Page 7 of Destiny Reclaimed
"Whenever we see her, she asks if we've heard from you."
His mom reached over and placed her tiny, hand on his forearm. Her soft touch eased his worries.
"She's going to be thrilled to see you."
The suppressed, excited feelings he held in regard to reuniting with Gwennie, returned in full force cracking through him like a whip, shaking his extremities. For months, he’d worked so hard to quash those emotions, as the clocked ticked off the minutes indicating he was closer to returning home. War had changed him. He’d learned not to get too enthusiastic about things because he’d been let down more times than not of late. But, hearing his mother’s words about his beloved waiting for him, gave him newfound hope good things could happen.
"And I, her."
"Why don't you call her as soon as you're done eating?"
Jack nodded and leaped from his seat.
"Where you going?" his dad asked.
"I'll be right back. I want to get something out of my bag to show you."
He stepped out of the kitchen and into the hall to retrieve the engagement ring he'd purchased while en route to home. His pulse pounded and fingers shook when they wrapped around the soft, velvet box.
When he returned to the kitchen, he set the tiny container on the table in front of his mom.
Her eyes watered as she picked up the case, popped it open, and studied the solitaire diamond ring.
"Gwendoline is going to love it."
"I hope so. I've missed her so much and I want to see her so badly. But the second I see her I'm going to want to propose, so I can't see her yet."
His dad arched a questioning brow.
"I want to make sure I get the go-ahead from her father first."
"You know, Gwendoline wasn't at church with her parents this morning," his mom said.
He stared at her. What did that matter?
"Meaning, she’s probably working today, and not home," she added as if just realizing he wouldn’t have a clue as to why she mentioned the bit about the church.
Now, he knew what she hinted at but had missed messing with her, so he kept staring at her in silence.
His mom sighed and shook her head. "For crying out loud. Her father is probably home for the asking."
His parents loved Gwennie, and her brother Marvin, his best friend since they met in grade school.Marvin,Jack wondered how his friend fared. He hadn't seen or heard from him since they'd left for war. Though, he did get some tidbits of information about Marvin from Gwennie’s letters, but it had been a couple of months since he’d received a letter from her.
"Why don't you finish your breakfast, clean up, and go over there?"
Sounds like his mother was in a hurry for him to take care of business. He was, too.
His dad caught his mom's gaze and held it as they shared some sort of understanding. Breaking the stare, his father turned toward him. His solemn gaze caused Jack's chest to tighten.
"Before you go you should know..." His dad drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Marvin was killed in action."
A quiver raked through his body, and his heart pounded against his ribcage. He broke out into a sweat. He'd seen a lot of death over the past couple of years, so he should have realized it was a strong possibility he'd never see his best friend again. That one of them would surely die.
"And Gary?" Jack asked of Gwennie's twin brother.
"As far as we know, he's still fighting," his father replied. “I’m sorry, son.”
Jack managed a nod, then exited the kitchen, snatching the duffle bag from the floor in the entryway before he climbed the stairs leading to his old bedroom. As the door creaked open, fond memories of his past resurfaced at the sight of his personal belongings still in place. High school trophies lined the top of the dresser. The Green Bay Packer pennant he purchased from the dime store with his lawn mowing money hung on the wall. Board games and books were stacked neatly on the shelving unit in the corner. It was as if he'd never left. If only that were true, he thought, as his gaze landed back on his football trophies. Solemness washed over him. Without Marvin on the team, they would have probably never won the state championship their senior year. His friendhad beena fierce, tackling machine. Jack’s gaze landed on the floor. The rollercoaster of emotions he’d been on for the past couple of months sucked the life out of him. One moment he was happy and high as a kite, then in the next, despair nearly brought him to his knees.
