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What if something had happened to John?
That was the only thing keeping her from calling his mother. She didn’t want to be the one to tell her that John hadn’t called or had gone missing. Had he been hurt during patrol? Was he still stuck over there in Afghanistan? Had they deployed him somewhere else against his will? She poured over the newspapers in the teachers’ lounge looking for any articles or information. She googled his name randomly, but that only brought up her favorite video of him.
It was the last day before Thanksgiving break and she was so relieved. She wanted nothing more than to sit down with a tub of Ben & Jerry’s and cry herself into oblivion. Her mind was a vicious thing…almost insidious.
He’s gone.
He was married, you fool.
He played you and you fell for it.
Lord? If you’re listening -is this a test because I’m so afraid of failing or doubting your plans for me, she prayed heavily with a sigh. Lily heard the announcement over the intercom and felt almost wooden. She got to her feet, nearly tripping on her flowy handkerchief dress made of wispy scarves. She loved this dress and rarely wore it, but after last night’s bout of crying she decided she needed a pick me up. She felt light and feminine in it, combined with a pair of nude flat ballet shoes. It was comfortable and appealing, a far cry from her sweaters and long denim skirts.
“Line up everyone. We are heading to the auditorium for presentation and will dismiss from there. So, grab your back packs, book bags and lunch boxes, because we won’t be returning to the room, got it? You’ll go straight from the bell to your bus, exiting through the double doors of the auditorium. Car riders, you’ll line up on the wall and we’ll take you out. Any questions?” Seeing no hands, Lily filed them out of her classroom and down the hallway. She stood at the door, urging them inside and instructing them to take a seat.
Maria and Lily stood towards the back, watching the children until the principal took the stage. Tapping on the microphone, she began to speak about the upcoming holiday and introduced the theater class performing a skit of the first Thanksgiving.
“You okay kiddo?” Maria whispered to her. “You look like you’ve not been sleeping well sweetie. Is everything okay?” Lily really didn’t want to do this now.
“It’s fine. I’m just a little tired.”
“Are you doing anything special for the holiday? Are you cooking, or do you want to come over? We’ll have a big table set up. My husband’s family is in town and I’m cooking for everyone.”
“No, I appreciate it. I think I’m just going to stay in and rest. Maybe watch the parade or something. I need a little down time.” She absently listened as the music ended and the Principal returned to the stage, introducing a guest speaker. For a moment, Lily’s heart stopped as she felt her stomach heave in anticipation. Everyone knew or had seen the YouTube videos of reunions and for a brief moment she wished/hoped/prayed it was for her.
Nope.
Nopety. Nope. No.
Phooooey!
A firefighter came out and discussed his daily duties. He brought his uniform jacket and a hose, taking volunteers to come up and put on the items to see how heavy they were. Lily could have kicked herself. She’d seen the flyer in her box that they were combining career day and the Thanksgiving skit into one due to the shortened week.
Several other people filed out onto the stage. A doctor, a lawyer, a mechanic, and a soldier. Her heart clamored and she felt herself gasp harshly. No, that wasn’t him. The walk was all wrong, and he didn’t have dark brown hair.
“Sweetie, you okay?”
“Yes – sorry. I was trying to keep from coughing. I don’t want to disturb the-“and Lily saw it like a dream out of the corner of her eye, stopping mid-sentence. A tall, lean policeman walked out in a uniform with a rather large German shepherd next to him. She recognized that stride from the video clip. The proud way he held himself and the way he stood at attention when he got center stage to the microphone. A sharp command had the dog immediately sit next to him, ears alert and staring straight ahead. Lily could not breathe. John was here!
HE WAS HERE!
“Hello everyone,” his strong voice began before hesitating. Her heart leap in her throat and she felt tears rush to her eyes. She saw his throat work as he swallowed before speaking again. He was nervous, and she was fascinated by the faint lopsided grin as he spoke clearly.
“Hello everyone, my name is Officer John Griffin. I am here to speak with you today for a few reasons. I was recently deployed in Afghanistan as a bomb and ammunitions expert. In my line of duty, Radar and I were assigned to patrol the hills looking for any explosive devices. Radar has been with me for eight years now and earned her name quickly because when she is asked to fetch, her ears perk up just like they are now, and she will find whatever she is looking for. Each and every single time. Now, you don’t just become a bomb and ammunitions expert overnight. It takes years of practice, learning, skill and courage to know that each job you do must be precise or it could be your last. So why am I up here as a police officer? Well, when you learn a skill – like any of these wonderful trades up here- you become desired…”
John cleared his throat and blushed at the word usage, yanking at his collar. Lily almost giggled aloud. The man was more adorable in real life than she ever imagined in her dreams or fantasies. “You become a desired person in the field and it sometimes translates into other jobs in the future. A military man may move to a civilian job if available. So, when Radar and I left Afghanistan – we left as a team. I was blessed to find a job in my field easily. First a soldier, then as a K-9 officer. Life throws a curveball and you can be whatever you want to be. Sometimes, you are fortunate enough to have a change that brings you into a new direction, a new life. Now, who would like to come up and pet Radar?”
Several children’s hands shot into the air and Lily fought to keep from running to the stage and making a fool of herself. She watched fascinated as he interacted with the children and explained Radar’s eye, giving a few commands to show off before letting her free to run around. The children shrieked happily, and Lily marveled at the control John had, his eyes watching the large animal carefully and giving several shouts sounding almost foreign in order to calm the dog down as she walked around the room and in-between the aisles to be petted.
“Radar, return!” John commanded, and the dog immediately spun around and raced up to the stage. “When you become a K-9 officer or soldier, the dog is now your family – an extension of yourself. The need for communication is so great that it becomes second nature and you read each other’s body language. She can tell when I am upset, and I can identify when danger is near by the way her ears perk up, or the way she moves or growls. I will be at the station on the north side of town and you are welcome to come by to see Radar at any time. Now before I go…” he trailed off and smiled widely.
“Would Miss Hogan’s class from last year please stand?” John turned to the Principal and spoke. “I want to thank you so much for this opportunity to speak to the school and to thank these students for mailing our troops. Please give them a round of applause.” The room filled with a loud roar of clapping before settling down.
“This group made the difference in so many soldiers’ lives. It takes a beautiful soul to take a moment out of their day to write and let us know we aren’t forgotten. My group received several letters over a several-week period and it meant the world to us. I want to thank you and Miss Hogan for writing -encouraging you all to do so. The impact it makes in our lives is a true miracle. Now, where is Miss Hogan?”
Lily felt Maria stand up next to her and drag her up bodily from the plastic chair she’d been sitting in. Static made her dress cling to the back of her thighs and she yanked at it distractedly while trying to keep from falling over her own feet. That was all she needed, a staticky-wedgie making her dress creep up awkwardly as she got to meet her dream man! Her guardian angel was probably snorting and crying with laughter right now as she yanked at her dress.
It was probably a good thing Maria had a hold of her arm, because she wasn’t certain her body would cooperate. Her knees felt like Jell-O and she was pretty sure they were knocking together, but she couldn’t hear it over the thumping of her heart. Maria wouldn’t have any of it and the smile on her face told her she also recognized the man whose picture had decorated her phone and computer monitor for months.
