A Soldier Finds His Way

by Irene Onorato

  So this was it. The scene that changed the course of her life. She’d expected to be overwhelmed with fear and anxiety. Instead, a calming peace settled over her.

  The stunning view of the hillside stole her breath. Chill bumps prickled her skin. Converging winds teased her hair and fluttered her sweater, then gave chase into the woods, whooshing and rustling through the leaves, creating a sound like angels’ wings. Was this where heavenly beings came to play?

  This wasn’t a place of misfortune and death. No, this was where God showed His love, His mercy, and His power to provide a way when there was no way. She covered her heart with her hands and bowed her head in reverent silence. Spoken words would never do for such a time as this.

  Edward’s footfalls got louder. His boots scuffed against the uneven pavement, kicking pebbles past her shoes. Then, silence.

  She spun around.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t know you were, you know, praying. If you need some privacy, I can…” He jerked his thumb back toward the overlook.

  She took a stride forward. “No, don’t go.”

  He held her jacket open.

  “Thank you.” She slipped it on and debated whether or not she should share her feelings about being on the Devil’s Tail. “Don’t laugh, but while you were gone I had somewhat of an epiphany.”

  His eyebrows rose, one a little higher than the other.

  “An epiphany?” His face showed no telltale signs of mockery or disbelief, only curiosity.

  “Yes. It was strange. I imagined I would feel crushed by the weight of what happened here. Instead, I feel preserved, loved, and safe. Like a child resting in her father’s arms.”

  His eyes probed her as if searching her soul, waiting for her to say more.

  “Think about it, Edward. If you hadn’t been on leave, you wouldn’t have been in the cabin. If I hadn’t bought the GPS, I would have never ended up on this road. And, if there hadn’t been a rockslide,” she stroked his face with her palm, “I would have driven past you and, in all likelihood, we would never have met.”

  His warm, strong hand captured hers. “That would have been a tragedy for me.” He pressed a kiss below her thumb.

  * * * *

  The sawhorse sentry guarding the Devil’s Tail became smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror as Edward pulled away. With arms resting on the console between the bucket seats, they joined hands. A warm, flirtatious look passed between them.

  Houses began to dot the countryside as they neared civilization. An old farm tractor turned onto the road ahead of them. The farmer waved without looking back, then bounced up and down on his spring-mounted seat as the machine lumbered over the weatherworn pavement. Edward followed at a safe distance and hugged the centerline looking for a chance to pass.

  A couple of miles went by. Edward’s jaw tightened. How long was this antiquated piece of junk going to stand in the way of his agenda?

  Wait a minute. What agenda? One look at Audra melted all remnants of impatience.

  Blue eyes sparkled back at him. Her closed-lip smile and relaxed posture provided proof she was at ease with him. To have this beautiful woman sitting next to him, her fingers intertwined with his. This was beyond nice, this was awesome. Maybe the tractor’s appearance was a sign he needed to slow down and enjoy the present. He gave her hand a momentary squeeze. “Talk.”

  “About what?” Her smile broadened.

  “Anything. Talents, hobbies, what you do for fun.”

  Audra shrugged then lowered her shoulders with a sigh. “You’ll think I’m the most boring person on Earth, but I’ll tell you anyway. I’ve been told I’m a good cook, although I’m not sure that counts as a talent. I like to read and sew.” Her eyes lit up. “I made the dress I wore yesterday.”

  “You made that dress? That pretty blue thing?”

  She nodded. “Did you like it?”

  “I’d give it five stars. It complimented your assets rather nicely.”

  “My assets?” Her head fell back with melodious laughter.

  A groan rattled his insides. Assets? That was the best he could come up with? Surely he could do better. A lot better. At least she was laughing instead of blushing. He waited until her merriment faded to a display of pearly whites.

  “What I meant to say is, you’re beautiful. A living work of art. The dress was nothing more than a fancy frame that surrounded your perfection.” There, that was better. She wasn’t laughing this time, but he couldn’t interpret her expression. Had he poured it on a little too thick?

