Page 19 of Buddy System

Buford turns to the room and sticks two fingers into his mouth. He makes a shrill whistle that stops everyone from talking immediately. “Listen up, folks! This here is Sergeant Levi Spencer, and I’m sure you’re all planning to make it to the Fourth of July shindig at the high school. Levi is going to be singing our national anthem for us, so be sure to get your tickets if you haven’t yet, and we’ll see you there!” A raucous cheer goes up amid clapping and stamping of feet. He turns to Levi and says, “You’ll be on the stage right before the fireworks go off.”

“Do we need tickets?” Brooke asks me quietly while Levi and Buford shake hands.

“Nope. Military personnel and their families get in free.”

What a night. I was already excited about the celebration, and now I can look forward to watching Levi perform again too. I’m glad he agreed to bring his uniform.

Chapter

Seventeen

Brooke

It turnsout we’re not just joining Juni, Jack, and Asher for the Fourth of July extravaganza. Skyler also asked his parents to meet us there, and I invited Levi’s sister Kate to bring her family down and surprise Levi. They arrive an hour before we plan to leave, and Levi looks so happy to see them he has tears in his eyes. Everyone swamps him with hugs and kisses, telling him he looks great.

We all head over to the high school football field that is barely recognizable as a sports venue. Red, white, and blue is the color scheme of the day for everyone’s dress as well as the decorations, and flags of all sizes fly proudly wherever someone has been able to attach one. There is a stage at one end with constant entertainment—everything from a kid doing a magic show to a barbershop quartet to baton twirlers to the local ballet school giving a recital. The little ones are adorable, and Levi’s niece Lulu announces immediately to her parents that she wants to learn to “Do ballet and wear a pink tutu.”

The rest of the area is populated with games, food trucks, and booths filled with local Honeybee Hollow crafts. The Sewing Bees seem to have a booming business going with their fine needlework projects, and there are several booths selling t-shirts of all kinds. There are delicious-looking baked goods, jams and preserves, and more flavors of honey and beeswax products from local beekeepers than I ever imagined possible. Kids are getting their faces painted in patriotic designs, and a guy dressed as Uncle Sam is handing out balloons non-stop. The lawn in front of the stage is covered with blankets and yard furniture where people are sitting with their families and enjoying the festivities. No matter who performs on that stage, the applause is raucous and enthusiastic.

You have to love small-town enthusiasm.

It's a little weird, I have to admit, to see Levi and Skyler dressed like they’re almost ready for combat, even though they aren’t the only ones in uniform. They toned down their uniforms to the basics—meaning they aren’t wearing Kevlar vests or helmets, and they certainly aren’t armed. But they do look official to me at least, all decked out in boots and camouflage. As the day progresses, and the temperature rises, they both take off their jackets. Skyler’s scars are visible this way, but so are the impressive muscles on both guys, earning them some—well…alotof stares. I admit they’re desperately handsome.

Levi is still using his cane, so the two of them spend most of the day explaining things about being a soldier to curious kids and accepting thanks for service from grateful citizens. I’m so proud of them and wish I had a nickel for every time a pretty girl hugs them.

I’ve also noticed that a lot of friends and acquaintances are making a point to visit with Skyler, and he’s happy to talk to them. He’s apparently popular in this town. That’s understandable with his affable personality and good looks.

Finally, we all sit down with Skyler’s parents to have dinner. They had already staked out a large area for us to gather. I can’t help noticing that Levi doesn’t eat much. “Butterflies about singing?” I ask him quietly.

“Hmm, not really, but it’s hard to sing on a full stomach. Maybe I can save something and have it afterward.” He may not admit it, but I’m positive Levi’s nervous. His eyes are darting around like he’s looking for an enemy or an escape. I try to catch Skyler’s eye to alert him, but I find that he’s already keeping a very close eye on Levi. Maybe he’s been acting jumpy for longer than I realized. There isn’t a lot I can do, so I reach over and stroke Levi’s back. His muscles are tight. Maybe the large crowd is starting to get to him. The number of people gathered for the fireworks has grown quickly.

