“Will this be our last hug?” wondered Sylvia as Darren squeezed her tight. "I love you. Please stay safe," she told her brother. Her tears began to gush.
"I will, Silver Dollar," he told her. "I promise." He ruffled her hair, then proudly strolled through the airport gate.
Darren was gone.
Sylvia's mother was not trying to hide her sorrow as he left. Despite her flaws, she loved her children. She was sniffling and fat tears were flowing from her eyes. She pulled Sylvia close and they hugged silently. "Honey," her mom said, "I need you to remember something. Life has disappointments, but you can still be happy. You will always have someone to lean on when you need them. Darren leaving isn’t the end of the world, even if it feels like it right now. We both have to be strong about this.”
Darren had always wanted to be a soldier. He had camouflage clothing and toy guns, just like all the other little boys. But while everyone around him outgrew that, Darren never did. It was his life's dream to serve the country that had done so much for him. As soon as he turned 18, he registered for the army. And now, a few months later, he was off to protect the country that he loved.
Sylvia knew she should be thrilled for Darren. He was brave and smart, and he would be a great asset to the military. But instead of being proud, Sylvia felt angry. She was sad. Most of all, she felt alone.
Living in the miniscule town of Adams, Minnesota, Sylvia's brother was her best friend. They had grown up together, him five years her senior. They were homeschooled together, and stayed very close as they were growing up. Sylvia hadn't felt the need to make more friends, not that there were many people her age around. She didn’t care for the people she knew that were her age. She had never considered what she would do with herself when Darren left. She didn’t want to accept the fact that Darren was leaving. But he was gone now, and she was alone.
She and her mother spent most of the next few days missing Darren. They had never realized how much Darren added to their household. Sylvia and her mother didn't talk much on their own; he was the one who made the house feel like a home. Everything was silent without Darren. Sylvia cried herself to sleep for a few nights.
A week had passed since Darren had left, and Sylvia had had enough self-pity and waiting for Darren to come home. She went out to visit her neighbor, Mrs. Witter. Mrs. Witter was always very nice to Sylvia. She had no children of her own. Today, however, Mrs. Witter introduced Sylvia to her niece, Nicole. Nicole was several years older than Sylvia but they were both desperate for someone to talk to.
Sylvia had a surprisingly nice time with Nicole. Nicole was very kind to her, and invited Sylvia out to lunch the next day. Soon they spoke every day.
Darren wrote letters occasionally and called even less. He was proud of how his training was going. He was glad that he had chosen to volunteer for the army, and he was thrilled to finally be able to serve his country the way he had always imagined. Each letter he wrote started with "Dear Silver Dollar," and it made Sylvia miss him even more. He gave vivid descriptions of every moment of his day to Sylvia, who was getting by without him better than she thought she would. He said he really missed the family, but Sylvia doubted that was very true. He had always planned to get out of Adams to somewhere bigger, with better opportunities.
Nicole and Sylvia had great fun together. They would go explore the tiny streets of Adams, and talk. They talked about whatever came to mind: books, paintings, floral prints. They loved talking to each other.
There was a gaping hole in Sylvia's heart that went wherever Darren went. She still worried about him daily. Sometimes she would break down crying, and Nicole would always be there to comfort her. When she had pulled herself together Sylvia always said the same thing: "What would I do without a friend like you?" Nicole would smile. Then they would dust themselves off and carry on. But worry was always brewing in the back of Sylvia's mind.
Nicole could see how anxious Sylvia was about her brother. One afternoon Nicole proposed that they write a play together. Neither of them had any experience in play writing, but how hard could it be? So they sat down, in the park or Sylvia's room or Nicole's kitchen, and wrote a play. It was fun to work together on a script. They concocted bizarre characters and crazy predicaments. The play had no real structure, or a plot, but they didn’t care. It seemed to be keeping Sylvia's mind off of Darren. Sylvia tensed up whenever she thought of Darren and pure fear invaded her face. Nicole hated seeing her friend like that, so she did the best she could to keep Sylvia from thinking of Darren.
One December afternoon they were working at Nicole's on the play. The weather was cold and gray, so they huddled together with cups of hot chocolate. They weren't making much progress but it was fun anyway. Nicole left the room to get them a snack. The phone rang. Nicole picked it up and listened.
"Sylvia, the phone's for you," she said. Sylvia picked up the phone and heard her mom on the other end.
"Come home, honey. This is important," said her mom over the phone. "I need to say this in person." Her mother sounded stricken but Sylvia waved it away. Her mom usually fretted over little things.
"Not now, Mom," said Sylvia. "We're in the middle of something. Can you tell me over the phone?"
Her mother sighed weakly. "We got a message about Darren."
Sylvia's heart raced. "What? What happened? Is he okay? Is he coming home?"
She could almost picture her mother's face as she spoke the words Sylvia had been dreading since Darren left. "He was shot."
Sylvia could hear her voice getting higher as she grew more frantic. "He's okay, right? He has to be okay. He's must be okay."
Her mother hesitated before she answered. "Darren. He's," she gasped. "dead." She sobbed. Sylvia dropped the phone and sank to the floor. She heard her mother calling her name through the receiver but she didn't care. Darren was dead.
She didn’t bother to hold back her tears. Darren wasn't coming home. The salty puddles were soaking her face. Her brother, her best friend, wasn't coming back. She would never see Darren again; never hear him call her "Silver Dollar" ever again. She put her face in her hands and loudly wept, not caring if Nicole heard her. She didn’t know how much time had gone by but tears were still falling down her face. She gasped as Nicole wrapped her in a hug. Sylvia relaxed, but wept even harder when she realized that Darren would never hug her again. Nicole squeezed her tighter but didn't say a word. Sylvia remembered what her mother had told her at the airport. “You will always have someone to lean on when you need them,” she had said. Maybe it was true.
Her brother, her most cherished friend, was dead. But he wasn’t her only friend anymore.