Surprise
Lauren let out a long and frustrated sigh. She leans her elbows onto her desk and rests her head in her hands.
I can’t do this anymore. I need her back. I need her here with me. She thinks. She turns her head to take a look at the clock and sees that she has only 30 minutes left before she can leave her job to pick up their son.
She takes another deep breath and sits up straight. If she wants that promotion, she’s got to show her boss that she’s working harder than her co-worker, who is also aiming for that promotion. She stretches her fingers and starts typing out orders for albums and ep’s that they need in the music store.
After typing out the last order of the day, Lauren turns her computer off and leans back into her chair. Her eyes are trailing to the framed picture on her desk.
Tears are welling up in her eyes at the sight of her family. She reaches out and takes the picture in her hands. Her fingers are trailing over her smiling face as she starts whispering. I need you Camz. I can’t wait anymore, I don’t think I would survive another 3 months without you.
‘’Lauren?’’ she hears a voice say behind her. She quickly puts the picture back on her desk, wipes her tears away and turns around to face her boss. ‘’Yes, James?’’
‘’Are you done for today?’’ he asks her, looking at the black screen of her computer questionably. ‘’Uhm, yeah I am. I finished all the orders for today and filled out a few for tomorrow too.’’ She answered the man.
He smiled lightly. ‘’Good. I need you to come with me for a minute. Grab your stuff and follow me, please?’’ he asked. She didn’t know what was happening, but she was hoping it would have something to do with that promotion. She quickly got up, gathered her jacked and her bag and followed the man out of her office.
‘’So, how are you Lauren? And how’s Camila, have you heard from her lately?’’ He asked her. Lauren smiled sadly. James knew that Camila was sent away to Iraq for 15 months. The first few months were hard for Lauren. She missed her girlfriend and she didn’t think that she would make it through another 13 months without her. She cried herself to sleep every night, looking at the empty space beside her.
After two more months, she started to get used to Camila not being around. She still missed her like crazy, but she seemed to manage. It was hard to take care of Jace on her own, and she knew he missed his mom just as much as she did.
During Camila’s absence, she missed his third birthday, and he cried all day because she wasn’t there to celebrate it with him. Her heart broke at the sight of her son crying his eyes out for her, and she wasn’t able to stop her own tears. They had cried together for a long time.
After they had calmed down enough, Lauren grabbed a photo book from the shelf and pulled Jace into her lap. They looked at the pictures they had taken over the years and Lauren had told him each story from every picture. They laughed together, and cried some more when they finished the book.
That night, they went outside to the garden and watched the stars together. Lauren had reminded Jace of what Camila had told them before she left. ‘’Whenever you feel lonely, or when you think you’re not strong enough, look at the stars. Know that I’m watching the same stars you are watching, and know that I will always be thinking about you. You will never be alone. And each day that passes, is one day closer to us being together again.’’