After a while, Juni, Jack, and Asher join our group with exhausted smiles. As they sit down, Juni explains that she had been running a food stand with Jack and Asher’s help. The three of them had been serving coffee and pastries all day. About a half-hour ago, they sold their last red-white-and-blue berry cupcake and closed up shop. “We grabbed the first food we could find and headed this way!” Juni says, leaning against Jack’s shoulder with a happy sigh.

We introduce everyone, and they quickly become part of the family. Lulu immediately makes her way over to Asher, tells him he looks like a giant, and grills him about his tattoos. He takes it all in stride and answers her with good humor, smiling the whole time. I wonder idly whether they plan to have children after they move into their new house. I’ll have to ask Juni privately; that’s certainly too nosy of a question in a large gathering.

As expected, Lulu tells her parents she wants to get tattoos like her friend Asher. “He’s pretty!” she exclaims, and I have to squelch a giggle. He’s a ruggedly handsome guy who has thatmassive Samoan look going on, and “pretty” doesn’t do him justice.

The grassy area where people are eating is getting more and more crowded. I’m glad we brought chairs because I couldn’t see Levi trying to be comfortable sitting on the ground and getting up again gracefully. He’s getting better all the time, but some things are still a struggle.

And speaking of struggles…as Skyler explained, there are no noisy fireworks planned for later, but you just never know what to expect in a large crowd.

A group of rowdy teenagers has congregated right behind us, and they seem to be getting more and more boisterous. Suddenly, there is a series of loud bangs when one of the kids pops a whole bunch of balloons in rapid succession, making a couple of the girls with them scream.

Levi loses it. He flies out of his chair and hits the ground, grabbing me on his way down. I shriek in bafflement and then realize he’s having a PTSD episode from the bangs and screams behind his head.

I try to let him know everything is okay and we’re safe. I try to haul him up into a sitting position, and then Skyler wraps him in his arms. We both speak to him in soft voices, telling him over and over what the noises were. Levi has a wild look in his eyes, and he’s completely unfocussed. It amazes me that even in his panic, Levi’s instinct was to protect me from harm.

Jack scoots closer to us saying, “Man, I can’t stand those stupid things either. I’ve hated balloons ever since my parents hired a terrible clown for my fifth birthday party and we had the Balloons of Doom disaster.” He lowers his voice and adds, “I peed my pants.” I try not to snicker, and I appreciate Jack’s attempt at lightening the situation.

Somehow, the message finally gets through to Levi, who says, “Thanks, guys. I think I need to go take a walk and find a quietspot for a while.” We help him up, and I see that Asher—who is at least six-foot-five or more—is having a quiet chat with the kids who thought popping balloons was a fun thing to do. With a no-nonsense look on his face, Asher looms over them and points out the various servicemen and women around them. The only word I can make out is “respect.”

Before Levi can settle himself enough to take his walk to calm down, one of the kids approaches him looking mortified. “I’m sorry, sir,” he says. “I didn’t mean to make you upset.”

“I know you didn’t,” Levi says and shakes his hand. “No lasting harm done. It’s just an ingrained reaction that I hope to eventually be able to get rid of.” He smiles at the kid, but it’s wobbly, and he’s still trying to control his breathing. I haven’t let go of him yet.

People around us were obviously aware of what happened. They’re all subdued and trying not to stare. I guess it’s a learning experience for a lot of them.

Skyler takes Levi by the arm, helping him navigate out of the crowded area. Levi seems to be limping worse than he has in several weeks; it makes sense—crashing to the ground must have hurt like hell. I decide to let them handle this themselves since Skyler knows better what to talk about with Levi—if they talk at all. Instead, I give Jack a quick hug and tell him, “Thanks for sharing; your story seemed to help bring him around.”

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