A Soldier Finds His Way

by Irene Onorato

  “I’ve been extra busy with work lately, prepping the kids for finals, getting ready for report cards, stuff like that. Did I tell you I found an apartment the same day I moved out of my parents’ house? Hank helped me find it. It’s small, but nice. Here’s the address.”

  She gave the particulars and cleared her throat. “Edward, I—”

  A knock on the door made her jump to her feet.

  “Someone’s at the door. I have to go. I miss you, Edward. I miss you so much. Bye.”

  A small red velvet pouch dangled from drawstrings in her view through the peephole, and outside a familiar voice said, “You forgot the gold.”

  Daddy. Audra unlocked and opened the door with a shaky hand.

  Her father smiled, or attempted to, but the rest of his face didn’t rally behind it. Without a doubt, he was out of his comfort zone. “May I come in?” His lips twitched.

  She stepped aside and allowed him to pass.

  To offer a cup of coffee, tea or something to nibble would be inviting him to stay awhile. Whether she wanted that to happen or not would depend on why he came. She closed the door and waited for him to say something.

  Her father looked at the small bag in his hands. His thumb stroked the velvet fabric. He raised sheepish eyes and spoke softly. “Can we talk?”

  There was nothing to talk about. If she opened her mouth, she might say some things she’d later regret. She lifted her chin and stared at him.

  “I see you’re still too angry to speak. I don’t blame you.” Her dad placed the pouch on the table and reached over and sandwiched one of her hands between his own. She jerked back, but he held fast. “Cara mia, I’ve made many mistakes as your father. I came to apologize for the greatest blunder of all. For coming between you and Edward.”

  Tears rolled down her cheeks.

  “If I had concerns about your relationship with Edward, I should have brought them to you and trusted you to make the right decisions. What I did showed a lack of faith on my part. I’m sorry, Audra. I wish I could undo what I’ve done. Maybe one day you can find it in your heart to forgive your foolish father.”

  His sorrowful eyes and contrite tone confirmed the depth and sincerity of his apology. Audra’s anger melted and her tears flowed freely. She didn’t resist when her father’s arms encircled and held her close.

  A soft kiss touched her cheek. “I love you, sweetheart.”

  “I love you too, Daddy.”

  Her father moved back and held her at arm’s length. “And you love Edward, don’t you?”

  Audra sniffled and took several uneven breaths. “With all my heart.”

  “Your mother and sisters saw it right away. But me,” he shrugged, “I was a little slow to see it.”

  A glistening teardrop formed in the outer corner of his eye. He turned his head as if to hide it, but then looked at her, straight on, and let it fall. “When your mother and I were first married, I was an ungodly man who didn’t know how to be a good husband. I was selfish, arrogant, and demanding.”

  He gave his head a slight shake. “When I think of what I put her through, and all the times I made her cry—” He shuddered. “It wasn’t until Kyle was born that I realized I needed God to help me to be the husband and father I needed to be.”

  Her father stroked her cheek. “I wanted you to have a man that was better than I was.”

  Audra picked up the red pouch. “I told Edward about the day you and I found gold in the brook.”

  Her father’s face brightened. “You did?”

  “Yes, I told him this little bag of gold was priceless.”

  “Priceless?” He chuckled.

  “It is to me. It holds memories of the magical day you created just for us, a father-and-daughter day I’ll never forget. Ever.”

  His smile widened. “Then, maybe we should go put it back in the safe where it belongs.”

  She grabbed her phone and purse. “I think we should.”

  * * * *

  Audra stood on her parents’ porch and hugged Rachael and Robin. “I’ll come back and see you next week, okay?”

  “Do you have to go already, Audra?” Sadness shadowed Rachael’s face.

  “I’ve been here for,” Audra checked her watch, “more than five hours. I still have to go grocery shopping.” She gave the girl a second squeeze.

  “I’m glad you came today.” Mom leaned in, kissed her, and whispered, “It was good to see you and your father laughing together again.” She corralled the girls into the house, leaving Audra and her father alone on the porch.

