by Ronna Gage
* * * *
At dinner, Robert spent a good ten minutes watching Rae Anne scribble notes on the ever-present list. “Princess, you should be commended for the work you’re doing to get your Landy home,” he told her with a large chunk of bile rising to his throat.
She looked up. “Thanks, Daddy. But truth be known, I couldn’t have gotten this far without your help.”
Rae Anne set down the list and picked at the small chicken breast on her plate. Busy making notations on her tablet, she hadn’t taken a bite of the food yet, and now she played with it.
“Aren’t you hungry, my dear?” Robert asked in as cordial a manner he possessed.
Rae Anne shook her head.
“You’re getting pale.”
She shot a glare at him.
“And you’re losing weight. It’s not healthy for you. You need to keep your strength up. Becoming sick will do nothing to help Landy.”
“I’m fine.” She sounded stress despite her reassurance. She looked over the data on her tablet.
Robert tried a new approach. “I think you should get out for a while and get some fresh air.”
Rae Anne’s head snapped, and she met his gaze. “How can you possibly think I can do that?” Tears welled up in her eyes, and her lips trembled.
You need to get your mind on something else besides that letter campaign foolishness. It wouldn’t be too much to endure if she only wrote letters one time per week, but not his Rae Anne. She was a dynamo. He knew she’d write every day until something came of his whereabouts.
“Because, my dear, I think you are working too hard. You should call some of the girls you met at the office and go for a brunch. It would do you good.”
“What if news of Landy came in while I was at brunch?”
“On Sunday? The mail doesn’t run on Sunday.”
“I could get a phone call.”
Robert gripped his tea glass tighter. “Rae Anne”—calm yourself, ol’ boy—“princess, it’s one meal. Your letters can wait for one meal. The mail will not deliver tomorrow, and you can...”
Rae Anne stood up from the table and glared at her father. “How can you suggest I stop writing for even one day?” She stalked down the table to leave.
Robert stood up and met her halfway, blocking her exit. “I’m only thinking of you and your best interests. As your father, I have that right,” he snapped back, holding her shoulders.
She sobbed, holding back the tears in her eyes. “But one day would be one less for Landy.”
Robert counted to three and, in a low, comforting tone, made a valid point. “What would it hurt to have brunch? It’s a couple of hours, not a day.”
She bowed her head. “Okay, Daddy. I’ll go for just one meal.” She sounded wounded, defeated.
Robert took her in his arms and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. “That’s my girl. Now, go and make your calls. I have to go into the office for just a minute.”
She nodded and left the room without a backward glance.
Robert finished the last swallow of his tea. He fished the small piece of paper from his jacket pocket. The address written on it wasn’t that far from his own house. He smiled. Samantha, you will be easier to convince than I thought.
* * * *
Rae Anne walked in a slow pace to her bedroom. She looked at the phone by the bed and debated on taking her father’s advice. A break from the stress would do me and the baby good. Hesitant for a second, she picked up and called Sarah. “Hey, Sarah, how about we go and have brunch tomorrow?”
“That sounds delightful. What time?”
For the first time in almost a month, she found a slimmer of excitement in Sarah’s answer. “Let’s say ten thirty.”
“Sounds like a date. I’ll call Alva. I’m almost positive she’d like to hang out with us too.”
“I’ll meet you two at Frost’s.”
“Until then.”
Rae Anne hung up the phone. She felt the small flutter in her stomach and realized for the first time her baby moved. She giggled. “Oh, little one, we do need a distraction, don’t we?” Another fluttering erupted in her womb, and she laughed. “Just like your father.”
Chapter Ten
Rae Anne awoke earlier than usual the next morning. The bright Washington sunshine seemed to lift her mood. “Maybe this isn’t such a bad idea after all.”
Gazing at the small writing table in the corner, she deliberately bypassed it and the stack of papers waiting for her. “Not today. This one is for the baby,” she told herself on the way to the bathroom for a shower.
Afterward, dressed and pumped with excitement, she took a quick once-over in the mirror. Satisfied that she looked presentable for the public she sat down at the little writing table and wrote a reminder to tell Landy about her brunch. She couldn’t wait to tell him all about her day.
* * * *
Rae Anne, Sarah, and Alva spent more than the usual hour brunch time at Frost’s. She laughed like she hadn’t laughed in six months. “I needed this break, guys.”
“Yes, you did,” Sarah said, seconding her statement with a lift of her mimosa. “Back away and let the letters do the work.”
“There is nothing else you can do,” Alva added gently.
Rae Anne had convinced herself of those facts earlier, but to have these two friends verbalize her thoughts confirmed it. “Here’s to letting fate work its wonders,” she toasted with her orange juice.
“I’ll drink to that,” Sarah replied and took a long pull from drink in her hand.
“Oh, we should go shopping next.” Alva suggested.
“I don’t know about that idea.” Rae Anne felt her excitement withdraw. Old doubts washed over her. What if something of Landy comes in?
“I know we should buy that baby something,” Alva insisted. “This is a day for the little one, right?”
