Reed's Reckoning

It was the most magical night ever, each dance he would hold me close and sing in my ear. I had never felt so safe and special. We declared our love that night and promised to wait for each other. I had two years of school remaining and Sean had no idea where the Navy would send him. But that wasn’t going to stop us. I felt confident enough in our love that we would make it.” She pauses and takes a sip of her wine before continuing.

“Even the strongest confidence falters. My parents feared I was too hung up on him. We had to communicate through letters for years. One day his letters stopped. I didn’t hear from him for six months. I was devastated. No one could get me out of my depression. Finally I snapped. I had just turned eighteen, and I was legally an adult. I packed a bag and took off on a bus to his last known base. I had no clue what I was doing, but I was naïve, young, and deeply in love. It was the biggest risk of my life because I didn’t know what I would find when I got there.”

“Oh my God, my stomach is in knots. What if he was with another woman?” Sophie asks, basically taking the words right out of my mouth.

“Sophie, I was prepared to take that chance. I had to know and see for myself. I couldn’t believe the feelings we had were gone. So when I got off that bus near the base, I found a diner. The waitress was a cute little thing about my age and was very friendly. We got to talking and I told her my story. She quickly explained I couldn’t just walk up to a naval base and ask for Sean Williams. But as fate would have it, her boyfriend was also in the Navy. We took out the last letter I received from Sean and she wrote down all the information. I stayed in that diner until her boyfriend came to pick her up and she showed him Sean’s information. He wasn’t familiar with the exact housing but he knew the ship. He drove us out to the base as his guests. When we got to the ship, a few guys were walking our way and he asked about Sean’s whereabouts. These guys weren’t forthcoming but when they saw me, one of them smiled widely. He said something in his walkie-talkie and then stood back. A few minutes later Sean ran out and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw me. I burst into tears because the look on his face was full of confusion and hurt. I ran straight to him and he held me tight. He was shaking as well and I knew he was crying into my shoulder. It took us a few minutes to calm down and when I stepped back, we both said ‘why’ at the same time. In that moment, I knew something was very wrong. Without another word though, Sean picked me up and kissed me. It was a searing kiss that sent waves of electricity through my body. Our audience started cheering but I didn’t let him go. I kissed him with every ounce of love I had.

“Well, as the story goes, my father had intercepted all of our correspondence back and forth. Sean had stopped receiving my letters as well. We spent the next two days together, and when I left, our future was mapped out. Only my brother and sister knew where I was and they finally broke down and told my parents. When I got home, I was so angry with my dad but didn’t expect what came next. He and my mother were waiting for me on the couch and the tension in the room was unbearable. They gave me an ultimatum. Breakup with Sean or lose their support. We had a huge fight and I packed my things to live with my brother in town. I was graduating in two months and I was going to sleep on his couch. That’s exactly what I did too. Sean got leave and was there for my high school graduation along with my sister and brother. My parents never showed.”

“That’s so hurtful. Didn’t they see how in love you were? And grandpa was an amazing man.” I tell her.

“Yes, he was. That’s why I chose him. That night, after the ceremony and a small celebration my sister put together, Sean asked me to marry him. We wed six weeks later at the courthouse with his family and my siblings there. Then I moved to Virginia to be with him. Things were hard, I never regretted my decision, but I missed my parents. I enrolled in the nursing program at the nearby college and worked toward my degree. One year later, Sean was deployed for six months. I was so lonely and sad, but I kept going to school and made friends with the other wives. Out of the blue, I received a package. When I opened it, I cried. There was the bundle of letters that Sean had written me that my father had confiscated. Along with it were my letters as well. I wasn’t sure if this was an apology or not. I called my parents and we cried through the conversation. We made plans for me to visit as soon as Sean got home.