In honor of Veterans’ Day on Wednesday, this week’s snippet is from my short story collection, The Futility of Loving a Soldier, which has a print edition is coming out later this month.
Today’s excerpt is from “Gone But Not Forgotten.” Carolyn is going through boxes belonging to her ex-husband when she finds a medal that triggers some memories.
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She was going out to lunch with her mom, followed by a trip to the grocery store—gone three hours, tops. She had reservations leaving Shanna with Bryce, but he reassured her they’d be fine.
“It’s my own daughter, for God’s sake; you think I’d hurt my own daughter?”
Not intentionally, she wanted to retort, but she swallowed her words and misgivings, handed him the baby, and said, “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 offering the same laundry list of details she gave teenage babysitters. This was her husband, Shanna’s father, and he didn’t need this; they’d be fine.
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Read more about Carolyn and Bryce in The Futility of Loving a Soldier, then post a link to your eight sentences blog entry, or join the fun at the Weekend Writing Warriors website.
So painful to read and know what couples go through when the husband returns froma war zone a change man. You express the times so well.
As a father of four (though they’re grown up now), I’ll like to point out that the laundry might not be a terribly bad idea regardless. :-)
Interesting snippet, with an underlying note of sadness. Well done.
It is a good snippet. Real and sad. That is the family life after deployment. Well done, ED.