The thrill of shopping for the baby overwhelmed Rae Anne. She filled with a warm sensation. “Okay. But we can’t stay out too long.”
“Not even for a movie marathon of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis?” Sarah teased, a wicked grin on her face.
Rae Anne lowered her gaze and shook her head in wonder. “How can I say no to that?”
Sarah and Alva giggled.
‘“Well, you’re not supposed to. You’re only going to say….okay, let’s go.” Alva said to reinforce Sarah’s suggestion.
Rae Anne threw her hands in the air. “Okay, let’s go.”
The three headed off in the direction of the little baby boutique down the street.
* * * *
The late-afternoon sun beamed down. Rae Anne, Sarah, and Alva walked to Rae Anne’s car loaded down with bags.
“I…” Rae Anne got tongue-tied with her emotions. “Listen, I really want to say thank you for today.” She looked from one woman to the other. “I hate to admit it, but being out did me a world of good.”
“It was our pleasure,” Alva said, comforting her.
Rae Anne looked down at the two sacks on her arm. “Thank you for helping figure out what to buy for the baby.”
“And for yourself,” Sarah added.
“I actually feel refreshed and….hopeful.”
“Then our work is done,” Sarah declared. She turned a serious eye to Rae Anne. “Sometimes small, idle chatter of useless bullshit is a good start.”
“Yes, it helped to settle my mind, if only for a little while.”
“The afternoon marathon of Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin movies couldn’t be passed up,” Alva added. “Nor the small box of chocolates we shared.”
Rae Anne laughed. “It was exactly what I needed.”
The three hugged one another in a group hug. “If you ever need another day like this, just let us know,” Alva insisted. “We can make it a day for the baby and shop, or we can do a spa day.”
“Sounds wonderful. I may need just a day soon.”
“Take care and call us if you need us,” Sarah said.
“I will.”
>
Rae Anne started the car’s motor, waved bye through the glass, and drove out of the parking lot. Happy and revitalized, she made a new strategy effort to find Landy.
* * * *
Rae Anne entered the house almost in a skip. She walked from the foyer to the formal living area. A fire smoldered in the fireplace, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary to her. “Daddy must be in the dining room.”
I’ll wait in the study and take a quick look over the mail.
She picked up the stack of mail. “When did these come in? Why wasn’t it given to me yesterday?” She sat in Robert’s chair and glanced down at the calendar. January 6. “Wow, I didn’t even notice the New Year holiday.” The winter semester would start in a week. I have to make the decision to go back to Corpus Christi soon. But to do so means to rebuild a new command center. But if that’s what it takes to get Landy home, it’ll be done.
Rae Anne stumbled at an official envelope marked War Department. Her excitement increased. She eyed the letter with care. What if they couldn’t find out anything? What if he is missing forever? Unable to take the anxiety anymore she stood and, with shaking hands, ripped the envelope open like a child on Christmas Day. She scanned the letter. Her excitement plummeted and fell apart.
The War Department regrets to inform you.
Private Landon Laurent was killed in action, on December 31. A suicide bomber bombed his jeep. There were no survivors.
Private Laurent was a hero for his country, dying in the line of duty.
Sincerely,
Michael Norman,
US War Department, Washington, DC
“No!” Rae Anne screamed and fell to the floor clutching the letter to her chest. Tears of despair fell down her cheeks. “He’s gone forever, and I didn’t get to say good-bye.”
Rae Anne lay crumpled on the floor in front of the fireplace, rocking as the anguished cry went unnoticed. No one heard the sound of her heartbreak, and no one witnessed her give up her will.
Sharp pains ripped through her stomach. She doubled over. “I have nothing to live for anymore.”
Chapter Eleven
Devastation from her loss didn’t hinder her sense of duty to Landy’s family. “I have to do what I must.” She looked at the phone on her nightstand. Her father sat on the bed next to her and wrapped loving, fatherly arms around her shoulders.
“I will be right here if you need me.”
“Thanks. It’ll probably kill Grandpa Joe. He loved Landy so much.” She was filled with emotions, and her eyes teared up with the overload of it, and getting the last words was a struggle.
“I know, just like it almost killed you.” His soothing voice gave her comfort for what she faced.
“It’s been two weeks since I heard anything else. I had hoped his body would be found before I made this call.”
“I know, but, sweetie, it’s not uncommon for a soldier to be declared dead without a body.”
Rae Anne picked up the phone, dialed the familiar number, and engaged the button for the speakerphone. She gripped Robert’s hand when the phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Grandpa Joe. It’s me, Rae Anne.”
“Well, hello, baby girl. What do I owe for the pleasure of this phone call? Did you hear from Landy?”
“Grandpa Joe, this isn’t a social call. In fact, it’s one of the hardest calls I’ve ever had to make.”
Her father’s firm touch gave her some strength.
A silence came from the other end of the line. “I don’t understand. You can always talk to me about anything.”
“I have some bad news about Landy.”
“What about him?” Grandpa Joe barely choked out the question.
“I’m…I’m…”
“Spit it out, child. Tell me what’s happened to my boy,” Grandpa Joe snapped.
“He’s dead.”
