phone call

A few weeks ago while I was working on a final project my stomach dropped. I started getting really nervous, worried, upset, etc. I was thinking about my cousin. I got so worked up I started crying. Not screaming crying or anything but a silent cry. Maybe these feelings etc were sympathy pains..I don't know. Then the phone rings and I literally stopped. I stopped thinking and feeling and just stared at the phone. I didn't know the number on the ID and this made my stomach drop for a quick second then I just kept staring. I tried to listen..listen to my dads voice, straining to hear the conversation. Did he sound happy? Was he upset? Who was on the phone? I had this gut wrenching feeling it was related to my cousin. I never give a shit who calls but this time I just knew.
A few minutes later he came out back and upstairs to talk to me. He walked in and I just stared.. "that was uncle steve" (brians dad) "he was calling to say Brians fine. He heard from him a few days ago" My heart sunk as my mind filled with questions and my dad filled me in.
Apparently, they had been attacked. His squad or whatever. I guess it was all over the news. I see that shit all the time and since I'm not sure exactly what platoon he's in I just skim the list of names of soldiers unaccounted for searching for our last name Myers. If I don't see it I try to ignore what the reporters saying. I don't want to hear it. I don't want to know anymore..
I'm glad he's ok. But, I cant help but be so mad at him. I hate going weeks, months even without hearing from him. I hate that he's there. I hate that he signed up for the Army 3 years ago knowing there was a war. I hate the things he has seen. I hate the poverty, the death surrounding him. I hate when he leaves and I hate seeing his eyes when he comes home. I hate crying. I hate that he's not living the normal life of a normal 23 year old. Most of all, I hate myself for hating all these things.
I just want him back. I want to dig deep within him, find the old him, and pull him out. Resurface him. But, it'll never happen. He can never go back to the normal 20 year old he was when he left. He's forever changed.
I know I rant about this sometimes. But people don't get it. We live our day to day lives sometimes forgetting a war is even going on. We don't care. It's not effecting us. And I feel fucking TERRIBLE for forgetting him. Forgetting that he's over there dealing with this...that he's not home or in school or at work. It's not like I forgot completely, I always know he's not home but sometimes I feel like I do'nt care enough. I never want to be so consumed in myself and my life to forget he's there. It's not a present thing to most people. It doesn't effect most peopls day to day life and it shouldn't. It shouludn't effect my day to day life either or paralyze me..that's not what I'm saying. All I'm saying is I don't ever want to feel that stomach drop I felt a few weeks ago. I don't ever want to so casually realize after weeks of not talking to him..hmm weird I haven't heard from Brian.
I never want that phone call. That bad phone call. I never want it.