  Dad scooped her into a tight hug. “Let me tell you one more time how much I love you and how sorry I am.”

  His display of affection touched and warmed her heart.

  She got in her car and started pulling away but stopped, stuck her head out the window and yelled, “I love you, Dad.”

  * * * *

  Audra pushed her shopping cart to the front of the store and got in line at a cash register. She counted four heaping carts ahead of her. Mutters of complaints came from two women on the adjacent line. Audra stifled a grin. Silly women. What did they expect at five o’clock on a Saturday evening?

  Her cellphone rang in her purse. Hank’s assigned ringtone screeched like a band of chimpanzees having a ruckus. The guy in line in front of her turned and laughed. She smiled. If he knew Hank, Oran-Utan, man of the forest, he’d understand.

  “Hello, Hank.”

  “Hi. Haven’t talked to you in a few weeks. Figured I’d check in and see how you’re doing.”

  She scooted her cart up a few inches. “I’m fine. Shopping at Walmart. Looks like it’s going to be a while before I can get out of here. Long lines.”

  “You think you’ve got it bad? I’m stuck in traffic on the Tappan Zee Bridge. A tortoise passed me a minute ago, and a snail is gaining on me.” Horns honked in the background.

  Audra laughed.

  “I’m going to be passing by your place on my way home. If I ever get off this bridge, that is. Wanna meet me at that Italian joint where we ate last time? I can call you when I’m a few minutes away.”

  The thought of dinner with a friend, especially one who might have news about Edward, put a grin on her face. “I look forward to it.”

  * * * *

  Dean Martin crooned “Volare” as the waitress placed a basket of breadsticks on the table, filled their water glasses, and took Audra’s and Hank’s orders.

  Audra waited until the server left, then shot a smile across the table at Hank. “My father came to visit me today.”

  “Oh?” Hank’s eyebrows lifted. “How’d that go?”

  “I was shocked. He said he was sorry for what he did to Edward and me. His apology came from the heart, I could tell. I was quite taken aback by it, to tell you the truth.”

  “I’m glad to hear that.” Hank dipped a breadstick in a small bowl of marinara and took a bite. “Reconciliation is always a good thing.”

  Audra rested her elbow on the table and propped her cheek on her palm. “Hank, would it be improper to ask about your parents? Your biological parents, I mean.”

  “Not at all.” He wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Ben and Marlene Shultz raised me from a toddler. As far as I’m concerned, they’re my parents. Every once in a while, though, I had supervised visits with my real mother. She was a druggie. A real mess. But, in the last few years she straightened out her life, got married, and lives in Miami. I try to see her once a year.”

  “That’s right, you were going to see her in January, but your flight was cancelled because of the storm. You ended up at the cabin with me, Zoe, and Edward instead.”

  “Yup, and I almost got myself shot. Remember?” Hank’s chest bobbed with a laugh that made Audra laugh too.

  The server came with their entrées. Audra leaned back while steaming plates were set in front of them.

  “I’m surprised you haven’t asked me if I’d heard from my
brother.” Hank scooped a bite of eggplant Parmesan into his mouth.

  She swallowed a bite of her food and tipped her head to the side. “I figured you’d have told me right away if you had.”

  “You’re probably right.” He looked over at her plate. “How’s your shrimp fettuccine?”

  “Delicious. Have some.”

  Hank twirled his fork into her pasta ribbons.

  Audra put a few shrimp on his plate and he ate them with his customary gusto. It didn’t take long before he was mopping up the last bit of sauce with a breadstick.

  “How was everything tonight?” The smiling waitress looked at Hank, then Audra. “Ready for dessert? Spumoni, tiramisu, cannoli, maybe?”

  Audra pressed a hand to her stomach. “I couldn’t eat another bite. How about you, Hank?”

  He looked at the waitress. “None for me, thanks.”

  Hank paid the bill and they went outside.

  “I don’t know about you,” Hank said, “but I’m stuffed to the gills. How ’bout a once around the block to walk it off?”

  “Sounds good.”

