A Surprising Homecoming
Sergeant Marty Louis had been counting down the days until he could see his wife, Jessica, again. After months away, he was finally heading home.
Excited to surprise her, he arrived earlier than expected, his cab pulling up in front of their cozy house. But his joy turned to confusion when he saw a small tent pitched on the front lawn.
A Day Full of Hope
Marty had envisioned this as one of the happiest days of his life. He couldn’t wait to wrap his arms around Jessica and tell her how much he’d missed her.
The long flight home felt endless, but his excitement kept him smiling. As soon as he landed, he grabbed his bags, hailed a taxi, and made his way to their house.
Memories of Jessica
During the ride, Marty thought of Jessica, imagining her smile and the warmth of her embrace. The thought of reuniting with her after months apart filled him with joy.
But this wasn’t just a regular visit home—Marty had made an important decision while he was away, one that would change their lives.
A Surprise Plan
Marty’s plan was to burst through the front door, sweep Jessica off her feet, and take her out for a special evening.
He wanted to surprise her with dinner at her favorite restaurant and share his big news: he had decided to retire from the military and spend more time with his family.
A Strange Sight
As the taxi turned onto his street, Marty felt a wave of excitement seeing his home in the distance.
But as they approached the house, something caught his attention. A small tent was set up in the front yard. Confused, he wondered what could be going on.
An Unexpected Encounter
When the cab stopped in the driveway, Marty stepped out, puzzled by the tent on the lawn. He stood there for a moment before hearing a familiar voice.
“Marty?” someone called out. He turned to see his father stepping out of the tent. Shocked, Marty approached, unsure why his dad was outside instead of staying in the house.
The Heartbreaking Truth
“Dad, what’s going on? Why are you out here?” Marty asked, confused and concerned. His father hesitated, wiping sweat from his brow.
“Jessica kicked me out,” he admitted quietly. Marty’s heart sank as he tried to process the situation. The story behind his father’s eviction was about to shake him to his core.
A Life of Dedication
Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Marty had always been driven by big ambitions. Joining the military was his dream, and at just 20 years old, he made it a reality.
The pride of serving his country fueled him, but he rarely thought about what his life might look like beyond his military career.
Coming Home
For years, Marty’s life revolved around his service. Every nine months, he would return to Texas for brief visits with friends and family.
He never imagined that one day he’d meet someone who would make him consider stepping away from the military—until he met Jessica in the most unexpected way.
A Chance Meeting
During one of his trips home, Marty got a call from an old friend asking him to grab drinks and catch up. It seemed like a typical evening out.
The two decided on a busy bar in town. What Marty didn’t expect was to meet someone who would change his life forever—a connection that made him rethink his future.
She Was Beautiful
Jessica Trahan was a bartender at the bar that evening, and when Sergeant Marty saw her, he couldn’t believe his eyes. She was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, and he couldn’t help but walk up and talk to her.
That evening, she made Sergeant Marty drink and drink, and they found themselves talking for the entire time.
Head Over Heels
That was how their relationship began. For the rest of his visit home, he spent plenty of time with the gorgeous woman. They had a lot in common, and Marty couldn’t help but fall head over heels for the slightly younger woman.
But he knew it wouldn’t last long. Those few weeks passed in the blink of an eye, and before long, it was time to fly back to the Military base. He thought he would forget all about her in time.
A Long-Distance Relationship
But he never did. He thought about Jessica all the time, and he would often find himself dialing her number. They spoke for hours each night. By the time those nine months had passed, he knew that he wanted to marry the gorgeous brunette, and that was exactly what he did.
Despite their long-distance relationship, the pair got married as soon as he returned home. They were excited to spend the rest of their lives together.
Adapting
The months soon turned into years, and Sergeant Marty and Jessica learned to adapt to live with him being away so often. He knew Jessica didn’t like it.
She would often complain that he was never around, but what was he supposed to do? He loved his job. But just three years after their wedding, something truly devastating happened to Marty’s side of the family.
Lung Cancer
As soon as Marty learned that his father, Martin, had been diagnosed with stage two lung cancer, he decided to fly home. Martin had been living in an old age home, and Marty was determined to get him out of there and to help him with his illness.
He was over the moon when Jessica agreed to let his father live in their guest bedroom until he was better.
By His Side
During that time, Marty stayed home for months. He took his dad to every doctor’s appointment and sat with him through chemo. He kept thanking his wife for supporting him and his father as he battled a terrible illness.
But thankfully, Martin had wonderful doctors on his side. Slowly but surely, the old man began to recover. But before he could make a full recovery, Sergeant Marty had to get back to work.
