“Hmmm, how many are in your class this year?”
“Forty-six in the seventh grade, but we mix up, so each class is about fifteen.”
“A lot different than when you were at West Creek last year. Didn't they have around three hundred in sixth grade?”
“I guess so.”
Ron was hoping to solicit a response that would justify his and Sarah's decision to pull their three kids out of the public school and put them into Clarksville Academy.
“Are the teachers better here?”
“They're not much different. They seem to carry more authority.”
“Are any of your friends from youth at the school?”
“There're a few I know.”
“Do I know them?”
“Dad, really? Why the interrogation?”
Ron chuckled. “Just having conversation.”
Asha rolled her eyes skyward. She reminded him of a miniature Sarah, except her hair was darker than her mother's. Both had the same almond-shaped greenish eyes.
Placing her smooth-skinned face into her palms, Asha rested her head, elbows planted firmly on the table while waiting to be served.
“Huh umm, what did your mother tell you about your elbows on the table?” Ron asked with a wink.
“Dad! Really?” Asha slid them off toward her sides and bowed her head inches away from the flat surface.
“Can you smile for me, honey? You know it brightens my whole day.”
Asha gave him a forced one-second smile.
“Ah, you can do better. For me? Please?”
She looked up, smiling more naturally, but Ron noticed a tint of sadness in her eyes.
“Well, better, somewhat. I'll take it,” Ron said. “Are you sure you're okay?”
Before Asha could answer, Sarah walked into the kitchen. “Good morning, sunshine,” Sarah said to Asha as she continued toward Ron, stopping to plant a kiss on her daughter's forehead first.
Asha received the kiss without any movement or emotion. “Maahm!”
“What's with her?” Sarah asked Ron.
Ron shrugged his shoulders and turned his hands skyward. “Maybe because she'll be twelve in a few weeks?”
Both Sarah and Asha were about to respond until Seth and Caleb emerged and bounced up to the kitchen table, promptly taking their seats. Caleb, ten and quiet natured, had Ron's eyes and hair color.
Seth, on the other hand, was an energetic eight-year-old who was always getting into something. He favored his grandfather's appearance with his blond hair and blue eyes.
“Mom said you were making eggs, sausage, and waffles!” Seth announced.
Asha's head perked up. “Hey, wait; you didn't say anything about waffles.”
“Because I didn't know anything about them myself,” Ron answered.
“Your father knows how much I love waffles,” Sarah responded with a wink at Ron.
“Oh yeah, that's right! Add waffles to the order.”
“Mommy, are you okay?” Seth asked her curiously.
“No, she's not okay,” Asha snapped. “Dad's going to leave us again,” Asha said curtly.
The room was silent. Ron suddenly realized what had been troubling her and wondered how she knew. His absences had negative effects on Asha in the past, but she seemed to have been adapting better with age. Maybe this was not the case after all, or else, she was just tired of them.
“I'm fine, honey,” Sarah answered Seth while watching Asha. “Why do you ask? Do I seem upset?”
Sarah had always gone out of her way to act normal whenever she was around the kids during Ron's deployments. She considered herself successful in this area, until maybe recently. The volatile situation between Russia and the Ukraine involving her father and now this recent development with Ron may have become too noticeable to those around her.
“No, not really.”
Sarah was relieved.
“But I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, and I heard you yelling in your room,” Seth answered.
Sarah quickly looked at Seth, but before she could answer him, he yelled, “Ow! Why did you…?”
“What's the matter?” Sarah asked alarmed.
“Asha kicked me!”
“I did no such thing,” Asha responded. “I was just nudging you with my foot.”
“You did it hard!”
“Not intentionally. It was an accident.”
“No, it wasn't!”
“Okay, guys, no more. Asha, tell your brother you're sorry,” Ron said sternly.
Sarah gave Asha a look, easily interpreted as, Why would you do such a thing?
“I'm sorry,” Asha snapped.
“Like you mean it,” Ron added.