  They walked to the corner and turned right. Audra took a deep breath and let it out with an ah. “Such a beautiful evening, isn’t it?”

  “It sure is.”

  “So, Hank, do you have a special someone in your life? A girlfriend hidden in the woods somewhere? A pretty little Sasquatch with lipstick, perhaps?”

  “Very funny.” He shook his head. “Nah. I can’t seem to find what I’m looking for.”

  “And that is?”

  “Someone tall and sassy.” Hank put his hands in his pockets and slowed down. “At my height, I can’t have a short, squatty girl, you know. All that bending over for a kiss would kill my back.”

  Audra giggled and Hank chuckled.

  “See,” he said, “you’re the perfect height for Edward. You’re what, five-six?”

  “Spot on.”

  “You know what?” Hank looked at her with a contemplative eye. “You look a little bit like the picture Eddie has of his mother in his wallet, although I think she might be a bottle-blonde.”

  Audra stopped and grabbed his arm. “He knows his real mother? But, but, I thought she—”

  “Abandoned him? She did.”

  “Then how did he get—”

  “Okay, I’ll tell you. We were fourteen, maybe fifteen. Eddie decided he wanted to know what was in his file at the Child Services office at the old courthouse. One day, when no one was looking, he snuck into a janitor’s room on the second floor on the back side of the building and unlocked the window.”

  He chuckled, gave his head a good scratch and smoothed his hair back. “Are you sure you want to hear this? I might have to kill you afterward. What Eddie and I did was probably a felony.”

  “Go on. I want to hear it. I’ll take my chances.”

  He nodded. “In the middle of the night we shot out the security lights behind the building with a high-powered BB gun. Eddie climbed up the wall and let himself in through the window.” Hank smiled. “Man, can he climb. Just like Spiderman. I stayed in the shadows and kept watch.”

  They made another right turn at the corner.

  “After what seemed like an eternity, Eddie signaled with a psst and tossed out a big envelope of stuff he’d run off on the copier. I didn’t know until later that he’d found a couple of pictures of his mother, and one of his sister.”

  Audra sucked in a breath. “He has a sister?”

  Hank gave a small nod. “The name Cindy was written on the back of the picture. She looked to be eight or nine in the photo. Looks just like Eddie, only, you know, girly. The two of them must have the same father, because neither of them looks like their mom. I think Cindy ended up in the system like Eddie did.”

  “What kind of stuff was in his file beside the pictures?”

  “Reports. They started with the day he was born. Evidently, after his mom gave birth, and dumped him, she went to the emergency room because she was hemorrhaging. They kept her overnight. When someone found Edward and brought him to the hospital, the cops put two and two together and figured she was his mother. She admitted to it.”

  “How terrible. Why would anyone do such a thing?”

  “Drugs, that’s why. Eddie was born addicted. Poor kid. He didn’t walk until he was two years old. Early reports suggested he’d always be slow. Guess he fooled everyone.” Hank shook his head and continued. “They let his mother name him, for the birth certificate, I guess. She refused to identify his father. She went to jail for a while after that.”

  A beagle puppy pranced and yipped behind a pet shop window. Its tail wagged with exuberance that shook its whole back end. They stopped and Hank bent and touched the glass. The pup tried to lick his finger. “Cute, isn’t she?”

  Audra moved for a closer look. “She’s adorable.”

  The puppy’s gaiety banished the sadness that tried to lodge in her heart.

  They waved to the shopkeeper inside and walked on. Soon, they were back at the restaurant parking lot.

  Audra pulled a key ring out of her purse and unlocked her car. “I’m glad you called this evening. I needed to get out and have a little fun. I like my apartment, but I’ll admit to being rather depressed since—”

  “I know.” Hank patted her arm. “But things will get better. You’ll see.”

  Chapter 31

  The landing gear slammed hard against the tarmac. Edward’s seatbelt dug into his lap.

  The middle-aged woman seated beside him gasped and latched onto his arm. Her fake, dagger-like nails threatened to pierce his sleeve and poke holes in his flesh.

  Reverse thrusters roared and tires screeched. Worst landing ever.

