Chastity's Short Story: The Vietnam War

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Chastity laid the journal on her lap when she heard the tiny footsteps of her daughter, and then the screen door creak open. Patience was carrying her doll Sue by the arm, her light golden brown hair slightly ruffled from where she had slept on it. Wide eyed and grinning, she quickly ran over to the small table, and then dropped to her knees in front of the jar.
“Mommy watch the roly-roly baby buggies?” asked Patience, as she brushed a few strands of hair from her face.
“Yes, sweetie, I did,” reassured Chastity with a smile.
Patience dropped Sue to the floor, and then seized up the jar in her hands. Holding it close to her face, her eyes searched the inner recesses of the clear container for any movement.
Chastity smiled. “Do they have names
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She loved the way she threw her head back, shoulders shaking and mouth wide open, revealing the small dimples set in perfect unison on each rosy cheek. Patience had her daddy’s eyes, big and blue as an ocean paradise. It was those eyes that reminded Chastity every day of Michaels absence.
Michael never went to Vietnam, instead he headed north into Canada with some friends. She wanted him to go, to be safe from the war, but she had no choice but to stay behind and finish graduate school. It was after Michael left that she found out she was carrying his baby. She remembered his words before he left.

Chastity, I don’t want to leave you, but the war scares the hell out of me. You and I both know that if I go to Vietnam I’ll be coming home in a body bag. Some clown just pulled my birthday out of a barrel today. I’m number two Chastity. It’s the exact number you saw in your vision yesterday. When they pulled the number and it was my birthday, the first thing I thought of was the vision you had.

Michael promised that he would return once the war was over, but the war continued and there was no amnesty from the United States Government for Vietnam War deserters and draft evaders. They would receive imprisonment if they

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