Page 55 of Be With Me
“bakeded cookies—” Cam interrupted.
“chocolacey. They was—” Cal continued.
“balls!” Cam exclaimed. Luny moved to the table and somehow avoided the twins’ sticky hands while giving them kisses.
“Did you save me some?” Debbie looked at her husband and could tell there was something wrong.
“We did!” they said together.
“Boys? Are you done with your sandwiches?” she asked, placing her hand on Luny’s lower back, silently giving him support. She didn’t know why he was home this early, but knew that it couldn’t be good news. When the boys both nodded, she grabbed the container of cookies and brought them to the table. “Who wants to count them?”
Cal’s “me, me, me” was a bit louder than his brother’s chorus of “I, I, I”. She would need to work on Cam’s words with him some more. They were doing good for their age but she didn’t want to miss something that could become a problem in the future.
“Cal, count two for you and two for Cam,” she instructed.
“One… three… one… two,” Cal counted slowly as he pulled the cookies out.
Luny leaned over and moved the cookies into different piles in front of Cal counting them out correctly. Cal frowned, listening to his father, then pulled the cookies to him again.
“One… two… one…two…” he repeated looking up at Luny who smiled.
“You got it. You’re a smart one.” Cam started sniffling at his brother getting the attention instead of him. When Cal pushed the cookies toward Cam, his tears dried up and he shoved one in his mouth.
“Camden Jeffrey. Small bites,” Debbie scolded. His little head bobbed up and down so fast, she worried he was going to choke. It didn’t take long for them to eat their treats.
Debbie grabbed a washcloth from the counter and cleaned up the twins before letting them out of the boosters. They knew what time it was and held their arms up to Luny.
“Nap, Papa?” Cam asked with Cal standing next to him wiping his eyes.
“Okay, boys. Nap time for little ones. I’ll be right back, Debs.” Luny picked up the boys and cuddling them to his chest.
With the boys occupied, Debbie cleaned the rest of the kitchen. A damp mop got the rest the flour up. She made two cups of coffee and carried them to the living room. Settling on the couch with one, Debbie waited for her husband.
He came into the room in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. Luny sat next to her and dropped his head against the back of the couch, eyes closed. Debbie seemed to recall them in similar positions a few weeks ago at the farm. Just like Luny’d done back then, she waited, knowing he’d tell her in his own time.
“Erikson committed suicide. Okay, that’s not official yet but Top and I found his body this morning hanging in his barracks room. He was only twenty. What the fuck?” Luny told her, not opening his eyes.
Debbie was stunned. She wasn’t sure what she expected but a soldier’s suicide wasn’t it. The increase in suicides was something she knew about but never thought they’d have to deal with it directly.
“What can I do, Luny?” she finally asked.
Luny turned to her and after taking her cup and putting it on the table, clutched her close. He dropped his head to her shoulder and quietly began to cry.
She wrapped her husband tight in her arms and ran her hand up and down his back, like she soothed the twins. This she could and would do for her husband any time he needed it.
