I rolled my eyes and threw the covers off. What was the fucking point? My father had died earlier that after noon, and I was trying to sleep? Where did I get the idea that I would ever do that? I walked down the hallway quietly, even thgough I knew my brother was awake and so was my mother. I don't think any of us were sleeping. I stopped, however, when I saw the light on in my father's office. I opened the door slowly, seeing my mother sitting at the desk, crying over a picture. I cleared my throat and stepped in, closing the door behind me. She wiped her face and looked at me, offering a weak smile. "You couldn't sleep either?" She asked me. Dumb question. "No," I answered. "Can Danny?" She shook her head and picked up a coffee cup, taking a sip. "No, he was down here a little while ago. He went outside to see his father, I suppose." I smiled a little and walked over to my mother, rubbing her back. I then glanced at the picture she was holding, it was one of my father, Danny, and myself all on the plane; My father holding the 5 year old me next to the wing and the 9 year old Danny in the pilot's seat. I smirked a little. I actually kind of remember that being taken. Sighing, I pulled a chair up and sat next to my mother. She took another sip of coffee and started laughing. "What?" I asked. She regained her composure, and a tear slipped down the cheek. "Mama, what is it?" "He told me not to come see him off, and this is the one time I really didn't." She smiled weakly at me, while I just rubbed her shoulder and cried with her.
I laughed at the story my mother had just told me. We had found enough in us to tell eachother some stories about my father. She told me the one about how they met. Oh my Lord...my father was dumb. But hey, isn't every guy? "And then, there was the first time he died," I gave her a puzzled look. She stiffled a tiny laugh and pushed a hair from her face. "Remember how he used to tell yo of fighting over in Britain with the Eagle Squadron?" I nodded. "Well, there is a back story to tha." I nodded. "Tell me." She nodded and continued. "Well, after fighting for a few months, he was shot down into the ocean. They never found his body, so he was presumed to be dead," I gave her another puzzled look, as if I was questioning her honesty, and she could obviously tell. She nodded. "It's true. Anyway, he had told Danny that if anything happened to him, Danny would be the one he wanted to tell me." I opened my eyes, wide. "Mom..." She nodded. "Yes, honey. i'm going to tell you about Danny now." I smiled weakly and looked down. Whatever she wanted to do...
"...I looked down at that coffin, and it just hit me. I really did love him with everything. I loved your father, too. But Danny was so...captivating. I loved him with everything, and he was gone. He had gone just as quickly as he had come. So then, I grabbed your father and clung to him while I cried. It would help me, since Danny wasn't there to say 'everything's going to be alright' to me anymore," She paused and took a breath. "Then we walked out, and he got permission to bring him to the farm, and not too long after that I gave birth to your brother. I watched your father the first time he took Danny in a plane...Danny looked just like his father. He was about 2, I guess. That's when I wrote something." I wiped a tear away. Beautiful story. "You wrote?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. She smiled and nodded. "I don't want you to read it now...but someday," I nodded. "The reason I'm telling you this, honey...is because your father always wanted to. I never did, but he wanted you to know all about his best friend. And now, it's all I can do." She wiped a tear and I smiled at her, wiping away a tear of my own.
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I walked up behind Danny and put my hand on his shoulder. He apprently didn't hit me, because he turned around as fast as he could. I smiled at him. "Sorry." He waved it off, resting his arms on the plane wing. We were in the barn. "Oh, it's ok." I climbed up into the seat. "What'cha doin' out here?" He shrugged. "Was talking to my Dad, now I'm just standing here at the plane and thinking." "About what?" He sighed. "Rafe." I sighed. "What about him?" He sat down on a hay stack. "I don't know. I just feel..I don't know. That I let him down, somehow. He wanted me to be like my father, and going by the stories they told me, I'm nothing like him. He was brave and dignant, and I'm..not that. I know that all RAfe ever wanted for me was to be like my father, and I'm not. And I just know that I disappointed him, despite of what he told me before he passed." i wiped a couple of tears from my face. I missed my father so much, already. "Danny, you are like your father. And trust me, my father was so proud of you. He told me himself." I smiled weakly at him, while he stood up and walked over to me; tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Rebecca," I nodded. "I never meant for any of that crap we put you through." I nodded, even though I didn't care about that. I wanted my Daddy back. This thought on my brain, I felt more tears coming. Danny seeing this, he wrapped his arms around me in a bear hug. "I miss him so much, Danny." He stroked my head, as only a brother could do. "Sssh...everything's going to be alright." I raised my head, slowly; smiling weakly. He wiped a tear of his own away. "What?" He had no idea how much like his father he was. I laughed a little and pulled him back close. "Nothing, Walker."
