Kaylee sat there for a moment appearing deep in thought. Finally, she said, “It’s a good thing, right? That’s why you’re smiling, Sarie.”
Nodding, Sara said, “It’s a great thing. You’re different in the absolute best way.” She pointed to where Kaylee’s heart was located before adding, “You glow on the inside and outside. You’re like a shooting star crossed with the brightest sun. You’re so very special, and your mom just wants other kids to feel as awesome as you make her feel.”
“Really?” Kaylee whispered.
“Absolutely, sweetheart,” Sara said confidently. “Now remember, this is just between us. We don’t want your mom to stop doing her good deeds, do we?”
“Oh no, Sarie, we don’t. Maisie needs lots of those too. She might wear some yellow one day if Mommy keeps trying.”
“Wow, I bet you’re right.” Sara grinned. “Now let’s get you in school so you won’t be late. And before you know it, your mom will be here to pick you up, okay?”
She couldn’t believe the difference that one little bending of the truth had made in Kaylee’s attitude. She was practically bouncing on the seat in excitement. She didn’t consider it a lie because she knew Nicole thought her daughter was special. She just didn’t know how to communicate that in a way that Kaylee understood, at least not yet.
Sara eased the car back into the drop-off line and said good-bye to Kaylee before pulling back out into the street and heading to the mall. Since she had a rare day off, she planned to do some long overdue shopping and of course return some items for Nicole. She parked on the end next to Starbucks and ordered a white chocolate mocha latte and a blueberry scone. She found a quiet table near the back and settled down to enjoy her breakfast. When she pulled her phone out of her purse and saw the e-mail alert, her heart skipped a beat. Don’t get excited. It’s not him. You probably won’t hear from him again. It’s over. She kept repeating some version of that to herself, but her fingers trembled as she clicked to check her mail folder and saw his name. Oh my God. She leaned over as if to block the rest of the world out as she began reading his message.
Sara felt the tear slide down her cheek before she even thought to stop it. Gabe had said so much in his letter, but it was what he hadn’t fully put into words that moved her. The grief and fatigue that he was feeling hung so heavily throughout his message. She wanted nothing more than to go to this man—this stranger that she barely knew—and put her arms around him. Tell him everything would be all right, even though she had no clue if it would be. Sometimes you just needed to hear the words, kind of like with Kaylee earlier. Even the strongest people require comfort, since it’s human nature to seek it from another when the world appears bleak.
Almost without thought, she hit the Reply button and typed out:
I’m here for you, Gabe. I wanted you to know that before I took the time to write more.
Sara
She was so lost in her thoughts that when a chair scraped loudly across the floor, she jumped in shock, having completely lost track of where she was. Luckily, no one seemed to pay her any attention. She took a sip of her coffee and was setting it back down when her e-mail alert flashed. She clicked on it and was surprised to see another message from Gabe. Although for the most part they e-mailed each other fairly quickly, she’d never received a response instantly before. Somehow it made it feel like a more personal exchange. As if he were close by and not thousands of miles away.
Thanks Sara, that means a lot to me. What are you doing?
Her hands trembled in excitement. They were having an actual conversation. Somehow, she hadn’t expected that. Slow down. He’s likely not sitting there breathlessly awaiting your reply . . . like you are his. Oh, come on, he might be . . . I’m officially losing it, I’m arguing with myself now.
I’m at Starbucks having some coffee. Plan to brave the mall after the caffeine kicks in. How about you?
And even as she tried to remain calm, she still found herself staring at her phone after hitting the Send button. Her patience was rewarded when another e-mail came in.
I’m at the coffee shop too. Trust me, it’s nothing fancy, but over here, it’s about as close to luxury as you can get. Hey, do you have any instant messaging programs? It would be easier to talk that way. I use WhatsApp with my family. Or if you use an iPhone, we could try the iMessage app. I get it if you’re not comfortable doing that. No pressure at all, Sara.
This was as close to a date as she’d come in years. Heck, she probably couldn’t have been much more excited had he proposed marriage. She didn’t have the app that he’d mentioned, but she’d been an Apple girl for years, so she was very familiar with the messaging program.
I’d love to do that. I do have an iPhone and the e-mail address I’ve being using is also my iMessage one, so use that. This is exciting!
She might have gone slightly overboard with that last sentence, but she wanted him to know that she had no reservations over talking to him in that way. Although it may have bordered more on desperate than anything else, but she wasn’t going to worry about it now. Just then her message indicator flashed, and she quickly opened it to see his name there.
GABE: Sara?
SARA: Yep, it’s me. Hey!
GABE: Thanks for doing this. I realize we’re strangers and you can’t be too careful these days, but since we’ve already been e-mailing . . .
SARA: I’m glad you suggested it. Are you already off work?
GABE: I’m never really off duty in the conventional sense here. I try to meet with the soldiers in a less formal environment when I can. So, I’ll buy them a cup of coffee and then talk about any issues they might be having. They’re more likely to open up away from the office.
SARA: Ah, that’s a good idea. I’m sorry about what happened there. I assume someone was either injured or killed?
GABE: Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m not at liberty to discuss it. I know people talk and word gets out, but I try to adhere to the rules. If you’d like to read about it, I imagine it’ll hit the news in the next day or so.
SARA: I get it. I should have guessed that. No offense taken, Gabe. Are you doing all right? You sounded kind of down in your e-mail earlier. I was worried about you.
GABE: No need to be concerned. Things like that never get easier, but you compartmentalize as best you can and focus on the job. Deployments are mentally and physically taxing, so you have to learn to shut out the stuff that’ll make it worse.
SARA: How long do you plan to stay in the Army? Do you have a number of years in mind or maybe a career goal?
GABE: I’m not exactly sure. I’ll be eligible for full retirement benefits when I hit the twenty-year mark. So that will definitely be happening. I wouldn’t mind making Lt. Colonel or even Colonel. But that’s not an absolute must. How about you? What will you do when your niece is older? Do you plan to stay on with them or maybe return to your previous profession?