“Not far from here – Wiesbaden. My C.O. was very gracious in letting me have some leave, as it’s just me and my sister. I’ve been estranged from my family for some time.”
The two chatted for quite some time when Richard said he was going to get some coffee, and asked David if would like some.
“Yes, that would be great. Regular coffee, black. Thanks.”
Soon, Richard was back with the coffee, but made his excuse to leave.
“David, I’ve enjoyed talking with you, but I need to make some calls someplace a bit less noisy. I hope you have a good trip; try to make the time to get back together with your sister. I’m sure it’ll be worth it in the long run.”
“Thank you, Richard. I enjoyed our talk as well. And thanks again for the coffee. Safe travels.”
A few minutes after Richard left, there was an announcement made in the gate area, first in German and then in English.
“David Ross, if you’re in the area, please come see the agent at gate 34. David Ross, please see the agent at gate 34.”
Confused, David stepped to the counter and identified himself.
“Thank you, sir. May I see your boarding pass, please?”
“Of course. Is there something wrong?”
“No sir, nothing’s wrong. Someone who wished to remain anonymous had us upgrade you into first class for your flight home and back. All he said was to thank you for your service to the country. Here you go, major. Enjoy your flights.”
Astonished, David sat back down, wondering who would’ve done something like this. The only person he spoke with was Richard Lewis, but he didn’t seem to be someone who had the wherewithal to upgrade him into first class – twice. But whoever it was, he was grateful for not having to spend nine hours on a plane, jammed into his seat.
Later, as he boarded the plane, David must’ve looked confused, so one of the flight attendants asked him if he needed any help.
“Absolutely. I’ve never been in this part of a plane before, and I have no idea where my seat is, so I’ll take any help I can get. Thanks.”
Soon David and the attendant were deep in discussion as to how first class worked. She told him about the free drinks, how the meals worked, how to operate the entertainment systems – basically, how to have the best flight he could have. David thanked her again and settled into his seat, ready to relax before the inevitable confrontations he faced at the funeral.
By the time his plane landed in Chicago, the final flight to Des Moines had already left hours before. Knowing this, reservations had already been made for him at the airport hotel so he wouldn’t have to travel far.
Waking early the next morning, David showered, had breakfast, and made his way back to O’Hare to find his gate for his morning flight. It was a much smaller plane than yesterday, but he was expecting that.
Soon, they were landing in Des Moines, and shortly after, David was on his way to his home town, about a 60 minute drive, not entirely sure how he would be received.
David knew that by the time he reached his town the funeral would be at the cemetery. His family had several plots his dad had paid for years before, so David knew exactly where to go. As he pulled into the cemetery, he saw a large crowd gathered under a tent right where the family plot was. Parking off to the side so he didn’t block any traffic, he slowly walked to the tent, joining the crowd at the very back as unobtrusively as possible. He heard the minister droning on about how good a wife and mother his mom was, and he laughed to himself at the irony; knowing how she treated him, and probably his sister, he wondered just how much this minister knew about his family.
Finally the short service was over, and the crowd began to dissipate. David did his best to avoid any eye contact with those leaving, and soon the only person left was his sister, standing over their mother’s open grave, lost in her own thoughts. Slowly he walked towards her, and before he got too close, he cleared his throat, trying to get her attention.
Hearing the interruption, Julie turned to see who was still there. Their eyes met, and after a moment, she realized who was standing before her. Opening her eyes wide in surprise, she ran to her brother with open arms. Just in time, David opened his, and grabbed his now crying sister. They stood, holding each other tight for some time before Julie let go and stepped back. She gave him a good, hard look, and smiled a sad smile.
“You came.”
“Yes, I came. When your commanding officer and division chaplain both gang up on you, there’s not much chance of not listening.
“How are you, Julie?”
“Better now that you’re here. Why didn’t you let me know?”
“Everything went down so fast, I barely had time to pack my clothes. Plus, I really didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t sure what my reception would be after all these years, so I decided to just show up.”
