The War at Home
Leonard W. Wilson
“Oh, my, God!”
“What’s the matter, Honey?”
I’ve been called up for active duty.”
“What?”
“It’s a letter from battalion. We’re being shipped out.”
“What, that’s impossible. When?”
“I have to report on the nineteenth.”
“What, just for exercises?”
“No, we’re going to see active duty.”
“But, where?”
“Afghanistan.”
“Afghanistan, you have to be kidding. You can’t. What about me? And the baby? I have my job… I can’t…”
“It won’t be so bad. It’ll only be for eight months, and my mother and I talked this over and she agreed that if I ever had to go, she could move in here and help with Sam.”
“You mean that you have talked this over with your mother, and never once mentioned to me the possibility that you could be sent over there. How come this is the first I’ve heard of it?”
“I’m sorry, dear, but I knew that it would just make you upset.”
“When you joined up, you said that the chances of this would probably never happen.”
“I know, and I’m sorry, sweetheart. No one ever expected that they would have to call up the reserves, but they have to put more troops on the field immediately and recruitment’s been down lately.”
“You can refuse to go.”
“No, I can’t. And I wouldn’t even if I could. I’ve trained with these people. We’ve worked side by side, and I’m not going to fail them now.”
“Oh, I see, they are more important than me and Samantha.”
“You know that isn’t true. Nobody could ever replace you and Sam, but I joined the army to serve my country, and now that my country has called on me, I’m not going to let her down.”
“I get it. This is all about you. We mean nothing.”
“That’s not fair. You know how much I love you. Besides, it seems to me, last year when you had to go away on that training session, we didn’t…”
“Oh come on. That’s like comparing apples with oranges. That was only for six weeks, and there never was any threat of me being shot.”
“I still worried all the time. Besides, our unit will be just a support unit. We won’t be called on to go into the areas where there is heavy fighting.”
“Yes, but there is still the threat of car bombings and land mines. No one knows what you could run into over there.”
“I know, honey. No one can guarantee that none of us will be hurt, but my unit’s been together a long time, and we know how to look after ourselves. I promise you that I will come back home without a scratch.”
“How can you make such a promise? You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”
“You’re right, and I’m sorry. But, I can make this promise. I will do everything I can to make sure that I come home without a scratch. Now, come over here and give me a hug. We’ve only a little more than two weeks, and we’ve got so many things to get ready.”
Adam wiped the back of his hand across his cheeks. He got to his feet, but before he had even taken two steps, Iris was in his arms.
“Don’t worry, honey, the time will go by quick, and I’ll be home before you know it. I love you and Samantha, and I’ll write every day.”
“Oh, Iris, every day will seem like an eternity.” Adam did his best to push his thought of his wife’s bullet riddled body lying on some forlorn piece of land aside, and forced a smile. “I love you, Iris, and you know that I’ve always supported you, but I wish you didn’t have to do this.”
* * *
The next two weeks flew by. Iris wrapped up things at work, and spent the last few days at home. Except for helping to get her mother settled in the spare room, she spent as much time as possible with Samantha.
Adam managed to put on a brave face, but he could not get that horrible picture of Iris lying dead somewhere out of his mind, and whenever he was alone for even a few minutes, fresh tears welled up.
The nineteenth came, and Iris in full uniform said good-bye to her mother, and hugged and cried into Samantha’s shoulder. Samantha pat her mother’s head, and although the words came out garbled, it was almost as if she said, “Don’t cry, Mommy. Grandma and I’ll be here when you come home.”
Iris continued to cry as she joined Adam in the car. “Oh, Adam, I didn’t know that I would feel this bad. Samantha doesn’t even understand how long I will be gone. Will she even remember me when I come home?”
Adam forced himself not to give voice to the comment that maybe she wouldn’t come home. Instead all he could do was reach over and rest his hand on her back, and gently rub.
At the airport, Iris joined her unit. The soldiers looked handsome in their uniforms. Adam, like so many of the spouses, let the tears flow as they watched the brave soldiers march away and enter the aircraft. Soon, it rolled out, and in what seemed seconds was gone.
* * *
The days turned into weeks, and Iris did write faithfully. Adam read and reread the letters, and assured himself that she was going to be fine, but every night when he tried to go to sleep that vision of Iris’ bullet-riddled body entered his mind.
