The Purple Heart
written by:
plzdnow

The Purple Heart

By: plzdnow

Nights have always been difficult for me. I cannot remember a time when I slept completely through the night. I usually wake up around midnight and look to see if any of my late night friends are available for IM chats and if so we hang out until one or both of us are sleepy. A few weeks back I decided that if I didn't find anyone to chat with I would start taking walks in my neighborhood.

I live in a particularly nice neighborhood where most of the houses were built in the early 60's. I suppose it is upper middleclass and it is nestled in a suburb of Virginia close to Washington DC. The houses are mostly two story family homes with manicured lawns, schools, sidewalks and bus stops every few blocks for public transportation. The streets are well lighted and it isn't uncommon to find other people out taking a midnight walk for whatever reason keeps them from sleeping.

Most of my walks are quiet, interrupted only by the occasional nod or friendly hello, from a fellow midnight stroller, sort of whispered to each other in passing. I have never felt unsafe while out and I always stay on the beaten path though it has been tempting to wander over to the track or playground of the local school. Being safety conscious about my surroundings I always opt not to wander away from the lighted streets.

Two nights ago I woke up as usual and after chatting briefly with a friend of mine I pulled a terrycloth cover-up on over my white linen gown, put my tennis shoes on, pulled the blonde hair up in a ponytail, and left the house for my nightly journey. The night was just beautiful. The moon was almost full and very white. It made me feel like I was inside a giant balloon and the circle the moon made was the opening of the balloon. I smiled as I wondered what would be on the outside of that bright light. I could smell freshly cut grass and the aroma of roses in the air as a soft summer breeze carried the scent to me. It was romantic and yet it reminded me of how lonely I had been feeling lately. It seemed a night like this was meant to be shared by lovers.

As I began to climb the next small hill I noticed a figure at the top of it sitting on a bench at a bus stop. For a moment I considered turning and going back the way I came and maybe cutting this walk short for the night but it seemed to me that the man sitting on the bench was wearing a uniform. My curiosity got the better of me and I decided to risk what I considered a slight safety issue and continue on.

As I approached the bench I was able to focus better on the man sitting there and I recognized that he was wearing his Army dress uniform. Just as I got within speaking distance he asked me very politely; "You wouldn't have a smoke, would you?"

"No, not with me." I replied, smiling at him.

"It isn't far to the convenience store though, and I would be glad to walk with you there to show you where it is." I continued.

"By the way, did you know that the buses stopped running a few hours ago?" Once again I smiled looking down into his face.

"That's okay. I really don't smoke." He kind of laughed as he spoke.

I loved his laugh immediately. His eyes were crystal blue and his smile melted my heart.

"I was just trying, not very smoothly either, to see if I could find a way to strike up a conversation with you. I've been here for a while." he laughed again and seemed slightly embarrassed.

"Well, I think that is the first time anyone has ever used that line on me and it seems it works for you because it appears we are having a conversation."

"Would you like to sit and talk for a while?" he sounded hesitant and looked wishful as he asked.

"Sure, but again you do know that the buses will not run again until early morning, don't you?"

"Yep, I'm not waiting on a bus."

I sat down beside him and we just sat in silence for a moment. Then, being the inquisitive person that I am I started to gently interrogate him about what he was doing there so late at night in his uniform.

As he began his story I felt mesmerized by him and all that he had to say. He said he had just arrived back from a deployment in Iraq and that he had gotten in so late that he decided to wait until morning before he woke up his family. He told me he was an only child and that they weren't expecting him right now. He wanted to surprise them. As he revealed this to me I found that I really enjoyed being there with him and that he was so pleasant to pass the time with. We exchanged names and he told me his name was really James but I should call him Jim because that's what everyone called him. It seemed like we already knew each other. He was just so comfortable to be with.

I noticed that his chest was decorated with ribbon after ribbon and I inquired of him how long he had been in the Army. He told me that he had just passed twelve years and of those he had spent almost 3 of it in Iraq. You could see the pride in his posture and in his face when he talked about the Army.

We talked some more about trivial facts regarding both of our lives and then I asked him if he would like a tour of the neighborhood. He laughed out loud and explained that his father was an Army officer and that he had bought a home in this area many years ago to provide him and his mother a place for some consistency in their lives. His father thought this best until he had fulfilled his military obligations. Jim had grown up just a couple of blocks from where we were sitting.

"How about a swim?" He smiled. "I've been borrowing the country club pool since I was old enough to climb the fence."

I laughed back and told him that I didn't happen to bring my swim suit along on my walk. He shrugged his shoulder and told me not to worry that he wouldn't peek if I wanted to swim in my underwear. I decided why not. It wouldn't be the craziest thing I had ever done.

