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This is the beginning of an ongoing story that I plan on posting over the next several hours. Though I have an idea what I want to write, it’s not written – so this story will be rough, really rough, but I thrive on this impromptu stuff so … there you go. 🙂 Thanks for reading!
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Alecia could feel, rather than see, her baby girl tensing from the sudden, and unexpected noise and activity of the airport. They were from a small town, so their airport was smaller than most, but it seemed overly crowded to Alecia. Though she had only been to the airport a half dozen times in her life, it had never been this busy.
She muttered a smattering of apologizes as she navigated the stroller through the throng of people. It wasn’t until they had found a series of seats, all arranged in a half circle by a large window overlooking the drop-off area, did she relax her hold on the baby carrier.
“Whew,” she exhaled as she plopped down on the hard, cushioned seat. “There are a lot of people here today,” she said while dragging the diaper bag off the stroller. “I’m betting there are a lot of military people coming home today.” She pushed the diaper bag under her feet and swept a hand across her moist forehead. “What do you think, Lisa?”
The baby began waving her arms and kicking her feet at the sound of her name.
Alecia laughed and settled back in her seat. She continued to gaze at her beautiful daughter, the love she had for this little being, the creature that her and her husband had made, (she still hadn’t quite come to terms with that fact), caused her eyes to twinkle and her face to soften.
“You’ll be a good girl for mommy, right?” She nervously chewed on her lower lip. The plane was scheduled to land in two hours. She glanced at her watch and then lifted her gaze to look out of the window. Her in-laws were supposed to meet her in twenty minutes. She hoped her baby girl would behave herself until grandma got there.
“Excuse me,” a tall, thin man with a long thick scar running across his right cheek addressed her.
Alecia stiffened and pasted on a polite smile. “Yes?”
“Are these seats taken?”
He gestured to the seats on either side of her. “Actually,” she cleared her throat. “I’m expecting my in-laws to be here any minute, so I need a few of them.” She offered a smile to soften the rejection.
“Oh, okay. I understand,” he responded and glanced down at the baby. “She’s adorable.”
Lisa blinked up at the strange man.
“Thank you,” Alecia said and sat up a little straighter. Lisa was a beautiful baby. She had thick, soft hair the color of a raven’s wing and dark blue eyes that sparkled like jewels in her round face. The baby offered a smile at the stranger, a dimple, just to the left of her moist mouth deepened.
“Ah, she’s going to be a heart breaker.”
Alecia chuckled and nodded. “I’m afraid you’re right about that.”
The stranger nodded politely and moved down several seats to settle slowly into a chair.
Alecia studied the man from under her lashes. She was curious to know if this man had served in the military. Had he received that scar in service? Was his body stiff from combat? Her thoughts turned to her own husband and she wondered if Carter’s scars would be visible, or merely buried deep inside.
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