When his initial enlistment was up, Mike didn’t go home. He re-enlisted and went into special operations. The military became his entire world. He went on three deployments over the next four years, never once returning to his hometown, even during his leaves.
It wasn’t that he didn’t miss his parents; he was terrified of seeing Sarah. He was a hardened soldier now, but he feared that seeing her would break the wall he’d built around his heart. His parents begged him to visit, worried they were losing their son entirely.
He always had an excuse—training, deployments, paperwork. But eventually, his commanding officer called him in. It turned out Eleanor had been calling the base, complaining to anyone who would listen that her son was being “denied his rightful leave.”
“Do you ever take a break, Miller?” the Colonel asked. “I take my leave, sir,” Mike replied. “I just don’t go home.” “What’s the problem?” “No desire to go back, sir.” “Family trouble or girl trouble?”
The Colonel saw the answer in Mike’s eyes. “Look, forget the girl. But you owe it to your folks to show your face. It’s not right to stay away this long,” the officer said firmly. Mike realized he had to go, if only to stop his mother’s phone calls to the Pentagon.
Three days later, he was on a train heading back to the Midwest. During a thirty-minute layover at a major hub, Mike decided to get some air and grab a coffee at the station terminal.
He stood in line at a small kiosk, watching the usual travel chaos. He checked his watch, then the departure board. He had plenty of time. That’s when he saw a familiar silhouette in the distance…
A young woman with a small child was standing near the far end of the terminal. She looked out of place among the business travelers and vacationers. Her clothes were worn and outdated, though clean. The three-year-old boy beside her looked just as scruffy but well-kept. She was holding his hand tightly.
She was approaching people, speaking softly. It was clear she was asking for help—for money. Mike felt a surge of annoyance. Why didn’t people just get a job instead of panhandling at train stations?
But as she moved closer, Mike’s heart stopped. He recognized those eyes, that tilt of the head. It was Sarah. In that moment, she looked up and saw him too.