We walked about 20 minutes to the back side of the clubhouse and with a quick boost he had me up and over the waist high chain link fence, following behind me by effortlessly hoisting himself up and over the fence in one movement. I thought how funny it was that his uniform still looked impeccable. Once we were poolside he made a mocking gesture and turned his back telling me that he promised not to look while I undressed and jumped into the pool.

I pulled my cover up off and then my gown, leaving them in a heap where I stood. A couple of steps to the pool and then with a splash I was in.

Jim meant to keep his promise about not looking while she undressed. He turned away from her with the greatest intentions but found that he was staring directly into a wall of plate glass. The entire clubhouse restaurant had been built with a wall of glass so that patrons could look out over the grounds while they had their meals. He tried to look away as quickly as possible but her image had already been burned into his mind.

She had taken the golden hair out of its clasp allowing the breeze to catch it and pull it away from her face. When she bent forward it covered her breasts but when she stood up straight he saw her breasts standing out from her body and he thought it was the most beautiful sight he could remember. He quickly tucked his chin and lowered his head to shield his eyes from the view but he had seen her now. So beautiful and so soft, how he ached to touch her. He imagined his hands exploring every inch of her beginning with the beautiful cheeks of her face to the full firm cheeks of her ass. He saw that she had beautiful long legs, the kind the women had in the magazines he and his buddies looked at overseas. They would get one someone had smuggled in every six months or so and they passed it around dreaming of the beautiful women in it until the pages were worn and faded.

When he stopped her at the bus stop he had only wanted someone to pass the time until morning. He hadn't realized what a beautiful woman she was. She wasn't like a Hollywood starlet or a model but just this beautiful kind of "girl next door" woman with a kindness and sweetness that was equivalent to her physical beauty. The woman he had often dreamed of meeting. Now he wanted to hold her, to touch her, to smell her and to taste her. He felt like the luckiest soldier in the United States Army. His thoughts were interrupted by a huge splash and laughter. He turned to see her in the pool and began to laugh as well, proceeding to undress himself.

I saw his face come to light as he laughed. Unlike my nonchalant disrobing he took his time. Each article of clothing was carefully removed and laid neatly on a table. He took his boots off and I could see that they had been shined to perfection. He set them on the table along with everything he had been carrying in his pockets and laid his hat on top of it all like a crown.

"Now, are you going to peek? I am going to take my boxers off so if you are squeamish you had better turn around." He teased.

I laughed back but there was no way I was going to turn around. He did not seem very timid or inhibited as he folded the boxers and placed them on the table too. Looking at him standing in the moonlight I realized that there was a pretty fair age difference between us. I wasn't sure how much but he was definitely quite a bit younger than me.

With his back to me and the light from the moon I could see his body was beautiful. It was obvious that he must work out more than an average amount. I could see the contours of the gluts and his thighs looked to be well defined, from behind I believed there was not an ounce of fat on this man. He turned to walk to the pool and his front was just as gorgeous as his back.

He took a small leap and made a perfect shallow dive into the pool. I teased him about being a real show off and he told me that showing off was just one of his many talents. I realized that I was having more fun than I had experienced in a very long time. We splashed each other a few times then a challenge for a race to the end of the pool ended up with both of us arriving at the shallow end of the pool gasping for some air. When we were able to talk again I asked him if he had a girlfriend. He didn't answer me, and I noticed he was staring at my breasts. I had gotten so involved in our play that I forgot my bare breasts were above the waterline as we leaned back against the side of the pool.

"I guess you see something you like?" I joked with him.

"Oh God, I am so sorry." He said. "I didn't mean to stare. It has just been a long, long time since I was this close to a naked woman."

"It's okay soldier, you're forgiven and I guess that answers my question." I smiled at him trying to ease his embarrassment at getting caught.

"What was the question?" He asked still a little off guard.

I repeated the question about having a girlfriend and he told me he had never felt that he had the time or attention to give to a real girlfriend. He got quiet after that.

I realized at that moment that I really wanted to kiss him. I also wanted him to caress my breasts and a great deal more than that. It is such an awkward moment between two people when they find themselves in a position like that. I didn't know what the proper etiquette for this situation was, so me being me I decided to take the initiative and make the first move. I leaned over to him and took his head in my hands pulling his face to mine and his lips to mine then I kissed him. I was unprepared for the kiss in return. He had the most gentle, warm lips. He took his time kissing. When his tongue entered my mouth it seemed he yearned to make a connection with me in this way and not the hard pushing and probing that happens so many times when people are in the heat of passion. His kiss was a search, a gentle and determined search.

