Behind Enemy Lines

After the flurry of weeks of preparation for exams, and the anxiousness that came with the final results I soon found myself donning my cap and gown with a bonus addition of chords to show how well I had actually done compared to how I actually felt during the last hurdle of my weeks of stress after being ill for a little while. It was also equally satisfying to be able to say that I had been among my top five percent of my class. The strange thing though was that none of this mattered, not after today. Tomorrow I would wake up in a room I hadn't really lived in for years for more than a few weeks for holidays if that, I would be surrounded by family who I heard about but hadn't talked to really since before leaving four years ago to set out on this time in my life that was supposed to set me on the right path that would allow me to be able to be who I wanted to be. Do what I wanted to do, too.

This was the defining moment where everything was seemingly supposed to just start to fall into place. But, I unlike my one friend and the rest of my classmates could not see this as a happy time. I was more concerned about what would come next. I wasn't exactly lucky to have gotten some sort of early proposition from some magnificent beacon of world wide stardom that needed my help, and wanted it bad enough to pay me thousands of dollars to get me to move out of NY or perhaps in a different section of it in order to work for them. No, I was not one of those lucky people who could say "I'll be starting at [insert wonderful place here that would set me on the right path to do more]...", unfortunately not everything could just come so easy once you get that degree.

I was thankful that I had made it this far though. It wasn't easy for me. Especially knowing how hard it had been on my mom to help me get to this place. I was happy that she had been able to make it, even if it had only been her. The promise of big party when we got back home was a bit distressing. I didn't like to make a show of anything and so when she hugged me after the ceremony of getting my diploma and told me that everyone was eagerly awaited the new graduate's homecoming I just sort of blanked for a couple minutes. Up until the point when Addison bounded over looping her arms around both me and my mother and grew excited before whispering about a bouquet that had arrived for me about half an hour ago.

Both mom and I just looked at her. Who would be sending me flowers outside of my family? If it wasn't one of them, of course. I fully expected them to be from one of them. Mom had brought along a few telegrams - note cards in truth that had a few messages written on them saying congratulations and the like. More were at home, she told me. She hadn't wanted to bring all of them. There had to be some to read in front of everyone during the party. It would be more fun! My mother like Addison had a very cheery attitude about things even if it looked bleak. I truly admired them for their positive outlook on life when I constantly was second guessing things even when things were going well. I couldn't look at things like that. I suppose the idea that I also constantly worried about things that I had no control over didn't help. At least I wasn't putting my worries on anyone.

The three of us went to the administration's office where the bouquet had been left. One of the aids had been able to find Addison before finding me, remembering that we were close friends. Addison had decided that she would be the one to tell me about it even if she had no clue who had sent them. She was just excited to see the look on my face when I saw how beautiful it was. She had obviously already had a peek at the gathered flowers. When we slipped into the cool air-conditioned building I let out a sigh. Of it had been warmer outside, I enjoyed the chill of the air.

It didn't take too long to get to the desk and find the aid who's name was Frances. She was a dark skinned girl, with blondish brown curly hair that framed her round face in an afro (It worked for her, I thought silently) who I had in my American History course sophomore year. She was a junior now and well on her way to understanding the stress that came with the final year. "Hi, Frances." I smiled at her.

"Congrats, Cello!" She beamed at me. I still didn't understand why she called me that but somehow I didn't mind it. It was a better nickname than what I had heard as a child. She came from out the side door and wrapped her arms around me. She had to bend down a little to reach me. She was quite tall, taller than me really. "Who was nice enough to send you flowers? I didn't take a peek. Privacy and whatnot." She smiled. It was an amusing sight to see all of them - all three, looking so giddy about something as trivial as this. People got flowers all the time. What made me different?

Celeste Jacobs didn't get flowers often, not ever really. It had to be a special occasion for this to happen. A special person too, I imagined they were thinking that too. As I looked at the colorful variety of flowers I felt that I already knew who they were from. A certain person who I hadn't talked to too much as of late. He had been busy with army things which we didn't discuss but he found time to send me a picture of something or a brief note reminding me that he was still alive. I too, had sent him a few little messages when I found the time but I wondered how he knew when my graduation was or when he had the time set for a delivery from all the way over there.

I hid a smile as I took the card out, ignoring the curious looks of the ladies as they waited with baited breath for me to confirm who the sender was. I just laughed at the message before taking one of the daises out of the vase.

The message read:

I went through all kinds of trouble to get this to you, nearly three weeks in advance. I get some reward, don't I? Kidding. Congrats on your new degree, Miss Graduate. Have fun for me, please?

- CC

They all clamored around me then asking to read it. I hid it in my bra. Not allowing any of them to read it. Even if it was less of a romantic gesture and more of Cameron being himself. I just shushed their protests by saying, "It was from a friend that isn't in the states and that is all I will say on the matter."
"It was totally Mr. Soldier, wasn't it?" Addison said, hurriedly.

I shot her a look as my mom gave me a confused look. I hadn't told her about the penpal assignment or the fact that I still talked to him. Or at had for some time anyway. "Soldier?"

