The care package

[Kaligurl222]

Kali had been volunteering with a group who was helping to show support for troops over seas. Their more recent endeavor was putting together care packages. They had gotten the requests from some of the guys who were currently deployed so they had gotten supplies and Kali was packing them into boxes. She had written some letters as well. They had mentioned how much it meant to get letters from people at home. She really just made small talk since she didn't know who the letter was going to. She placed them into the boxes. She didn't really expect to get any responses back but hey if she did it would be a nice surprise.

The next day she dropped all the package off to be sent off to te troops and she went about her normal day.

Kali
28yrs old
long dark brown hair
green eyes
sports therepist

 

[gearhead73]

Randy awoke with a start. "Fuck!", he groaned as he looked at his alarm clock.
He was late, again, and this time he didn't think Professor Buttmunch was going to be so understanding.
Today was his last final with a decent score on the essay portion, he thought he would be able to skate by with a C.
He jumped out of bed, ran to the bathroom to perform an abbreveiated version of his morning routine. In a few minutes he was dressed and running down the stairs of his apartment building toward campus.
Randy was a good student but you would never know it from his grades. He hardly ever studied but yet he awlays seemed to pas his classes with relative ease. While others had been cramming for the last week, he had managed to reach and new level and unlock another weapon pack on Call of Duty.
As he rand he glanced at his watch 'Dammit!', he thought. He had 6 minutes to complete the 8 minute run before Professor Butterman locked the door. His cell phone began to vibrate in his pocket, but there was no way he could answer it.
'I'll check my messages later.' he thought as he increased his pace from a fast jog to a flat out sprint.


Randy
college student
22 years old
5' 11" medium build
short brown hair blue eyes

 

[Kaligurl222]

Kali kept busy with volunteer efforts in addition to jobs she worked. Once her package was sent she waited about a week then decided that those guys fighting over there had much more important things to do than to write her back. She went about her daily routine much as usual. Watching the news that night they had the segment talking about how many soliders had lost their lives that week and it just made her sad. She only hoped that her package had made a difference in just one persons life.

 

[gearhead73]

When Randy left Parker Hall he was tired, but satisfied. He knew he didn't ace it, but he'd passed, and that was close enough. He reached into his pocket to retrieve his phone. The display showed that he had a message, so he dialed the number to check.
"Randy, this is Mom..." the voice said shakily. "Honey, you need to come home right away. Please hon, call me back. I need you here." She sounded like she had been crying. Her voice was filled with fear, and despair.
He immediately called his parents house and his Dad answered on the third ring.
"Dad, it's me, what's wrong with Mom? The message she sent was..."
"Randy," his father said firmly, "it's your brother Chad. He's gone son, he's...he's been killed"
"I'll be there tonight"

 

[Kaligurl222]

It saddened Kali hearing about the lives that were lost.. She just wished she had done more to help. She changed for her dance class she would be teaching and tried to focus. She tried to be a role model for others so she always kept a positive attitude and ha a very hard work ethic. She taught her regular class and finally was able to call it a day. As she fell asleep that night she couldn't help but to think of all those families who were finding out their loved ones would never be returning home..

 

[gearhead73]

A week later Randy was standing on the tarmac of a local airport net to his grieving mother and distraught father. he watched as the color guard exited the back of the C130 and his brothers escorts rolled his casket down the loading ramp to where his pall bearers were waiting to load him in the hearse.
He admired the way the military handled the fallen. It gave him some solace that his brother had been in such caring hands. The funeral had been brutal, and after it was over Randy retreated into his room at his mom and dad's house. He was tired, and heartbroken and decided some sleep might make things look a little better.
He awoke hungry and headed down into the kitchen to look for whatever was left from the piles of food that had been dropped off. As he entered the kitchen, he noticed a cardboard box sitting on the counter. He saw that it had a label with his brother's name on it, so he opened. Inside was what he only could guess were his brother's personal effects.
There were a compass, and a pocket knife that his grandfather had given him when he had joined the Marines. There were other odds and ends and he moved them around when he happened upon a plastic baggie with 2 envelops inside.
He removed them to see who they from. One was a letter form a girl named Kali. It hadn't been specifically addressed to Chad, so he opened it. It seems Kali was part of some sort of volunteer group that sent care packages to soldiers oversees.
In it she mostly spoke in generalities. She wished him luck, and such and said that he could write her back if he had the chance. The letter was worn and tattered like it had been opened and refolded hundreds of times.
The other was a letter addressed to the volunteer group, but held an additional 'Attn. Kali'.
Randy gathered that his brother had decided to write her back. The envelop was sealed, but just like the first, it was worn, but not as badly. He guessed there aren't that many post offices in the desert and sending and receiving mail could become quite cumbersome.
Chad had carried this with him far a while from the way it looked, and the letter 'Kali' had written him appeared to have read been several times.
Randy started to get an idea. He was done with class for the summer and he wanted to get away from here for a while. Maybe he could deliver his brother's letter to Kali. It was the least he could do.