  The tractor slowed to a halt and the driver signaled a left-hand turn with an outstretched arm. Edward came to a stop.

  Audra’s silence puzzled him. “Audra, I’m sorry if I said something out of line. I didn’t mean to—”

  “Don’t apologize.” Dewy eyes met his, and her right hand came across and stroked his forearm. “That was the best compliment I’ve ever received. Thank you for saying such a sweet thing.”

  The tractor turned, but what did he care? Edward fixed his attention on Audra. How could a man look away from magnetic eyes like those?

  A horn beeped.

  Audra’s head swiveled for a look at the car behind them. “We should go.”

  The mini arm massage felt too good to stop. “He can go around.”

  Again the horn sounded, this time with a long, impatient blast.

  In the mirror, an angry driver gesticulated with waving hands. Red-faced, the man’s jaws flapped complaints Edward couldn’t hear.

  The farm tractor galumphed over a heavily rutted dirt road to his left. He smiled and hit the gas.

  * * * *

  A small town greeted them with familiar sights. McDonald’s, Burger King, Dunkin’ Donuts. Edward turned in, and minutes later stood outside Dunkin’s sipping coffee from a Styrofoam cup with Audra. Across the street, Old Glory unfurled in billowy puffs and rippled in front of the granite-faced Post Office.

  Audra’s eyes closed, her face tipped skyward. Her hair blew like streamers in the breeze and the sun’s rays set every golden strand ablaze. The delicate lines of her jaw, and the graceful curve of her neck outlined her femininity. He snapped a picture with his cell phone and slipped it back in his pocket.

  A soft moan escaped her as she turned her head and looked at him. “Isn’t this a delectable day?”

  “It’s definitely warmer here in town, and not as windy as it was on the Tail.”

  “Oh Edward, it’s more than that.” Hair swirled around her face. She flipped it back with a sweep of her hand. “It’s a day to consume in small bites and enjoy every morsel, every single crumb of life. And when your head hits the pillow, it’s a live-over day that will keep you awake with instant replays.” An effervescent smile radiated from her.

  First an epiphany, now a philosophy. How intriguing. Buoyant and positive, her dialogue didn’t include the put-downs, one-upmanship, and negativism he was accustomed to. She refreshed and filled him with hope and possibilities.

  He sucked down the rest of his coffee and tossed the cup in the trash. “What do you say we ditch the truck and walk around town for a while?”

  With a cheerful bob of her head she discarded her cup and took the hand he offered. “I’d like that.”

  “Come on, Socrates.” He pulled her to his side. “Let’s go lick the icing off the cupcake of life.”

  Strolling down the sidewalk, they passed several quaint shops with colorful awnings. Outside the barbershop three old men sat on a bench next to a traditional red and white striped barber pole. A short, fat cigar smoldered from one man’s lips while the other two participated in animated conversation interspersed with boisterous chortling and slapping of the knees.

  Audra curled her arm through Edward’s. “This is the kind of town Norman Rockwell loved to capture on canvas. It wouldn’t surprise me if we found him on the next corner behind an easel with a paint brush in his hand.”

  “It
certainly would surprise me,” he said with a sidelong glance. “He’s dead.”

  Head tilt. Smile. Was this her signature move? Did she realize how it affected him? He fought the urge to kiss her and looked away.

  “Edward.” The timbre of her voice suggested a sudden idea. “If your truck is here in New York, how do you get around in North Carolina? How did you get to the airport yesterday?”

  “I have a bike, A Harley, that is. But Greco gave me a ride to the airport yesterday.” Thinking about the trip with the boss made him chuckle.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “As I was getting out of the car at the terminal Greco grabbed my arm and said, ‘Try to keep your big mouth shut as much as possible when you’re with that girl. If you can do that, there’s a remote possibility she’ll like you.’”

  She laughed and tightened her grip on his arm. “Contrary to what he said, I wish you’d open up and talk to me.”

  Audra was open, transparent, willing to talk about herself. He needed to reciprocate if he ever hoped to build a relationship with her. He put his hand on the arm that so tightly coiled around his. “Okay. Let’s talk.”

