The Ring

by Sarah Anne Carter

  “It’s something with HF and HAM radios. I can explain it better in person. They don’t let us do it often because it’s mainly for emergencies. But they sometimes make holiday exceptions.”

  “It’s so good to hear your voice!”

  “Yours, too. My time is about up, love. I’ll see you in a few days.”

  “Love you!”

  “Love you, too!”

  Her parents were amazed that Lucas had been able to call from the plane. It definitely helped lift Amanda’s spirits. It was one of the first things she told her aunt and uncle when they went to their house that afternoon. She played a lot with Alice and her new toys while her uncle and dad watched football and her mom and aunt finished up the dinner preparations. They ate early while Alice took a nap, so Vicky could enjoy a meal without getting up at all. Amanda did a lot of talking, telling them about South Carolina and her new job.

  Amanda flew home two days later and got back to their house right as Lucas called to say they had landed and he would be home in an hour or two after checking a few things in the office. He had a whole week off after that trip, and they were able to spend New Year’s Eve together in downtown Charleston.

  “I have great news,” Lucas said after going back to work in the new year over dinner. “I asked for leave the week you have spring break, and it got approved. Want to go to Hawaii then?”

  “Yes! I thought we wouldn’t be able to go until summer. Finally, a honeymoon!”

  Amanda took two days off herself so they would have a day to pack and unpack on either end. They still had the money they had saved up for the honeymoon, so it wouldn’t affect their finances, especially with the military discounts Lucas could get. The other teachers were quite jealous when they found out how she was going to spend her spring break. A few who had been to Hawaii gave her tips, and the ones with children told her to enjoy doing such things before they came along. They were spending their spring break at zoos and children’s museums.

  Juliana was thrilled that Lucas was able to get the time off to take Amanda on a make-up honeymoon. She told Amanda she was afraid it would end up never happening because of his military commitments. Then, she shared news of her own.

  “I’m glad you called because I was going to call you today. Brian asked me to marry him last night!”

  “Congratulations, Juliana! Tell me all the details. You said yes, right?”

  Juliana laughed. “Yes, I said, ‘Yes!’“

  Brian had taken her to their favorite Italian restaurant and then they walked around downtown. They ended up at the library, which had a big lawn in the front of it with street lamps lining the sidewalk around the lawn. It was always lit up. Brian had led them to the middle of the lawn to “enjoy the view” and then he got down on one knee and proposed. It was one of Juliana’s favorite parts of the city, so it was the perfect place for Brian to ask. They were going to have the wedding in Chicago, and it would probably be in the summer or fall.

  Amanda shared the news with Lucas, and they pulled out some wine to toast Brian and Juliana.

  “To happiness in love,” Lucas said.

  “To happiness in love,” Amanda replied. “Just like us.”

  About a month after coming home from Hawaii, Amanda was looking at her calendar and realized she was four days late. She was taking birth control pills and was always very good about it, but she had heard there were always the rare cases it didn’t work. Lucas and Amanda both wanted to have kids eventually, but they wanted to wait until Lucas was done with his degree and could possibly find a job, military or not, that had him home more often than gone. She decided to pick up a pregnancy test, tell Lucas at dinner, and then they could discuss it and he could be there when she took the test the next morning.

  “Wait, what?” Lucas said, putting his fork full of food back down on his plate.

  “I know, but all I can say is it’s not a for-sure thing. I can take the test in the morning.”

  “Amanda, this would be crazy.”

  “It would, but I think we’d be fine. It’s not the timing we’d want, but we could handle it. A lot of people do.”

  “You’re right. You know most people in flying squadrons have girls, right?”

  “Really? Any reason for that?”

  “They say fliers and scuba divers have girls because the male swimmers are weaker than the female ones and they die off up in the altitude or below in the pressure.”

  “A girl ...,” Amanda was already imagining a little girl who looked like her and Lucas. Lucas got up and came over and knelt by her chair.

