"Stevie. Come on we're going to be late."
He didn't budge when his mom called. He didn't want to go see Robert. He didn't want to see him so much he started to cry.
"Steven!" His mom was in the door way and still he didn't look up. He wanted to be brave like she said his father was but he couldn't. What if the letters were wrong?
"I don't want to go." He didn't and he was going to refuse.
"Steven." His mother came in and sat beside him. "What's wrong?"
"I don't want to go."
"Why?" She sounded worried.
Plissken hated hearing that in his mom's voice. "What if he doesn't like me?"
He sniffled back the tears as he looked up at her.
"You know. I haven't seen your father in a long time either but I'm not afraid to go see him. I've been waiting to see him for years." Ella spoke gently as she patted the tears away with a kerchief.
"Why?" She had Steven's attention now.
"Because I know he loves his family no matter how long or how little he's seen them."
Steven thought about that. He did send all the letters and pictures. He'd even managed to call home once. Steven remembered everything about his voice, every word he said. Mom had told him it was rare that anyone in Vietnam got to call home. The more Steven thought about it the less terrible it seemed though still frightening.
"Awh, alright." Steven clamored down off the bed and headed for the door, rather reluctantly but at least he was moving.
"You can go out and get in the passenger seat if you want." Ella smiled as she looked over the pictures. Steven always loved to ride in the front and she knew that would get him out there fast. She couldn't believe after all these years he was coming home. Not just coming home but in one piece and alive.
The drive was long and Steven stared out the window the whole way. He wondered if he would look like in the pictures. Hopefully they let him take a shower. He did look awful dirty. Steven glanced over at his mom's yellow dress. He's ruin mom's dress if he was dirty. Finally they pulled up to a gate with soldiers. Steven leaned out the window to look at their guns. They were MPs with dogs.
"Did you train their dogs too?"
"No." Ella smiled at her boy finally coming around. "The dogs I trained are with the soldiers where your dad was."
"Oh." Steven went back to silence but his eyes were glued on the base. He caught a glimpse of a plane in a hanger but not enough to get excited. When the car stopped he looked up at the crowd of people. He didn't like crowds either. He was used to just being around him mom and maybe a cousin. There were too many.
"See all of those people? They're waiting for someone to come home too."
Nothing she could say could calm his anxiety.
"Come on." She sighed and smiled. "I'll talk your dad into stopping for waffles on the way home."
The waffle house was Steven's favorite place to eat. He weighed his options before sliding out the driver's side door. Ella took his hand and they started walking.
"Where are we going?" He wondered which of the buildings they were going to.
"They said building E-4. Do you see it?"
Steven looked over the letters and numbers painted on the buildings. He wasn't sure but he did know four. He thought about "E" longer but finally started walking toward the right one.
"You're getting good. I'm going to have to find something harder next time." Ella smiled. Any step with Steven was a big one. They came up on a crowd again but this one was small, no bigger than a Sunday at the supermarket. Steven stood as patiently as he could.
"When do we get to see him?" Steven asked nervous about both the crowd and meeting his father but deducing his father was the lesser of the two evils.
"Soon. They are coming out now."
"I can't see." Steven pouted and his mom obliged picking him up so he could see.
"Which one?"
Ella looked over the men coming out of the discharge building. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw his face but the sling over his left shoulder crushed it. No one had told her he was injured.
"Which one?" Steven's impatience was increasing by the moment.
"He's the tall one with the sling and the glasses." Ella pointed him out and then waved. "Wave to him."
Steven saw Robert and froze. "I want down."
Ella let the boy down but held tight to his hand. Once he broke the crowd in front of her Ella started to cry.
"Baby."
Steven had never heard any one call his mother that and watched as they hugged. He'd also never seen anyone kiss his mom. It was too weird for him. He pulled away as far as his arm and his mom's would let him. Ella only reluctantly pulled back to look at his face.
"What…"
Robert cut her off. "It's nothing. Is this the boy I've been waiting to see?"
Steven looked up at the man who was still hugging his mother. The terror was too much. He was tall, too tall, taller than Grandpa Plissken which was the tallest person Steven knew.
"Steven. This is your father."
Steven looked up at his mother and then back at the person coming toward him. He got close and said something before Steven kicked him in the shin. Robert's eyes flew wide.
"Steven!" His mother had that high pitched scold but Steven stood his ground with a determined boy look.
Robert rubbed his shin. "This one's got some fight to him."
Steven wondered if he was in trouble. Actually he figured he was but then this Robert, man, started laughing. Steven didn't get it at all.
"You have to be my boy." Before he had a chance to resist he was in the man's arm and his mother let go. Steven squirmed but then the hug got tighter. There was something about it that Steven missed. It was unknown and frightening but right. He clung to his father once that feeling set in.
"Why don't we go home, hmm?"
Steven nodded in response as Robert kissed his mom again. He still didn't like that part but he liked being held. Steven was glad they cleaned Robert up before bringing him out. He smelled nice and wasn't dirty. Even better is Robert didn't put him in the back seat when they got in the car. Steven was happy to not have to let go on the ride home.