“I’ve missed you, David. I’ve missed you so much. There were so many nights I cried myself to sleep, missing you and worrying about you. And when you didn’t answer any messages when dad died, I thought I’d lost you forever.”
“Didn’t mom tell you? I was in the middle of nowhere Afghanistan for several months on long missions, with no way to get any news from outside. Once we were back I finally got all your messages. I wrote mom right away, apologizing, and asking her to tell you, but I never got an answer.”
“Well, by then, mom and I weren’t on very good speaking terms, for a lot of reasons, so I’m not surprised she never said anything. But you’re here now, and I want to make up for all these years we’ve missed.”
“I want nothing more than to spend the next two weeks with you. My C.O. granted me an emergency leave, so that’s how long I have with you now. But I have leave time coming up, and would love to spend it with you. But that’s a discussion for later. What are the plans for the rest of the day?”
“The church ladies are serving lunch back at the church, so I need to get back there. And what a surprise you’ll be, showing up like this.”
The two hugged again until Julie pulled back.
“It looks like I have no way to get back. Can I finagle a ride with you, little brother?”
“Anytime, big sister. Let’s go.”
Arriving back at the church, Julie and David made the rounds, greeting the friends and neighbors who had given their time for their mother. A while later, Julie was looking for David, and couldn’t find him. One of the neighbors said she saw him heading for the garden, so Julie followed. Entering the garden, she saw David sitting on a bench, gazing at the colorful flowers now in bloom. Sensing her presence, he looked up and slid over on the bench, giving her room to sit.
“I’m sorry, Jules, but I had to get some air. It was one thing having everyone thank me for my service, but once they went on and on how good a person mom was, and how everyone missed dad, I just had to get out. They have no idea how badly they both hurt me. Sorry to leave you alone.”
The two sat in silence for a long time, Julie sitting with her head on her brother’s shoulder.
“Why.”
“Why what?”
“Why did you leave like you did? I knew you gave them an ultimatum of sorts, but then you just up and left without telling anyone where you were. Without telling me. Then I hear you’re in the Middle East, and even though you never told me, I knew you were in danger. I just knew. And then dad died and we didn’t hear from you for months. I was always afraid something would happen to you, and then poof, you show up now.”
“I know I could and should have handled everything differently, and in hindsight, I did a lot of things wrong. But they should’ve told me their plan and not hide it from me like they did. If they would’ve talked to me about it, maybe I could’ve seen it their way. But they never gave me that chance.
“I know you had no clue as to their plan, but I was so angry at everyone – at the world – that I just cut everyone off. I’m sorry, Julie, for hurting you like I did.”
“But when you heard dad died, why didn’t you come home?”
“I was on a secret mission for several months in the middle of Afghanistan, with no contact with the outside world. When we finally made it back to base, I got the news. I wrote mom right away and tried to call her, but she never answered. Apparently, she never said a thing.”
“No, this is the first I’ve heard of it. I suppose she was still angry with you for leaving. But why have you been so distant with me?”
“Mainly because I didn’t know how you’d react to me contacting you more that what I do. I didn’t know how much mom and dad told you; plus, you had your own life to live and I didn’t want to intrude on that.”
“David, you have never been an intrusion on my life – ever. Even when you first came to live with us as a foster kid. I was so happy to have a little brother, and you were so easy to like. We got along so well, I was glad to do whatever I could to help you have a normal life.
“And now, you’re all I have left.”
Hearing his sister cry tore at David’s heart. He pulled her close and let the tears flow, holding her until her sobbing ended.
“We probably should get back. Come on, Jules. Dry your tears and come inside with me.”
Hours later, everyone had left and the church ladies had boxed up the leftover food to be shared (at Julie’s insistence) with all who had helped. Finally, it was only the two of them.
“So where are you planning on staying tonight?”
“I was thinking of the Super 8 for now. There’s no way I can stay in the house – too many memories.”
“Sorry, but there’s no way I’m letting my brother stay at a motel. I’ve got plenty of room in my condo, so stay with me while you’re here. Please…”
Leave a Reply