He put his hands on my waist and easily lifted me up so I was seated on the side of the pool. Looking into my eyes like they would give him permission he pushed my legs apart and placed his head between them. He began to explore my pussy from front to back with his tongue always spending a little extra time on my clit. I was overcome with a desire for him to do more and I pulled his head in deeper. He read the invitation perfectly and began to thrust his tongue in between the lips of my swollen labia now using his hand to massage its mound and my clit. I let go of his head and rested back on my palms trying to control the spasms that I felt rippling through my abdomen and thighs as my body responded to his every move. I looked down at his head just watching him. I could see that my body glistened from the pool water. I had goose bumps all over me which made my skin feel so tight, tingling all over. Underneath the dim light the beads of moisture and goose bumps resembled a body coating of crystals. My breasts pushed out and the moon gave just enough light that it made the darkness of my nipples and areolas look almost exotic. My long wet hair fell down across my shoulders tickling my breasts. I took one hand away from its brace and began to fondle my breast pinching first one nipple then the other thinking all the while that I needed for him to suck them hard.

His attention to my overly excited slit and all of its attached flesh and muscles was now more than I could stand, my back involuntarily arched and I let my head fall back until I felt my hair brush the cement pool side and with a loud cry I practically screamed; " I can't wait, I am going to cum, I am cumming now." Then I let my body take control and every muscle in my body stiffened while spasm after spasm took me out of this world and to another place. He continued to lick my clit with soft quick movements until the orgasm stopped and then he took his hand and cradled my entire crotch in it like he knew how to sooth all of the smaller orgasmic aftershocks that still had to pass. It was unbelievable.

As soon as I could regain some form of composure I sat up and slid back into the pool with him. I kissed him on his mouth with more intensity than that of our first kiss and as we kissed I began to walk farther out into the deeper water. Neither of us was talking now, we seemed to be lost in each other and in our own need for the passion and sweetness of our own desires. I realized that in my mind I kept hearing Bob Seger singing "Why Don't You Stay." I wanted this man to stay for as long as possible.

I drew in a huge breath and then lowered myself into the depths of the water and I located his cock. His erection was perfect. He was so hard that I wondered how he had managed not to cum when I did but I was glad that he hadn't. I wanted to give back to him what he had given to me if that was at all possible. My mind was sure that there was no way in hell that anyone could ever have an orgasm like the one that my body had just produced. Nevertheless, I was about to give it my best shot.

I put his cock in my mouth and gently let the bubbles from the air released by my lungs encircle it. I began to lick and suck as well as gently massage the base of the shaft and his balls with my hands. My breath was not going to last long so I began to work my fingers and hands even more vigorously until I tasted his precum on my tongue. This was like fuel to a fire. As I let the last of the air out I squeezed a little harder on his balls and with some extra effort his cock was pushed deeply into my throat and I tasted the cum that had been released into my mouth. I swallowed hard and shot up out of the water for a much needed breath. His face was the first thing I saw and it was squinched up tightly with his eyes closed. I knew that he was still feeling the rapture of what his loins had just released. It was such a beautiful sight. I think that seeing him like this was more satisfying to me than what he had physically made me feel.

We stood and held each other for what seemed like forever and the both of us headed for the steps to get out of this wonderful, enchanting pool. I felt like I could stay there forever but I also had a need to learn more about him. I wanted to hold his hand, to kiss him and to listen while he told me about himself. It seemed as if the night would go by way too fast. It was all so much like a dream and if it was a dream I had to do something to keep from waking up. I just could not let it end now.

Just as we reached the side of the pool he pulled me to him once more. I felt his cock and it had managed to revive itself, this made me smile at him. He pulled me into him by placing his hands on my waist and without further instruction I wrapped my legs around his waist. With little effort he was able to push his hardness into my pussy with one thrust. I wanted him so badly that I tried as hard as I could to push back. I let my torso fall gently backward until I floated on the water and I was looking up at the moon. My hair was drifting like seaweed around my head and I could feel every thrust and release as he fucked me relentlessly. I could tell that we were moving through the water in almost a swirling motion. Neither of us had anyway to brace ourselves. I could hear the ripples of the water and his moans, my moans. Once again I was aware of the scent of roses and I could hear crickets chirping. I felt like I was a part of him and a part of my surroundings, with each and every one of my senses being overpowered.