 

[Kaligurl222]

Kali had let herself get talked into yet another blind date. Not tee thing at all and they never went well. Tonight she was thankful as she shut her door behind her. She stepped out of her heels and slipped her dress off opting for a fitted tshirt and a pair of yoga pants to lounge around the house in. She started thinking that she very well end up that girl who just doesn't eve find "that" guy... Who just ends up alone. She laughed at herself, If only to keep the tears at bay as she popped some popcorn and settled onto the couch to watch some romantic movie .. Hey if you can't have I in real life, might as well enjoy it in the movies.

 

[gearhead73]

Randy left the next morning. He had spent the rest of the night packing and plotting his route online. He had never been to Arizona or anwhere in the southwest before so the thought of seeing different terrain and meeting new people became more and more appealing. He just thought that a little space between him and his understandably devasted parents would let him have a chance to sort out his own feelings.
He and his brother had never been exceptionally close, but Randy had him. Chad was taller, stronger, the better athlete and student. Their parents had been so proud when he had left for basic training. His mom had cried a nd his dad had told him how proud he was of him. Randy had been jealous of the way they carried on. He had always felt like he would never be able to reach the bar that his brother had set so high. So after a while, he just stopped trying.
Now on the road and alone, Randy felt sad and ashamed. He had never taken the time when his brother was alive to tell him how proud he was of him and how much he loved him. He was filled with regret at not telling him even once, that all he wanted, was to be just like him; and now he couldn't.
Randy drove on, his head filled with a cluster of emotions that he had no one to share with. He figured it would take about 2 days to get to Tempe, so maybe he could get things worked out by then.

 

[Kaligurl222]

Kali had decided she was predictable down to her every move
her entire day would be laid out from rise to bed. She woke up, went for her run came back and made coffee while she showered... And got ready for work. She went to work and put in a full day helping injured athletes return to peak performance. She went from work to dance team practice where she coached a team of girls. When she was beyond timed she drove home and showered and pit on her sweats before curling up on the couch once again... Same thing every day.

 

[gearhead73]

About 60 hrs after leaving his parents house, Randy found a Holiday inn just north of Phoenix and decided he had better stop for the night. It had been a long grueling drive. The scenery, what he had seen of it, had been beautiful, but at times he would be so lost in thought that he would go a hundred miles and not remember any of it. He couldn't get the images from his brother's funeral out of his mind. The memories of his parents, gripped by grief, coupled with the regret not getting to say goodbye were weighing heavy on his mind.
He pulled his truck around the building and parked in front of his room. He grabbed his backpack, opened the door and after depositing the bag on a chair fell backward onto the bed.
'A few hours sleep and I'll be right as rain' he thought, but as he laid there the sleep he longed for would not come. After tossing and turning, Randy showered and then retrieved his brother's letters from his bag and once again reclined back on the bed.
He gently opened the one from Kali and read it once more. It's message wasn't really anything unusual, it was mostly thank yous and the wishing of luck. However it was the handwriting that captured Randy's attention. The handwriting was neat and flowing, and it consisted of big flowing letters that spoke of someone young at heart. He smiled inwardly as the text brought back memories of love notes in high school. Girls always seemed to write so much better than guys. He supposed that maybe it was because women seemed to try to convey feeling, as well words. Conversely, guys just wrote what they wanted to say.
He put the letter gingerly back in its envelope, and pick up the other. It was still sealed and although he had thought of opening it many times, he felt as if it would be an invasion of his brother's privacy.
He turned the envelop over and over in his hands. 'I wonder what he said to Kali? Who was she? Had she sent him a picture?' the questions bounced around in his head. He rolled them over and over until sleep finally came.