"His name is Cameron and it was an assignment for Communications. We still talk occasionally. Haven't talked to him in weeks so, it was a surprise I'm guessing. It's nothing." I insisted before moving to grab the vase. My cap sliding off my head as I tried to walk with the flowers. They were in the way of my view and so my mom was quick to help me by holding the vase. I smiled kindly to her.

"When were you going to tell me about this, Cameron person?" She bit her lip for a tick and we begun to walk back out into the warm air of the night.

"Whenever it came up. It's not really anything that would, I imagine."

"He's a soldier, a boy soldier. That would have most definitely come up." She chuckled.

I waved it off as Addison soon met with us by the car. "My parents want to have a joint thing in a few days at your place. Is that cool?" She was asking the both of us but my mom was the one to answer. She loved Addison's folks and so did I. They were what you would expect parents of my best friend to be like. Fun, hyperactive and just like their daughter - though it should be the other way around. When you put all of them together it was amusing at best.

After setting up a day we said goodbye to Addison and then got into my mom's car. I didn't have one, which was one of the issues with trying to get back home for the holidays these past couple of years. I didn't mind too much. There would be a time for family for the next couple days, and months probably depending on what happened with me as far as a job was concerned.

On the ride back home Mom tried to make inquiries about Cameron and I tried to dodge them the best that I could, up until the point I feigned exhaustion and crawled into the back seat to sleep comfortably as she drove for a few hours to get to our homestead. The homecoming was more than I expected however but I had a nice time getting reacquainted with everyone and meeting a few new faces that I had gotten pictures of while I was away.

It was nice for awhile.

Then, I got another surprise a few months down the road.

It was near Halloween and I hadn't heard much from Cameron though I had plenty of time to try to get in touch with him online at least. He had moved from where he had been as far as I knew so I couldn't find a way of sending him any letters. He was never online when I was so, that left a dead end. I didn't really see it as a bad thing but I often found myself wondering how he was doing and if he was still alive. It wasn't completely unlike me to wonder about these things. I wondered the same about Addison. She made an effort to have a few chats with me on the phone when she could. She had moved to Virginia sans her now ex-boyfriend Rick, who she finally let go of after discovering his other activities before graduation and I was happy for her. She had gotten a job offer and took it a few months after graduation. It was nice that she had that going for her and I was proud of her as you should be for friends.

I did miss her antics, though. We planned to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas together. She would be coming home for Christmas and I had already asked to borrow my Aunt Sally's truck for Thanksgiving so that I could meet her and see how she was living on her own. It was something to look forward to at least.

As for me, I had gotten a few freelance web designing jobs for companies that needed someone to customize webpages for them. I had made a total of five grand so far, and used the money ever so often to help with bills and the like. I was saving for a car to buy eventually but I still had a long way to go. I enjoyed doing the work though, it was work after all something I hadn't been sure I would be getting any time so but I had thankfully enough.

I was working on a design for a company that worked outside of Philadelphia currently, they were experts in the art of facials - the perfect ones, I might add. They had even sent a team over to our house to give all the women in the family a test run of said craft. That had been a wonderful day. I wasn't one for pampering but as it was a free of charge appointment I indulged for once and thoroughly enjoyed it, as did Mom and a few of my other relatives. It had made me smile to see how much happier they were after experiencing such nicieties applied to their faces. I was sending emails back and forth with the company to make sure that I was on the right track as far as the appearance of the webpage was going. They sent a few corrections and ideas back to me and I had begun to get towards an end result when I was tapped out of my trance from one of my younger cousins coming in with her yellow dress and twirling around claiming that there was someone at the door looking for me.

"A man." She added.

"What?" I scoffed at the idea that any man was looking for me.

Then, my Aunt Sally came in beaming, red in the face before ushering me off my stool at the bar in the kitchen and into the foyer. I nearly stumbled over the threshold when I came into the view of a shaggy haired man that had a smile that was almost too familiar for me to forget even if I had only seen it a few times; mostly in pictures with grainy quality at best. "Cameron..." I trailed off, both shocked and confused at this sudden visit.

He beamed at me and I swallowed to try to get some moisture back into my throat. It had gone dry.

He was standing in front of me, in the flesh.

"Hi..." He mumbled, giving a small wave as the other women who had crowded behind me giggled at the sight of him. What was I supposed to do now? How did he find me? What...?

There was so many questions running through my head, yet I couldn't bring myself to ask. There was so many people around and I was in shock. I was definitely in shock. It was only as I felt a small nudge in my back that I started to realize that I was completely silent. I stumbled forward and he reached out to steady me.

"Hi..." I whispered, trying not to blush at the feel of his hand at my waist centering me. This was real, there was no more letters or pictures being sent electronically or otherwise. He was real, and even if I had seen him before behind a lens of a camera beaming from behind a computer I was never prepared to be faced with him like this. There was a part of me as he stared down at me with those beautiful set of eyes of his that told me that maybe he wasn't entirely sure what he was doing here either. I found comfort in that even when we both stood there in the foyer, speechless within each other's reach for the first time.