“Oh, okay. I'm sorry I kicked you, Seth.”
“Why did you do it?” Seth continued.
“Yeah!” Sarah echoed.
Caleb watched the whole scenario go down without saying a word, but based on his smirk, he was enjoying the morning entertainment.
“Because…” Asha began.
“No, not you. Mommy, why did you yell?
“Asha plopped her head into her hands. “Oh my gosh! Really?”
Caught off guard the first time, Sarah was a bit more prepared to answer. “Maybe I was dreaming or something, I don't know.”
“Must have been a scary dream,” Seth concluded.
Ron placed two glasses of milk in front of each of his sons and a glass of orange juice in front of Asha. He then went back to sipping his coffee from a ceramic mug with the Special Forces crest logo and motto engraved on one side reading De Oppresso Liber, meaning, “to liberate the oppressed.”
Just as Asha lifted her glass of juice to drink, Seth whistled for the family's golden lab, Farsi, to point out some scraps of food he dropped on the floor.
Farsi jumped up from where he was lying next to Asha, causing her to spill some of her juice on her shirt.
“Ah, Farsi!”
Simultaneously, Sarah let out an exhaling, emphatic “Aaaahhhh.” Looking at Seth, she continued, “What did I tell you about feeding animals at the table?”
Seth responded, “That's it, Mommy!”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“The way you yelled when you were dreaming.” Seth tried to mimic her by exhaling with vigor. “Aaaahhhh.”
Sarah exchanged a quick glance with Ron who was trying to hold in an outburst of laughter. “Here you go, buddy, you get to have the first waffle,” Ron said as he plopped them on his plate in front of him.
“Hey, no fair!” Caleb protested.
“Really?” Asha muttered into her hands while shaking her head in disbelief.
2
Sarah was relieved to have the day off work. She planned to enjoy every moment of the day with Asha. Although school had started at Clarksville Academy in mid-August, the students had the Labor Day weekend to enjoy.
The extra hours spent at the clinic with an increased patient load had accumulated enough time for Sarah to enjoy some much needed rest and recreation. Her agenda included praying, planning, and shopping with her daughter, maybe even getting a pedicure together.
Seth and Caleb already had plans. They would spend time with Chris and Carole Short's two boys, Christian, age twelve, and Robert, age ten. Their day would begin at the YMCA for swimming lessons and extend beyond.
Ron kissed Sarah at the front door before driving away to 5th Group headquarters at Fort Campbell. He passed Carole on the side street and tapped his horn. Sarah waited in the front yard as Carole pulled into the driveway. “Good morning!”
“Hey kiddo,” Carole answered from her rolled-down window, a name she had given Sarah since her arrival from Afghanistan. “You look 'swinging' this morning and can still pass for a…never mind.”
“Swinging?”
“Nothing, I'm just jealous.”
As they began small talk, Seth and Caleb appeared wearing backpacks, each reflecting their personality. Caleb's was solid olive gr
een, displaying an artistic design showing his name in black. Seth had an avenger pack displaying Captain America, Spiderman, and the Hulk. They both had their swimsuits already on.
“Did you remember your change of clothes?”
“Yes, mom,” Caleb answered, I have them.”
“Ooops.” Seth sprinted back to the house.
“Hurry up!” Sarah yelled.
Carole laughed. “That boy; always 100 miles per hour.”
Sarah smiled. “He's so full of energy. Maybe swimming will slow him down.”
“Are you kidding? Christian said he is always winning the swimming races by half a lap!”
“You should have seen him Wednesday!” Christian added from the passenger side of their dark green, Subaru Forrester. “The instructor told everybody he had never seen anybody swim so fast at that age before.”
Seth ran from the front, nearly tripping in the process, and bounded straight for the vehicle before Sarah reached out and grabbed him. “Hey, you didn't tell me about Wednesday at the Y.”
Seth looked at her. “About what?”
“How fast you swim!”
Shrugging his shoulders, he answered, “Aw, it's nothing mom. The coach said I was really fast. No big deal.”
