I could hear the band playing, and it was starting to get louder. A procession of horses came first, moving their hooves in unison. The sound of their metal shoes clanked against the concrete and I watched them walking in single file, each uniquely decorated for the occasion.
The next group was the women’s auxiliary, then the Knights of Columbus. They were then followed by the High School Marching Band, the electric company float and three decorated fire trucks. I waved as the crowned princesses and queens of different events were escorted and sitting in the convertible cars, and clapped when a group of clowns came tumbling down the road.
Then I saw fatigues and knew what was coming next. The military float was decorated with war veterans and then the band followed them. To finish the parade they had over a hundred decorated soldiers marching together.
I knew he wasn’t there, but I checked every single face in the crowd for him, hoping for one more look at his beautiful face.
The awe of the parade was still showing in the crowd and lots of fun things were going on all around us. According to Sarah, the celebration had only just begun.
They led me to where the picnic area was, and women from everywhere were carting in homemade food and baked items. I could smell the barbeque and couldn’t wait to stuff my face with whatever was offered.
A loud announcer ordered the music to cease while we all bowed our heads and said grace. The town of people got quiet and waited for the official to begin.
“Dear Heavenly Father, I’d like to first thank you for giving us this beautiful day to celebrate with friends and family. Thank you for giving the hands that provided all this delicious food, and the families of everyone in attendance. I’d also like to take a moment to give thanks to the battalion of soldiers in Afghanistan that lost their lives yesterday. Their courage and devotion to this country will never be forgotten. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.”
I opened my eyes and felt weak in the knees. A whole battalion of soldiers had died in Afghanistan. Brooks was in Afghanistan. Everything around me started to spin and I felt myself falling, realizing that I was passing out.
I saw people looking over me and realized I was lying on the ground. Someone had my head and I quickly realized it was Bobby. “Hey there. You alright?”
I tried to sit up, but it was too fast and I got queasy. I began to ask what happened, but remember the blessing and everything came back. I sat up again, this time determined to know the truth. I had to know if Brooks was okay, even if it would reveal where I was living. I was desperate to know and I wasn’t going to be alright until I had verification from a legitimate source.
I grabbed Bobby’s phone out of his pocket that he used for emergency roadside calls and made sure I blocked the outgoing number. Then I started dialing the number to the Valentine’s house. I didn’t care who answered, or what they were going to say to me. My heart was racing and I had to know, no matter what the outcome. I had to find out if he was alright.
It was hard to hear in the crowd of people and Sarah wasn’t going to let me out of her sight. She stood next to me holding my arm as I waited for someone to answer.
“Hello?”
It was Danica. I took a deep breath, swallowed my pride and asked. “I just need to know if he’s alright. Just tell me Brooks wasn’t one of those soldiers that died.”
“Katy? Katy is that you? Sweetheart, please answer me.”
I was crying, hearing her voice after so long. “Please just tell me he’s okay.”
“Brooks is fine. He called us this morning. Katy, I want you to come home. We can work this out as a family. Branch is a mess over you leaving.”
I hung up the phone. Even if I could go home and make amends I knew it would never happen. I couldn’t risk them knowing about my baby.
Bobby pulled me into his arms when he saw me crying. “What’s wrong?”
“Can you take me someplace quiet?”
He kissed me on my forehead. “Of course. Let me go make us two plates and I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”
I didn’t stop crying until we were sitting in a nearby field and Bobby had turned off the truck. “What’s got you so upset?”
I knew he didn’t want to hear about Brooks, but I wasn’t going to lie about it. “I heard that those soldiers died. The father of my baby is in Afghanistan. I thought he was one of them.”
Bobby pulled me into his arms and let me finally settle down. “I take it he wasn’t?”
I shook my head.
“Katy, do you think you’ll ever make amends with him?”
I sat up and looked out the window, trying to fight another round of tears that were attempting to come out. “No. I ruined my chance to be with him. Too many bridges have been burned. I’m sure he hates me by now.”