Bringing his hand up to his face, Sage wiped away the tears that were there, now frowning at himself in the mirror as if he was scolding his reflection for crying. He hated crying, but he couldn't lie like it wasn't a good stress relief.

He didn't do it often, only when he was trying to stop himself from going crazy. His flight for the states took off in just an hour, yet he was standing in the restroom trying to convince himself this was real life. It felt like a fever dream.

Usually when a soldier was discharged, they spent the days leading up to their flight getting ready to go; mailing off letters, saying goodbye to their friends and giving some of their stuff away while packing most of the important things. Sage didn't have any friends to say goodbye to, or any letters to send to tell his family about his arrival.

All he had was a thick folder that contained his most important documents-his social security card, birth certificate, military history file, a passport and a document that he was supposed to give to the landlord of his new apartment.

He was also taking just a few lounge outfits that would last him until he could go shopping for new clothes. The outfits only consisted of white shirts and gray sweats; the typical go-to outfit for almost every male alive. It was all he had though.

Besides the few clothes in his backpack and folder full of papers, Sage wasn't taking anything else except the skin on his back. Annabelle informed him to stop at a Cell Service store when he landed to buy a phone because he would definitely be needing one to navigate the common world.

His whole body was jittery and he felt so underprepared. A part of him was ecstatic for a fresh start though. He hoped with everything in him that he didn't mess this up. He wanted life to finally be good for him. The possibility of the opposite happening had him stressed beyond measure.

"It was nice having you, Sergeant. You be good out there, you hear?" David spoke loud over the sounds of the helicopter whirring overhead, and before Sage could even answer, he was pulled into a tight hug.

David patted his back, silently saying a small prayer over him. He was previously best friends with Sage's father, and had promised Suge he would always look out for him. He hoped the world would take care of Sage since he no longer would be able to.

"Thank you." Sage mumbled, but was loud enough for David to hear. He was eternally grateful for all that David had ever done for him.

Shortly thereafter, Sage was being flown by helicopter to the nearest airport that wasn't under Taliban supervision. It took them almost half an hour to arrive, and by the time he landed, his ears felt like they had burst. The crazy thing is, he still had a 29 hour nonstop flight to get through.

It was strenuous getting through airport security, especially after they saw three guns in his backpack through the X Ray screen. They weren't loaded, so it would be fine to fly with them. The clips and ammunition was packed in his bag as well though. Luckily he was licensed to carry.

When Sage was situated in the first class seat of the Turkish Airline aircraft, reality set in that this was really happening. He was barely able to sleep on the flight because he was too worried about keeping his heart rate and blood pressure under control.

The flight attendants came down the aisles and offered them peanuts, water, and even full meal entrees. Sage passed on them all though. For one, he didn't trust food that came out of Afghanistan, and two, he probably wouldn't have been able to keep it in his stomach anyway. He already felt like throwing up as it was.

It was relatively quiet during the flight, which was to be expected. After all, there was only seventeen passengers aboard, not including the staff and pilot crew. Since Sage didn't have a phone, and the plane didn't have TVs, all he did was stare out the small circular window. The entire time. He was surprised his eyeballs didn't melt.

Before he knew it, he was walking through the crowded Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. It was so much going on at once, Sage felt like he would pass out. He hadn't been in an environment like this in almost ten years. Everything had him on edge.

He heard all the taps on phone screens, the shoes squeaking on the floor, the chewing of gum from the woman on the loud speaker, the sounds of running ads on huge display screens, people talking over each other and roughhousing, the clocks ticking on each wall, and much, much more.

It was so overwhelming, he wished he could've chose a much quieter city, like Denver. Annabelle only gave him a few options though, and it was all big cities. New York was way too cold for him, Chicago was definitely a no go, Houston was too hot, Los Angeles was too damn expensive, he didn't even know Phoenix existed, and Miami was too humid. Atlanta was his best choice, honestly.

Sage didn't bother to stop a taxi when he finally made it outside-and apparently, taxis were now called Ubers. He would be better off on foot, and plus, he was used to walking over twenty miles in tough conditions. Fortunately, it wasn't sunny today and there was barely any wind blowing. A nice day to walk indeed.

He paid attention to as much details as he could while walking, following a map that he'd happened to grab from a stand in the airport near the bathrooms. Those bathrooms were disgusting, by the way. He would rather piss in a bottle.

The first stop he made was at T-Mobile, the last cell provider he remember having when he was a kid. He wondered if his old number was still available. It would be super surprising if it was, given that it was almost ten years ago.