 

[Kaligurl222]

"beep beep beep!!!" the sound was unmistakable... As she reached to turn the alam on her cell phone off she fit the floor, "thud!" she groaned and opened her eyes. She had done it again, fallen asleep on the couch. She shook her head and got up to start her day. She changed into a sports bra and tank top and a pair of running shorts and turned the music on her phone and headed out for her daily run. She ran a 10mi loop every other day and today was no exception. She took off and found herself spacing out for a majority of the run. She passed the usual people and cars going about their days. She pushed herself for a better time and by the time she ran up her front steps she was exhausted. She went to the kitchen to start the coffee and then headed down the hall to shower and get dressed for work.

As she showered And changed into her fitted polo and black pants she decided that maybe she should get a dog. She worked a lot but then again she was always home alone... It would be nice to have a compantion... It got lonely. Maybe a rescue dog? Not a puppy, a grown dog... She went to the kitchen and poured her coffee into a travel cup and took a seat on a stool for the first time that morning.

 

[gearhead73]

The sun shown through a gap in the curtains of his room. Randy awoke feeling better, and excited over the prospect of possibly meeting Kali, his brothers mystery pen pal. He showered, brushed his teeth, and threw on a pair of faded camo cargo shorts and a faded Cabela's t-shirt. After adding his ball cap to complete the ensemble, he grabbed his laptop and plugged in the address written on the envelope addressed to Kali. He scanned the directions quickly and decided that it should be pretty straightforward to find. He snapped the laptop closed and headed out to find breakfast along the way.
The address let him to a small one story office style building tucked away in the back of an industrial park. The name on the building said Helping Hands, and it was decorated with yellow ribbons and posters saying 'Never Forget'. He walked through the single glass door and was greeted almost immediately by an older woman shuffling papers behind a counter.
"Can I help you?" she asked.
Randy walked up to the counter and removed his cap.
"Yes maam, I sure hope so." with a shy smile.
"I was wondering if there was a Kali that worked here?"
The woman thought for a moment, then took on questioning look.
"And what is your name?" she asked.
"I'm Randy maam. Randy Stevens." he he replied getting nervous.
"Well, Randy, we are all volunteers here. No one is here all of the time, except me." her face became sullen.
"Oh, well this Kali had written a letter to my brother oversees, and...well, he was killed, but he had written her back. I just thought I could...uhm...give the letter to her."
The woman was silent for a moment, and Randy heard a faint sniffle.
"Wait here", she said and walked through a door behind the counter into a separate room.
She returned a moment later and handed him a small piece of paper with a phone number on it.
"My deepest sympathies for your families loss. Good luck to you." and she walked back through the door dapping her eye with a Kleenex.
Randy sat in his truck staring at the number. 'I hope she will meet me' he thought.

 

[Kaligurl222]

Kali had a few appointments that kept her busy. When she got a break she pulled out her phone to check her emails and to see if she had any messages. She pulled up a seat at her desk and started filling out some paper work. She could take An early lunch but decided to put it off just a while longer. Her office was quiet and she found herself humming some top 20 hit just to break the quietness.

 

[gearhead73]

He opened his phone and dialed the first six digits, then she closed it suddenly.
'What am I doing?' he thought. 'This is crazy. What am I going to say?'
He started thinking about all the things that would possibly go through her mind when he told her that he had driven over a thousand mile to deliver a letter from his dead brother.
He sat there thinking, running all of the possible scenarios over and over in his imagination.
Finally, he took a deep breath, and steeled his nerves.
'This is for Chad' he reminded himself. He reopened his phone, dialed the number and waited for an answer.
As soon as he heard her answer his fears vanished.
"Is this Kali? My name is Randy Stevens, and you had written a letter to my brother?" Randy told her as more of a question than a statement.

 

[Kaligurl222]

Her phone broke up her thoughts and she looked to see who it was. She didn't recognize the number but answered anyway. She heard him ask if it was Kali and then he said something about writing a letter?" "yes, this is Kali. I'm sorry but I don't remember writing any letter....." she thought about it for a second, wait! Your brother, is he in the military?" she didn't know how but he had found her. She smiled even for the briefest moment, "it's been months now but I did write a letter that was sent in a care package.... Was your brother the recipient?"

