Lines of Soldiers

Slowly, the little girl walked down the hallway, dressed for bed in her pink and purple striped footie pajamas and was trailing a blue blanket behind her. She heard her mommy and daddy talking in the living room, and it sounded like mommy was crying again. The girl stopped in the doorway and listened silently to their conversation.

“Don’t go. Please, don’t leave me and Ilana alone. We need you.” Desperation was obvious in the mother’s voice, though to little Ilana, she just sounded sad.

“I have to go. They need me out there.” Her father’s voice was strong and steady; it was the voice that helped ward off Ilana’s nightmares and slowed her tears when she was hurt. It was the voice that she wasn’t going to hear for a long time after tomorrow.

“D-daddy?” She stepped forward cautiously, not knowing what her parents would say to her being up at this late time. The two adults’ heads snapped towards the little blonde haired, blue eyed girl who was clutching her blanket for dear life. The father got up to engulf his baby girl in a large hug.

“Oh, baby girl, daddy’s gonna miss you.” Tears started flowing freely from both as the girl finally took in the fact that her daddy, her hero, her shoulder to cry on, was leaving the next day. For a five year old, she was quite intelligent, according to her preschool teachers.

“D-don’t go, d-daddy. M-mommy will be s-sad.” Ilana’s stuttering always became prominent when she was sad. Her father gave her a small smile and a kiss on the forehead.

“I’ll be back before you know it, kiddo. How about you come with me tomorrow to say good bye to me and your uncles?” All three of Ilana’s uncles were also in the military, and all three of them were also leaving tomorrow.

“Okay, daddy.” She wiped her eyes and gave her daddy a kiss on the cheek before going to bed.

“Chris, please, don’t go. Isn’t your family important?” Chris turned to look at his distraught wife and walked over to give her a kiss.

“Macy, you know I have to go. Of course you and Ilana are important to me, but if I don’t defend my country, you guys won’t be here for me to love anymore. I don’t think I can deal with that.” Macy finally gave in and reluctantly nodded, pulling Chris closer to her.

“I love you, Chris.” She whispered, clutching his shirt with desperate fingers.

“I love you, too.” He held her as she sobbed into his chest, dreading tomorrow.



Ilana got ready to go to her daddy’s going away ceremony. She dressed in her red, white, and blue checkered dress. Her mommy put Ilana’s long hair into a ponytail and tied a little bow on it. They all rode in the car in silence, the sight of Chris’ uniform only making the reality of their situation all too real.

They finally got to their destination and they all walked hand in hand to the crowd of other soldiers. Chris kissed his baby girl on her forehead and ran and gentle hand down her cheek, wiping away the tears that were starting to fall.

“I love you, Ilana. Be strong for me and your mommy when I’m gone, alright?” Ilana nodded slowly and gave her daddy a big smile. He smiled back and stood up straight to face his now-crying wife. He brought her face to his for a passionate kiss as she threw her arms around her lover’s neck.

They eventually broke away when Chris’ brothers came over to say hello and good bye. They each gave Ilana a big hug and while they were talking to her, Chris and Macy spent the time to give each other a last good bye.

“I love you, Chris. Be careful; I don’t need my true love leaving me and Ilana all alone.” Chris chuckled a bit and kissed the tip of her nose, making her blue eyes glaze over with tears that were threatening to fall.

“I promise I will come back, safe and sound. I wouldn’t even imagine leaving my two favorite girls behind.” His chocolaty brown eyes glistened with promise. They kissed one more time before he broke away and walked to the lines of soldiers with his brothers at his sides.

Halfway through the ceremony, Ilana couldn’t stand the distance between her and her father anymore. She ran up to him and grabbed his hand. He looked down and gave her a sad smile, which she returned. She stuck her thumb in her mouth to stop herself from crying again; she needed to stay strong for her parents.

The ceremony finally ended and Ilana still had her thumb in her mouth, though it didn’t work too well at keeping her from crying. She ended up shedding a few tears that she quickly wiped away in order to keep her daddy from seeing. Her mommy rushed over to say one last good bye. They kissed long and hard. When they finally broke apart, Chris picked up Ilana and wiped away a few tears she had missed.

“Don’t cry, Ilana. You have to stay strong. I’ll be back, I promise.” Though she had heard this all before, she still buried her face into her father’s neck to hide her tears as his words comforted her a bit more. They all gave a group hug that eventually included her uncles, too.

“Take care of our baby.” Chris murmured to his crying wife. She nodded and looked lovingly down at her little girl.

It was finally time for the brave soldiers to leave. Ilana was passed off to Macy. Chris gave them each one last kiss on the forehead and then they were all gone, leaving a bunch of distressed wives, girlfriends, and various family members to fend for themselves.

“Come h-home soon, d-daddy. We’ll be w-w-waiting.” Ilana murmured into the side of her mother’s neck, hoping that her brave hero would soon return home to them.