"Can I buy a phone, please?" Sage spoke to whom he assumed was a worker, hoping that she would be able to help him.

"Of course! What brand are you interested in?" Her French braids bounced on her shoulders as she turned around to face him, then she tilted her head back to look up at him.

"Um, I don't know. What do you recommend?" He didn't even know where to start. There was a bunch of phones out on display, to which she showed and explained the features of-every single one. He was tired of hearing her talk already.

According to her, who's name he unwillingly learned was Jasmine, androids were mostly bought by older people and those who needed something a little cheaper than normal. The Samsung Ultra S22 Galaxy caught his attention the most, which was expected since it was the newest.

Then she told him how iPhones were the bestselling brand of phones in stores right now, and also showed him the different colors and storage types. She said they were easy to use, had good camera features and long lasting batteries. He figured that was the phone he would go with.

Jasmine gave him the options of an iPhone 11, 12, 13, or 14, as well as their Pro's and Pro Max's. He ended up choosing an iPhone 13 Pro Max in the color Sage Green, obviously, with 512 gigabytes of storage.

Due to his military service, he got a discount and bought the phone with his very own debit card that Annabelle had set up for him through American Express. He didn't have to pay anything besides the activation fee of 43 dollars, and his monthly bill would be $150-paying off the phone and cell service simultaneously.

After he purchased it, Jasmine helped him set up an iCloud account and showed him how to download apps and access them too. She was of great help, even with all the unnecessary talk about her personal life that Sage never asked about.

He ended up leaving two hours later, and it had got a little darker than it was when he went in the store. He still had errands to run though. He was trying to get everything out the way today so that he didn't have to stress about anything.

The next stop was the closest dealership to him, which happened to be Honda. He wasn't looking for anything expensive or flashy, just something simple with a reliable engine. A salesman tried to take advantage of his obvious lack of knowledge in cars, but Sage was far from stupid. He knew when he was being played with, even if he didn't understand the reason why.

Using negotiation tactics he'd learned from his active duty service, he talked down the price of a 2021 Honda Accord Sport special edition in the color Sonic Gray almost five grand less than their asking price. He wished he could thank the military for what they did to his credit score.

Everything was working out well so far, it was truly unbelievable. Like it was so surreal to see the highways of Atlanta, instead of the usual dirt mines with underground bombs being the only area surrounding him for hundred of miles out.

His new car dove so smoothly, and even had a built in touch display that could be paired to his new phone. He learned how to use Apple Maps on the display screen, which was currently giving him directions to the apartment complex he would be moving into today.

Annabelle had informed him that he would need to be there before the office closed at five, and it was currently 4:12 in the afternoon, so he hoped he still had time. He didn't want to sleep in the car tonight. He'd done enough of that in his childhood.

"Sage Mazari Bennett." He rubbed at his wrist, awkwardly standing there while waiting for the receptionist to look his name up.

"Floor six, door 223." She smacked on her gum that Sage could see dissolving in her mouth at the same time that she set two pairs of keys on the front desk. Each one held what he assumed was his door key, and a mailbox key. They both had cards attached to them too.

"Use your card to enter and exit the parking garage and access the elevators, gym, and pool area. Silver key is for your mailbox, and gold is for your front door, obviously." She rushed the information, and he frowned his face up at how rude she was.

"Visitors need a code to come up, it's on the back of ya' card. No loud music or parties, office is open from eight to five, garbage crew comes on Tuesday's and Saturday's at nine in the morning-there's a dump in the parking garage too. You have two assigned parking spots and that's it. Under shed 223. Any questions?" She looked up at him as if she was bored.

Sage took the keys from the counter and walked out without saying anything, beginning to grind his teeth together. She was so unnecessarily rude and all he had said was three words-his name. He hated people who acted like that for no reason. She didn't even know him, and he wasn't the one who forced her to get a job here either.

Now a little upset, Sage rode the elevator to floor six as instructed, ready to see his apartment. It was a two bedroom with one and a half bathrooms, with a private patio area. Fresh beige cabinets had been installed to match the new white countertops, along with a brand new stove and Samsung refrigerator.

He had a wood burning fireplace and a walk in closet, plus many another amenities that made his apartment luxurious instead of low-class, which was what he was used to. Plus, it came fully furnished with brand new furniture and a washer and dryer too. The all-bills-included rent wasn't anything cheap though.

