A split-second after the minister legally and lawfully united them, the faces of the newlyweds lit up the room. Katie smiled at Austin’s elation. A short while later he toasted his bride as exuberant spectators looked on. He said at almost thirty-two years of age he’d waited long enough to find his soul mate. Now that he had, he would never let her go. He also pledged to fill each of her days with love, laughter, lilies, and sunshine. Love sparkled from within Lucina’s eyes as she promised the same in return—minus the flowers.
Tricia, Lucina’s younger sister, turned toward Katie and giggled. “Aren’t they cute? I think they really are true soul mates, don’t you?”
“If such a thing truly exists between two people, then I think you’re right,” Katie replied. “However, I must say I’m not all that convinced there is such a thing as a soul mate.”
Tricia’s eyes took on a dreamy glow. “Oh, trust me, Katie—that kind of beautiful magic is out there. I know it and I can’t wait to find mine. He and I will be so perfect together. Wait and see.”
Soul mates. A pretty enough phrase, but did it have even a speck of truth behind it?
Many people accepted the notion without batting an eyelash. Did such a thing really exist, or should she file the conviction under fables and fairytales? Obviously if it truly existed, she’d never find hers. She’d never find him because she had no intention of looking for him. Never again would she trust herself to recognize her knight in shining armor. Not even if the man rode up on the white horse she imagined in all of her childhood dreams. Should such a moment arrive and said knight introduce himself as the man fate intended she have—she’d send him on his way. After she kicked Chad out of her life, she vowed she’d remain single and alone. She didn’t think that such a bad thing though. The plans she had made for her future would surely fill the empty corners the promise of a family once occupied.
Toward the end of the small reception hosted by Lucina’s mother, Austin made his way to Katie’s side. He dropped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her on the cheek. “What has had you so deep in thought this evening, little sister?”
“Oh, I don’t know. A bunch of things, I suppose. First and foremost, how happy I am that you found someone who would marry your ugly mug. That in itself is a miracle. Secondly, that despite the nightmare we experienced in going through customs, I made it to your wedding on time. I wouldn’t have wanted to miss it for the world. Third, how pleased I am that I met Lucina here and now. To see for myself how perfect you are for each other, and finally—the twenty bucks I owe you is sitting on top of your chest of drawers.”
“That’s good. I wouldn’t have wanted to send Guido out to collect the debt. Against all orders, he might’ve roughed you up a bit.”
Katie laughed. “I’m glad I escaped good ol’ Guido’s attention then. Anyway, I also stood here wondering how on earth I would keep myself occupied once the two of you leave for your honeymoon. Not that I want to tag along, mind you.”
He shook his head. “I don’t understand. I thought you and mom had a whole list of things you wanted to do while you were here.”
“We do and still will once you’re back.” She tilted her head toward her mother and raised a brow. “However, in case you haven’t noticed, the mothers of the bride and groom have been giggling like a couple of school girls. They’ve indulged in this childish behavior from the moment you and Lucina said I do. If you had paid even the slightest bit of attention, you’d know Mom and Ingrid have made all kinds of plans for the entire week you’ll be gone. Old lady plans I’d rather avoid, if you get my drift. Yes, I know I could either interfere with that or suck it up and tag along. I don’t think I want to do either one of those though. They look far too pleased with themselves. So, how now, brown cow?”
Austin chuckled as he scrubbed a hand back and forth across his mouth. “Well, let’s see. I have a couple of friends that have some free time. They could take you wherever you’d like to go and be happy to do it. I bet we could even rustle up a couple of horses you all could ride. We have a lot of interesting places out here you can only explore by hiking or horseback. I know this because I’ve checked them out myself.”
“Friends, hmm.” She gave him a sideways glance. “You’re not speaking of single male soldiers in the hope of playing matchmaker are you, because if you are—” She finished the comment with ‘the look.’
In turn, Austin appeared a little sheepish and more than a little grateful when Lucina arrived at his side.
