Homesick

"Okay, guys, here's this week’s mail parcel. Looks like Johnny's mum has sent some more goodies. Hope she sent some more of that delicious fruit cake. Not had anything that good since I was a little boy.” To the sounds of various teasing comments about him never being a little boy, Sergeant Todd Evans placed the large crate full of letters and packets on the table in the bunkhouse and left Bravo Company to sort through it all for themselves.

Captain Luke Daniels walked over to the box and grabbed a handful of the letters there and started reading the names out to those soldiers who were lounging around on their bunks. "Jones, Peters, Michaels ... Hey Timmy, you got two letters here, both scented with ..." he took a quick sniff of the letters to the amusement of the troops watching, "something very sexy. I hope they're from your wife or else you'll be in trouble when we go home." He handed out the other letters, including Johnny's rather large packet from his mother, before grabbing his own letter and carrying it to his bunk.

He looked down at the pale, yellow envelope, noting the flowing script in the centre of the envelope. He could smell the faint scent of lavender which was her perfume and his heart contracted as he thought of her sitting at the desk in their bedroom, pen between her teeth as she thought about what to write in her weekly letter to him.

Slowly, he carefully opened the envelope and pulled out the neatly folded letter and the photos that were wrapped inside it. He'd look as those after he'd read her letter.

June 20th

Dearest Luke

I thought that your letter would never get here this week. I saw the news reports showing the battles that you’ve been having out there and I was so afraid for you. Whenever they said that there had been casualties I wanted to scream out loud, wondering if you were one of them. I know that you have to be there and that you have an important job to do but I miss you so much. It’s been a long six months and I can’t wait to see you again, hear your voice, feel your touch.

Luke’s heart contracted as he heard the anguish in her words. This had been a long tour, full of danger. He had lost several young soldiers during the conflict and many more had suffered various injuries in the course of carrying out their duties. He himself had picked out a couple of minor injuries that had laid him up for a few days. He hadn’t told Cathy in his letters home. She worried enough about him being out here without him adding to it.

Anyway, enough of my moaning about you not being here. You don’t need to hear that, now. Boy, what a week I've had. The car broke down on Monday, the carburettor again. Your Dad's going to take me to look for a new car this weekend. He said he'd sort out the finance until you got home. I can't wait. That car has really got me down these past few months breaking down every time I needed it for something important. You don't know how many times I've been tempted to whack it with a hammer.

Luke grinned as he imagined his rather dainty but feisty wife attacking their car with a hammer. The smile faded as he thought of her, so far away, dealing with problems like this on her own when he should have been there with her. Shaking his head he carried on reading her letter.

Abby lost a tooth this week so she's been driving me mad waiting for the tooth fairy to visit. I keep telling her that she has to be patient and that the fairy will come when she isn’t expecting it but she’s got her heart set on spending her fairy money on some furniture for her doll’s house.

David got picked for his school softball team. He was so pleased I thought he was going to burst. He’s been practising every night with your Dad after school. I think he’s worn ridges in the handle of his bat, he’s been practising that much.

Beth won her spelling bee at school. It was a close contest between her and Melanie Brown. It went to a ten letter word in the end. You would have been so proud of her. She took her time, had a good think about it and then spelt the word correctly. She got twenty dollars worth of book tokens. Guess where we're going at the weekend? I swear that child wants to turn this house into a library. You need to make some more shelves in her room because she’s nearly filled those you put up last time you were home.

Your mom went into hospital yesterday for her tests. The doctors seem pretty pleased with how she's doing so far. They’re hoping that this will be the last of the tests and she can get back to her old routine and start back at work at the nursery. Your dad says she's driving him crazy being at home all the time. He says that he’s never had so many jobs to do around the house.

The weather's been good this week, not too hot with hardly any rain. I  managed to get most of  the gardening done, with the dogs' help of course. I think Murphy wants a paddling pool judging by the hole he's working on. Either that or he wants to emigrate somewhere.

I got an interview at school for the teaching assistant post. You know, the one in Beth’s class.  I'm so nervous I get stomach cramps every time I think about it. I really hate interviews.  I wish you were here with me. I could do with one of your hugs right now, telling me that everything is going to be alright.

Well, I guess I'd better sign off for now before I cry even more than normal over your letter. I promised I'd take Abby and her friend Chloe to the pool for the fun swim. I've enclosed some pictures I took last week of the kids and the rest of the family. Beth is growing so quickly at the moment.

I really miss you, babe. I've got July 1st  circled on my calendar and I've made sure that I'm going to be home that day so that I can meet you at the base. My mom has offered to have the kids for a couple of days so that we can have some time alone. I was so shocked when she suggested it as she always seems so prim and proper. I know that she’s planning a big 4th of July barbecue to celebrate your homecoming.

Anyway, I'll let you get back to work and I'll go and get wet with the kids. I guess I won’t be hearing from you again until you get home. I can’t wait to see you again. I hope that you’ll be home for a long time.

I love you.

See you on July 1st.

Lots of love and hugs and kisses

Cathy
Abby, Beth and Daniel send their love and Murphy and Solo send big sloppy kisses and lots of muddy paw prints.

Luke closed his eyes and swallowed past the hard lump that had formed in his throat as he finished her letter. Opening his eyes once more, he placed her letter on the bunk next to him and looked at the pictures she had sent. There were a few of the children having fun in the garden with their two German Shepherds and a couple of her laughing by the willow tree that they had planted when they had first bought the house.

He felt a wave of sadness and longing wash over him and wished that he was at home with his family rather than sat in a cramped bunkhouse in a remote part of Iraq. This tour seemed to be lasting an eternity and each morning it was harder and harder to pick himself up and get on with what needed to be done.

He wanted to hear his children’s' laughter, see his wife smile as she passed him a brew, watch his parents tease each other after forty years of marriage. He wanted his life back and the chance to move on, make plans, watch over his family.

Thankfully, this would be his last tour. His promotion had been approved and, after a few weeks of R and R, he would be returning to the base as a senior combat training instructor. He would only be called into active duty if it was absolutely necessary. His experience in the combat field would be used to train future soldiers and prepare them for stress and danger that came with active duty in a hostile environment.

Suddenly the air raid siren went off indicating that the base was once more under attack. The soldiers in the bunkhouse forgot about the letters they had been reading as they reached for their rifles and pulled on their body armour, grabbing helmets as they headed towards the doorway. Luke scooped the letter and photos up and placed them in his locker by the side of his bunk. Grabbing his helmet and rifle he sprinted towards the bunkhouse door with the other soldiers ready to combat the enemy attacking their base.

As he raced out of the door, he caught side of the calendar hanging by the door. June 28th. Tomorrow he would begin the long journey home. Home to Cathy. Home to Abby, Daniel and Beth. Home to his parents. Home.