I have a new book of short stories, The Futility of Loving a Soldier, coming out December 1st from Evolved Publishing.
The Futility of Loving a Soldier is a collection of eleven short stories about the effects of combat on relationships with military friends and family. Moving between why we love our soldiers to why we hate them, The Futility of Loving a Soldier demonstrates that we wouldn’t want lives without them.
Today’s excerpt is from “Gone But Not Forgotten,” about Carolyn, whose husband Bryce has just returned from deployment. In this scene, she’s thinking back on when their relationship started to fall apart.
She’d gone out to lunch with her mom, followed by a trip to the grocery store, gone three hours, tops. She’d had reservations leaving Shanna with Bryce, but he reassured her they’d be fine.
“It’s my own daughter, for fuck’s sake; you think I’d hurt my own daughter?”
Not intentionally, she wanted to retort, but instead she swallowed her words, her misgivings, and handed him the baby.
“I’ll be back in a few hours. Her bottle’s in the fridge, she likes it when you sing her to sleep, and she sleeps with her teddy bear, on her back.” Bryce tensed and Carolyn stopped talking, stopped the same laundry list of details she gave teenage babysitters, because this was her husband, Shanna’s father, and he didn’t need this. They’d be fine.
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Or would the baby be fine with her daddy? So sad when the soldier returns-a stranger. Lots of pathos and fear in this eight so well written.
Gah! How stressful for her, wanting to trust him with their child but unsure of his state of mind. They’ll be fine…right?!?!?!? Great 8!
So of course now I’m on the edge of my seat, thinking things weren’t fine…war exacts such a toll, even on those who come back seemingly uninjured. Excellent excerpt.
Wonderfully human. Great snippet.