Thankfully, the first three months of rent had been paid in advance, so he wouldn't have to worry about bills until May. He and Annabelle got all his finances sorted out before he left because that was the one thing he couldn't be oblivious about. He couldn't do anything without money.

Sage took a long, hot shower after getting his little belongings settled in, letting the silence fill his mind. Even though he didn't want it in the first place, he was so grateful to be in this position. This was much more easier than he'd expected, although it was only the first day.

As he stood under the water with his hair tied back, he mentally checked off the things he'd done from his to-do list. Got a car, check. Got a phone, check. Moved in, check. Now he needed to go to a home goods store so that he could add some personal touches to his new space, and shop for new clothes.

That was about it until he could come up with more. It was crazy how those were normal activities for everyone else, but was his first time 'living' in almost a decade. He knew that as he continued to progress in adapting to this new way of life, it would become scary; but he was ready for it.

He was tired of the way he'd been spending his life. It was time for something different, and now that he finally got it, he didn't want to let go nor did he want to ruin this opportunity. He needed to find something to do to pass time, like a hobby, to make this more adjustable.

But what would he do? All he knew how to do was shoot and fight. He'd never really learned any talents or developed any skills that wasn't military related. Oh, he'd never had a job before either. Maybe that was something he could do.

Not a desk job though, the lady in the front office already ruined that. He didn't think he could do retail or fast food either. That would send his ADHD haywire and he didn't have time to have a mental breakdown in front of a bunch of customers because of the way they aggravated him.

While he was on active duty, he was sure there were many new jobs that had been created. He would look for some first thing tomorrow when he woke up.

"Nice." He mumbled after pulling a set of fresh sheets out of his walk in closet. Even though the ones on the bed were presumably new, he didn't trust them. The closet was stocked with sets of bedding though, so that was relieving.

After making his bed, he realized it was tucked tightly and without wrinkle like it was when he was in the military-which was just yesterday. It seemed like a whole week had passed when it had only been a few hours.

He climbed underneath the thick comforter, smelling the detergent and dryer sheets scent still linger on the fabric. It smelled like the clothes he wore after his grandma washed every Sunday, very nostalgic.

Laying in the dark, his eyes roamed across the room, familiarizing himself to become comfortable with his surroundings. Obviously he wasn't comfortable enough because his loaded gun was right on the nightstand, as if he would get snuck in his sleep or something. It had happened before, but this wasn't Afghanistan.

He grabbed the remote that was on the nightstand as well, pressing the red circular button to turn the TV on. Typically he went to sleep when it was drop dead silent like it currently was, but he hadn't watched cable TV in so long. He wanted to see what he'd been missing.

When the TV powered on, the Home Screen popped up. It had ambient images as the background, popping out the display of multiple streaming service apps-and the only two he recognized was YouTube and Netflix.

Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Hulu, Tubi, Disney+, Apple TV+, Peacock, and ESPN were some of the ones being shown, none of which he was familiar with. He clicked on Netflix, and reached to grab his card out of his wallet because he knew he needed a subscription.

He went ahead and made trial accounts for some of the others too, just so he'd have a variety of shows to choose from to figure out his favorites.

Going back to Netflix, he chuckled at the sight of Kung Fu Panda. He didn't think that movie would still be going so strong. They even had a series now. He used to watch it all the time when he was younger.

That's what he decided to watch for now, and maybe tomorrow he could find something more his age to watch. He was just trying to get to sleep for now though, so this would suffice.

Before he closed his eyes, he said his regular nightly prayers, starting with the common 'Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my Soul to keep; If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my Soul to take.'. Then, he mumbled his personal prayer aloud because there was too much going on in his head.

He prayed for guidance through this new life, and for commitment too. Commitment to doing all the things that would make him a better version of himself; he didn't want to place anything on hold that would stop his improvement. He needed to be committed.

He prayed for a peace of mind, because he knew that he'd been going through trials and tribulations while adapting to his fresh reality. He didn't want to fight those battles alone, he needed God to remain at his side to help control all of the negative thoughts that would try to intervene.

He prayed and prayed and prayed some more. Even with everything that he'd been through, God had never failed him before. He had the faith that he wouldn't any time soon either.

Sage wasn't the most religious person alive, but he knew there had always been someone-or something-looking out for him and keeping him safe when he couldn't do it himself. Signs were shown to him so visibly through regular activities, so he had never doubted God's presence. Sage knew that He would always be there for him.

Lol Sage is so me 😆