“Who’s playing matchmaker?” She glanced back and forth between them before settling her gaze on her husband. “What’s going on?”
He threw his hands in the air. “Hey look, I’m innocent in all of this. Katie just pointed out that your mom and mine have made some plans this week. She didn’t necessarily want to join them and I don’t blame her. Therefore, I thought maybe we could get Hoffman and Fuller to act as her escorts. They could take her out to the—”
“Those two? Are you crazy?” Lucina huffed out a breath as she turned her gaze toward Katie. “Why don’t you just take my car? I won’t be using it. You can go wherever you want to go, whenever you want to go, and without the company of a couple of buffoons.”
Katie sucked in a breath. “Oh, but I couldn’t.”
“Oh, yes you can, and you will.” Lucina emphasized the edict with a firm nod of her head. “You’re my sister now, and I won’t take no for an answer.”
Katie looked at Austin, seeking a bit of help out of her predicament. He shook his head. “If you don’t use it, you’ll hurt her feelings. You don’t want to do that, now do you?”
“If you’re both going to gang up on me, then all right. I’ll borrow it if you insist.”
Lucina blessed her with a sweet smile. “I’ll leave the keys on the table.”
“You know what? I have just the place you can begin your adventure with too,” Austin said.
“Good, good, and where would that be?”
“The Verdun Memorial. Lucina and I were there not too long ago. I know you’ll love it for sure.”
****
Once the celebration ended and she finally climbed into bed, Katie couldn’t sleep no matter how hard she tried. For the life of her, she couldn’t say why. Perhaps the thought of taking off unescorted in a strange country had something to do with it. That shouldn’t bother her though, should it? She’d become quite independent during the past year and she took pride in that. So why the kaleidoscope of butterflies flitting around inside her belly? What made them dance all throughout the wee hours without reason? The puzzle kept her company off and on throughout the rest of the night.
****
As the morning arrived, the light that filtered in through the beige-colored bedroom curtains teased her awake. The bizarre restlessness hadn’t gone away. Yet the lack of sleep didn’t trouble her in the least. In fact, for the strange spark of excitement in the air, she felt marvelously refreshed and ready for adventure. She pulled on a pair of faded blue jeans and her navy blue top. After a quick bowl of cereal, she grabbed her backpack and Lucina’s keys. She headed out the door to the battlefield of Verdun in Lorraine, where so many soldiers lost their lives during World War I. Austin thought she’d enjoy both the scenic drive and what the memorial offered. She could follow the simple directions well enough.
The beautiful green, hilly country stole away her breath until the breathlessness grew stronger. The air grew muggy, thick, and heavy. To make matters worse, without warning and from out of the blue, a series of spine-tingling chills made her tremble from head to foot.
In direct opposition of that chill, an exquisite feeling of wondrous heat wrapped around her body and shot through her. She had never experienced anything like it. Furthermore, it scared her half to death. The fear compelled her to get off of the road and stop the car. She turned off the ignition even as she put a shaky hand over her mouth and closed her eyes. Minutes passed. All the while she waited for the return of some kind of normalcy that di
dn’t come. She couldn’t venture the smallest guess as to the cause of the problem.
There’s a special someone out there for everyone, Katie. Regardless of what you think right now, Heaven wouldn’t be Heaven without everyone having someone to love and cherish.
Her eyes flew open. Though the words were only audible inside her mind, she could hear the voice as plain as day. A man’s voice and one she somehow knew quite well, but couldn’t place. She took in a breath and held onto it for dear life. Had she lost her mind? Perhaps the lightning strike had caused a health issue the doctors couldn’t foresee—like an impending stroke, or heart attack even. Did she just experience one or the other of those issues? Should she dial the emergency number and ask for medical help?
Your soul mate? The notion you scoffed at last night? Well, like it or not, he does exist. He’s also a man you’ve loved far longer than you can ever imagine. In fulfillment of his destiny, he gave up his mortal life while in the service of his country. This happened well before you were born. Even so, that doesn’t make him any less real or any less yours—if you want him.