I laughed at the story my mother had just told me. We had found enough in us to tell eachother some stories about my father. She told me the one about how they met. Oh my Lord...my father was dumb. But hey, isn't every guy? "And then, there was the first time he died," I gave her a puzzled look. She stiffled a tiny laugh and pushed a hair from her face. "Remember how he used to tell yo of fighting over in Britain with the Eagle Squadron?" I nodded. "Well, there is a back story to tha." I nodded. "Tell me." She nodded and continued. "Well, after fighting for a few months, he was shot down into the ocean. They never found his body, so he was presumed to be dead," I gave her another puzzled look, as if I was questioning her honesty, and she could obviously tell. She nodded. "It's true. Anyway, he had told Danny that if anything happened to him, Danny would be the one he wanted to tell me." I opened my eyes, wide. "Mom..." She nodded. "Yes, honey. i'm going to tell you about Danny now." I smiled weakly and looked down. Whatever she wanted to do...
"...I looked down at that coffin, and it just hit me. I really did love him with everything. I loved your father, too. But Danny was so...captivating. I loved him with everything, and he was gone. He had gone just as quickly as he had come. So then, I grabbed your father and clung to him while I cried. It would help me, since Danny wasn't there to say 'everything's going to be alright' to me anymore," She paused and took a breath. "Then we walked out, and he got permission to bring him to the farm, and not too long after that I gave birth to your brother. I watched your father the first time he took Danny in a plane...Danny looked just like his father. He was about 2, I guess. That's when I wrote something." I wiped a tear away. Beautiful story. "You wrote?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. She smiled and nodded. "I don't want you to read it now...but someday," I nodded. "The reason I'm telling you this, honey...is because your father always wanted to. I never did, but he wanted you to know all about his best friend. And now, it's all I can do." She wiped a tear and I smiled at her, wiping away a tear of my own.
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I walked up behind Danny and put my hand on his shoulder. He apprently didn't hit me, because he turned around as fast as he could. I smiled at him. "Sorry." He waved it off, resting his arms on the plane wing. We were in the barn. "Oh, it's ok." I climbed up into the seat. "What'cha doin' out here?" He shrugged. "Was talking to my Dad, now I'm just standing here at the plane and thinking." "About what?" He sighed. "Rafe." I sighed. "What about him?" He sat down on a hay stack. "I don't know. I just feel..I don't know. That I let him down, somehow. He wanted me to be like my father, and going by the stories they told me, I'm nothing like him. He was brave and dignant, and I'm..not that. I know that all RAfe ever wanted for me was to be like my father, and I'm not. And I just know that I disappointed him, despite of what he told me before he passed." i wiped a couple of tears from my face. I missed my father so much, already. "Danny, you are like your father. And trust me, my father was so proud of you. He told me himself." I smiled weakly at him, while he stood up and walked over to me; tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Rebecca," I nodded. "I never meant for any of that crap we put you through." I nodded, even though I didn't care about that. I wanted my Daddy back. This thought on my brain, I felt more tears coming. Danny seeing this, he wrapped his arms around me in a bear hug. "I miss him so much, Danny." He stroked my head, as only a brother could do. "Sssh...everything's going to be alright." I raised my head, slowly; smiling weakly. He wiped a tear of his own away. "What?" He had no idea how much like his father he was. I laughed a little and pulled him back close. "Nothing, Walker."