<span style="color: #0040FF"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 150%; line-height: 116%;">Samuel Richard Johnson</span></div><br/><div style="text-align: center;">Sergeant Johnson; Sammy</div></span><br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;"><a class="postlink" href="http://covermenmag.com/niklasnilsson/pixInt/h.jpg">[ img ]</a></div><br/><br/>Sam was grateful that Lana was considering his sister. It only proved to him that Lana was an amazing woman. Not only was she beautiful physically, but she was a beautiful person emotionally as well. Caring and considerate. Two qualities he very much valued.<br/><br/>When she had leaned forward and gave him a small kiss, he had been surprised. But before he could deepen it, she had already pulled away. He itched to close the small distance between there lips, as she had not leaned back yet--but decided against it.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FFBF00"><span style="font-style: italic">"Thank you. For understanding me and for willing to take it slow. You know, without Lilli I would have probably risked it. But I like your little sister and I don't want to hurt her. " </span></span><br/><br/>Thank you? Sam was bewildered, why should she thank him for that? Were there people who weren't willing to wait around for the beautiful blond? They were fools, if that was the case. She leaned back, and seemed to go off into a distant world of her own. Just as he was about to ask if she was okay, being unnerved by her blank stare, she spoke,<span style="color: #FFBF00"><span style="font-style: italic">"Why did you join the army, Sam? I know that some of us do it because they always have wanted to join and others are fleeing from trouble. What was it for you?"</span></span><br/><br/>Sam inwardly flinched at the question, but he could not fault her for asking. After all, he had asked her the same exact thing earlier. His past was just one that he was ashamed of, and he couldn't look her in the eyes when he explained.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0040FF">"I...I used to be heavy into drugs. Pretty bad. I made life hell for my family, so my parents kicked me out. Bummed it on the streets for a few months, trying to get my next fix. I realized, though, that it wasn't good. I knew it hadn't been good from the get go, but I don't know--addictions mess with your mind. So I joined the military and they put me through a program. I got clean. My family let me start coming around again, so that was nice. Especially since when I was twenty, Lilly was born."</span><br/><br/>He didn't go into detail about his time during his addiction. It had been rough, he had done a lot of terrible things. That time period in his life was just a black hole of despair and he hoped no one would ever have to see him like that again.