I Believe We’ve Met Before

It had been ten years since Pete returned home from a war that everyone said was mankind’s last. He knew as much as he wanted it to be true, human nature would find a way to nullify that bold statement. It always did. What he knew for certain was the life he had built for himself and his young family since he’d returned was far better than what he had imagined it would be ten years ago.

Like most prior military, Pete dredged a deep hole in his subconscious mind and tossed all the ugly deeds war had forced him to experience into it, then sealed those events forever in the past. The method worked well for him except for one tenacious memory that refused to be buried. A strong feeling of guilt kept forcing this incident to the front of Pete’s mind no matter how hard he tried to put it to rest.

You might think this agonizing memory was one of violence, blowing up an adversary’s stronghold, or hand-to-hand combat with an enemy soldier determined to end his life, but it was none of that. It was a simple act of kindness that saved his life and a phrase which kept returning to the forefront of his mind when life became quiet and he had time to reflect on the past.

Pete’s unit along with several other platoons were advancing against an enemy stronghold situated deep in a large swamp. Pete was assigned a rear-guard position which under normal situations was the safest place to be. As they slogged through the muck and thick swamp grass it became increasingly difficult to keep up with the group leaders. He forced his way through an unusually thick growth of vegetation only to find that he was alone. Desperate to find his unit, Pete ran with all his might, mud sucking at his boots. He stepped into what looked like a shallow puddle of water only to discover it was covering quick sand.

His training kicked in and he did his best to lay flat and try to pull himself to solid ground. Exhaustion encompassed him like a wet blanket as thoughts of dying in a mud-covered grave slithered into his mind. He was about to surrender to his mucky fate when he felt a strong tug on the harness of his backpack. This jolted him out of his malaise and together with the help of his unknown rescuer Pete was able to free himself from the mud.

Situations change quickly during war and by the time Pete had wiped the muck from his face and eyes his rescuer was already pushing his way through the tall grass. What he could make out was the silhouette of a large soldier rushing to catch up with his unit. Desperate to make contact with his guardian angel, Pete called out, “What’s your name? What unit are you with? Let me buy you a beer later.”

The man replied, “No need, it’s what we do for one another.” And dissolved into the jungle.

Ten Years Later

Pete was returning home late at night to Fort Myers from Miami on I-75, better known as alligator alley. Nighttime is particularly dangerous because the light mostly comes from the moon and stars and the occasional set of headlights. Animals living in the glades will indiscriminately cross the road more frequently at night. It was a wild pig that caused Pete to swerve his car. He avoided the pig, but buried the nose of his ride into the swamp. Cell service out there was spotty at best, so all he could do was sit in his car and wait for help.

Pete spent the next hour listening to the roar of mating alligators, the grunting of pigs, and the millions of insects serenading the night. He thought about leaving his car but before he did, a long python slithered by. His only option was to wait for help, which arrived two hours later. Flashing orange and green lights reflected off the murky night and he heard a deep male voice call out from behind him, “Are you okay?”

“I’m good, just stuck.”

“Stay put, I’ll have you out in no time.”

He heard chains being connected to the rear of his car and shortly after the vehicle moved back onto the roadway. Peter jumped out and raced to his rescuer. He shook the big man’s hand and offered to buy him a meal or at least a drink, but the man refused.

“No need for all that. It’s what we do for each other.”

Peter stood shocked in disbelief. He had only heard that phrase one other time ten years earlier. Gathering up his courage, Pete said in disbelief, “I believe we’ve met before.”