  He guided her to a tiny courtyard wedged between a bakery and sandwich shop where empty tables stood ready to receive customers or weary pedestrians. They sat together in the sun.

  What he needed was a springboard. Something to help him segue into a discourse that would be of interest to her. He drew a blank. “I’ve been told I’m a lousy conversationalist with abysmal social skills. I don’t know where to start.”

  With a flip of her hand she said, “Tell me what a typical work day is like for you.”

  “Typical? It varies. We could be hiding in the brush in ghillie suits waiting to ambush an unsuspecting enemy, or sitting in a classroom learning about the latest electronic communication devices. We perform simulated field exercises where we have to capture a stronghold or rescue a hostage. Whether it’s on the range, or engaging in hand-to-hand combat with each other, we’re constantly sharpening our skills.”

  Delving into the more dangerous aspects of his duties would be unwise. It would only serve to scare her or make her think he was a braggart. Besides, most of what the team did on a day-to-day basis fell within the sphere of the mundane.

  “And after work?”

  “I enjoy playing poker with the guys. Occasionally we’ll go shoot pool or see if we can eat our weight in pizza.” Edward grinned. “We’ve even been known to—”

  Ka-chunk, ka-chunk. A metallic sound echoed off the walls of their little alcove.

  Audra flinched.

  On the sidewalk, a middle-aged man with Einstein hair and Hawaiian shirt fastened a sign to a telephone pole with a staple gun. Job done, he went to step away but caught sight of Edward and Audra. He produced a flyer from his satchel and with a cheery stride walked over and handed the leaflet to Edward.

  “Music in the park at dusk,” he said. “Local bands, lots of talent, something for young and old alike. You’ll love it.” His eyes flitted to Audra, then back to Edward. “There’s nothing like dancing with a pretty girl in the moonlight, my friend.” He turned and left.

  * * * *

  Audra looked over at Edward. “Where were we before that guy showed up?”

  “You were telling me a story about when you were a little girl.”

  “I was not.” She rolled her eyes and clucked her tongue.

  “I’ll make you a deal,” he said. “Tell me a good enough story, and I’ll tell you how I managed to knocked myself out with a rock when I was thirteen.”

  Who wouldn’t laugh at a statement like that? “You knocked yourself out?”

  “Yup, out cold.” With legs stretched out and hands laced behind his head he said, “You first.”

  A story? Did she have any worth telling? The gold, maybe?

  “When I was eight years old my father and I went for a walk in the brook behind the house. Something sparkled under the water. I picked it up and gasped. ‘Look, Daddy,’ I said, ‘a gold nugget!’ He examined it and declared it to be the finest gold he’d ever seen. There were more stones in the water waiting to be claimed. Lucky for us, my father just happened to have a red velvet drawstring pouch in his pocket.”

  Edward smiled. “Your old man salted the stream, eh?”

  Oh, to relive that day. The pebbles under her feet, the cold water flowing between her toes, her father’s feigned surprise that seemed so genuine at the time. Would she ever forget it? Not likely. “Striking gold was magical.”

  “Then what happened?”

  “We filled the bag to the brim, then sneaked into the basement with it. Not that anyone was watching. But with a bag full of gold, you can’t be too careful.” She laughed. “There was an old dusty safe on the shelf under the stairs. My father made a pretense of cracking the safe by rubbing his thumb against his fingers, then listening with his ear to the door as he turned the dial. We locked up the velvet bag. He told me I wouldn’t realize the true value of the gold until I was older.”

  “And have you realized the true value of the gold?”

  “Yes.” She blinked a few times. “It’s priceless.”

  Edward’s continued smile allayed any fear that he would think her story trite, or diminish its meaning with ridicule.

  “And now,” she said. “How did you knock yourself out with rock?”

  He dove right in. “It was simple, actually. Hank and I were breaking in our new baseball mitts. We rubbed them with oil, massaged the leather, and slammed hard balls into the pockets over and over while we watched TV.

