Homecoming

It was a bitter, cold December morning. The sky was turning to grey as snow began to fall quickly from the clouds and the wind blew fiercely passed everyone. The weather was gloomy, it mirrored the way everyone was feeling.

She stood in a line among his family, watching soldiers carry him off of the plane. She could hear the sobs of his parents but was unable to muster up her own tears. Her face was expressionless as she continued to watch the soldiers, she stared blankly at them while feeling completely numb. The blistering cold didn’t even bother her due to the fact that she couldn’t feel anything. She simply felt numb.

When the General gave them the okay, she walked with his family towards the man that she loved. The man that she had been beyond excited to see again, the man she couldn’t wait for to get home. They finally reached him and the sobs of his grieving mother became deafening. She glanced at his mother before dropping her gaze to where the love of her life was now.

Everything became real the minute her eyes looked down at the neatly placed American flag. Silent tears fell from her eyes, slowly rolling down her cheeks as she placed her hand on his casket and whispered, “This isn’t the homecoming that I was excited for.”