The day everything changed began like any other: slow, gray, and painfully quiet.
I was dozing lightly when the door creaked open.
“Damn,” the man muttered, glancing at the room number. “Wrong room.”
But just as he turned to leave, something caught his eye. His gaze landed on the Purple Heart, and in an instant, everything about him shifted—his posture, his expression, even the way he breathed.
“That yours?” he asked quietly.
I nodded. He stepped fully inside now, removing his hat with the kind of respect that men who’ve known real violence instinctively give to each other.
“My name’s Marcus,” he said, closing the door softly. “Mind if I sit?”
He pulled a chair close to my bed without waiting for an answer. It was the first real conversation I’d had in weeks. We talked about my service, his service, the years that had carved lines into our hands and faces. He asked about my children, and I told him the truth: they hadn’t visited in a long time.
Marcus clenched his jaw.
“That ain’t right,” he murmured. “A man shouldn’t be left alone like this.”
When he stood to leave, he paused at the door.
“I’ll come back tomorrow,” he said.
But he did.
THE SECOND DAY
Marcus returned at the exact same hour, carrying a large cup of steaming coffee.
“Thought you might like this,” he said.
I hadn’t tasted real coffee in months. The hospice served instant packets that tasted like burnt cardboard diluted in warm dishwater. What Marcus brought me was the real thing — strong, fragrant, rich.
He stayed for an hour.
Then two.
Then three.
And when he finally left, he gripped my hand and said,
“See you tomorrow, brother.”
THE DAY THE ROOM CHANGED FOREVERContinue reading…
