I slowly opened my eyes and was immediately met by his gaze. For a moment we just stared at each other in silence. Finally, I smiled and asked him ‘How long have you been watching me?’ He didn’t give an answer, only smiled in return…
I rolled over onto my back and looked out of the window. The sun was shining bright through the blinds. It had to be at least 10 o’clock.
We had slept in.
Memories of the night before flooded my mind. We stayed up all night laughing and talking and just enjoying each other’s company. It had truly been a wonderful night.
The warmth of his hand grabbing mine broke me from my thoughts. ‘Stay in bed baby, I’ll get us some breakfast going and we can enjoy it together.’ He flashed that killer smile at me and headed towards the kitchen.
I propped myself up on my elbows and watched him as he worked. Quiet, yet diligent. Out of nowhere, he stopped and glanced at me. A sly grin crept across his face. ‘Alexa, play…’ Suddenly, music spilled into every room of our home. He was dancing and swaying to the music while I held back my laugh. This was what happiness felt like.
Outside, the world was not so happy.
My eyes landed on the papers stacked on the bedside table. “‘MANDATORY 14 DAY QUARANTINE’ They were my husband’s official orders. We were home and enjoying special time together, but we were in quarantine. The world was in a state of what could only be explained as pure chaos. I shifted my gaze from the papers to my husband, who was now loudly singing to our puppy as he prepared bacon.
Regardless of the circumstances, I was blessed to be spending so much time with the love of my life. I threw my legs over the side of the bed and headed up the hallway, eager to join in on the fun. This was going to be a long couple of weeks and I planned on enjoying every minute. I had never been more excited to be in lockdown.
‘I almost didn’t realize I was holding my breath as I shakily reached to open the trunk. Confusion and excitement overtook my thoughts. As the screen lit up my entire face, I became overcome with emotion. In those first few moments, I didn’t know whether to smile or cry…‘
It was a day like any other. The sun sat high in the sky and a light breeze filled the air that seemed to bring the perfect mix of wind and warmth. Birds were chirping in beautiful harmony. The general mood was a peaceful one.
It was Valentine’s Day. The day of LOVE.
More specifically, my third day of love without the love of my life by my side. I wasn’t in much of a mood for celebrating.
I glanced down at my phone, hoping to see a new message from my husband. It had become a bit more difficult to communicate again. We were blessed if he got the chance to say ‘I’m safe. I love you.’
‘Heard from Sean?’ I looked up to see my sister standing in the doorway. I quickly put on a fake smile. ‘Not yet, but hopefully soon.’ She stood there staring at me for a moment. Looking back, I should have known that she had a secret from the way the corners of her lips slightly curled upward.
‘Get dressed, come run some errands with me.’ She disappeared down the hallway as I reached for my outfit. I hadn’t realized that I was excited to get out and get some fresh air. I was excited to clear my mind.
I threw my purse over my shoulder and turned towards the window just in time to get a glimpse of her driving away. ‘What in the world?’ I couldn’t help saying it out loud. My phone vibrated against my leg and I pulled it out in time to see the words New Message flashing across the screen. It was my sister. I read it out loud. ‘Meet me at the park in 10 minutes.’
There were no other messages.
The moment I arrived at the park, I was instantly blindfolded. Standing there in the middle of the grass, I smiled as I heard her doing her final touches. It was obvious that she was trying to make me feel better but all I really wanted was a message from my husband letting me know that he was okay.
‘Okay, open your eyes!’
I blinked a few times to adjust to the sun. The first thing that caught my eye was a teddy bear that stood as tall as me, his neck wrapped in a cascade of pink ribbon. Beautiful pink and white roses were arranged neatly in a bouquet, mixed amongst a sea of pink and white gifts.
I became instantly overwhelmed, cooing over everything and holding back tears as I read my cards. The words were so beautiful. I could tell they had come from his heart. Due to the fact that we were in the middle of a deployment, he wasn’t able to physically write out his love letters to me. Still, he had taken the time to figure out a way to my heart.
My sister took the words he’d typed, printed them out and gently placed them in the card. They were just as beautiful as the ones he usually wrote by hand. I had to blink back tears once again. I wanted nothing more than to speak to him and thank him for making the day so special for me.
Little did I know, the biggest surprise was yet to come.
I nervously stood in front of the trunk, wondering what could possibly be waiting inside. For a moment, I allowed myself to believe that he was going to jump out and pull me into his arms as he had so many times before.
Wishful thinking.
I gently lifted the trunk in anticipation. The rush of pink and white balloons filled me with an unexplainable feeling of happiness.
But it left as quickly as it came, floating away into the air with the balloons.
My fingers wrapped around the ipad sitting in the trunk. It was all that remained. ‘Turn it on!’ I glanced over at my sister as I shakily pressed the power button and held my breath.
There he was! My husband!! I was speechless.
‘Hey baby, Happy Valentine’s Day From the Other Side of the World’…
He had recorded a beautiful video message for me. I watched it from start to finish. I could see the hurt in his eyes but I could also hear the love in his voice. I didn’t care about holding back the tears anymore.
I must have thanked my sister a million times for helping him plan it all out. My entire day had been made.
He called and we spoke for what felt like hours. I giggled like a school girl the entire time.
We were thousands of miles apart, but we had once again found a special way to celebrate our love.
You’re right. I did. So did he. Guess what? Because we did, you don’t have to. There’s nothing worse than realizing that the very people you spend your days defending, and making sacrifices for, are the ones that feel this way.
Negativity.
My husband chose to serve his country and by default I serve it too. Does that take away my right to have emotions? To miss him? To worry about his well being? Absolutely not.
Instead of judging me, say a prayer for me. Better yet, say a prayer for my husband. Then hold your family a little tighter at night and be thankful that they are able to be with you.
SierraSweetheart 