LAMENT

 LAMENT 

By John Abbott

Louise had only known John for seven months and she would never forget the night they met. Not that it began as anything out of the ordinary, but later it seemed so, because of the joy that it had brought to her. She had gone for a quiet evening out with two girlfriends; a couple of drinks, a meal and some good conversation was what she had expected. That's what she got, and a lot more besides. John and his friends were in the same London restaurant and it all started innocently enough. They bought Louise's group a bottle of wine, and soon enough, the two groups were sharing a table. They were all young and laughed heartily together, enjoying each others company. When the evening began to fade into early morning, John gathered up his courage and asked Louise for her telephone number and whether she would risk going out alone with him. She was delighted and immediately agreed. To her, he appeared intelligent, fit, strong, strikingly handsome, and, most of all, good fun.

 

Within a few weeks, the two of them had become constant companions. John Coleman was a Scot from Edinburgh, he was twenty-one years old and full of confidence. Louise had realised straight away that this wonderful man, who always had something to say, and willingly laughed at every opportunity, was also a caring and sensitive soul. He was a soldier, which had initially surprised Louise, he didn't seem the type in her opinion. Although she wasn't keen on the military in general, she accepted that it should not be allowed to spoil a potentially happy relationship. He was very bright indeed, and was an ambitious Corporal in the Scots Guards. He appeared to love the life and had plenty of good mates within the battalion. She loved his dry, sarcastic sense of humour, and found him so attractive, that, at times, she could hardly believe her luck. They communicated well, expressed both feelings and thoughts to each other, and knew the difference between the two. To Louise, the relationship seemed perfect. The physical side was sensual, and the mental side was intriguing; compatibility seemed assured.

  

   Then in April 1982, a group of Islands in the South Atlantic, known to some as the Falklands and to others as the Malvinas, was invaded by Argentina. What happened thereafter is now history. As events unfolded in the South Atlantic, John's battalion geared itself up for war. John was a confident, sometimes awe-inspiring kind of man and he threw himself into those days with all his heart. He seemed to realise that after all the training and all the hard work, he would now get the chance to literally 'test' himself in the cauldron of war. And when he returned, which at this early stage, he never doubted once, he would return a wiser, stronger man. John loved Louise enormously, and although he had not admitted it at the time, when his battalion left for the South Atlantic aboard HMS Canberra, he knew that he would miss her terribly. Louise had received the letter on the twenty-second of June.

     " Dearest Louise,

It seems I have been mis-cast. This is no role for me, I am no soldier at all. All those war-games were simple enough, but the reality is far too terrible for me to comprehend. I love you so much and have no wish to lose you. I shall never again take your love for granted, as I feel I have done, whilst I indulge my childhood fantasies here on these islands. I yearn desperately to come home. I promise with all of my heart that I will never leave your side in the future. I love you. I want to feel your hair and smell your body, I need your smile to bring me back to the world of the living. I want to feel your lips upon mine, our tongues to embrace forever. I miss you more than I can ever explain. Life seems so shallow here. My friends fall like leaves in an autumn wind. When I return, will you marry me? I will give this life up, I shall no longer live the life of a warrior. I shall not often spend time away from you I will endeavour to care for your every need. I love you, please ... please ... do not forget me. When my last breath escapes me upon the battlefield, it will whisper your name ..."

 

Louise had read this letter countless times before. So often in fact, that she had almost memorised it word for word. It always brought forth a flow of tears, slowly tumbling down her face. The taste of these tears on her thin lips was always of the same bitter, salty kind. She had imagined the scene a thousand times. Officially, she had been told that on the twelfth of June 1982, upon the summit of Mount Tumbledown, at 22:39 hours, G Company had, whilst giving covering fire to the Recce Platoon, came under heavy Argentine mortar and artillery fire, thus killing Corporal John Coleman and wounding two colleagues. Unofficially, she imagined it slightly differently. The love of her life, with his young friends, huddled together against the cold and the damp, clinging grimly to life, coming under a terrible firestorm of mortar and artillery shells amidst the desolate rocks on the summit of Mount Tumbledown. The ending of yet another young, hopeful life. The final words in his letter would echo forever in her soul.

" When my last breath escapes me upon the battlefield, it will whisper your name ..."

 

Copyright John Abbott