Page 16 of Wishing for Christmas
She waved it off with the flick of a hand. She didn’t have time to worry about that right now. She grabbed the writteninstructions Brent had given her, telling her how to get on base, and headed out the door.
Dozens of questions swirled around her head as she made the thirty-minute drive from Cranberry Pines to the Air Force base. She was still trying to come to grips with everything and understand exactly what was being asked of her. Was she really expected to say goodbye to him for a year and act as if that wasn’t going to change—well—everything? How could Brent be so optimistic? And how, she wondered again, could the military just ruin people’s holiday plans like this? That constant thought kept repeating itself: It was all so unfair.
A rumble of jet engines in the distance let Clara know she was getting closer to the base. The water tower donning the official seal of the US Air Force loomed on the horizon. She nervously swallowed as she turned off the highway toward the main entrance.Well, here goes nothing.
The Air Force base was busier than she had imagined. It was like its own little town—plopped down in the middle of nowhere—surrounded by iron gates and armed guards. Planes flew overhead, and dozens of flags waved in the wind. She bent her head to see out the window, looking at the sky. A fighter jet was taking off into the clouds with the impressive roar of combat air power. A helicopter appeared larger before her eyes as it quickly approached from the distance.
Clara was taken off guard by a sudden surge of patriotism. She supposed being on a military base would do that; it was just that up until now, she had never been on one. Since Brent lived off base, this was her first opportunity to see it all up close.
Or was it? A fuzzy memory popped into her head of a time when her father had taken her to an air show as a young child. Now that she thought about it, it must have been right here on this base. She didn’t remember too much about it, but she could recall the look on her father’s face as he looked to the sky in awe.Or perhaps it was gratitude. The loud engines had scared her at the time, but her father had held her hand. He said they were the most comforting sounds in the world.
She supposed she understood now what he’d meant. There was something impressive about the Air Force, and she couldn’t help but feel a sense of security, knowing the country was in good hands.
Clara parked her car at the security office, just outside the gate, as Brent had instructed her to do.
“Ms. Jenkins?” A young man in a security uniform was standing behind a desk. “We’ll need to see your photo ID and have you fill out a little information. Senior Airman Peck will escort you out to the flight line as soon as you’re ready.”
Clara smoothed down her coat. She fumbled through her bag for her wallet, casting a glance over at Airman Peck, standing by a door.
He was a short, stocky man with dark hair and a solid mustache. He wore a camouflage top that looked like something between a shirt and a jacket. The matching pants were baggy, but tight at the ankles above a pair of heavy black boots. Clara was instantly intimidated by him. He looked like the typical boot-camp commander in an Army movie who would shout orders in the faces of new recruits. Why washegoing to escort her anywhere?
She handed over her ID with a trembling hand and began filling out a form.
Airman Peck tapped his boot and let out a sigh.
Clara chewed on her lip.
He cleared his throat. “The bus is ready when you are, ma’am.”
She looked up from her paperwork. “The bus?”
“To take you out to the flight line.”
She shook her head to indicate she didn’t understand.
“To meet the aircraft.” Airman Peck turned to the door and walked outside.
She had assumed Brent would be the one to meet her here. Wherewashe anyway? Clara quickly handed her paperwork over the desk and followed close behind.
“Excuse me,” she said to the airman’s back.
He didn’t seem to hear her.
“Shouldn’t we wait for Major McNally?”
“The jet should be landing in about ten minutes,” he said, ignoring her question. “I’ll have you out there in time to see them arrive if you hurry.”
“See them arrive?” She rushed around to the front of Airman Peck, forcing eye contact. She held up both her hands. “Wait, you must have me confused with someone else. I’m here to see a flight depart. Major McNally is leaving on the . . .” She pulled the notes from Brent out of her bag “ . . . the C-17. It should be departing soon.”
Airman Peck tapped away at his tablet, still walking toward the bus. “No, ma’am. No departures today. But there is a C-17 arriving. And Major McNally—I assure you—is on it.” He stopped and turned around to give Clara an arrogant smile.
She let out a sigh. This guy obviously didn’t know what was going on. If he was going to be difficult, there was nothing she could do about it. She was not about to argue with him here at the security office. Clara could just imagine having to tell Brent she’d been kicked off the base for insubordination. She supposed she’d have to wait to get out to this flight line—whatever that was. She’d get things straightened out there. Once Brent arrived, surely everything would be cleared up.
She followed Airman Peck onto the small shuttle bus. It reminded her of going to the airport, where every trip started with an overcrowded bus from the parking lot to the terminal.This one was also packed with people, all in their seats, waiting to depart. All eyes shifted to her—the one holding things up.
Clara looked from row to row at all the other passengers. It was mostly women and children. There were a few men. Several other airmen in uniform were scattered throughout. She supposed these were the other friends and family who came to see their loved ones off. She let out a quick breath. She was in the right place, after all. She would just have to wait and see Brent once she got out to wherever they were going.
She walked down the bus aisle, feeling like the new kid on their first day of school. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits, oddly enough. How happy could they really be when their Christmas would be so lonely and sad? These women were all about to lose their husbands for a year. The whole situation was depressing.