  “I’m ready if you are,” he said, taking her hand. “Let’s see what the morning holds.”

  Neither of them said much during dinner, each lost in thought about the possibility of a “honeymoon” baby coming in nine months. They decided to go to bed early, thinking it would help the morning come sooner.

  It turned out Amanda didn’t need the test in the morning. Her period had started. They both felt a little bit sad and relieved. Now they both had the idea of a baby in their heads, but they both agreed their original plan of waiting was the best – at least that’s what they told each other that morning before they both headed off to work.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  The rest of the school year passed quickly, and Lucas and Amanda planned to explore the area as much as possible during the summer. They went to Lucas’ cousin’s wedding in mid-June and then took a long weekend to visit the Outer Banks. Lucas was home for the Fourth of July, so they took a week and went to Washington, D.C., to watch the fireworks. There was a comfortableness developing that they had never experienced before. They were both getting used to the comings and goings of Lucas and life in South Carolina. Amanda went to most of the spouse events and saw Terri at most of them, but made sure she had some friends from work who were outside of the military lifestyle. Even though Amanda and Terri got along well, Lucas explained to Amanda that as an officer’s wife, Terri would probably hang out with other officer wives more than enlisted wives. Amanda had noticed there were usually two different groups at most of the events, but didn’t realize it had to do with military rank. As Lucas explained to her, it became clear but it really made no sense to her. Lucas agreed with her that it shouldn’t really matter, and it really shouldn’t matter in a flying squadron when the crew all depended on each other’s skills and experience, not rank.

  Amanda got to host the spouses August book club meeting on Tuesday before she and Lucas left for Chicago for Juliana’s wedding. Lucas had started volunteering at a local soup kitchen when he was in town and met some guys through that who played poker together once a month. It turned out that poker night was book club night this month. Lucas usually stayed out until at least midnight on poker night, but this time he came home around 9 p.m. right as the book club members were leaving. He quickly said hi to Amanda and then went right to their office in the second bedroom. They had a futon couch in there for when guests stayed the night, which wasn’t often. Amanda said goodnight to the last two guests and then went to see what was going on with Lucas.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked as she opened the door. He was sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. He looked up at her, and she saw sadness in his eyes.

  “I just got alerted. Apparently, Rick came down with appendicitis and is having surgery, so I have to go in his place tomorrow night. My leave for this weekend is cancelled.”

  “I have to go to Juliana’s wedding by myself?”

  “I’m sorry, Amanda. We can get a plane ticket if you don’t want to drive by yourself. That’s what I came in here to do, but then I started dreading having to tell you. Juliana’s going to kill me ...”

  Amanda sat down beside him and put an arm around him. “It stinks, but it’s not your fault. Juliana will understand because I do. I was looking forward to experiencing this weekend with you, but when the military calls ...”

  “Sometimes I wonder if you’re for real. When Pete called me, he told
me he was glad it was me and not him because his wife would have thrown something at him if she had to reschedule her spa weekend for what would be the fourth time.”

  Amanda sighed. “It’s not easy for us, but at least we don’t have kids and no sitters like Pete and Arielle. That spa weekend was his five-year anniversary present to her. She got it three months ago, and it still hasn’t worked out for her to use it. Not a lot of sitters will handle their 2-year-old twins more than once.”

  “Well, they are all redheads – fiery hair, fiery spirit.”

  “I think I would like to fly to Chicago if I’m going by myself. I can fly out Friday and come back Monday. You don’t mind if I go see the Sears Tower without you?”

  “I don’t mind. I’ll start looking for tickets. I don’t need to pack until tomorrow. Can you throw our laundry in the washer while you call Juliana, please?”

  “Sure.”

