Bears, Trees...

Remember that time we got lost in the woods? Remember how the stars looked? You were freaking out 'cause you thought we'd get eaten. Night in the woods. The bears didn't bother us, though. Maybe the bribe worked? I left a pack of hotdogs near the ranger station. Don't give me that look. That was a preventable tragedy. That ranger was being a dick anyway. It was a win for the bears, right? They were having a bad season as it was. No, not Chicago. Fuzzy bears. The ones with the teeth? Bear hugs? I gave you bear hugs, minus the claws scraping your back. That was your job. Better than your office job, I always thought. Maybe being with me was just as much a chore. I wanted to make it a challenge. The Army will train you, train you, train you to kill. I wanted to train you to survive, to thrive under the most adverse conditions. Bullets didn't factor into it. Getting lost in the woods did. Making any terrifying situation a beautiful one. Beauty is terrifying, yes? It worked both ways, too. Now you know why I gasped whenever you got undressed. Your eyes, intense and gorgeous and absolutely frightening. I don't think I could have loved without fear. It motivated me. It motivated you too, it motivated us. It led us to the woods. The bears, the rangers, their dark green trucks standing out against the vibrant colors of the forest. You didn't have to don camouflage. You fit right in with the trees, impressive, perfect, scarred, beautiful...and you scared me. And I couldn't lose you. And we got lost together. Sometimes the only solution is to do what you're afraid everyone else will eventually do. So I beat you to the punch. I had to. And look, there are the stars.