Love Story from the Civil War

“I must no longer see you, Clara.”
“Richard!! Where did that come from? Are you mad?”
“I have found a light to help me from blundering Clara; I am no longer prey to anything you may do to me.”
“Richard! What have I done, no, nothing has been done. I am innocent.”
“That’s what I am afraid you’re not, Clara. I have heard that you, you, were with another man.”
“Well, I can’t deny that, but that is over. Plum turned over, like a cow in a fishing boat.”
“Clara! Such rude descriptions are not like you. Must you be so like a peasant?”
“Richard! What an insult to my human nature! Just last week you called me a prig!”
“Dear Clara, we were fighting. The prig is the nature of you I have fallen in love with.”
“So you despise me.”
“No, no, that is not it. I do not like what you have done to yourself now. You are filthy and nasty. I do not want to have anything to do with this new personality.” “What has that filthy man done to you?” He said under his breath. The air around them was slightly cool. She had a shawl wrapped around her, as if she could not stand the chill. He with a light jacket seemed nothing but warm, as confronting a lover does to ones temperature.
“Will you not insult a decision I have made. I love only you, and no one but you, you know that!” Clara said the last part with a huff. She was getting cold, and wanted this to be over. She had no thoughts of leaving though; she had to get this out. He said himself that he would wait for me, forever and foremost. She decided to make that point. “You said….”
“I know what I said, and you know it too. I’m tired of hearing you say: You said, you said. It makes no difference to me. I was in love, and I think I have just fallen out of it. Maybe YOU should watch what you do!” With that, he starts to walk off. His wooden boots making almost no sound on the hard dirt ground. With a cry, Clara starts after him. With tears in her eyes, she runs, loses a shoe, and gets it again. Then runs some more and repeats the whole cycle one more time before catching up to him.
“Now you listen to me, and I say listen! All right, listen!” Her word shaking by the tears coming violently from her eyes, and the madness he had caused her. “How could you accuse me of not loving you?”
“I have not accused, I have decided from your actions.” He turned to walk down the road. A man ran up with a uniform, and gave it to Richard. Then he ran off. Shaking it out, they both realized that it was a uniform for the army. He had enlisted and was going off to war. He looked into her eyes. “Goodbye Clara.” He said as he turned again to walk down the road.