Katie again held her breath as she gave the passenger seat a quick peek. She almost expected to see someone sitting in the seat beside her. Instead of a person, a light that grew more brilliant by the second popped into view. The brilliance engulfed her. In the center of that light she saw a beautiful cemetery with manicured green grass, tall magnificent trees, and row after row of white crosses. She blinked several times but the stubborn scene remained.
Those crosses were quite common in American military cemeteries, right? She could now see herself running on and on for what seemed like forever through that graveyard. Through row after row, a force she couldn’t describe guided her steps. At last she stopped and turned to her left. She didn’t follow the path very far. How she knew the soldier’s exact resting place, she couldn’t say, but she did. She could see herself falling to her knees in front of his grave. Deep sorrow filled her heart as tears bathed her cheeks. Despite her attempts, the perspective the bizarre vision or hallucination offered, kept the name on the cross hidden from her view. Nonetheless, she knew without doubt, the body of her solider—her beloved soldier—rested there.
In response to the knowledge, the sorrow fled. In its place, her heart overflowed with love—a passionate, tender, magnificent love such as she had never experienced before or even thought possible—for this fallen soldier whose name she didn’t know.
Wait just a doggone minute. Love? Passion? Her soldier? She’d somehow lost her mind.
She snatched her phone with every intention of dialing that emergency number.
His love for you is every bit as sweet and just as powerful, if not more so, than the love you feel for him right now. Aren’t you the least bit curious? Wouldn’t you like to know a little bit more about him?
All of a sudden, tears ran down her cheeks. Katie couldn’t stop them. She couldn’t stop the onslaught of emotion either, nor could she make sense of it. All she knew right now was that it both thrilled and frightened her beyond reason.
How long she sat in the car off the side of the road she couldn’t say. A thousand fragmented thoughts assaulted her mind. She discovered a mountain of questions. Did the soldier she had just felt such passion for really exist? Was he buried in that graveyard? Or in some pathetic response to a failed marriage and her brother’s wedding, did she make him up? Could the voice in her head in any way be real? Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I made him up. But if I did, why on earth would I? None of this makes any sense.
Katie wiped away the last of her tears. She returned the phone to the side pocket of her backpack, started the car, and headed for the Verdun Memorial. Her quiet stroll through the cemetery didn’t answer a single question. The white crosses marking the graves didn’t match the ones in her wild hallucination-vision. If her soldier existed, he didn’t lose his life during World War I at the battle of Verdun.
No, he didn’t, but you’re on the right track. So don’t give up now.
A shudder traveled down her spine. She shook it off and approached one of the curators at the museum.
He gave her a welcoming smile.
“Excuse me, sir, do you speak English by chance?”
“Yes, I do, Miss. Is there something I can help you with?”
“Well, I’m an American as you might’ve guessed. I’m on a quest to visit as many military cemeteries as I can while I’m in the area. Now that I’ve finished my visit to your wonderful memorial, I wondered what else might be in the vicinity. Can you help me?”
She left the facility with a list, a fistful of pamphlets, and a map in her hand. Katie nibbled a lip as she considered each of the names and locations. The quest would take several days if she visited each one and examined each cross. Did she really want to do that? She wavered for only a moment. She took her cell phone from out of her backpack and called her mom.
“Katie? Are you all right, dear?”
The panic in her voice brought a smile to her face. Good thing she couldn’t see it. “I’m fine. I just wanted you to know I’ll be gone for a few days and I don’t want you to worry, all right?”
“I don’t see how you can do that. You don’t have your luggage with you, dear.”
Ever practical. Katie laughed. “No, but I have my backpack and it has a few changes of clothing still in it.”
“I can’t imagine what’s so important you have to go right now.” She dropped a sigh. “I suppose you’ll have your way though, you always do. You will promise to call me at least ten, maybe twenty times a day while you’re gone? So I don’t worry.”
