Duty Comes First

The Unexpected News

The almost 2 years had been torture without Zander. Every passing second felt like an hour. She had missed him with all her heart, at every step dreaming of the day when he would come back and they would be together again like a family

Now here she was at the airport waiting for the time when she could see him again

Setting her hat at a proper angle, she walked across the car parking into the arrival lounge at the airport.

Entering the airport lounge she felt a wave of happiness and sounds hit her. Children running around, people waiting anxiously for the arrival of their loved ones, everyone's faces filled with hope and joy. The whole atmosphere was filled with joy!

Skylar walked up to the information board and saw that there was still half an hour to go before zander's plane landed. To kill time she made her way to the coffee counter and ordered a cappuccino trying very hard to pass time without biting her nails off remembering hoe to him duty comes first.

"The flight from Afghanistan has just arrived" the announcement brought Skylar back to the present. Blinking back the tears she dashed towards the reception area

Waiting-why was it torture? She kept searching among the many heads of emerging soldiers....one by one each officer came out! She could make out the screeching of girls and screams of joy of people. All of it felt like knives at her heart when she couldn't see her Zander.

What was taking him so long? Where was he? Was he stuck somewhere? She bit her nails in nervousness- soon the arrival lounge began emptying one by one and a sinister silence fell over her.

"Mrs. Alexander black?" she somebody inquire someone from the back. She turned around quickly praying for a miracle. She nodded her head! 

"Please come with me" the gentlemen said in a sombre tone.

Her eyes fell on the caskets that the bearers were carrying. 

"We regret to inform you that Major Alexander was martyred in the line of duty"

She stood there, her worst suspicions confirmed- she wanted to scream but no voice came out. She wanted to cry but no tear fell. She wanted to speak but her mouth went dry but all she felt was numbness washing over her!