Captain Henry Gallant by H. Peter Alesso

Author:H. Peter Alesso [Alesso, H. Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: SF, military, genetic engineering
ISBN: 9781077670242
Google: 95e9yQEACAAJ
Amazon: 1077670249
Publisher: self-published
Published: 2019-09-11T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

Deployment

Alaina waited at the space station gangway, hoping Henry would keep his promise to say goodbye before the Constellation buttoned up for deployment.

The deployment was an ordinary ship departure—as ordinary as any ship leaving for a combat zone in time of war could be—with no fanfare, no speeches, no reporters. Only family members.

Hundreds of families surrounded Alaina, each obsessed with last-minute hugs and kisses that had to last for . . . a month . . . a year . . . a lifetime.

One middle-aged woman, seeing Alaina searching the crowd, said, “Don’t worry, dearie. He’ll come. They always race around like mad at the last minute, but they never miss the last goodbye.”

Alaina gave a faint smile to the woman. “Thank you. I’m sure you’re right. I just wish for once he wouldn’t make me wait until the very last moment.”

The woman gave a harsh laugh. “I’ve done the tearful farewells and the joyful homecomings seven times. But this is my hardest goodbye yet. I was here to welcome him home barely three months ago and didn’t expect him to be leaving again so soon. My Dave was due for discharge until they changed the enlistment period. Somehow, it doesn’t seem fair.”

Alaina put an arm around her shoulders and gave a squeeze. “I’m sorry.”

The woman blinked back tears and pulled herself together. “Between my work and two kids in school, I just keep telling myself, ‘It is what it is. It’ll be all right.’”

The haunted smile on the woman’s face lingered in Alaina’s mind as she turned to walk away.

But a running man almost knocked Alaina over in his hurry to reach the woman. The two of them clung to each other, their goodbyes muffled through a blizzard of sobs and tears. Two little girls clutched at their father, pleading, “Don’t go, Daddy. Please don’t go.”

The man eventually pried his daughters off his legs and gave his wife one final kiss. As he disappeared into the crowd, the woman knelt on the floor, holding her children close. Four spaghetti arms wrapped around her neck; two tear-stained faces buried themselves in her chest.

The woman whispered, “Be brave. Don’t let Daddy see you cry. Be strong for him.”

Seven years into a cruel war, the sacrifice of military families seemed forgotten in the rollercoaster swings between the pride of service and the sorrow of separation.

Alaina’s eyes welled up as she watched this little drama repeat many times over the next hour.

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