  Amanda called Juliana with the news, but Amanda could sense she was in full pre-wedding mode. She asked right away if Amanda would still be there on the same days, and Amanda said yes. She would actually have left Sunday afternoon after the farewell brunch with Lucas, but now would stay the night on Sunday and leave Monday. She could call the hotel and change that herself, though, so Juliana wouldn’t have to deal with it. Juliana would be on her way to Napa Sunday afternoon anyway. Juliana told her she couldn’t change the catering numbers now, so if Amanda wanted to bring someone else, she could. She told Juliana she probably wouldn’t, but would let her know if she did.

  Amanda was the maid of honor and wanted to make things as easy for Juliana as possible so she could enjoy the wedding. She had taken a quick trip to Chicago over Memorial Day weekend to go dress shopping with Juliana. She got to meet some of Juliana’s new friends and got to meet Brian. Amanda had been surprised to find he was an inch shorter than Juliana and blond, since she usually dated the tall, dark, and handsome type. Brian was great, and seeing him and Juliana together left Amanda with no doubts that Juliana had found a good man.

  Amanda helped Lucas pack on Wednesday, and they went out to dinner before he headed to work. His flight didn’t leave until almost midnight. After they said goodbye, Amanda watched TV until she was really tired and then finally went to bed around 1 a.m. She always had trouble sleeping the first night Lucas left on any trip. Her phone rang around 5 a.m. It was Lucas. He should still be over the ocean.

  “We had to turn around, so I’ll be coming home to get some rest before we try again tonight,” he said, yawning when he was done.

  “Oh no! I’m glad you got back okay.”

  “The pilot thinks it’s just a software glitch, but it wasn’t worth the risk.”

  “I’m glad. Come on home. I’ll work on some professional development webinars so the house will be quiet and you can sleep.”

  “Thanks, Amanda. I’ll see you soon. Love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  Lucas slept for seven hours and then was up again to try leaving again. The night was a repeat of the previous night except Amanda had run out and gotten Chinese food so they could eat at home. They split sesame chicken and beef and broccoli and each had an egg roll. Lucas always got some egg drop soup, too, as it was one of his favorite dishes.

  Amanda started packing a few things after Lucas left. Her flight wasn’t until 1 p.m., so she had plenty of time in the morning to finish up, and she was more tired than the previous night. The phone rang again at 5 a.m. It was Lucas.

  “Amanda, my trip is cancelled. The plane needs maintenance work. I’m going to hang out at the office to get my leave re-approved. I get to go with you to Chicago after all!”

  “Really?” Amanda felt fully awake at the thought of Lucas actually being able to go with her.

  “I know! Can you get the plane ticket for me? And pack up my suitcase? I’ll be home as soon as I can.”

  “I can do that. What a wonderful surprise!”

  “Sometimes things work out,” Lucas said. “See you soon. Love you!”

  “Love you, too!”

  Lucas ended up being the coffee and food runner for the bridal party during the rehearsal and before the wedding. He delivered their orders with a smile on his face, and Amanda always rewarded him with a kiss. The mood between them felt like a heightened romance as they recalled their wedding and quick honeymoon and then the real honeymoon in Hawaii. They danced together a lot during the reception.

  “I’m so glad I got to be here with you,” Lucas said. “No one should be alone at a wedding.”

  “It definitely wouldn’t have been as much fun without a dance partner,” she replied. “Plus, I probably would have fallen asleep during the wedding due to lack of caffeine.”

  They laughed and got a piece of wedding cake to share. Juliana and Brian made the rounds to see everyone before they left for their hotel. About half of the guests had already left as it was getting late. The photographer was nearby and got a picture of the four of them together and grabbed a few shots of just Amanda and Lucas when Juliana and Brian moved on. Amanda made a mental note to get some copies from Juliana in a month or so.

  Juliana had been a very nice bride and had only requested the color of her bridesmaids’ dresses and not the style. The deep burgundy color looked great on Amanda, and she loved the dress she picked out. Lucas had a matching tie and the picture was sure to be a great one of them. She considered getting it on a large canvas to add to their mantel, which had their wedding picture, a picture from their engagement, the caricature from the Washington State Fair, and a souvenir photo from Hawaii. Lucas’ voice interrupted her thoughts.