Sarah stooped down to look at him in the eyes. “This is a very big deal and you should be proud. Please tell your father when he comes home this evening. He'll be very proud of you too.”
Seth smiled. “Okay mom. I will.” He started to jump into the car but Sarah held his shoulders.
“Hey. I love you. Be careful.” Then she planted a kiss on his forehead.
“Love you too, mom.” Then he leaped into the side door and joined in the boy talk.
Carole waited until he was buckled in before backing out of the driveway. Pulling away, she and Sarah waved at each other.
Sarah went back inside to finish cleaning the kitchen, trying not to show any distress in the process. Asha was still sitting at the kitchen table, finishing her breakfast slowly, as if she was waiting for everybody to clear. She had the TV on and gazed at the scenes as the reporter bellowed, “The Pentagon has confirmed it is deploying an additional 130 marines and special forces to Iraq…” That was all she heard before her mother turned it off.
“Well, honey, it is you and me today. Is there anything special you would like to do?” Sarah asked.
Asha looked at her with concern but managed a cheerful smile. “Mom, let's do whatever you want to do today, okay?”
Sarah looked bewildered. “Well, okay, are you sure?”
“Yep.”
“Well then.” Sarah began as she sat down next to Asha and looked into her eyes. “I really, really, really, want to…”
“I'm listening.”
“Do something special for you. So, what do you want to do?”
“Maaah-om!”
“Well, you asked. And I do want to make this your day.”
“Okay. Um, will you start your day off with prayer or did you already pray?”
Sarah smiled. “Not yet honey, but you are more than welcome to join me in prayer.”
“Will you share with me what is troubling you?” Asha asked.
Sarah looked concerned. “What makes you think something is troubling me? It shows?”
Asha slowly shook her head up and down.
“I'm sorry. Yes, my darling Asha. I will share my heart with you so you can pray also. However, you must stay strong, immovable, and full of enthusiasm. Okay?”
Asha smiled. “Of course.”
Sarah got up from the table to finish while Asha completed her breakfast with a sudden burst of speed and proceeded to help her mother. Spotting Persia, their Siamese cat, perched on the window seat, she called for her. “Here kitty, kitty, kitty.” The cat was more interested in the Cardinal outside the front window, judging by the twitching of her tail. “Fine, don't come then,” Asha said while she placed a small bowl of food down on the floor.
When Ron and Sarah purchased their new home five years before, they got a good deal on a two-story, four-bedroom house. Asha was seven at the time. They decided to convert a fifth room, considered a study room by the realtor, into a prayer room. The room had a window facing the east, which allowed the morning sunlight to filter through the window. At Sarah's request, they hung crystal light fixtures for their lighting so when the sunlight spread its rays through the window, the crystal reflected an array of rainbow colors across the beige carpet and the walls.
Sarah and Asha entered the room, moving immediately towards the window to open the curtains, allowing the sun to project its golden rays off Sarah's hair like glowing embers. Simultaneously, a rainbow mosaic sparkled onto the walls and carpet from the hanging crystal, forming its colorful patterns.
“I'll set the carpet here.” Sarah said softly to Asha. “There will be plenty of room for each of us to sit in the light.”
Asha followed Sarah to the carpet as the two knelt to their knees. “When you pray, just talk to God like you would your best friend or even your father, and share your heart. You do not have to repeat things over and over. God knows what you need already. He just wants to talk to you and hear you.”
Asha looked at her mother with uncertainty. “Mom, can I just listen to you first?”
“Of course.”
Sarah bowed low to the ground once and remained in place. “My God, thank you for Asha; she is the best daughter a woman could have.” Sarah felt Asha move and could see out of the corner of her eye that she had bowed low next to her. Before she continued praying, Asha interrupted.
“And God, please help my mom, who is the greatest ever, feel happy and stay strong no matter what.”