  “We were outside one day. I was down by the lake, and Hank was closer to the house. Each of us was popping our ball up in the air as far as we could throw, then we’d get under it and catch it as it fell.” Edward stood and pantomimed his movements, throwing and extending an imaginary glove over his head to catch the ball.

  “I did it a bunch of times with success, but then the ball tipped off my glove, and fell into the lake. I was bummed out and started to walk away. I didn’t go ten steps when I spotted a roundish rock, a little smaller than a hardball. I picked it up, shrugged, then tossed it up and down in my hand to get a feel for it.”

  “Uh-oh. I don’t think this story’s going to end well.”

  “Don’t laugh yet.” He stood with his pretend glove extended toward the sky. “I planted my feet firmly and threw the rock up as hard as I could. It went way up in the air, paused, then started down. It seemed to get bigger and bigger as it closed in on my glove. Head tipped back, I kept an eye on it as it sped toward me. Then, right before contact I shifted the glove in front of my face. The rock shot through the webbing like a meteor.”

  “Oh, no!”

  “Oh, yeah. I woke up on the ground with Hank shaking me. He looked over his shoulder toward the house. ‘Get up,’ he said. ‘If Mom finds you lying on the ground out here bleeding from the head with a bloody rock next to you I’m going to need a really good alibi!’”

  Audra laughed uproariously.

  Edward’s shoulders shook with laughter, too.

  Wasn’t this what she wanted all along, to see him shed his restraints and share a bit of his life with her?

  * * * *

  Streetlights flickered on as the crowd migrated toward the sounds of a band tuning up in the park. Stage lights served as beacons, drawing people with the promise of a good time.

  Audra held Edward’s hand and let him lead her through the throng.

  They chose a spot with a good view of the stage and spread the sleeping bag from Edward’s truck over the grass. Audra mirrored Edward’s position and lay on her side propped up on her elbow. “It’s been a wonderful day, Edward.”

  He touched the back of her hand. “It’s not over yet.”

  A bass guitar hammered the familiar riff of “Ice, Ice, Baby.” The lead vocalist shuffled his feet, snapped his fingers and gyrated to center stage. He whipped the mic off its s
tand and started to sing. Dancers came from backstage and made their way down the wooden steps near the side of the stage. With impeccable unison, they performed quick, intricate steps as the band played. Halfway though the song they dispersed and danced into the audience.

  As the bass hit the final note, a burst of fireworks lit up the sky. Applause erupted and the crowd cheered.

  Audra’s hands stung from clapping. “That was great, wasn’t it?”

  Edward laughed. “Totally unexpected.”

  Different bands took the stage as the evening wore on. Finally, the emcee announced the last set of the evening. Guitars filled the night with a slow, sultry melody. In the background, congas added depth and feeling.

  Edward rose to a knee and extended his hand. “Will you dance with me, milady?”

  Her breath caught. Milady. He remembered. She slipped her hand into his, and with delicacy befitting a princess he assisted her to her feet. Was this truly happening? Oh, please, let this not be a dream. Steely blue eyes locked onto hers. As he kissed her fingers, his breath bathed her hand with warmth.

  They stepped out onto the grassy area in front of the stage. At the mic, a singer shook a set of maracas, awaiting his cue to begin. He cast a knowing smile down at them.

  Edward’s arm wrapped around Audra’s waist.

  She trembled at his touch. Should she tell him she’d never danced with a man before? Her heart pounded as if it were attempting to escape her chest.

  “Relax,” he said, more breathed than spoken. He held her tighter.

  Audra rested her head on his shoulder.

  Oh, that this night could last forever.

  Chapter 24

  Edward woke well rested. Visions of sugarplums were nothing compared with the sweet dreams a day with Audra infused into his pillow. A morning run would do him good. He dressed for the task.

  Without a sound, he made his way downstairs to the foyer. On the side table, a yellow envelope addressed to Audra drew his attention. A late Easter card perhaps? He picked it up. Return address, Bradley Warren, Chicago, Illinois. His cheek twitched. With a flick of his wrist he tossed the letter onto the glass tabletop and let himself out of the house. None of his business.