“Wait for me, Macie,” Jemma yelled.
“I can’t keep up. Slow down.”
Jemma hiked her long skirt up so she wouldn’t trip and fall, and kept running towards the sound of Maci’s laughter. Raising her small hand to shield her eyes from the sun, Jemma finally saw what Macie was so excited about.
In front of her was the most beautiful field of yellow and gold poppies she had ever laid eyes on. Out of breath and hot from the warm Summer sun, she finally caught up with her best friend.
“Finally,” Macie said with her hands on her hips.
“What took you so long? Look at this field. Isn’t it simply marvelous?”
Macie could be quite the drama queen at times. At ten years old, she was tall and willowy. At least that’s what her mom called it. Long blonde curly hair and bright blue eyes; Macie seemed perfect in every way.
Jemma was plain in comparison. But that was just fine with her. They were best friends and that’s all that mattered. Right now, right here in this perfect field of poppies, they were two girls totally content with life.
Little did they know what destiny had planned for these two. A little good; a little bad; a little happy; a little sad.
So lets sit back and watch a scene unfold as Jemma heads home after a memorable day in the poppy fields.
And so it begins…
That Summer day, standing in the field of poppies, would be a memory Jemma and Macie would look back on many times over the next 30 years.
Scene Two
Jemma reluctantly headed home. Barefoot, sweaty and with a bundle of poppies in her hand, she walked through the back door and into the kitchen. Thirsty, she grabbed a bottled water and turned to look for her mom.
“Hey mom, where are you?” She yelled.
“Out back hanging out the sheets and towels on the line. Come help me. I have a surprise for you,” her mom answered back.
Jemma quickly ran out the sliding glass door and reached down in the clothes basket to grab a wet towel and some clothes pins.
“So…what’s the surprise?”
Jemma figured it might be pizza and a movie, since it was Friday night.
“Well, there’s someone here who wants to see you.”
“What do you mean? Who? Nana and Pops? Uncle Evan?” Jemma rattled off the list of most likely people to show up.
“Nope,” her mom said with a little smirk.
“Why don’t you turn around and see for yourself, young lady?”
Jemma quickly turned. She heard his laugh and saw him walk towards her with arms opened wide before it even completely registered in her brain what was happening.
DAD!
“Daddy, you’re home!!”
That’s all she managed to get out of her mouth before he lifted her right off her feet and into a giant bear hug.
Jemma’s dad was in the United States Army. He was an Army Ranger. He was gone on tours and missions more than he was home. Jemma had learned to use Skype and FaceTime at a very young age. She understood that what her dad did was important and that he protected America from the bad guys. He never talked about his job and Jemma never asked.
One day, she asked her teacher about Army Rangers and what they do. The answer she got worried her a little. Afterwards, she wished that she hadn’t asked at all. Now she understood a little better what her mom meant when she said “sometimes ignorance is bliss.”
Jemma was so happy her dad was home. Thinking about the why’s and how long, didn’t even enter into her happy thoughts. She just focused on now.
“Dad, can I have another slice of pizza? And can you go ice skating with me and Macie tomorrow? Oh and Mom can you buy another ticket for the Dodgers game tomorrow night. You’re gonna love it dad. The Dodgers are doing great this year.” Jemma took a breath.
“Hey there girlie, slow down. Your dad just got back, and he needs a chance to unwind and rest.”
“It’s okay baby girl. I don’t mind hearing you ask lots of questions. I’m just so glad to be home with my girls. Even if its just for six weeks. You, young lady have definitely outgrown your diapers! When did that happen?” He laughed and reached over to give Jemma a kiss on the forehead.
“Dad! Really? I’m ten. Almost eleven.”
“All right you two. If six weeks is all we have, then we will make the best of that time. Picnics, weekend road trips and more,” mom happily announced.
“Honestly, sleep sounds mighty nice right now,” dad said as he got up to start clearing the table.
Jemma got up to help with the left-over pizza when a loud car raced down the street in front of the house. 18 year old Jimmy Mitchell from the next street over, had just got an old, but classic Pontiac GTO that he and his dad had been working on since school got out.
Testing the car out, Jimmy raced through the neighborhood. As it passed Jemma’s house, it suddenly backfired. It was a loud pop that made Jemma jump and laugh, but made her dad react very different.
He jumped and immediately dropped into a crouching position on the floor. He yelled, “Jemma, get down. NOW!”
“But dad, it’s Jimmy car backfiring, that’s all.”
“I said, GET DOWN NOW SOLDIER!”
Jemma and her mom froze. It seemed like an eternity, but in reality Jemma knew it was only seconds. She could hear her dad saying under his breath, “find cover soldier, now.”
Jemma didn’t know what to do.
Her mom was huddled in a corner of the living room, looking at her dad like she didn’t know who he was. Jemma grabbed her mom’s cell phone and ran to the bathroom to call 911. But if she were honest with herself, she was hiding in the bathroom because the man that she loved with all her heart had become something different for a moment. She wasn’t afraid. She knew he would never hurt her.
What worried Jemma the most, was that the things that were…would be no more. She closed her eyes and tried to picture the glorious field of poppies. And she waited.
The End
***This is a short story that I wrote while watching my grandchildren this evening. I used my new app that gave me a one word plot; a one sentence middle and a one situation ending. The app give you 10 minutes for each of the three stages. Kudos to the team that put this app together. It has been a great “daily writing” tool for me to stay fresh and creative. Hope you enjoyed reading it, as much as I enjoyed reading it back to my ten year old grandson. He gave me a “high-five, nana.” 
🙂
🙂 
Pam Torres | Author 