Soldier Mine (Sons of War #2)(18)
As much as I hate to admit it, I’m kind of looking forward to tomorrow. Not for the food or the crowds but to see if I can glimpse a little into Petr’s life. I’m curious about him, about what makes him seem like the kind of guy I should’ve dated instead of The Monster I chose.
Part of me also wants to see if he behaves in a similar fashion around other women. Is he concerned about the brothers of every woman he meets or just mine? I have to think that if he’s a recruiter, too, he’s probably involved in a lot with youth activities.
Thinking about him confuses me, though I’m pretty certain Todd will be happy tonight when I tell him the news about both.
Chapter Nine: Petr
Claudia’s lukewarm acceptance of the invitation to the Thanksgiving feast and to take Todd to karate manages to bolster my spirits throughout the rest of the day, which can only be described as chaotic.
I spend most of it at the community center? working with Bev, an army of caterers and other staff members in a flurry of uncoordinated activity to ready the center for tomorrow.
My preference for order and disciplined action is challenged among the civilians. Rather than stirring the pot, though, I help out where I can and support Bev’s attempts at organizing the different groups managing separate tasks.
It’s midnight before I arrive home, exhausted. My upper thigh aches from the extended time on my feet, and I drop onto my couch and begin to rub it. Sometimes, the muscles bunch up and cause inflammation and irritation with the prosthetic. A quick massage and a few pills help, and an hour later, I’m flipping channels on the television.
It dawns on me that I haven’t checked my messages all day. I retrieve my cell from the nightstand. There are a couple texts from Brianna, a long one from my sister, reminders from Bev and a note from Todd. I open his first.
OMG thank you thank you thank you!! I’ll see you tomorrow.
I’d nearly forgotten about today’s exchange with his sister. Her gaze had grown clouded when I asked about her unexpected change of heart then flat out devastated when I mentioned Todd was troubled.
Whatever is haunting both of them, I can’t help wanting to know more. At the very least, I think Todd’s new hobby will help him. Maybe it’ll be enough to take some of the strain off of Claudia, too. If she’s less worried about her brother, it’s possible she’ll loosen up around me a little and instead of bringing me coffee, we can go out together for a cup.
Then again, I’m not entirely certain I’m ready for that opportunity to materialize, but I am interested in her, more so than I think is normal for a near stranger.
I check Bev’s cheerful reminders, read Katya’s text-novel and then move to Brianna’s. More from her about wanting to give our on-off relationship a new try, that she’s going away on business but in January will ask me again, and so on.
Replacing the cell, I can’t help but compare the two women. One I need to let go of and one I can’t wrap my mind around.
My only determination: I have a penchant for difficult women, and I’m fairly certain it’s not a good thing.
My leg is sorer than usual the next morning and my limp more pronounced. I arrive to the community center around six to find Bev’s staff already busy working. The whole building smells of food: turkey, pies and baked goods. Brunch food items are being shuttled into the main auditorium. The center opens up at nine with the feast lasting until eight at night. Brunch runs until the official turkey dinner begins at one.
Throughout the center, there are games for school-aged kids, babysitting for parents who need a break, a video and gaming center, a movie room, bingo and cards for the older crowd, a 5K run at noon and plenty of other activities people can enjoy between trips to the buffet throughout the day.
I check the maps Bev’s had printed. She really doesn’t need anyone involved unless it’s to provide another set of hands. I wander through the autumn themed activity rooms, admire the twelve foot chocolate turkey, and check out the set up for the dining hall.
Everything is perfect. Busy and noisy … but perfect.
By the time it opens, I’ve managed to eat a small Thanksgiving meal under the auspices of testing out the food. There’s a crowd out front, and Bev’s staff issues different colors of wristbands for everyone arriving to identify those over twenty one, those with kids in the daycare, and so on. The center is soon thrumming with activity.
“This is going to be a good year,” my father says, arriving with the crowd. He beams as he looks around. “Where is Beverly?”
Looking around, I spot her near the hallway leading to the kitchens then point her out. Baba moves away to talk to her, and I make my rounds to greet people I know and meet new ones.
From the moment the doors open, my father and I are on our feet talking to people. Most of the kids know me from school visits, and their parents are always curious to meet the one-legged soldier their kids no doubt told them about. Teachers and business owners ask me to stop by and talk to their students or staff, while the service members seek me out to talk about the military and old war vets share war stories. The air of the event is cheerful and the food in steady supply.
By noon, it’s packed. Baba takes a break around one with a table full of women his age on a field trip from their senior center. Surrounded by the fawning women, he’s pretty content to stay put for a while.