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A Soldier’s Wife
Carly watched the two marines get in their car and drive away. They’d offered to sit with her for a while, but she’d said it wasn’t necessary.
She stood at the window, numb, arms crossed over her chest. No tears filled her eyes.
No sobs wretched her body. She’d understood when Brad left for his first tour in Afghanistan
this day might come, but still didn’t expect their marriage to end this way.
She pictured a tall, handsome man in full military dress waiting for her as she walked
down the aisle. She gazed through teary eyes when the proud father kissed the foreheads
of his newborn twins. She replayed the scene over and over as Brad, dressed in full military
gear, strode off with his buddies, while she smiled and embraced the twins in a way to let
them know their dad would be back.
Bad memories replaced good ones, and she relived how war had changed Brad. Her
face tightened as the stench of the booze reached her nostrils. She heard the
accusations of infidelity for the third time, and watched his green eyes widen.
Her body tensed at the sight of his cocked fist and relaxed when he lowered it
and walked away. That last time she’d screamed at him, and he’d come back. It
was after her trip to the infirmary to set her broken arm that she’d made her decision.
Carly’s mind cleared when the school bus stopped in front of the house. She watched
Sara and Sam step off amidst the laughing children. A movie of her carrying a cake
with thirteen candles to a table where the twins sat invaded her consciousness. Next
week’s birthday would be different from the others Brad had missed.
She heard the twins at the front door and remembered the divorce papers on the kitchen
table. She scurried to the kitchen to hide them. The children didn’t need to know the
truth. Not after today’s news.
Jim Harrington is a retired librarian embarking on a new journey. His
writings have appeared in Apollo's Lyre, Baker's Dozen Literary
Review, Bent Pin Quarterly, Long Story Short, MicroHorror, Static
Movement and others. His story, “Sons of their Fathers,” was chosen
for inclusion in the Bewildering Stories 2007 Quarterly Review.You
can read more of his stories at Web Site
and at his Blog Site.
Email: Jim Harrington
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