Tears began to roll down Sarah's cheek and ignoring her sniffling, continued her prayer. “We know you work everything together for our good and we should not worry about anything. Please God, give us both your peace beyond all understanding as Asha and I have a very great day together today. In the name of your royal son, Jesus, Amen.
“And,” Asha continued. “Besides giving mom strength, please protect grandpa in the Ukraine and…” Asha stopped suddenly, her voice beginning to quiver.
Sarah quickly put her arms around Asha and held her girl tightly.
“Mom?” Asha managed through a whimpering voice. “Dad will be okay, right? He's coming back soon right?”
“Of course he will, dear.” Sarah answered more out of hope and faith than confident assurance. “Of course he will. He is Hawkman!” She answered with a nervous chuckle.
Together, Sarah and Asha wiped away their tears as they stood and held each other for a few moments longer. Then Sarah stooped down to roll up her brownish-red prayer rug.
“Mom, why don't you get a new rug? This one is fading and worn.”
Sarah smiled. “Never this one. It is too special. It is a magic carpet, used by a prince to rescue a princess.”
“Really?” Asha said sarcastically.
“Yes, really,” Sarah answered laughing. “It is true. When I first discovered your father's love for me, he wanted to take me away from Afghanistan and bring me to America. I was so excited and felt that maybe my dream would come true.”
“When did this happen?”
Sarah chuckled. “At my Uncle's home in Golbahar. I had hoped he loved me because I really loved him, but I wasn't so sure.”
“How could anybody not love you, mom, especially dad?”
They laughed together. “He truly loves me for sure. When he told me, it was one of the happiest days of my life…besides the time when I found out I was going to have you.”
“Aw, mom.”
“When your father brought me to America, I felt like I was in the promise land…I felt born again. Then soon after, I learned you were here,” Sarah continued while pointing at her stomach. “I was truly in paradise!”
Asha looked at her mother with admiration. “You and dad are the best parents in the world.”
Sarah smiled as she reached forward
and placed her hand beneath Asha's chin. “And you are the best daughter a parent could ever have.”
3
Fort Campbell, Kentucky, headquarters of the U.S. Army's 5th Special Forces Group, was sixty miles northwest of Nashville, Tennessee and only twenty minutes from Ron's home. After pulling into the parking lot, Ron walked straight towards the two-story concrete building where 5th Group's offices were located. The oak trees along his path rustled slightly with the wind as he bounded the outside stairwell.
“Come in, Hawk, and have a seat.” Colonel Carter told him after spotting him in the hallway. “Want some coffee?”
“I'm good, sir.”
“How's the family?”
“They'll be alright…I think.”
Carter just looked at him but did not say anything back regarding Ron's add-on. “Well, did you talk it over with your family and have you made a decision?”
“I had the discussion with Sarah, but not the kids yet.”
“Hmmm. Sergeant First Class Walker will be joining you in a minute. He's going with you to lead the platoon.”
“He's a good man.” Ron added.
“Last night, we gave him the complete run down with all the details and logistics. He will be able to give you the latest updates on the situation.
Ron was never on a mission with Walker, but knew of his past exploits in Iraq.
Walker entered the room and sat down in an empty chair next to Ron. “Sir. First Sergeant Hawkins.”
“Good morning.” Carter answered.
Ron stood up, held out his hand, and nodded his head. “Hey, good to see ya. Glad you'll be with me.”
“You are coming. Good.” Walker said relieved.
“First Sergeant Hawkins has not had the opportunity to look at the report yet, so I'll let the two of you work together and iron out any last minute details and pack your gear.”
“When do we leave, sir?” Ron asked.
“The Air Force has a bird flying into Irbil, leaving here at 0400, Tuesday, day after Labor Day.”
“What? So soon?” Ron asked.
“Here's the situation. We have aircraft dropping food and water over Mount Sinjar from opened joint operations centers and intelligence-sharing centers in Baghdad and in Irbil. Here's where you come in. The SECDEF wants one hundred and thirty team members up in the Irbil area to take a closer look and give a more in-depth assessment of the situation.”
Love In The House Of War Page 13