Our Long-Distance Love

July 31st, 2015

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Who could that be Ms. Holly Grace?" Marianne asked her one-month-old, in an animated voice. Dusting her apron off, and picking up her darling daughter out of her little bed, they headed towards the door.

"Yes?" Marianne asked, opening the door with a smile and her baby on her hip, to two men in military uniforms, one in formal dress, and the other in combat clothes. Her smile instantly faltered when she noticed her husband was not among them. As a plethora of unanswered question flurried through her head she said, "Um, please, come in." and showed them to the front room.

"If you'd just give me one moment." Marianne said, turning to take her now sleeping daughter to her room. As she kissed her sleeping daughter and exited the room, questions began swirling around her head. Where is Derick? Is he hurt? Is his deployment ending? Is it being extended? But he needs to be here, we need him! And before she knew it, Marianne was back in the front room, seated on the edge of a couch across from the officers.

"Mrs. Harris, I'm afraid we have some bad news." said the middle-aged man, while the younger's eyes went to the floor, so Marianne could no longer see his face.

"What do you mean by 'bad news'?" She asked, rather unsure of her own voice.

"Well, ma'am," he began, sighed, and continued, "I regret to inform you that your husband, Sergeant Derick Harris, was killed in the line of duty."

That's when her entire world came caving in. Her knees hit the floor, and her head fell into her hands. She felt her whole world crashing in around her.

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As the officers sat there, dumbfounded, watching the young mother weep, the older said to the younger,

"Hey, look. I've got to be getting home, the wife's making pot pie for dinner." And with that, he exited the home. Astounded by the blatant inconsideration of his superior, the younger man looked over at the sobbing form of the woman. She looked as though her entire world was in shambles. Carefully going over to her, he seated himself next to her on the floor. Feeling as though he should try to help, he placed a hand on her back, in an effort to comfort her. And that young man did not expect it, but Marianne turned around, and collapsed into his arms, still weeping for her lost husband. And so the young soldier sat there, holding his best friend's wife as she cried for her husband, and cried himself, for the loss of his greatest friend, and man who changed his life. The man who led him to Christ.

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About an hour later, Marianne and the young officer were seated at her kitchen table, as she dried up the last of her tears.

"Mrs.Harris..." The officer began, breaking the still silence.

"Oh," she interrupted, setting her handkerchief down, "please, it's Marianne."

"Marianne," the officer began again, "my name is Brandon. I was in Derick's regiment..."

"You knew my husband?" Marianne asked.

"Yes...we were very close. That's actually one of the reasons I'm here....you see, we knew things were getting rough around the area where we were stationed. And Derick's biggest fear was that something would happen to him, before he got back. So about two weeks ago, after receiving your last letter, he wrote you both one," Brandon explained, pulling an envelope from his jacket, "He told me about it so if something happened, I was to find you and deliver it." Brandon finished, handing over the letter.