The men in my life stood at attention facing the flag. Feet together, backs straight, arms bent at the same angle in perfectly aligned salutes.
Joe Morelli wore a dark blue t-shirt that said NAVY across the chest. A couple of grey hairs had recently appeared at his temples, but he still looked like a rugged action hero. Next to him, Tank and Lester stood side-by-side in perfectly pressed Army fatigues. Although they were seemingly looking at the flag, I knew their eyes darted around, constantly scanning the crowd for possible trouble. My dad stood further back in the crowd wearing his VFW ballcap and looking lost in thought.
The Chambersburg Memorial Day celebration started with a parade that moved slowly down Main Street. Our town's celebration was like many others being held across the country this morning. A color guard from the Trenton police department led the procession. They were followed by the mayor and town council, our local WW II hero Mr. Taylor riding in an antique car, the fire department marching and looking handsome in their blue uniforms covered with brass buttons, a fleet of shiny white firetrucks and ambulances, the high school band, and bringing up the rear, our town's Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. Families dressed in red, white, and blue lined the parade route, and after the scouts went by, they followed the parade to the town's annual ceremony in Memorial Park.
Joe, Lester, and Tank stood up front and were surrounded by a group of 6- and 7-year old cub scouts. The boys were of different heights and skin colors, some wore hand-me-down shirts that were too big for them, and most of their neckerchiefs were coming undone. But they were quiet and respectful, and they saluted when their leaders did. Joe, Lester, and Tank were teaching these boys well.
I shook my head as I thought about how we had gotten to this place. Lester's sister Anna moved to town shortly after Joe and I split up for the last time. She and Joe fell hard and fast for each other, and they married about a year after they met. They wanted the same things, and she gave birth to twin boys before their first anniversary arrived. Lester loved being an uncle, and he was a frequent visitor to Joe and Anna's. Tank and Lula finally worked things out, and I carried their son Antoine down the aisle when they got married shortly after Joe and Anna. Antoine and the Morelli boys went to school together, and when the boys all decided they wanted to join scouts, Joe, Tank, and Lester agreed to work together to lead the group of cub scouts who were quietly saluting in front of me.
Next to my dad stood Ranger Manoso, the love of my life. He was tall and dark and exuded strength and leadership even while he saluted quietly.
It took Ranger and me a while to figure out how to make a life together. Learning that Ranger longed for a large family made me more scared than ever of marriage. By the time he convinced me to share his dream, I was 36 and we were hearing the ticking of my biological clock. Never one to half-ass a plan, Ranger suggested that we take some help from a fertility doctor when we started trying for kids. Our twins Ricky and Abby are now 3. After that, we seemed not to need help. Frankie is 2, and little Charlotte is about to turn 1. Ranger found me throwing up this morning in the bathroom, and we both suspect that baby #5 is on the way.
Ricky and Abby stood in front of Ranger, leaning against his legs while he saluted. The national anthem came to a close, and everyone relaxed. My men shifted to parade rest. As the ceremony continued, I watched Ranger working three jobs at once. He was an affectionate and loving dad. He bent down to quietly talk to Ricky, and when he stood back up, he took Abby's hand in his. Like Lester and Tank, Ranger's eyes darted around at regular intervals, always the highly trained security expert. Today there was another job at hand. As the town honored local soldiers who had given their lives to protect our country, I knew Ranger was thinking of his friends who went to war with him and never returned.
Although Ranger still kept a lot about his time in the military to himself, over the years he's told me about the friends he lost. The one that hurts him the most is Wade Christopher. He met Wade on the first day of boot camp, and they served together for two years after that. When Ranger went on to special forces training, Wade was sent to Afghanistan and was killed by a roadside bomb two months later. This happened before either one of them had turned 25.
Watching Ranger, I know he is thinking about Wade and his other friends who paid the ultimate price while serving our country. Like he does every Memorial Day, I know he is thinking about what he can do to honor them during the upcoming year.
The ceremony ended with remarks from Mr. Taylor. He is 95 this year. As he does every year, he reminds us to love each other.
The crowd started breaking up, with folks stopping to say hi to each other. I was at the back of the crowd where I had found a good spot to stand with our double stroller. Ranger and my dad were heading towards me with the twins. Ranger came alongside me, pulled me into his side, and whispered in my ear. "Babe, what do you think about the name Chris? For a boy or girl."
A/N: I was inspired to write my first fan fiction after attending the Memorial Day celebration in our small town this morning. Wishing you all a peaceful Memorial Day.