“It’s a very early no.”
She refused to go back to sleep.
By the time we left for the airport, she was practically vibrating with excitement in her bright yellow dress. She held the handmade welcome sign against her chest and asked every few minutes whether we were almost there.
I was excited too, but beneath that excitement was a nervousness I could not explain.
Two years was a long time.
People changed.
Marcus had left as my husband, Lily’s father, and the man who always drank coffee too late at night. I wondered what would be left of that man after everything he had seen.
When we entered the military arrival terminal, families were already gathered around the barrier. Children sat on shoulders. Parents held flowers. Spouses checked the arrival board again and again.
Lily tugged on my hand.
“Will Daddy see my dress?”
“He’ll see you before he sees anything else.”