As the weeks turned into months, Adam watched as his little daughter went from a happy gregarious child to one filled with sadness and despondency. He did his best to bring home a happy atmosphere. He read the parts of Iris’ letters that she had written specifically to Samantha, but he could see that it didn’t help. Samantha hardly sat still to listen to the words, as she tried to grab and tear the pages. He could tell that Samantha felt as if she had been abandoned, and he knew that if Iris did come home as she promised, her and her daughter’s relationship would forever be strained.
Sylvia did her best to try to take Iris’ place, but for both Adam and Samantha, she could never fulfill their special needs. Adam was determined to stay faithful, but wherever he went there were enticements.
And so, father and daughter suffered through those long lonely days. Christmas was especially difficult for Adam, because Christmas had always revolved around Iris. She had always looked after the shopping, the decorations, and the cooking of the dinner. This was Samantha’s second Christmas, and Adam knew that she still was not old enough to make comparisons, but he wanted to do the best he could to give her a Christmas that was special.
However, in spite of all his efforts, and those of his mother-in-law, when Samantha went to bed on Christmas night, Adam could see that she had been disappointed. After Christmas, things became worse. Adam was so overcome with fear for Iris that he began to stop at a pub just for a drink to try to push those thoughts away. The alcohol didn’t help, but he couldn’t stop until one night, Sylvia made him sit down and listen. She explained how Samantha was becoming increasingly lethargic. She pointed to where Samantha stood hiding behind the drapes staring out the window. She explained how she had been doing that for weeks. Adam felt ill, because he hadn’t even noticed. He pushed his own fears and depression aside, and spent time with his daughter. He quit going to the pub.
There still was seldom any laughter in the house, but with the first signs of spring, Adam felt a resurging of life. He began to think that maybe Iris would really return home. Samantha still seemed depressed so he brought home a kitten in the hopes that might help. He began to plan. He brought Samantha into his plans. They talked about how happy Iris would be to meet the kitten. The letters continued to arrive almost daily with their promise. Finally, the letter came telling that Iris was coming home. She didn’t have the actual date yet, but it would be soon.
Adam, Sylvia and Samantha began to make plans. It was going to a beautiful homecoming. Adam somehow managed to push his fears aside until the letter came with the news that Iris was really coming home. She had boarded the plane; she would be home on Saturday. The preparations were almost complete. They had decorated the house with streamers and balloons, and ‘Welcome Home’ signs.
Adam was awake early on Saturday. The long hours until four o’clock that afternoon when they would drive to the airport stretched out before him. A truck arrived, and soon, the ‘Welcome Home’ sign on the front lawn was surrounded by hundreds of flamingos.
Sylvia kept Samantha busy with final preparations. They were laughing, and rather than disrupt, Adam decided to take a drive down to the mall to pick up a few things to add to the special dinner, and to pick up a bottle of wine.
Traffic flowed normally in and out of the mall as Adam hurried across the parking lot. His face was aglow. Iris was on the plane and coming home. All of his worries had been for nothing. As she had told him in the beginning, she had never been in any danger at all. Now, he was proud of himself for not trying to stop his wife. For the rest of her life, she could live with the satisfaction that she had done her part for her country. Adam couldn’t help but feel a little guilty because he had never felt so inclined. Yes, he was proud of Iris, and all the other Canadians that served, and put themselves in danger, but it was not something that he could have ever done.
He came outside into the bright sunshine carrying his few bags. He hurried down the aisle to his car. A sudden squeal of tires burning against blacktop grabbed his attention. He looked up to see a big black SUV screaming in his direction. He heard the scream of more burning tires, and saw a black sedan rushing toward him from the opposite direction. He heard the sound of firecrackers exploding.
Two horrendous crashes erupted, and then stillness came over the mall parking lot. A breeze carried the smell of burning rubber, gunpowder, and engine fluids. After what seemed a long time, but in fact was only a few seconds, heads began to pop up from behind vehicles, and the sound of sirens filled the air.
Fire trucks, police cars, and ambulances soon blocked all exits. With guns drawn, the police rushed to the two crashed vehicles, and pulled guns from the hands of the unconscious drivers. Everything happened quickly, but still it was some minutes before a bystander yelled, “Look, there is someone on the ground.”
Police and paramedics rushed to the body. Paramedics took only seconds to determine that the man had succumbed to the bullet wounds. An officer took out the man’s wallet. He shook his head and sighed. “Looks like just another innocent bystander. His name was Adam…”