Chapter 1/Grace : Moments
In your life you will have moments that stop you in your tracks. The world around you will disappear in a blurred rush of all that goes on around you. Some of these things will crush you to your soul while others will lift you up.
I stand here next to my daughter and father in-law as we wait to meet up with our loved ones. I start to think about many of my moments, and how my husband has been a part of many of those.
The first memory I have of him was when I first transferred into St. Mary's. At first I was excited to start. It was one of the best schools in the city and my parents managed to get me a scholarship to it. My first day was okay, but the moment I walked into library for a study group I signed up for I saw him. My fifteen year old self was in awe over this cute blonde haired guy. When his blue eyes met mine, my heart stopped for a moment. He smiled at me as he walked over. "You must be the new girl? I'm Ben Stone. Please have a seat."
We were just friends for six months. I had been struggling in Math and Ben being a super math wizard would give me extra study lessons. I needed to bring my grades up and needed at least a B plus on my exam or my parents were threatening to pull me out of the school. I nervously waited the whole weekend until I got my test results. It was the last class of the day when the teacher handed me my score she said "good job". I smiled as I rushed down the hall and outside where I found Ben and showed him my A. He started to tell me something I don't remember and I kissed him. The rest, they say, is history.
We married just out of high school. It seemed right, perfect even, and it was. On our one year anniversary, we found out I was going to have baby. In the weeks that followed, we found out our baby was, in fact, twins. It seemed overwhelming, we both were in college. I was studying to be a chef, and Ben was working towards his Mathematician. I worried if we could manage school, careers, and two babies. When we first held those babies in our arms, for a moment, nothing else mattered.
As the years passed by, I got caught up in taking care of the kids and Ben was working. All that came to a halt when the twins were nine. Cancer, my sweet boy had cancer. Suddenly all focus went on him and getting him better. He didn't get better though. He didn't respond to treatment, and they told us to make do with what time we had left. He would be dead within six months. We were devastated. Ben and my marriage were on the rocks, so we decided to go on a vacation with the rest of his family.
Our vacation was great, a part from the argument I had with my sister in-law. Ben and I seemed to be in a better place, but he was still willing to do anything to find a way to help Cal. He stayed behind along with Cal and Michaela. I didn't want them to stay, but it was for the best as the money could help save Cal. I hated being away from my boys that long but they would be in my arms soon, or so I thought. When we landed, Olive was desperate to stay and wait for their plane to arrive so I took her to the fight board and showed her their flight information. It was supposed to be a few hours, just a few hours. When the flight status switched to "see agent" my heart sunk.
Missing. The second most hated word in my family. How can a plane go missing? How is my husband, the love of my life missing? How could my sweet sweet boy be missing? And even though I had been so angry at Michaela and wished her out of my life, I hated myself because I couldn't apologize. How can she be missing? I couldn't take it, my life was shattered.
Three days ago, it was my new normal evening. Danny, Olive, and I had finished supper and were playing a game at the table when my phone rang. I walked over and answered. The voice was shaky.
"Is this Mrs. Stone?" I rolled my eyes as I looked back at Danny and Olive.
"Yes." I told them, waiting for the normal telemarketer bs. Here we were trying to have a great family time and they have to call. Typical.
"Mam, I don't know how to tell you this..." She paused long enough for my heart to skip a beat. "I'm Agent Downton from the NSA. We had a situation tonight."
"What does this have to do with me?"
"Flight MA828 came back. Your husband and son are alive."
I felt the anger rise up in me. "How dare you! Is this your idea of a joke?! Well, it's cruel!" I fell to the floor sobbing. Danny rushed over and took the phone from me as Olive hugged me. I could hear Danny talking to the person and writing things down. A few moments later he sat down on the floor with me and told me it was all true and in three days we would go and met them.
So now we stand here as some guy tells us to be prepared, something about they look the same. I didn't care or understand why he was telling us this; I just wanted my boys in my arms. It had been five and a half years, 2,168 days to be exact we said goodbye to my husband, son, and sister in-law and now they were just feet away. When they gave us the okay, I ran, ran to meet them. When I saw Cal I didn't understand why he hadn't aged, but I didn't care, I had him back! Once again the world faded away.