Our Little Love Story *NOW PUBLISHED ON AMAZON KINDLE!!*

chapter thirty seven

It had been almost ten months since I had seen Jared. I braved the drive into St. Louis alone to meet him at the airport. I hated driving in big cities, and I was so thankful for GPS. My heart rate was probably off the charts once I hit the city limits of St. Louis until I reached Lambert Airport. I sighed a breath of relief once I parked my new-to-me car that I had saved and paid for outright from Ray in a parking space. It was a 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass, sports edition. I had named her ‘Eleanor’ after the Shelby Mustang in the movie ‘Gone in 60 seconds.’ I had fell in love with that car when I had first watched it.

I stepped out of the car, locking the door behind me. Jared’s plane was scheduled to arrive in thirty minutes, and I walked into the airport and found a seat in one of their cushioned chairs in the main lobby area. I sat tapping my foot anxiously on the floor waiting for him to arrive. Oh, how I wished I had brought a book or something along to pass the time. 

“Flight 354 is now arriving on schedule, and will be landing in approximately five minutes,” came a voice from the loudspeakers overhead. My eyes drifted up to the ceiling and I stood up and began pacing the tiled floor, waiting. 

Shortly, I saw a plane descending from the sky outside and touch down on the runway. It wouldn’t be much longer now. I sat back down in another seat and fidgeted with my hands. ‘You have ants in your pants,’ I heard my grandma’s sweet voice in my head. I stood and walked over to the exit gate, and waited for the passengers of the plane to begin walking through.

Random people started filing out of the exit gate and into the lobby of the airport. I glanced over them all quickly, looking for Jared. Finally, I saw him walking through the exit gate heading for the lobby. He spotted me waiting for him about fifteen feet before he reached me. 

“Hey,” he said, hurrying over to my side and wrapping his arms around me.

“Hey yourself,” I smiled. He dropped his carryon bag to the floor and pulled me even closer still, pressing his lips to mine. I wasn’t really one for displaying a lot of affection in public, and neither was he, but at this moment in time, I couldn’t care less who saw us, or what they thought. He was home from the war, safe and sound, in my arms.

“I’ve missed you so much,” he said breathlessly a few minutes later.

“I missed you, too. You’re awfully lovey-dovey towards someone that you’re not even ‘officially’ dating,” I teased. He just rolled his eyes and smiled and we walked to grab the rest of his luggage and head home. 

I let him drive.

****

“So, how’s work?” Jared asked. 

We were in his room, stretched out on his bed. His parents had left not too long before to go grocery shopping, and who really knew where his brother and sister were.

“It’s good,” I answered smiling, immediately thinking of Edna. 

“Well, I have some good news I thought that you’d like to hear,” Jared announced. Instantly catching my attention even more, I propped myself up on one elbow and looked over at him laying next to me and waited for this ‘good news.’ 

“I’m not scheduled to be deployed for at least six or eight more months,” he said, not wasting any time getting to the point. I was thankful. 

“Seriously?” I asked, cautiously. 

“Yup. Seriously,” he confirmed, a smile spreading across his face.

“Oh, wow! That’s great!” I exclaimed. I leaned forward and kissed his lips fiercely.