“What? How?”
The panic, sorrow, and shock in the older man’s voice gripped her heart. Fat teardrops fell down her cheeks. “He was killed by a suicide bomber, Grandpa. The military hasn’t found his body.”
The light sound of static echoed over the phone line. “Thanks for calling me, Rae Anne. I guess I will go now. It seems I have some details to attend.” The panic and anxiety in Grandpa Joe’s voice was replaced by an almost robotic, automatic, dialect.
“Please. I’d like to come to the funeral…memorial service.”
“I don’t know. I…we don’t have a body.”
“Grandpa Joe, I will help make the arrangements for a service.”
“I appreciate that, Rae Anne. I will call the funeral home tomorrow.”
“I’ll call you back tomorrow afternoon, if that’s all right.” Another silence stood between them. “Grandpa Joe, are you there?”
“Yes. Baby girl, are you sure he’s gone?”
“Yes, Grandpa. Landy’s gone.”
Rae Anne heard the soft cries of grief from the other end of the line. With a muffled click, she and Grandpa Joe were disconnected. She too hung up, feeling the loss of her family.
“Rae Anne, princess, I’m not sure it’s such a good idea to attend the service.”
Although it would be painfully difficult, she ignored her father’s advice. “I will go, if only to support Grandpa Joe.”
Her father didn’t argue back with her. “Are you all right?”
Rae Anne nodded. The burning in her throat made it difficult to talk.
“I can stay if you want.”
“No, I need some time alone.”
“If you change your mind and want to talk, I’m down the hall.”
Rae Anne didn’t reply. She heard Robert close the door behind him and walk down the hall. She sat at the writing desk. “I have one last letter to write.” She picked up the pen she had used in hopes to bring him home alive, but the irony of the whole situation was that she knew he was dead and he wouldn’t be coming home.
She took out a piece of scented paper.
My dearest Landy,
This is my last letter. I didn’t get the chance to say good-bye, but fate is not a fair gamer. I will cherish the memories I have of us. I will go on because I knew that is what you’d have me do. But know in your heart, I will always, always love you—my one true love.
Until we meet in paradise.
Your loving, Rae Anne
Her tears sealed the final envelope. She kissed it and placed it on the outgoing mail stack. “Good-bye, my love.”
* * * *
Landy anxiously sat on the edge of the exam table waiting for the post-operations doctor. In his mind, he visited the worst possible of scenarios. If not for the infection he contracted after surgery he’d be on his way home, or to the field. What if this blindness is permanent? No, think positive.
Three weeks of recovery for a one week injury to his eyes turned him for a loop. Inbound in the German quarters wasn’t a bad place to recuperate, but he was anxious to call Rae Anne.
A knock sounded at the door a second before it opened. “Hello, Private Laurent. My name is Dr. Baker. I am assigned to your after-surgery care.”
“Hello, Doc. When can we take these bandages off for good?”
Doctor Baker chuckled. “Hold your horses. Give me a moment to ask questions.”
“Sorry.”
“I understand you’re ready to be cut loose.”
Landy nodded.
“Well, according to your chart, your surgeon gave you a good prognosis until you contracted the eye infection. I will check your eyes and take it from there.”
“Sounds good.” Landy almost jumped off the table at the doctor’s approach.
“Easy. I’m going to cut the bandages now. Stay still.” Landy took several deep breaths to calm himself down. The second the bandages fell from his face, he tried to blink the pads off. “No, don’t blink. Let me do the work,” Doctor Baker ordered. With gentle fingers, he lifted the pads off Landy’s eyes. “Okay, open slowly.” Landy blinked twice and closed the
m again. “How does it feel?”
“The bright light hurts my eyes, and now my head hurts like hell.”
“That’s normal. It will get better. Remember, your concussion just healed a short time ago and then the added complication didn’t make the healing better. The brightness will be less severe in a few days, but I warn you to be careful in the future.”
“So what do we do now?”
“We’ll fit you with a patch,” Doctor Baker answered. He unwrapped the package, pulled out the eye patch, and fit it over Landy’s eye. “Does this feel comfortable?” Landy nodded. The doctor adjusted the straps. “This will help build the cornea. Take it off three times a day for fifteen minutes to strengthen your eye. Okay?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Now, if you behave yourself, I will discharge you from medical care in, let’s say, two weeks.”
“Two weeks?” Landy felt the dread already. Boredom had become his new enemy.
“Something wrong?”
“Yes, sir. So far my recovery consists of a routine based on sitting around on my ass doing nothing all day but playing cards, sitting at the computer playing games, and eating. Now, as an added measure to my feelings of stir crazy, I’m to expose my eyes to light at different intervals.”
“Yep, that pretty much sums it up.”
“If I don’t get out of here soon, I’ll weigh three hundred pounds.”
“You have plenty of time to get back into shape.”
“Time is like that new dial-up Internet that is supposed to be a privilege—it seems to drag on slowly.”
“Laurent, you are too young to think like an old man.”
“I have been told I have an old soul, sir.”
Doctor Baker laughed. “Have a good day, Laurent.”
“Aye, sir.”