Last Salute by Tracey Richardson

Author:Tracey Richardson [Richardson, Tracey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781594933721
Publisher: Bella Books
Published: 2013-11-11T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

The air was warm and humid, the glow of the orange streetlights like small orbs of setting suns, Pam thought.

She wanted to hold Trish’s hand on the walk back to the house, but she couldn’t think of an excuse that would allow it. It was a romantic thought that wouldn’t leave her, though. So was the desire that this was a real date and that there was more of the evening in store, back at the house—a glass of wine together on the two-person glider on the front porch, gazing into each other’s eyes and talking about the future. A little making out in the dark too.

Pam didn’t like admitting that she was a closet romantic, but in her bones she knew it was true. It was why she read schmaltzy Nora Roberts’ and Nicholas Sparks’ books and had a healthy collection of lesbian romance novels as well, all of them stashed neatly under the bed. Even an old Barry Manilow tune on the radio could send a shiver of sentiment through her. She’d never been with a woman worthy of unleashing her pent-up romantic zeal on, but with Trish she knew she could. Every romantic song, every vision of a candlelit dinner or a walk on the beach made her think of Trish. With Trish, all of these and more were possibilities, not simply fantasies.

Trish broke the silence. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Earlier tonight. What were you talking to that newspaper reporter about?”

“She was talking to me about Laura. She’d like to do a story about Laura sometime. Her life, her sacrifices. You know, what kind of person she was, why she joined the army. Kind of an American hero type of story.”

“Tell me you’re not considering it.”

Pam shrugged one shoulder. “She made some good points. Laura really was a hero. I think maybe, at some point anyway, her story deserves to be told to a wider audience. I think people should understand what our soldiers are doing over there and why they do what they do. I’d like people to know Laura’s sacrifice wasn’t for nothing.”

Trish remained silent, and even in the dark, Pam could see her jaw clenched tightly. Her stride became more staccato, heavier. Angry stomps that reminded Pam of the sound of marching soldiers.

“Trish, you can’t stay mad at the army for the rest of your life.”

“Why not? They took her away from us forever. And besides, it’s not the rest of my life yet. She hasn’t even been gone three months. I can damn well stay mad as long as I like.”

Pam didn’t say more; she didn’t want to cause a big fight. But she knew Trish’s anger and rage at the army would eventually eat her up from the inside out if she didn’t let it go or at least figure out a way to blunt it. The army had been Laura’s choice—as much as she and Trish had disagreed with it. And it had been Laura’s choice to go to Afghanistan.

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