Page 1 of Forever with the Farmer's Daughter
Cameron
Relief fills me as thevehicle glides through the departure lane at the airline terminal. Pulling to a stop outside my gate, the private behind the wheel comes to a stop. “Here you are Sergeant, one step closer to your final destination.”
I smile at the thought. “Roger that Private.” I offer him my hand. “Thank you for the ride.”
He grips my hand. “My pleasure, Sergeant Hutchinson. Thank you for your service, best of luck to you, sir.”
I hop out of the vehicle and grab my bags from the backseat. “Stay safe out there, Private.”
“You too, sir,” he replies with a salute I return before closing the door and making my way into the airport. Once inside I locate the check-in station and wait my turn to check my bag.
As I step up to the counter the ticket agent smiles. “Good morning, how may I help you?”
I place my bag on the scales and hand her my boarding pass and military ID. “I need to check one bag please.”
“I can take care of that for you,” she says as she takes my offered items and begins the check-in process. “Getting a little R & R?”
“No ma’am, signed my discharge papers this morning. I’m heading home for good.”
She hands back my boarding pass and ID before attaching a strap to my bag. “Congratulations and thank you for your service. You’re all set, sergeant; you can drop your bag off at the green sign before proceeding to your gate.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
I grab my bag and make my way to the drop-off where another agent is waiting. “I believe I’m supposed to give this to you.”
“You would be correct,” he says as he takes my bag and places it on the conveyor belt. “Have a good flight.”
“Thank you,” I say before proceeding to my gate.
Between my six-foot-three-inch height and wearing the uniform of the United States Army, I’m used to the occasional stares I receive. It’s the looks from the kids I enjoy the most. My imposing height can be intimidating, but a smile quickly puts them at ease. Case in point the little girl sitting across from me as I wait to board my flight. Her eyes light up as I set my Army issued backpack at my feet.
“Hey, my mom has a backpack like yours,” she says excitedly.
The man sitting next to her, whom I assume is her father, smiles down at her as I reply. “Does she, now?”
She nods, making her blonde pigtails bounce. “Uh huh, hers has her name on it.”
I turn my backpack to show her where my name patch is stitched. “You mean like that?”
“Yes! Daddy, it's like Mommy’s.”
Her Dad grins. “I see.” He turns his attention to me. “Hi, I'm Drew, and this little munchkin is Casey."
"Cameron Hutchinson, nice to meet you both.” I turn my attention to Drew as his daughter turns hers back to the tablet in her little hands. “Your wife is deployed?"
Drew smiles as he gives half his attention to me while the other half remains on his daughter. "Yeah, Jenny has been on active duty in Syria. She’s getting two weeks of leave, so we’re flying to Denver to meet her there so she can see all her family. It’s been over a year since she’s seen them, so it felt right to share her this time.”
“I’m sure they appreciate it, and I bet they are just as excited to see the both of you as well.”
“Yeah, video chats aren’t the same, that’s for sure. What about you? Off to see family?”
“Yes sir, signed my discharge papers this morning. I’m headed to Tucson to surprise my folks, then back to my hometown in Alabama to help my brother and cousin with the family farm.”
“Sounds like a solid life plan. So, where’s home?”
“A little town southwest of Birmingham, Blossom Creek.”
“Ahh, back to small town living after seeing the world, huh?”