 

[gearhead73]

Her voice sounded sweet and vibrant. Mental images of what she might look like began flashing through his head.
"Yes maam...Chad is...I mean was a Marine. He was killed in action a couple of weeks ago."
The pain of losing his brother started to creep back.
"I hate to bother you, but Chad had a letter adressed to you on him when...it happened."
He was wondering if maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Maybe he should have just mailed it to the volunteer center and been done with it.
"I thought...well, I thought that if it had been important enough for him to have in the field; that I should try and deliver it for him."

 

[Kaligurl222]

Kali smiled, "wow. I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't believe you went to all the trouble of finding me..." she thought about it for a minute, "wait, did you say you wanted to deliver his letter to me? Does that mean your in Arizona?" she couldn't believe this was actually happening. She wasn't even sure what she was supposed to say.

 

[gearhead73]

Randy heard the surprise and the the apprehension in Kali's voice. He realized then that coming out here unannounced may have been hasty. He had just wanted to get away and think, deliver this note, and be on his way. Had failed to take into account how she might react. Some random guy from God knows where showing up, with a response to a letter she had written months earlier, and then calling her out of the blue. Now he was almost in a panic.
"Uhm...I'm sorry...I should have just dropped this off at the volunteer center."
He was stammering and searching for a way not to sound insane.
"I'll let you go, thanks for your time, have a good afternoon."

 

[Kaligurl222]

"wait! Hold on. I was just surprised that someone would go to all that effort for a letter. I mean, I have no idea where you are from but I'm assuming not from Arizona? You've come all this way, would you like to meet up? I mean, I would like to meet the man who delievered a letter for me... That is, if you want to?"

 

[gearhead73]

Randy was shocked by her reaction.
"Are you sure? I didn't think about the way it might seem; me showing up and all."
He could hardly believe that she would be willing to meet him.
"I just kind of started out here..." he didn't finish. "Do you have somepleace in mind? It's lunch time and if you haven't eaten...well, I'd be happy to take you. You name the place, my treat."

 

[Kaligurl222]

She laughed, "I'm flattered that a complete stranger would consider bringing a letter to me... I haven't eaten yet, there's a little place called Milos.... We can meet there?" she gave him the address and the time before saying goodbye. She couldn't believe it was actually happening. She got up and headed to the restaurant. Milos was a local hide out. It didn't get te big traffic flow because so few knew about it.. They had great food and it was quaint. She walked inside and looked around, it didn't look like there was anyone there waiting for someone so she took a seat at one of the tables. She couldn't help but to wonder what this thoughtful stranger was going to look like.

 

[gearhead73]

Randy had entered the address of Milo's into shi GPS and it surprisingly close. He wasn't really dressed to go out, but he figured that it was just having lunch. He would probably be continuing on his way this afternoon, although to where he had no idea.
Randy parked the truck around the back of the resturant, then walked around front to the door. As he entered, he noticed that it actually looked a little bigger than it had from outside. It was clean and sparsely decorated, but it had a comfortable vibe.
He looked around aan noticed that it was surprisingly empty for being lunch time. There were a few business man pecking away at laptops while sipping an afternoon cocktail. A few other tables had couples and families enjoying a meal together.
Off to one side he noticed a young woman with long dark brown hair sitting alone. She was stunning, her body looked fit and trim. She obviously took very good care of herself and Randy sucked in his belly just a little bit as he made his way over to where she was sitting.
She looked at him as he approached and Randy noticed her sparkling green eyes, they were captivating.
"Kali?" he said extending his hand. "I'm Randy, we spoke on the phone. It's nice to meet you."

 

[Kaligurl222]

She was surprised when a younger good looking guy walked up to her at the table. She smiled and stood up. "hi. It's nice to meet you!" they both sat down and just looked at eachother for a minute before either spoke. "so how far did you travel just to find me?"

 

[gearhead73]

She had stood to meet him and for a brief moment his traveled up and her body taking her in. She was stunning and he could have stared for much longer, but then she spoke.
"Hi. It's nice to meet you!" she said smiling. "So how far did you travel just to find me?"
Randy did a few mental calculations before answering.
"Just a hair over 2000 miles I think." he answered satisfied with his math. "This the furthest west I have ever been."

 

[Kaligurl222]

Her jaw dropped momentarily. "seriously? That's crazy!" then she realized that could be taken the wrong way, "I just can't believe you came all this way! Not that I'm not happy you did... I just would never expect it." she smiled. The waiter took their orders and left them alone. She wasn't even sure what they were supposed to talk about. Their very thin connection was his brother.. But bringing up his recently deacesed brother didn't seem appropriate.