back home

He returned from Iraq and Afghanistan without injury. Not a scratch. Three of his West Virginia National Guard mates were not so lucky. Two died. Vinnie Ray Murray lost his left leg and part of his right. The Boles Springs community held a “Welcome Home” dinner at Coleman Middle School last night and a thanksgiving prayer service at the 5th Baptist-Methodist Church this morning. Both were well attended. People did care, he decided. He figured he’d take off a few weeks, then return to work, after Christmas, as a mechanic at the Pep Boys franchise at Wilson and Main. They’d held his spot. Before that, he’d thought about taking a trip, driving somewhere, take it slow. He thought about visiting Maggie, who lived in Pierre, South Dakota, but he knew she’d ask too many questions, even if he asked her not to. It was just the way she was. Maybe he’d just pick a road, get on it, just drive and end up where he’d end up. He needed space. Lots of it. So much that it scared him, sometimes. He also needed to come to peace with being alive. Space helped with that. A little.