Chapter/Story 2: Love

The second story's setting is in Tim O' Brien's home in Massachusetts. Many years have passed since the war. Jimmy Cross comes to visit Tim and they reminisce about the war. They drank coffee, smoked cigarettes, and looked at various pictures. They also discuss how Ted Lavender's death is still hard to accept and Jimmy states that he still has not forgiven himself. They reminisced about the things that they used to carry and even though the war is over, they still carried things in their lives. The war just made that weight seem heavier. They also reminisce about how much Jimmy Cross used to love Martha and Jimmy tells Tim that he ran into her at a college reunion in 1979. He tells Tim that everything was still the same and she gave him a new picture of  her playing volleyball. Jimmy still loved her and she still didn't love him.The story ends with Tim O' Brien telling Jimmy Cross that he would like to write a story about all these adventures, which is probably the group of stories that this book consists of. Jimmy tells him to make him sound like the good guy and the best platoon leader ever but don't mention a certain person. Tim already knows who he is talking about. I assume that he is talking about Ted Lavender because Jimmy feels guilty for his death.