“How so?” Cassie asked, our minds clearly on the same page.
“For starters, your relationship becomes less about the physical aspect, obviously,” she said with a laugh, “and more about the things that truly matter in the long run. When you can’t see each other for months at a time, the building blocks of your relationship either flourish or flounder. No relationship can survive without trust, honesty, and communication, no matter how close you are.”
She stopped for a moment, looking at both Cassie and me before continuing. “Long distance means countless hours talking on the phone. And I mean, really talking. Because it’s all you have when you can’t simply get in your car and drive to the other person’s house. You get to really know each other. The bonds you form during that time apart can be as solid as steel beams.”
I found myself completely focused on Gran’s words. “She’s right,” Gramps added with a twinkle in his eyes. “When you only have the telephone or letters, it changes things. All the emotions and feelings are still there, but they’re amplified in a way that’s tough to explain. That’s why the communication part is so important.”
Gran glanced over at him with a dimpled smile. “Because it’s easy to misinterpret things or jump to the wrong conclusion when the person you love is far away. The only way to fix it is to talk about it. So you end up talking…a lot.”
“When were you two apart?” I asked, finally realizing they were both speaking from experience.
“During the war. But I wrote him every day,” Gran said matter-of-factly.
“And I wrote every chance I had.” Gramps grinned. “Called, too.”
“That he did.” They exchanged a loving glance and I squeezed Cassie’s hand.
“Well, that’s enough of that talk for one night. I’m sure the kids don’t want to think about all this stuff right now.” Gran waved a hand in front of her face before rising from the table, followed by Gramps.
“No, it was really nice to hear. Thank you.” Cassie smiled, her hand still holding mine.
“We’ll get the dishes, Gran. Go lie down,” I suggested with a hearty smile.
“Thank you, Jack. We’ll just be in the other room,” she said before slowly making her way into the living room.
“You two are gonna stay together, right?” Dean asked with a wince.
I turned to look at Cassie, whose eyes were piercing into mine. “She’ll probably be sick of me by then.” I couldn’t help but tease Cassie in a weak attempt to hide my fears.
“Most likely,” she kidded back.
At least, I hoped she was kidding.
“You guys seriously haven’t talked about any of this?” Dean questioned in disbelief, leaning back against his chair.
“Not yet.” I tried to be cool, ignoring the irritation rising in my body.
“Dude, June isn’t that far away. And you’ll leave right after the draft. You two are hopeless.”
I rammed my foot into Dean’s shin with force, my temper flaring. “Why don’t you shut the fuck hell up, Dean, and worry about your own love life. Or lack thereof.”
Dean’s chair slid across the kitchen floor with a loud squeak. “Ow, Jack! Jesus! I was just saying you two should probably get your shit together and actually start doing that whole communicating thing Gran was talking about. ’Cause the last time I checked, you sort of sucked at it.”
I stood up from my chair, my breath increasing with each second that passed. “You’re being a real asshole, Dean, you know that?” I seethed, my jaw working as I ground my teeth, trying to control my anger.
Cassie’s hand gripped the bottom of my shirt, pulling it tightly toward her. “Jack! Sit! Down!”
I looked at her face, all pinched with fear, and fell back into my chair, my breathing ragged. After thinking a moment, I shot to my feet again and grabbed her arm. “Let’s go.”
“What? No. We haven’t even done the dishes and…”
“We’re leaving. I’ll do the dishes when I get back,” I demanded, leaving her no choice.
“Night, Dean,” she said grudgingly, two steps behind me.
“Night, Cass. Sorry.”
I stormed into the living room before leaning in to plant a kiss on Gran’s soft cheek. “I’m gonna take Cass home. I’ll be back in a bit and will handle the dishes then. Okay? Thanks for dinner, Gran. It was delicious.”
“Did something happen, dear? What happened?” Gran’s voice echoed her concern.
“Ask your other grandson.” I smiled at her unapologetically, before giving Gramps a hug, inhaling the scent of tobacco lingering on his clothes.