Thew View From the Hill at Twilight

Her freshman year passed almost in a blink. May, and she still had trouble believing everything was real. She had done quite well in all her classes. She loved being a student, but the more she learned, the more she wanted a life as a civil engineer. Her only disappointment - no, not really a disappointment, but rather an unfulfilled hope - was that she still had not met a man who came up to her requirements. That didn't mean she hadn't enjoyed the men she had met, but despite the pills - and not infrequent opportunities - she ended the year still a virgin.

CHAPTER 3

Except over the Christmas break, Emily had not been home since arriving on campus. People in her part of the world tended to think of a hundred mile trip as a journey of a lifetime. Well, maybe not quite that extreme. Still, they didn't travel easily. Emily had taken a bus home for Christmas and again rode the Greyhound back for the new year. She had repeated the ride when school ended for the summer.

When she arrived back home her family was, of course, glad to see her. Her friends from high school still acted as they previously had as did others in the area. Yet somehow things seemed a little different. It wasn't exactly that Emily didn't feel that she belonged here any more. Not exactly that, but something along those lines. She still loved the area, the town and the people, her friends. But somehow they didn't seem quite the same. She realized that it was she who had changed and not the others. Or maybe she hadn't actually changed but what had been hidden deeply inside her had now blossomed and the real Emily was showing through.

Whatever the reason, it now seemed to Emily that her real world was somewhere else. Back on the campus or even somewhere beyond that. That is, until the first evening she climbed to her hilltop and sat beneath the old maple, looking out over the distant hills and valleys. Here she still seemed at home. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, drinking in the sounds and smells of the summer evening and let the peace of this magic place wash over and through her. Yes, this was still her favorite place in the whole world.

Emily passed the summer days easily. She fell back into her routine of chores around the house and farm and, like the several years before, spent time in study and reading, much of it under the old maple. She knew that many of those she had met at school would be working at summer jobs. It wasn't that Emily didn't work. There was plenty of work around the home but in this area there were very few actual paying jobs. Her scholarships and grants provided enough for her to get by and her tastes in expensive things were quite limited, so she wasn't driven to see how much money she could make. Besides her family could definitely use her help around the place.

She still found time for a little study and for reading. Emily was still the same romantic she had always been and often lost herself in novels, the classic English romances as well as some more contemporary ones she was able to find at the small local library. Twice she went out with a boy from her high school, but that was all. Perhaps without any conscious thought on the matter she was still looking for a man to match her fictional heros.

Not dating did mean that she missed the more frequent opportunities for erotic activities that college life had provided. Emily had a strong sex drive even if she never thought of it in exactly those terms. She had learned long ago to partly satisfy her urges on her own and the outdoors around her home had provided the privacy to do so. It wasn't unusual for the old maple to be witness to her quiet moans and cries as she relieved some of her tension with gently moving fingers.

In mid July John came home for two weeks of leave. The evening before he was expected to arrive, Emily had climbed the hill to sit beneath the old tree and watch the day turn to dusk and then night. Suddenly she heard someone come up the path and turned to find John, smiling and coming towards her.

"I didn't think you were getting here until tomorrow!" Emily exclaimed.

"I didn't expect to but when you travel space-A no schedule is absolute. On leave I can catch any available flight but I have low priority if there is official travel. I was lucky and caught an earlier flight out of Japan. Space available is nice - and free- but I have to allow extra time, just in case."

Emily was standing and gave him a tight hug. "I'm glad you made it. Any time is fine with me."

They both sat down and leaned against the ancient tree. "So, Little Sister, how do you like college?" They had exchanged e-mails throughout the year but this was their first real chance to talk since Emily had started at the school.

"I love it! The classes are fantastic - I can't seem to get enough. I mean, I really like the subjects and I love learning more and more about things. Most of the professors and I get along really well and Professor Branson is always ready to take time for me if I ever have any questions."

