“Merely curious.Nothing against you and the rest of the neighbors, but it is nice to find someone close to my age.Perhaps we can find something in common.Or who knows, we could have moved from the same area.”
“She’s never said where she came from.She doesn’t talk much about herself, so I can’t help you in that regard.You’ll just have to ask her yourself.That’s what your generation is missing.Talking to each other face to face.It’s hard for people to meet nowadays with swiping and those other dating apps.It’s hard to fathom finding your soulmate through your phone.”
“It is.Let me guess, you and Elijah were high school sweethearts and had no need of such technology.”That always seemed to be the story with the older couples he’d met.
“Younger,” she leaned forward and whispered as if it were a secret.“We grew up in the same neighborhood.In middle school, I actually dated his older brother before Elijah showed any interest.The only time we’d ever been apart was when he went off to war.”
“He was a military man?”
“Yes, we got married with him in his uniform,” she stated proudly, pointing at the photo on the wall.“He insisted.Not that I complained.He looked quite handsome in his Army uniform.”
Jack turned in his seat to study the photo.“He was a pilot?”Jack liked Elijah that much more.He loved planes, the need for speed and all that, but a recruiter had changed his mind as far as careers went; although, he still admired planes as he saw them streak across the sky.
“Yes, bombers.I was always frightened a mission was going to blow him out of the sky like a firework.”She opened her hands to her sides then reclaimed her fork.“Thankfully, that never happened.”
“What did he do afterward?”Jack asked, turning back in his seat to look at Maya.He found himself curious about Elijah even though he should have been asking about Andrea.
“He did contract work for the military.A test pilot for new planes.He got his commercial license and did small jaunts for government officials and such.”
“It never bothered you, his military career?”Not all spouses were meant to be military spouses.It wasn’t for the faint of heart even with the most mundane jobs.
“Goodness no, what an odd question.”She chuckled as if she had never heard of such an odd idea.“I was immensely proud of him even though I was deathly afraid while he was at war.”Maya looked at him with a critical eye.“Why do you ask that?”
“My family wasn’t so supportive of my military career choice.They were all too happy when I was discharged and found a safe desk job.”
“I’m sorry, Michael.That couldn’t have been easy.I can admit I wasn’t always the most supportive when I wanted my husband home more with me, but it was who he was.He’d dedicated his life to helping others.I could never fault him for that.”
Maya was an incredible woman.Why couldn’t his own family have been as supportive as she was of her husband.“Did you have children?”
“Four.Three boys and a girl.One of them actually went into the Air Force.We lost one many years ago.The other two work corporate jobs.”
“Again, I’m sorry for your loss.Are you close with any of your children?”
Maya shook her head sadly.“They check in every once in a while, but they are scattered around the globe.So I entertain myself with neighborhood gossip and such.”
“So if there is a rumor about someone, you are the one to ask?”
“Usually.”Maya chuckled without remorse.
“Do I dare ask if there is one about me yet?”
“None that I have heard, though I will be sought after for all the details about you come tomorrow.”
“I’m afraid there isn’t much to tell.I’m just a boring IT guy.”
“Darling, boring is not how I would describe you.”
“Well, thank you.And how would you describe Andrea?”
“Broken,” she replied without pause.
Not what he was expecting.“How do you mean?”
“There’s a sadness in her eyes.She’s usually very guarded, but every once and while, I’ll see it.That child is so afraid to live it breaks my heart.She’s almost as much a recluse as Mr.Stone.I’ve never seen her go out or get dressed up.She hardly smiles.If she didn’t have a job, I’m sure I’d never see her leave the house.”
“Maybe her work occupies a lot of her mind.”Stealing government secrets would take up a lot of one’s time.
Maya leaned forward and whispered, “She works as a waitress at a bar.Hardly that demanding.”
