Seventeen year old Tommy had just walked his best girl,
Melinda, to her class and was headed for his own. Twenty minutes into the
class, Principal Harding, choking back tears, announced the attack and sent
everyone home. The next day, after President Roosevelt declared war on Japan,
Tommy told Melinda he had enlisted. They were married in a quiet ceremony in front
of a judge.
Three years later, Tommy was in a foxhole reading the latest
letter from his wife and showing off the newest picture of Tommy, Jr. at the
third birthday party he missed. It had taken three months from this letter to
arrive. It took longer and longer for the mail to reach the front. He heard
someone say it was December 16th and they expected a lot of heavy
fighting. And it was cold; so cold he was sure he’d lose a couple toes from
frostbite. Tommy began a letter back to Melinda on the back of the one she sent
telling her just that. It was then he heard the screaming whistle of a bullet
overhead. The battle had begun.
As his platoon crept through the
fog and heavy snow, he began seeing shadows. Were the shadows his comrades, the
enemy, or just trees? Bullets flying everywhere; grenades going off yards away.
The deeper into the forest he went, the less he heard of the battle. There
were occasional swooshing sounds which passed his ears; followed but the sounds
of bones cracking and someone screaming.
The screaming he heard was his own. Through
a fog he learned he was stateside in a hospital. He overheard a nurse giving
report to the next shift the bullet was lodged in his lower back. He heard
Melinda whisper he’d be fine. She'd
brought little TJ to his room daily.
Before he knew it, Tommy was home. Melinda
went back to the plant and was hired as a secretary. The years seemed to fly
by. He was there for TJ’s first say of school, first home run and the broken arm
that came with it. Tommy was around for his son’s first crush, the date, and
the broken heart. When TJ was married and had his own little Tommy, he stood at
the nursery window, beaming with pride.
The years went by in a flash. TJ was
no longer little. He had a family of his own; two sons and a daughter, who was
the apple of her grandfather’s eye.
When Melinda was diagnosed with
cancer Tommy stood at her side the whole time. It wasn’t long before she went
quickly in her sleep.
Tommy stood in front of the graveside
with his arm around his only son, doing his best to console him. Through his
tears, TJ said goodbye to his mother and asked she give his love to his father.
Tommy looked down at the gravestone. Engraved under his name was the date of
death, 16 December 1944. When he looked up, he saw a welcoming bright light. In
the center was his best girl, looking as young and radiant as she did the day
they were married. It was time to let go move on.
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