  “I’m so sorry.” The woman patted his sleeve as if she could undo the few moments of torture she’d inflicted on him.

  He checked his sarcastic, cutting inclination. “No problem, ma’am. It was a hard landing.” There, he was nice for a change.

  “Welcome to Dulles International Airport,” the flight attendant said over the intercom. She gave the local time, the temperature, and the carousel number where they could collect their baggage and the okay to use electronic devices.

  He tried to power up his smartphone. It was no use. The dead battery didn’t produce a spark of light.

  * * * *

  Edward chucked his duffel bag onto the back seat of the rental car, slid behind the wheel and put his backpack on the passenger side. The engine came to life and a new-car smell swirled around the interior.

  He plugged the phone into the charger and switched it on. Chimes notified him of new, unheard messages. The first message came from Audra and had been left a few weeks ago.

  “Edward, I got your letter.” Pain ran through her voice like a sharp skewer. “At least now I know why you were so angry.” She broke down and cried. “I’m not getting married. My father lied to you, Edward, he lied.”

  Low, indiscernible sounds followed as if she’d covered the phone or pulled it away from her face. He turned up the volume and pressed it to his ear. Her muffled cries tormented him.

  “My father and I had a terrible argument. I moved out of my parents’ house and I’m sitting here in my car with all my stuff piled in the trunk and back seat. M-Maybe I’ll go to my brother Kyle’s for a few days. I don’t know. Please call me, Edward.”

  His jaws tightened. If anything happened to her, he’d go nuts.

  Bypassing a couple of calls from Hank, he went straight to Audra’s next message, stamped with yesterday’s date. She had her own apartment, Hank had helped her find it, and her job was keeping her busy. The knot of anxiety in his gut unraveled. She was safe. That was all that mattered.

  Hank’s first few messages paralleled what he’d just heard from Audra, telling about Joe’s lie and finding the apartment.

  His last voicemail posted this morning. “Hi, Eddie. I checked in with Audra on my way home from business
in the city last night. I was starving, so I had dinner with her. That girl misses you something awful. Oh, and guess what? Joe, the liar, showed up on Audra’s doorstep yesterday and delivered a package of apologies for what he did to you guys. Imagine that. Call me when you get home.” Hank’s upbeat tone cheered Edward.

  Edward shifted into drive, left the rental lot, and came to a crossroad. Go north on I-95 and get to New York around midnight, or head southwest on his original mission? He made his decision, turned the wheel and pressed the gas. New York would have to wait.

  * * * *

  The country town was little more than a dot on the map with a main street of mom-and-pop shops, a couple of churches, and a post office. Edward’s phone GPS directed him to Seventeen Eldridge Lane. He pulled to the curb across from the house and killed the engine. The digital clock on the dash glowed in the dark. Five minutes after nine.

  Up and down the quiet lane, streetlights illuminated large yards that surrounded simple clapboard houses, each having attached carports wide enough for two vehicles. Edward lowered the driver’s side window and breathed the scent of freshly mown grass. From somewhere in the dark recesses of the rolling countryside, a hound bayed at an unseen threat, or maybe just the moon, and crickets chirped their song of the night.

  Inside number seventeen, TV lights danced against the mini blinds. Good, somebody was home.

  Edward took the leather Bible from his backpack and pulled Marcus’s letter from between the pages. You need a friend, LT. Let me, and let Jesus be your friend. He palmed his phone and thumbed Marcus’s number.

  “Hello?” Marcus answered as if he hadn’t checked the caller ID.

  “Hi. This is Edward.”

  “Hey buddy, how’re you doing? You back in the States?” It wasn’t hard to discern the welcoming timbre in Marcus’s voice.

  “I’m good. I landed a couple of hours ago.”

  Casual conversation wouldn’t be easy, but he’d give it his best shot. “How’s your wife? And the baby, is it, I mean, is he or she all right?”

  Marcus laughed a little. “He. And yes, both of them are fine.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.” He meant it. No one deserved to have a kid more than Marcus. He’d be a good dad.