  “One last dance, please, my beautiful wife?”

  “Of course, my handsome husband.” They danced, and for a few minutes, Amanda’s world was just Lucas and her and the music.

  They slept in the next day and then went to a celebration brunch for the wedding party and immediate family to send Juliana and Brian off on their honeymoon. Afterward, Amanda and Lucas headed for the Sears Tower together. It was a beautiful day with the sun out and just a slight breeze. When they reached the top, they both just stared at the city for a while. Lucas reached for Amanda’s hand.

  “Amanda, I’ve been thinking a lot this summer about us having children,” he said, still looking out at the city.

  Amanda turned to stare at him, and he finally looked at her.

  “I think I wouldn’t mind us trying sooner than we’ve planned,” he continued. “What do you think?”

  “Oh, Lucas, I’ve been thinking the same thing all summer, too. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the possibility of a baby since back in February.”

  Lucas kissed her, and they both smiled big.

  “Let’s see about the adventure they call parenting,” he said.

  “Anything we do is fine by me – as long as we do it together,” she said.

  When they got home the next night, Amanda and Lucas had a toast as Amanda threw away her birth control pills. She told him she had heard it sometimes takes a few months to get pregnant once you stop taking the pill, but she had known some women from the spouses groups who had gotten pregnant right away. They both hoped for Amanda to be pregnant by Christmas.

  Christmas came and went, and Amanda still wasn’t pregnant. She spent all of the Christmas break reading about fertility and was going to start taking ovulation tests and tracking when they made love. They had to be more intentional, she guessed. She had gotten recommendations of some books and web sites from a coworker at work who had just announced her pregnancy and mentioned it took them a year of trying. It didn’t help that Lucas was gone a lot still. He was home for Christmas Eve and Christmas this year, and they just had a small celebration at home. Amanda’s parents were going to come, but a massive snowstorm in the Midwest on the day they were supposed to leave – December 23 – had a ripple effect and their flight was rescheduled for December 26. They still came, and Amanda showed them around the area. They had their own small Christmas together, jus
t a bit late. She hid all the infertility books in her room while her parents were there, but her mother could sense something was wrong and asked her about it one day while her father was in the office checking his email.

  “Is everything really okay, Amanda? You seem a little down. Is it just Lucas being gone?” her mom asked.

  “Well, that doesn’t help, but it’s not just that.” Amanda hadn’t told anyone but her coworker about their difficulty getting pregnant. She needed another person to talk to about it. “We’re trying to get pregnant, and it’s just not happening.”

  “It can take a while for some people. How long now?”

  “Almost six months.”

  “Oh, it took me that long to get pregnant with you, so you’re probably right on track. And Lucas can’t have been home the perfect time every month, so it may only really be about three months or so.”

  “That’s true. I didn’t think to ask how long it took you. That would have been smart. I’m sure genes play a role in all this.”

  “They do. But, if it takes much longer, you probably should see a doctor and make sure you’re both as fertile as you should be.”

  “That’s not a bad idea. I’ll ask Lucas about that next week.”

  “As excited as I’ll be to be a grandma, remember, there’s no rush to these things. You and Lucas are still new to this marriage thing.”

  Her dad came back in to the living room, and they started talking about their plans for the day. Amanda was thinking about how she could discreetly make an appointment for Lucas and herself. The problem with doing anything at the OB/GYN department at the base hospital was the gossip chain. Amanda still couldn’t believe how much the women in the squadron talked about other wives and their personal business. At first, Amanda had been a little bummed that no one from their squadron lived on their street, but once she heard people discussing other families’ comings and goings and what was put on the curb for trash, Amanda was glad to have some distance from the spouses in the squadron. Maybe they could find a doctor off-base.