Page 80 of A Hero Comes Home

She got a call from Jake just after the lunch rush at the bakery on Saturday. “Help! Save me!” he said.

She was in the middle of icing an elaborate four-tiered wedding cake when she heard those words. Jerking to attention, she almost knocked the whole thing over. “Why? Did something happen to the kids?” she asked with instant anxiety.

“What? No.”

“Did something happen to you? Oh, my God! Did you fall down those damn steps? Is this one of those ‘I’ve fallen and I can’t get up’ kind of things? I told you we should rent one of those stair lifts.”

“Now you’re being insulting. I have an injured leg, but I’m not ninety years old. Jeesh!”

At least he’d said jeesh, instead of his usual swear word. She was training him well to watch what he said in front of the kids.

“Well, what is it then? You sound panicked. And, by the way, why are you whispering?”

“Because I’m hiding in the outside shower stall as I make this call.”

“Okay. I give up. Why are you hiding in the shower stall? Have the kids finally worn down your last nerve?” She was laughing as she imagined the boys standing outside the door asking their unrelenting questions, always wanting something, even when you escaped to the toilet . . . or a shower.

“No, Sally, I am not hiding from the boys. I’m hiding from your parents.”

“My parents? They’re there? Two days early!”

They weren’t supposed to come until Monday in advance of the Labor Day celebrations that would begin this upcoming weekend—the parade, the talent contest, musical events, including some unique bell choir performances, and so much more.

“Seriously, they’re at the house now?”

“Serious as shit. They’re here all right.”

“Watch your language. Remember, you’re supposed to be toning your ‘nasty’ words in case the boys hear.”

He said a nastier word.

“Okay, so they came early.” Deal with it, Jake. I have enough on my plate, literally, she thought, staring at the half-decorated wedding cake in front of her. “So, what’s the problem?”

“They’ve been hugging me.”

Her eyes went wide. Her parents had never been very fond of Jake, mainly because of his military career. Them hugging him was unusual, to say the least. She chuckled to herself.

But he heard her. “It’s not funny. They’re treating me like Christ risen from the dead.”

“Don’t be sacrilegious.”

“I’m not. They really are treating me like some kind of miracle. And they’re being nice. I don’t like it.”

“Lazarus.”

“Huh?”

“Lazarus rising from the dead would be a better example than Jesus rising from the dead.”

“Holy hell! You’re correcting my Bible knowledge at a time like this?”

“I’ll be home as soon as I finish this wedding cake.”

“You better stop on the way home for some of that tofu veggie crap they like. They almost had a heart attack when I offered them one of the red meat burgers I was serving the kids for lunch. Wanted to know if I’ve ever tried those new yummy kale burgers, so much healthier, dontcha know?”

“You’re exaggerating.”

“Only a little,” he admitted. “There is a good side to all this, though.”