EPILOGUE
I looked at Elsa as we stood at the gate of the airport two years later. Her hair was longer, and she looked as beautiful as ever as I watched her psych herself out for the upcoming flight. “Are you ready for this?” I asked her as she smiled at me.
“I am ready for anything if I am with you,” she told me as I leaned down and kissed her. The last couple of years had been amazing and full of laughter and love. I pulled her close for a hug and took into consideration what I’d asked her to do for me.
I was going back to Afghanistan. I was going back to lay some old ghosts to rest, not to serve my country any further. I just wanted to say goodbye to a few things, and I asked her to go with me a few months ago.
Of course, Elsa agreed to go. She was an amazing woman, and she wanted to try and find a way to help people over there as she had done in The States. Elsa had taken some of the money and helped with a local food bank as well as volunteering around town for different causes. She gave a lot of hope and joy to those around her, and I would forever be grateful to her for agreeing to spend her life with me.
I had a different outlook on life now, and I embraced everything that I’d been through over the years. I knew that it had led me to my true happiness, something I’d have never found if I had not broken down at Elsa’s farm. I just forgave myself and moved forward into my future.
We kept in regular touch with everybody. The guys came to see us at our bigger house, still in Long Island and stayed for periods of time just to get away. There were some new babies and Elsa wanted to try for one when we came home. She was so young when she got married and wanted to wait until she was a bit older to have babies and start staying home more. We’d been doing so much traveling and just enjoying life.
I led her to the plane as I thanked her for coming with me again, something that made her squeeze my hand and tell me that she’d always be there for me.
We took our seats, and Elsa leaned back and looked around as she teased me by asking how many hours we’d be on this flight. “You have your books to read and stuff to do, El,” I smiled at her.
Angela had her reading books about psychology and encouraged her to go to school and become a therapist. Elsa was a natural at listening to people and had a lot of practice with the guys and me. For being such an innocent girl before me, Elsa handled what she heard and saw with a grace that most people didn’t have. She had a strength that made her my hero.
Dan was staying at our house with his girlfriend of six months since Elsa had taken to caring for animals in all of her chaos. She rescued a variety of animals and had them set up all over the place, and my friend had agreed to help us out. I’d wanted to adopt two of the dogs, big meaty ones that had health issues that nobody else wanted to deal with. After what I’d been through, I felt bad for them and made them part of the family. Thankfully, there was always someone to watch them if we were gone for a while.
We sat through the takeoff with joined hands as always and then Elsa relaxed and started to think out loud. It was one of my favorite things about her and her parents confessed that they’d always enjoyed it as well. She talked about things to do when we arrived, one of which was to find a way to honor Joe’s life where he’d been killed.
She started to talk about Mitchell’s new twins, Andrea and Colin and how much they reminded her of Melissa’s kids. She asked me what I wanted first, a boy or a girl? I told her healthy is all that mattered, I would love any baby that she gave me.
Eventually, Elsa fell asleep curled up beside me and I watched her for a long time. I’d never forget seeing her the first time looking so young and naive when she’d turn out to teach me so much about life. I decided to nap as well, and my hand found hers as we dozed together and woke up in time to watch the sunrise beneath us.
It was beautiful, and I held her tight against me as I reminded her how much I loved her before she fell asleep again.
I wouldn’t trade anything in my life now that I had my true love in it. I knew that fate, however, cruel it could be, had a plan for me. I couldn’t find out to see what the rest of it was.
Get my never released free book Boarded for a limited time.
CAMP FLING
By Naomi Niles
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2016 Naomi Niles