John smiled at her enthusiasm. "Well, I expect you like the classes a lot better than I did. What about other things? Friends? Boyfriends?"

"Lynn, my roommate, and I get along quite well. In fact, we've gotten an apartment together for next year." Then she actually blushed a little. "There have been a few men, but I wouldn't call them boyfriends or anything."

He smiled at her and teased, "No one to get into your pants yet?"

Now Emily flushed even deeper. "No. I did take your advice about the clinic and the pills, but I haven't really needed them yet."

"Maybe you're just being too picky," he again teased her. "You've turned into rather a hot woman, Em. I can't believe that men are all over you trying."

This brought a smile to her face. "I'll admit that a number or them have tried. Just not one I wanted yet." Then she changed the topic a little. "What about you, John?"

"You mean have I been getting into some pants of my own? I'll admit there have been a number of girls. Nothing serious, but we do have a lot of fun."

"Actually I meant more general than that. Have you found what you wanted?"

"Oh, I found a few I definitely wanted without their pants. They seemed to want that quite a bit themselves." Then in response to the look on Emily's face he turned more serious. "Seriously, Em, I never did know exactly what I wanted. I knew I wanted to travel and see the world. I've definitely gotten to do that. But the funny things is that now I have been so many places, that urge is dropping a bit. I like what I do in the Army. I've learned to be quite a good mechanic. I'll likely have one more station before my current enlistment ends. Probably somewhere in the mid-east. Then I have to decide if I want to re-up again. Lately I've been thinking that when my next hitch is up, I may leave the Army and find a job as a mechanic somewhere. It's not that I'm tired of what I'm doing. More of just feeling that, OK, I've done this. Now maybe I should settle down." Then his look lightened up a bit. "Maybe I just need to find a girl who wants to always keep her pants off for me."

Emily's expression lightened a bit. "I bet there are a lot of them. You are quite a hunk, Big Brother."

"Well, you are a really hot fox yourself, Em." Then, both of them lapsing into silence, John put his arm around her shoulders and the two remained quiet, just listening to the whippoorwills and watching the shadows creep up the mountain sides.

John was home for two more weeks. He and Emily again made another camping trip together for a couple of days and twice more they headed up the hill at twilight to just sit and talk.

CHAPTER 4

In late August Emily headed back to school. This time she took the bus, saving her family what they thought of as a long trip. When Emily arrived at the apartment she and Lynn had rented, she found that Lynn had already been there for a day. They spent the next two days getting all the stuff they would need here that hadn't been necessary in the dorm. Food, cleaning supplies, dishes, pans, tableware. Fortunately this was a little easier than Emily had expected because Lynn had brought a car back with her. Not a new one by any means, but it did allow them to get things without having to carry everything they bought.

Again, within a week or two, they settled into a routine as though they had been doing it for years. Emily was once again thrilled with her classes. This year she was getting more engineering courses even if there were still a couple of required basics she had to take. She even managed to work in a course on the English Romantic Novel just for her own interest. Here she discovered a couple of writers she had never heard of before but who enthralled her interest from the first pages.

As always, the leaves began to change color, the air cooled with crisp autumn nights. In the more remove and isolated reaches of the campus such nights were filled with sharp, bright stars. And often they were filled with couples hiding from the lights and concentrating on each other rather than the leaves or stars. Frequently Emily was among them, her strong desires being filled with some very serious kissing and roaming hands. Yet no one seemed exactly right and each morning as Emily took her pill the question would creep into her mind: Would she ever really need them? Perhaps she was raising her standards too high? Still, she held back, a distant hope glowing over the horizon that there would be a man who met her ideals.

Emily had a wonderful personality and, of course, as her brother had said, the physical appearance of a very hot fox. There was never a shortage of men who asked her out, but generally not more than a few times. Sometimes this was a result of Emily's lack of interest in drinking. She was firm in her abstinence and many of the men moved on to easier prey, as they often thought of their dates. Also a lot of the problem was that many of them expected more intimate activities on the second or even the first date. Many of the girls on campus realized this and were ready to sleep with a guy as an expected activity. Emily was not. Occasionally this resulted in strong language, insults, a sullen date and, not infrequently, a frustrated Emily. Emily knew she wanted more, but was not ready to look for that more with just anyone.