“Let’s make that a couple of times a day. I found Verdun intriguing. So much so that I think I’ll visit several more military memorials while I’m in France. We both know that’s something you’d rather not do. You needn’t pretend otherwise.”
“Then I won’t. But why don’t you wait until Austin and Lucina return? I’m sure they wouldn’t mind the trip.”
“No, they’ve seen them all before, and we’ve already made other plans with them, so—”
“All right, if you’re sure. In all seriousness, please call me a couple of times a day so I know you’re all right. You are in a strange country, after all.”
“I will, I promise.”
“Oh, if you get down to Normandy, you might want to see if you can find your great-grand uncle Max’s grave. He’s buried there.”
“I…uh…didn’t know that. I’ll be sure to look for him though.”
Katie ended the call then wrapped her hands around her arms and rubbed them. Should she put the sudden intense chill down to mere coincidence or did the word ‘Normandy’ have anything to do with it? With the cemetery on her list, she’d know soon enough one way or the other.
****
On the third day of her journey, she pulled into the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial parking lot. She felt more than a little foolish as she exited the car. The past few days hadn’t yielded a thing. No crazy voices in her head. No ghosts. No visions or figments of her fertile, over-active imagination. Would this place be any different? Despite her doubts, she would finish this journey and put the matter to rest.
Katie glanced down at the brochure she held before turning her gaze toward the ocean below. A light breeze, carrying the aroma of sea brine, caressed her face. Under a blue, sunny sky the gentle swell of waves splashed onto a peaceful shore. On June 6, 1944, the day would’ve looked far different. The terrible scene described by all the history books made her shudder.
After several minutes, she turned away and headed for the cemetery. A thorough search of well over nine thousand graves seemed a daunting one. Nonetheless she would see this through, if for nothing else than to prove her vision-hallucination just that—a wonderful, wild, hallucination. Once she returned home and had her feet firmly planted on the ground, she’d laugh over this experience. She might even share it with her siblings and her Texas cousins. Jared and Justin could have suc
h fun with it, even if at her expense. Indeed, they would never let her live it down. Better that than being locked up in the loony bin somewhere, right?
The moment she stepped onto the grass, her heart picked up its pace. The air around her now had a sudden heaviness to it. Moisture from the sea perhaps or just anxiety? Whatever the cause, she dismissed it. Instead, she concentrated on the rows of white crosses ahead of her, thousands upon thousands that matched the crosses in her bizarre vision. She knew without a name, she just couldn’t do it. Yet at the same time, she couldn’t leave either. How to reconcile the two?
Katie brushed her windblown hair away from her face. She tugged at the hem of her emerald green, scooped neck T-shirt. All the while tears threatened to surface. She gazed all about the cemetery and didn’t see anyone, anywhere in the near vicinity. Good. Because—
“I’m road-weary and bone-tired. I’ve had very little sleep since I arrived in Germany. I have found nothing that gives an ounce of credence to your existence during these past three days. More than likely, I’m stark raving mad. However, if this is not the case and you’re somewhere out there, you better tell me which way to go. If you don’t, I’m going to go back to the car. From there I’ll head to the nearest medical facility for the mentally troubled. That, my friend, will be the end of my quest.”
Did she just hear a masculine chuckle carried by the breeze? Her irritation intensified.
“Are you buried here or am I just wasting my time?” She tucked a hand inside the front pocket of her black jeans and waited for some kind of response. “Well? Are you going to help me or are you not?”
Head over to plot E, row 25. That’s off to your right.
“Thank you.” She had gone mad. Not only did she hear voices in her head, she believed what he said and followed his directions to the letter. As she approached the designated row, she slowed her steps. She turned left and stopped. Katie didn’t ask for additional directions because she already knew which of the crosses belonged to her soldier. As she moved forward her gaze fell on a single rose in front of his grave.
Love Letters from Heaven Page 5