She Promised
“You go. I will take good care of your father until you can come back home,” Jessica promised. Marty was beyond grateful for her sacrifice. He knew that she would have to spend months driving his father to appointments and cooking him healthy food.
He was grateful that he had a woman like Jessica in his life. That was when he began thinking of making a sacrifice of his own.
Was It Worth It?
While Sergeant Marty was away for those few months, he kept thinking about his wife and his father and how much time he was spending away from them. He felt like he was spending all of his time away from the people who truly mattered to him.
Was the Military truly worth it? He thought about Jessica and how upset she would get every time he had to leave their small town. It was clear that she wanted him around more.
What If?
Martin’s sudden illness was a wake-up call for Sergeant Marty. What if he or Jessica got sick? He would forever regret not spending more time with her. Sergeant Marty thought about it for weeks.
He had always loved his time in the Military, but he was starting to wonder if it was time to move on. He wanted to be with his wife and father at that time, but he couldn’t. Was it even worth it anymore?
For Her
But before long, Sergeant Marty made a decision. As soon as he did, he booked a plane ticket home. He was done. He wanted to spend the rest of his days with the people who truly mattered to him.
He wanted to show Jessica how much she meant to him. When he left the Military base one casual Thursday afternoon and caught a plane home, he had no idea what he was about to discover.
A Surprise
He didn’t tell his wife or father about his decision. He wanted to surprise them by walking through the front door. As Sergeant Marty made his way back home, he couldn’t stop thinking about his wife and how happy she would be to see him.
He’d been gone for a few months at that point, and he couldn’t wait to hold her again. As soon as his plane landed, he grabbed a taxi home.
Moving On
As he sat in that taxi on his way home, he finally felt free for the first time in years. He felt at peace and ready to move on from the Military. He smiled as he passed through the familiar street of his hometown.
Before he knew it, the taxi turned onto his street. When he saw his house in the distance, his stomach filled with butterflies. But as they drew closer to home, he noticed something strange in their front yard.
The Tent
It wasn’t until the taxi pulled up to his driveway that he noticed what he was looking at. What on earth was going on? Sergeant Marty had no idea why someone had placed a small tent on their front lawn.
But as he stepped out of the taxi and shut the door behind him, he heard a voice. “Marty?” He heard someone say. But as he looked at the tent, he saw his father. What was he doing outside?
A Question
“Dad?” He asked, confused when he found his father standing in the tent. Why was he staying in a tent? “Why are you out here?” The last time he was home, his dad was staying in their guest bedroom.
Why was he out there? But Marty was about to learn the truth. The old man rubbed a hand across his sweaty forehead, and then he said it, “Jessica kicked me out,” he said. But Marty was about to learn the terrible truth.
A Misunderstanding
“What?” He asked aloud, confused by the scene before him. Why on earth would Jessica kick his father out of the house? He was convinced that there had to be some kind of misunderstanding.
But that was when his father told him the terrible truth. “She said I was getting on her nerves and told me to get out of the house. The next thing I knew, she locked me out here with a tent. It’s been two days,” Martin said.
Unbelievable
Marty couldn’t believe his ears when those words left his father’s mouth. “What on earth?” he grumbled as he took his father by the arm and walked him toward the front door. As soon as he unlocked the door and stepped inside, he could hear his wife in the kitchen preparing herself a hot drink.
But when he stepped through the door with his father by his side, she quickly noticed them. Her face turned pale.
Red-Handed
“Marty?” she breathed, astonished to see her husband back so early from his time away. She knew she had been caught red-handed. “You’re back so early. What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice laced with uncertainty. She knew she was done for.
“I wanted to surprise you by coming home early,” he explained, but this conversation was far from over. He got straight to business.
Baffled
“Honey?” he asked, baffled by what his father had just told him. “Did you kick my father out?” he asked, confused. But her concerned expression quickly turned into one of annoyance. “Yes, get him out of this house,” she demanded.
Marty couldn’t believe it when those words left her mouth. “What are you talking about?” he demanded an answer.
Cruel
“I asked him to mop the floors for three days in a row, and he kept claiming that he was too sick from the chemo!” she began yelling, clearly extremely angry.
“I had been vomiting. I could barely stand on my feet,” Martin explained to his son and daughter-in-law. But she wasn’t having it. Marty was beyond disgusted by what he’d heard. “She’s been cruel since you left, son,” Martin said. Enough was enough.
Get Out
That was the day Marty saw his wife’s true colors. He couldn’t believe that she would treat his sick father so poorly. He asked her to leave that very day. He no longer wanted to spend his days by her side.
She had betrayed him in one of the most horrific ways. He couldn’t be with someone like that. That was the day Marty decided to put himself and his family first. He filed for divorce the very next day. But he knew that he would move on eventually. He always did.