Fall semester progressed smoothly despite her social limitations and before she realized it finals were past and she once more made the trip back home. John's e-mails had indicated that he might be able to get leave and be home for Christmas but at the last minute he found this was impossible. He was now stationed near an active combat area and the situation could alter rapidly. Of course, he could never give her any details, but they did still exchanged e-mail fairly regularly.

The holidays went well. With Emily showing her parents how, they even managed to have a chat session with John. Emily wrote down explicit directions for her parents so they could chat with John after she had gone back to school. Her family had had a computer and internet since John was in high school but didn't use it enough to be really familiar with all the capabilities. While she was showing them exactly what to do, her mother remarked, "When I was little the only way to exchange news was mail. There was the phone, of course, but long distance calls were quite expensive and you only used that for an emergency."

Emily smiled. "Things have changed, Mom."

The vacation passed quickly and soon Emily found herself back in classes. Again things were going smoothly. Then one evening in mid February when Emily was in the apartment by herself preparing supper, her cell phone rang. She glanced at the number, surprised to see it was her parents. She did talk with her parents occasionally but had done so only two days before. She answered and heard her mother's voice. "Hi, Mom."

"Hi. Emily I'm afraid I have some bad news." The tone of her mother's voice was such that Emily stopped what she had been doing and dropped down into a chair at the table.

"What's happened, Mom?"

"It's about John."

Emily felt her stomach tighten into a hard knot. With fear in her voice she hesitantly asked, "Is he ..."

Before she could finish her mother replied, "No, he's alive but he's been injured." Her voice broke as she said, "He's lost his right foot and part of his leg."

Emily stopped breathing for several seconds. Then she managed to get out, "What happened?"

She heard her mother take a deep breath. "I don't know the details. He and some of his men were ambushed. He evidently tried to help get a couple of them out of danger and the terrorists hit them with something. Some kind of rocket, I think. They got him back to a hospital and he's on his way to Germany and then back to the US. I understand he'll be in the hospital for some time. I've e-mailed him but I haven't heard back yet."

"Do you want me to come home, Mom?"

Her voice changed, became firmer. "No, Emily. There isn't anything you can do here and it will be some time before John is able to come here. You're doing what is really important to you. Don't stop. I'm sure John would agree with that."

For several seconds Emily was totally silent. Then she realized what her mother had said was correct. John would tell her to stay at school. She took a deep breath. "All right. If there is anything I can do, let me know."

Her mom said, "All I can think of is you might e-mail him. Let him know you're thinking of him. From what they said he'll be able to get e-mail and reply. I know he was in surgery for a while right afterwards, but I think this happened a day or two ago."

"All right, Mom. Let me know if anything changes."

For the next twenty minutes Emily just sat, staring into space while her mind tried to grasp what had happened. Finally, she took a deep breath and began to compose an e-mail to her brother.

When Lynn came in a little later, Emily was still sitting at the table, her laptop open as she tried to work out exactly what to say. Emily looked up. "Lynn, I'm sorry I haven't got supper ready. Something has happened."

She then told Lynn what it was. "Emily, don't worry about supper. I'll make us something. You go ahead and write your brother."

"Thanks, Lynn, but I'm not sure I'll be able to eat anything."

Lynn turned to face her, her hands on her hips, and sternly said, "Emily, you have to eat. It won't do John or yourself any good if you don't." Then is a more quiet tone she said, "John would tell you the same thing, wouldn't he?"

A half smile came to her lips. "He probably would but not in so gentle a fashion. You're right, Lynn. He'd want me to keep going, no matter what."

