that after losing her parents and now her husband was MIA might sap her will to live. Matters were of course complicated because she was pregnant with her husband's child.

The Military was quick to advise her that MIA soldiers sometimes returned so all was not lost. Mind you they would admit that it would take a miracle.

It was a full year since the accident and Ron was being told that he needed to leave the hospitals that had been his home for a year. He had no where to go. He had no money, no source of income, didn't know his own name, didn't know his skills and didn't know if he would get any better. The reason he was being kicked out was money. He had none. One of his doctors came to him and suggested that he and his girlfriend might be able to house you for your rehabilitation. He had no way of saying yes or no so he was taken there.

Sarah Verstapen was a lovely woman, a former nurse, physiotherapist and massage therapist. It turned out that she majored in practical torture techniques in a clinical setting. She employed those torture techniques in an attempt to bring life back to his broken body.

Her husband Dirk was a tall and wide version of a Viking. He specialized in putting badly damaged individuals back in order.

Sarah worked him several times a day and Ron was starting to improve. He made small facial movements. Started to move his arms and hands. The legs would be the last.

Ron was so frustrated not recalling who and what he was.

Sarah would show him photos of landmarks, objects that he might recognize but he recognized none of them.

One year and a half and Ron is able to speak. Quietly he asks to no one be in particular "Who am I?" No one knows the answer and no one has come to claim him. If he was a dog at the pound they would be euthanizing him but still he lived on.

Sarah is a saint. She seems full of boundless energy. She started working on his legs that day, pouring oil on her hands. She started with is toes. He had regained feeling in his feet and legs but couldn't move them. He lies on the bed naked but he is not ashamed, this is the woman who has bathed him and taken care of him. Sarah kneaded her way up the calves of his legs. The warmth of her hands and the scent of the oil was very pleasing. He closed his eyes. She worked the hamstring muscles and then the quads.

"You must have been in incredibly fit at the time of the accident. Anyone else I have worked on that has seen your kind of damage would have no musculature left."

She rolled him over in order to work on his glutes. She couldn't help but be impressed by him. She rolled him back after a thorough massaging of his butt only to find him fully erect.

"Look at you! This is real progress. This is amazing."

He kept his eyes closed. He should be embarrassed but this woman had been bathing him, changing his diaper. It wasn't like this was something unusual. Well of course the erection was.

"Let's see if the plumbing works as it should." She said as her oiled hand closed around him and she began slowly moving it up and down the shaft.

Ron let out a low groan of pleasure.

"Ah, the nerves are connecting just fine." She smiled.

Her hand picked up speed and his erection seemed to expand even larger. She leaned over him and took him in her mouth as she continued her stroking him.

"Your husband wouldn't like this Sarah. I don't want to hurt him." Ron said.

"This is therapy my dear. Now close your eyes and enjoy."

She deep throated him and he came with a shout of pleasure. She slowly released him, wiped her mouth and cleaned him.

"You did it!" That means that you are healing my dear! This is so encouraging. I think we will have you on your feet soon."

The massage therapy continued and he began to get movement in his legs. The therapy didn't always end with as much joy as that first time but it did happen from time to time.