Once again I felt my body surge with electrical like charges building and building. The tingling generated from his cock in me followed by the burning and the incredible need to release all of the entrapped excitement felt overwhelming to me. It felt much the way one is compelled to scream on the giant downward spiral of a monster roller coaster. When I could no longer hold it back I squeezed his body with my legs using all the strength I could muster and I clamped my pussy around his cock using muscles from the inside out and I let go completely giving him every spasm, jerk and shiver that my body could produce. He did the same. We were locked together by our bodies in a hot wave of pleasure and passion, neither of us aware of anything but what we were feeling. I willingly assisted him as he pulled me to him and kissed me so softly that if kisses could whisper his did.

We walked slowly and quietly to the shallow end of the pool and climbed out. I offered him my terrycloth cover up to use for a towel. It was such a beautiful site to watch him drying off. I wasn't even aware that I was standing in the night with water dripping from me like a slow leaking faucet. When he finished with his body he began to dry me off with the damp cloth. I opened my body up for his attention. In an effort to assist him I raised my hands over my head so that he could get every little crevice of my body. He gently raised each breast and dried beneath them, between my legs and down my back over my buttocks. I shivered several times during his gentle exploration for wet spots.

He found two lounge chairs that had been put away until the pool would reopen and placed them side by side. We both relaxed back into them and just sat quietly for a few moments. Then he began to tell me more about his life.

He told me stories about Iraq and the friends that he had lost there. He talked about the friends that he had once laughed and joked with and how they were no longer care free. He worried that after what they had been through they would never come back to the "world" and be able to adjust to civilian life. He described what it was like to be a trusting young man and see the horrors of war that changed that young man into a man who would forever see things in his dreams that he could not erase from his mind. He revealed how he had long ago given up on finding love and companionship with a woman because he felt like there was a part of him that had gotten lost. Finally, he told me about how he felt he had disappointed his mother because he was her only child and he had not given her grandchildren. He said he would get tears in his eyes when he thought of the pride in his Dad's face the day he was commissioned. I thought of sharing with him the emptiness in my life but found that I really wanted to hear what he had to say and while I was with him I didn't feel that emptiness. I knew that I didn't want to miss a thing.

As the sky began to turn from dark to gray we once again dressed, me quickly and haphazardly, and he with all the care to put his uniform back on that he had used to take it off. We crossed the fence in the same manner that we had when we arrived. Hand in hand we slowly walked back to the bus stop. When we arrived he pulled me in tightly and kissed me one last time. He told me that he would like to have a little time alone before he continued on to his home and family. I told him that I understood and started to walk away. I heard him call out to me and as I turned he was walking quickly toward me with something in his hand.

"Please take this; I want you to have it." He said.

"Thank you, but you don't..." I started to say.

"No, it's yours. I want you to know that you have my heart." His eyes were as sincere as the tone he spoke with.

I looked at what he had placed in my hand and it was a Purple Heart medal. I closed it tightly in my fist and grabbed him hugging him to me tightly. Leaving him standing there at the bus stop I felt like something in me was staying with him.

When I got back home I collapsed on the couch into a peaceful sleep and slept for several hours. As I woke up I noticed on the pillow next to me the beautiful purple medal and I knew that it meant that he had been wounded. I wondered what had happened and I hoped that someday he would feel comfortable enough to tell me about it but for now I just felt so honored that he had given it to me. I showered and picked out a light blue sundress. Brushed my hair until it shined, put on some light make up with a very pale pink lipstick. I wanted to look my best when he saw me for the first time in daylight so I double checked every detail, slid on some sandals and hurried out the door.

I remembered he said that his home was at 2200 Greeley Blvd. That was only about 10 blocks from me so I started walking toward that address. My heart was racing. I was holding the medal in my hand, squeezing it for courage. I could not stop smiling and was actually humming the Bob Seger tune out loud. It felt like I was walking on air. The sun bathed my face in its warmth reminding me of the heat my body had been overflowing with just a few hours before.

As I approached the address Jim had given me I saw that there were several cars out in front and that additional cars filled the driveway. The closer I got I realized that one car was long and black like a station wagon. There was a huge black bow on the mailbox.

My steps slowed and then slowed some more. I felt sick but I continued to move forward. As I arrived at the driveway there were several men in Army uniforms standing outside.

"Is this 2200 Greeley Blvd.?" I asked one of them.

"Yes Mam." He said very quietly.

"What happened here?" I asked, in a voice that didn't seem like mine.

"Mr. and Mrs. Williams son was killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb two weeks ago. He was returned home last night and will be buried in Arlington today. Did you know him mam?"

I looked at the ground for just a moment and squeezed the medal in my hand so tight it cut into my skin, and then I looked them squarely in the eye and answered;

"Yes, I knew him, he gave me his heart."

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