Summer of Two Wishes Read Free Page B

not let it go, couldn’t just let things unfold.
    “No,” Karen said, her eyes going cold. “He said there were too many things going on.” Her gaze skimmed over Macy, then shifted to the window. Conversation over.
    Breathe in. Breathe out.
    The door opened softly; all of them turned expectantly to the officer who stepped inside. He was a thin young man wearing a neatly pressed uniform. His shirt was tucked as smoothly into a pair of pants as Macy had ever seen. He’d said his name, but Macy couldn’t recall it now.
    “The transport is on approach,” he said. “We can move to the tarmac to greet Sergeant Lockhart. Will you follow me, please?”
    He’s here ! Macy’s palms were suddenly damp, and again, she had that awful feeling that she couldn’t draw enough air into her lungs.
    “I tell you, I am so excited I don’t know if these old legs will hold me,” Karen said with a nervous laugh.
    Macy’s legs felt like jelly, too. Emma caught her by the elbow and hauled her up, then straightened Macy’s new skirt. She smiled happily. “You look pretty, Macy,” she whispered. “Really pretty. He’s going to die when he sees you.” She paused. “You know what I mean.”
    Macy nodded. She wondered what Finn looked like. She’d seen a picture of him taken shortly after Coalition forces had brought him in. His hair was long and wavy, his face covered with a heavy beard. Another photo was taken in a hospital bed in Germany. In that one, he was smiling, his hair cut stylishly, the beard gone. His face was darker than when he’d left, like he’d been off on vacation, sunning himself. But there was a scar just below his eye that ran up and disappeared into his hairline, a reminder that he wasn’t the same as when he’d left.
    “Rick, you’re going to have to help me,” Karen said breathlessly. “My heart is racing.”
    They walked single file onto the tarmac, to an area that had been cordoned off. For dignitaries, the neatly dressed officer said. There were a half dozen men standing there, all of them with ribbons and medals on their chests. They each smiled and clasped Macy’s hand in theirs. “This a joyous day,” one said. “We are honored to be able to bring you such good news,” another said. They didn’t seem to realize that they’d ruined her life by giving her the wrong news three years ago.
    A plane appeared in the far distance, and the neatly dressed officer held up his hands. “Excuse me!” he said briskly to everyone. “Let’s have Sergeant Lockhart’s wife and parents up front, please.”
    Another distant memory—on the day they’d buried a box in the ground containing Finn’s charred dog tag, his favorite saddle, the tiled paw print of a dog who had been his faithful companion for sixteen years, and a Texas Longhorns baseball hat, someone had said the same thing. Let’s have the wife and the parents up front , like they were little chess pieces that should be properly arranged.
    Karen was the first to reach the thick red rope that held them back from the tarmac. Rick put his arm around Macy and pulled her up to stand with them. Someone pointed up; Macy’s eyes were riveted on the plane as it slowly drifted down to touch the runway.
    Breathe. Breathe.
    It seemed to take an eternity for the plane to land and to turn around and taxi back to where they stood. It seemed to take another eternity for them to wheel the stairs to the door, for the door to open. An eternity in which Macy’s breath was coming in painful gasps. This was real. This was happening. Finn was coming home.
    Two soldiers were the first off the plane, followed by Brodie. Macy held her breath; her stomach clenched and her fingernails, curled into tight fists, cut into her palm. Another eternity, the second longest moment of her life, and Finn appeared, dipping his head as he stepped through the portal. He paused on the top step of the Jetway and looked directly at her.
    It was Finn. It was really, truly, Finn . He