This Summer

It was summertime in Wilmot Arkansas. A same old, same old kind of day. I’ve worked for my mom, Elle, for who knows how long. She owns a kennel for dogs in our old barn. My son, Max, is a 5th grader at our local school. It’s where my family has gone for years; we’ve always been the small town kind. I was never the social type; my brother, Keith, was the only friend I had.

Two years ago, Keith volunteered for the United States air force. He only had 6 months left in Afghanistan when we got the phone call. Keith’s base had been bombed and his body hadn’t been found. I was devastated. It was hard for me to love or appreciate anything anymore. That is, until I met Will.

Max and I were on vacation in Florida. The soldiers had just returned from war. Before I knew it, Max was gone. I panicked, started screaming and running everywhere. Then I heard a familiar, “Mom! Over here!” I ran over to him and found him talking to a returning soldier. “Mom, this is Will! We just met but he loves the Steelers too!” Keith got Max into football and ever since the phone call; football is all Max focuses on. I studied Will for a long time. He was actually very handsome. About 6’3”, brown hair, hazel eyes and very toned.

“Thanks so much for finding Max,” I said. “He tends to wander on me.”

“Actually,” he said, “he found me. I guess it was the Steelers shirt.”

“He’s pretty much obsessed, ever since we lost my brother.”

“I’m sorry… you mind me asking how?”

“His base was bombed in Kabul, Afghanistan, they never found the body….”

“I was there.” He said.

“What??” I asked. This got my attention.

“I was there. The day that base was bombed. We lost a lot of great men. Guess you could say I got lucky. Listen, you want to get something to eat? I’d love to get to know you and Max!”

I was surprised how fast I fell in love with Will. Max loved him too; I guess that’s what made all the difference.

Six months later, Will got a phone call from the military. He was ordered back overseas. He was supposed to be done. When you’re called, there’s really nothing you can do. Especially in Will’s case, being a captain of his and Keith’s squad. We broke the news to Max together. Will had become like a father to Max and now he was going away too, just like Keith had.
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It was two weeks later and we were back in Florida, only this time, saying our goodbyes. I tried to stay strong for Max when really it felt like losing a best friend all over again.
As we got home, I was still feeling pretty sorry for myself. My mom tried cheering me up, which usually works, but not this time.
It was about 8pm and I was reading with Max in his room. The phone rang and my mom answered. All of a sudden I heard her screaming and the phone dropped. Max looked at me with worry in his eyes and we ran into the kitchen.
My mom was on her knees saying, “It’s a Miracle! Thank you God, thank you thank you!”
“What mom? What?” I yelled.
“He’s alive!” was all she could manage to say.
“Who’s alive?” I could barely make out what she was saying.
“Keith! They found him, he’s alive!! He’s been held prisoner this whole time but they found him!”
Now it was my turn to scream. We had been preparing ourselves for the worst.
“He’s coming home on Thursday!” was all she managed.
Thursday had only been two days away but it felt like an eternity. We found ourselves in Florida for the 3rd time, only this time, all three of us.
Keith’s plane was supposed to land at 2pm. It was now quarter to 3 and I was getting anxious.
Finally, a few minutes later, they announced the arrival of flight 340 from Kabul, Afghanistan. Max saw him first.
“There he is!” he shouted.
We all ran towards him with open arms and held on for what seemed like 10 minutes.
He looked like he had lost 20 lbs; so the first thing we did was take him out to eat. Mama’s diner, his favorite. We sat at Mama’s talking and catching up until closing time, 5 hrs. later.
On the drive home, everyone fell asleep so I got some alone time to think, but the only thing that came to mind was Will.
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It was 5 months later. I was in the garden with Keith and mom. I caught a glimpse of someone walking down the driveway. I got up to get a closer look. I couldn’t believe it…. It was Will! I ran toward him, still not believing what I saw. I flung myself into him arms. He looked at me with his big hazel eyes and said, “I’m home… for good.”