be who they are and not demand that they change for you.â
Rain remembered the last conversation she and Hayden had before he left. She had given him an ultimatum. Maybe she loved the idea of having a baby more than she loved him.
Bebe carried in the mail and dumped it on the kitchen table along with the grocery bag containing fixings for a quick dinner. Peeking out from the stack of bills was the corner of a white envelope with an eagle, globe, and anchor and Scottâs crooked handwriting. She didnât even bother to find a letter opener, but peeled open the top of the envelope and pulled out a sheet of lined notepaper dated August 3rd addressed to âMom and Dad.â She groped behind her for a kitchen stool, not taking her eyes from the letter, but hungrily devouring this evidence of her sonâs well-beingâthis look into his present life of which she had no part. The letter was brief, and he sounded exhilarated and tired at the same time. The days were going fast and the training was challenging. He wished he had pushed himself harder to prepare, but he was doing better than some. He missed them and he included his mailing address. He couldnât wait to get a letter from home. He had gone to religious services with the other recruits, and he knew he couldnât do this on his own. âFunny how God works,â heâd written. Her son was maturing before her eyes and she felt her heart swell within her just knowing that God was answering prayer in his life.
She called Neil, who was on his way home, and read him the letter. When he walked in the door, he read it for himself. Bebe posted it on the refrigerator with a magnet and they paused to read it several times during the evening. They each wrote letters to Scotty while they relaxed watching the Giants game and folded laundry on the couch. Bebe called Dylan to see how he was doing and found that he had alsoreceived a letter from Scott. He said it was basically the same, but she wondered what details Scott may have included in his brotherâs letter that he didnât share with them.
Dylanâs classes were going well and he had an interview for a job at an off-campus bookstore, but he would insist on having Labor Day weekend off if they offered him the job. He sounded like the same old Dylan, but with an added dimension that they werenât part of. In the background, they heard guys calling for him to hurry up because they were leaving for McDonalds.
She handed the phone to Neil who spoke briefly to Dylan and hung up.
âFries are calling,â he said, then went back to watching the game.
On the Sunday that Hayden had arranged to stop by, Rain found herself cleaning up the house and applying makeup. She wasnât sure when or if Hayden would actually come by, but she didnât want to look pathetic if he didâespecially if he brought along a âfriend.â
They had bought the house together without even the suggestion of marriage. Hayden knew how Rain felt about it, and the subject was never raised. Heâd moved in with his clothes and books, which was basically what he left with. The only mutual purchase that he took was the flatscreen TV, which she wasnât upset about. He didnât take furniture or kitchen appliances, and it seemed so easy that she wondered whether he had another place waiting for him. Another home she didnât know about.
While she waited, she called her mother to see how she was feeling. William answered, saying that Jude had had another treatment that week and asked if she wanted to speak to her. Rain heard another female voice in the room, and she would have thought it was the television, if she hadnât heard William answer before handing the phone to Jude. Her mother was coherent, but groggy, and determined to return to work the next day.
During the whole phone conversation, Rain kept a lookout forHaydenâs car. She decided to wait to go to Whole Foods
Rain remembered the last conversation she and Hayden had before he left. She had given him an ultimatum. Maybe she loved the idea of having a baby more than she loved him.
Bebe carried in the mail and dumped it on the kitchen table along with the grocery bag containing fixings for a quick dinner. Peeking out from the stack of bills was the corner of a white envelope with an eagle, globe, and anchor and Scottâs crooked handwriting. She didnât even bother to find a letter opener, but peeled open the top of the envelope and pulled out a sheet of lined notepaper dated August 3rd addressed to âMom and Dad.â She groped behind her for a kitchen stool, not taking her eyes from the letter, but hungrily devouring this evidence of her sonâs well-beingâthis look into his present life of which she had no part. The letter was brief, and he sounded exhilarated and tired at the same time. The days were going fast and the training was challenging. He wished he had pushed himself harder to prepare, but he was doing better than some. He missed them and he included his mailing address. He couldnât wait to get a letter from home. He had gone to religious services with the other recruits, and he knew he couldnât do this on his own. âFunny how God works,â heâd written. Her son was maturing before her eyes and she felt her heart swell within her just knowing that God was answering prayer in his life.
She called Neil, who was on his way home, and read him the letter. When he walked in the door, he read it for himself. Bebe posted it on the refrigerator with a magnet and they paused to read it several times during the evening. They each wrote letters to Scotty while they relaxed watching the Giants game and folded laundry on the couch. Bebe called Dylan to see how he was doing and found that he had alsoreceived a letter from Scott. He said it was basically the same, but she wondered what details Scott may have included in his brotherâs letter that he didnât share with them.
Dylanâs classes were going well and he had an interview for a job at an off-campus bookstore, but he would insist on having Labor Day weekend off if they offered him the job. He sounded like the same old Dylan, but with an added dimension that they werenât part of. In the background, they heard guys calling for him to hurry up because they were leaving for McDonalds.
She handed the phone to Neil who spoke briefly to Dylan and hung up.
âFries are calling,â he said, then went back to watching the game.
On the Sunday that Hayden had arranged to stop by, Rain found herself cleaning up the house and applying makeup. She wasnât sure when or if Hayden would actually come by, but she didnât want to look pathetic if he didâespecially if he brought along a âfriend.â
They had bought the house together without even the suggestion of marriage. Hayden knew how Rain felt about it, and the subject was never raised. Heâd moved in with his clothes and books, which was basically what he left with. The only mutual purchase that he took was the flatscreen TV, which she wasnât upset about. He didnât take furniture or kitchen appliances, and it seemed so easy that she wondered whether he had another place waiting for him. Another home she didnât know about.
While she waited, she called her mother to see how she was feeling. William answered, saying that Jude had had another treatment that week and asked if she wanted to speak to her. Rain heard another female voice in the room, and she would have thought it was the television, if she hadnât heard William answer before handing the phone to Jude. Her mother was coherent, but groggy, and determined to return to work the next day.
During the whole phone conversation, Rain kept a lookout forHaydenâs car. She decided to wait to go to Whole Foods
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