My Kindness

“Thank you for your kindness…!”
Those were the last words that I heard from Kevin after I shot him dead….
“Now don’t jump to conclusions, I beg you, hear me out before you make any judgements,” said John to the judge and the Jury who were waiting to pass the final decision of acquittal or a death sentence.

……………..

John and Kevin had met each other when they arrived on the field for the physical fitness test before being selected for the army. They were completely different from each other both in build and in nature too. The one, a seven footer - a giant in stature. He had a huge ugly face with jet black hair. A muscular body that could have easily joined the WWF. His origins South African but now a US Citizen.
Kevin was slender but tough. He was intelligent too. No party was a success without him. To crown it all he was the heart throb of all the ladies. Kevin was a Norwegian but settled in the USA.
It was the Army Physical Fitness Test that day. It was designed to test muscular strength, endurance and cardiovascular fitness in soldiers. They had to complete 2 minutes of push-ups, 2 minutes of sit-ups and a 2 mile run.

Five of the soldiers were lined up and the drill instructor was ready to give the command. Kevin and John were alert and steady. On the command ‘Get Set-GO’, they started the push-ups with full gusto and flexibility. ‘Perfect’ was the answer of the instructor for the two of them. Unfortunately, the other three soldiers had to begin again as there were mistakes of posture.
The two rivals completed the sit-ups in a similar manner taking it upon themselves to compete silently with each other. There were no stares or glares just sheer concentration and grit.
The two mile run was a piece of cake for them. Finally in the area designated for ‘cool-down and stretch’ their animosity slackened. Kevin being the more social one reached out to shake John’s hand.
“Hi Bro,” he said. “You were awesome on the field. Never had such competition in my life.”
“Thanks, Man,” said John. He was surprised by Kevin’s forthcoming nature and shook his hand with a bear grip. His giant heart melted like a puppy dog.
“You were tough too, man, said John with a drawl.

From that day they became the best of buddies. Rising early every morning the two set a great score for the rest of the soldiers. As time passed they became the BEST of the army.

……………..

They were soon chosen for the 1st Cavalry Division deployed across the Saudi desert. It was the Desert Storm War announced by President Bush. The military had to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait which Iraq had invaded and annexed.
Call it luck or fate, John and Kevin were commissioned on the same Battle Tank named-Ajax. Their fellow soldiers were Tim and Robert.
Kevin was the Commander, John the gunner, Robert the Loader, and Tim the driver.

The battle field was lit up with blazing oil wells, destroyed battle tanks and dead men. They had been destroyed by the air raids of the Iraqi forces. Missiles flew overhead day and night, fired from both sides.
Ajax was on the field searching for enemy tanks. They could see five in the distance and they knew they had to be quick. Behind them they had eight US Tanks following as back up. They immediately measured the distance and decided to fire.
“Load” shouted Kevin. John had already loaded the anti-craft machine gun that was mounted on top of the turret. “Move to the right and FIRE!” shouted Kevin. The gun boomed time and again as they targeted the tanks in the distance. Five of the enemy tanks came down under fire. The backup tanks were doing a good job of covering them from two sides. Unfortunately the left side was left open and they didn’t notice an enemy tank behind a bunker on the left.
BOOM! Came a loud sound that sent their tank 5 meters off the ground and up in flames. Robert and Tim were no more, their bodies charred. John shouted out to Kevin if he was alright. There was no response. He quickly came down and saw Kevin. To his horror the right side of his body was blown off.
“Shoot me,” he said. “I can’t bear the pain.”
Tears rolled down John’s face. “I can’t”.
“Just do it for your best pal,” moaned Kevin.
John took out his revolver, kissed his friend’s forehead and then aimed at him.
“Thank you for your kindness……!” were the last words John heard before his own legs wobbled sending him to the ground in a faint.


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