"Anna, Anna, wake up and get your things; we are moving."
That was Anna's mother's voice, waking her from her deep slumber. Anna laid still and watched as her mother hurriedly packed her clothes into a box. Anna was cautious of the time as she was done caressing her eyes with her little fingers to drive away the sleep. "But mom, it is 2 a.m. in the morning; where are we going?" her mother ignored her as she was too focused on the backpack she was arranging.
"Don't worry, honey, I am taking you to go see Daddy." It was then Anna jumped up from her bed and helped her mother.
It has been six months since her dad was deployed to another country for peacekeeping; he was in the military, and Anna was so proud of her father. Her mother has been so worried because she has been surfing the internet and has only been able to pick up the bad news that emanates from the country her husband was deployed to.
There was a rescue mission that was done for all the soldiers that were in the insurgence country, with the aim of bringing them home. The mission was only told to the families of the soldiers, and at 1:55 a.m., they were informed that the rescue soldiers had arrived.
Anna and her mom got into the car and drove off to the military air force base. On their arrival, they met other families that were expecting one person from the peacekeeping mission. They aren’t allowed to see the returning soldiers, as they are still being questioned. After an hour, the returning soldiers started trouping out, and everyone was running to meet their loved one. Anna and her mom were watching eagerly, just to rush to him when he walks out, and that was when the voice came.
"Mrs. Michaelson, please come with me to my office." It was the army head commandant who spoke to her. She was shocked at first, as she didn’t want to miss the moment her husband would walk out of the waiting room, but the expression on the commandant's face just made her comply. His expression was sober and yet commanding respect, so she went with him. On getting to his office, he asked her to sit down and began to talk.
"Madam, I don’t know how to tell you this, but I will be straightforward with you. The rescue mission we sent the M9 rescue team on to rescue our stranded soldier in the country, Kalu, was successful and also not successful. While the mission was on and they were boarding the helicopter that would take them to the airplane station, three soldiers volunteered to stay back just so they could get their comrades out of arms way because they were under heavy fire. They are the best field soldiers, and your husband, Major Jake, was one of them."
Before he could continue his statement, Anna's mom broke down in tears; there was no stopping her tears. It was like something precious was taken from her. Anna couldn’t understand what was going on, but she couldn’t stop herself from crying, and all she was saying was "DADDY."
After some time, a military personnel drove them home. They got into their home, and their world became empty all of a sudden. She finally stopped crying after several weeks and got back up. Days turn to weeks, and weeks to months. Eight month had passed, but she was still waiting and seeking if there was any new information, and on the remaining soldier left, but nothing positive came up.
It was a hot afternoon; Miss Michaelson was in the kitchen making lunch, and Anna was with her. She said to her mom, "Mommy, do you miss Daddy?" Miss Michaelson stopped what she was doing, looked at Anna, and gave a smirk. "Yes, my dear, I miss him every day." As the conversation continued, the doorbell rang, and Miss Michaelson asked her daughter, "Are you expecting anyone?" She replied, "No, I am not, but let me check who it is."
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Anna went to the door, and the person she saw gave her the shock of her life. She wanted to scream, but there was no voice to support her. All she could say was Daddy, Daddy, Daddy continuously. Her mom was waiting for her, but she refused to return. As she was about to leave the kitchen to see what was going on, the front door shut, and she assumed Anna was coming in already. Anna and this tall man walked into the kitchen, but Miss Michaelson had bent down to pick up a fallen cup. Before she could stand up, she heard her name: "Jane, are you home? I miss you so much, I had to fight every day just to see you.
Jane stood up, saw her daughter holding her husband's hands, and the fountain of her tears opened. She cried and ran to him, and all she could say was, "I miss you."