Emily sent off the e-mail, but it was two days later before she received a reply. When she opened it she was totally surprised by the tone. She had expected John to be depressed at best, but the message was actually quite upbeat.

"...It could have been a lot worse. They had us pinned down and my sergeant and two of the men were trapped on the other side of the Humvee where they were still taking fire. I managed to help get them back under cover on my side but before I made it back they hit us with an RPG. Fortunately another squad saw where they were and managed to take them out.

I'm alive. That's more than some guys over here. I just suppose now I won't be able to be a pro football player."

Emily gasped with something between a laugh and a sob at this comment. She knew John had never had ambitions to play pro ball, that his comment was joking, but now he went on.

"Seriously, Em, it's not really as bad as it sounds. I was able to keep my knee and they tell me with a prosthetic I should be able to do most things I could before. I had about decided not to re-up and look for a mechanic's job somewhere anyway. I've seen the world like I always wanted and now, like I told you last summer, I'm ready for something else. Besides, I'll have disability pay coming in from the army, so I'll never have to worry about being completely broke.

I'm really all right, Em. Now you just continue to go after what you want. That's the most important thing in life. Go after what you really want."

Emily felt her eyes flood. The thought came to her, "I should be reassuring him and here he is trying to prop me up." She shook her head back and forth. "Well, I won't let him down. As they say, life goes on."

The rest of the school year passed quickly. Emily and John exchanged e-mails and occasionally talked over the net. John was back stateside and was recovering nicely. He often mentioned how his new foot let him do a lot more than he would have expected. He still kidded about not playing pro ball now, but Emily knew he had never wanted to do that anyway. She even kidded him back by saying that maybe he could get a spring built into his foot and become a really good field goal kicker. She knew John would appreciate this kind of humor even if it seemed a little twisted to her to write it.

Before the summer break was over John had made a visit home. He was actually able to move quite well with the artificial foot and even could climb the hill fairly easily. It became quite common for Emily and him to watch the twilight from under their old maple.

John never talked about the circumstance surrounding the attack except to once say that at least they could shoot back, unlike under the last administration's Rules of Engagement. He did, however, continue to joke about his leg. Once they had been caught in a brief shower while sitting under the maple. After the rain stopped Emily stood to start back to the house. John made a move to stand and then froze with his leg stiff and in a tight jawed voice said, "Oil. Can. Oil. Can."

For an instant Emily froze and then she burst into a wild fit of laughter. When she caught her breath she managed to say, "Come on, Tin Man. That leg is aluminum. It doesn't rust."

John joined her laughter and rose to start back down the hill. Emily looked at him and in a different tone of voice asked, "Seriously, John. You joke like that about your leg a lot. Doesn't it really bother you, what has happened?"

In an equally serious tone he turned towards her. "Well, of course, I would rather it never had happened. But one of the things they stressed to me during rehab was to try and avoid getting depressed over it. Also I've found that I can really do most things, maybe not quite as easily or as well as before, but there aren't really many things that limit me. Seriously, I rarely think much about it any more. Also, I always remember there are three guys who probably wouldn't be alive if I hadn't helped."

Emily put her arm around him. "John, you are really quite a man. I can't imagine a better brother." Then her tone changed to a lighter, more teasing form. "Now if I could just marry you."

John, now also lightening his tone replied, "But, Sis. This is the Kentucky hills. Don't let a little thing like being siblings stop us." Both of them laughing they started back down the hill.

CHAPTER 5.

Junior year started much the same as the previous two. That is, Emily slipped back into the routine of classes with little problem. She and Lynn were still sharing the apartment and now her classes were mostly in the civil engineering field. She still dated a number of men but had yet to find one to hold her interests.

Her cartography class was a lecture of about fifty students. She knew about half of them from the previous year's classes, but a number of them were unfamiliar. When the first exam was given back one Friday afternoon in mid October, the professor called each by name before handing back the paper. Emily was pleased to see the 98 along with a big, red A on hers.