In Limbo
Chapter 61
As Lee finished with not one but two questions, the Colonel was clearly dumbfounded, and answered slowly after a moment, "Son, sit down..."
Lee scoffed and looking at Amanda's expression, shrugged, stating with a gesture, "Watch...Here's where he comes up with an arbitrary excuse-"
The Colonel boomed, "SIT DOWN, SKIP!"
An uncomfortable silence fell then as Lee slowly sat down in the chair, adjacent to where Amanda and the Colonel sat on the couch.
The Colonel, clearing his throat, commented, "Alright...First question... You wanted to know where I was when your parents had the accident, correct?"
Lee nodded without a word, and the Colonel replied, "Well, I was eighteen, right out of high school when I had just started Air Force basic training-also known as Boot Camp- the year after you were born, and by the time the accident occurred, I was at my very first Air Force base training at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii...I was out on flight maneuvers when I was called back in by my commanding officer, who told me the news. He told me I would get leave for a few days, so I grabbed a bag, and headed off. The funeral was at the end of the week, and I had left a couple of days before that, but the weather and flight delays on the way didn't help, and I was stuck until the day of the funeral, when I finally arrived. Now, you said you were in another room at the funeral parlor when you heard your grandmother and aunt talking...What exactly did you hear?"
Lee swallowing hard as he remembered, stated sarcastically, "They were discussing where I should go and who would look after me, kind of like a "Heads or Tails" kind of game, you know?"
Amanda swallowing, went to reach for Lee's hand in sympathy, but Lee seeing this, put up a hand firmly as if to say, "Not now!"
The Colonel shook his head and winced, answering sadly, "I'm sorry, Son. Everyone was still in shock, I guess, but they shouldn't have acted that way, regardless...I do remember when they brought you out to meet me, though...You were naturally scared, and already ornery as all get out, saying "No" right away when I tried to shake your hand-"
Lee cut him off, stating morosely, "Well, I was only four, and just lost the two people I depended on, but I didn't understand why or how... Can you blame me?! I didn't know you from Adam!"
Shaking his head then, Lee immediately answered quietly, "I'm-I'm sorry, Sir. That wasn't called for. You didn't cause their accident."
The Colonel swallowed hard, and nodding, commented, "No, but I understand your anger...Now, the second question was, Where was I for three lousy years, as you called them? You know, it couldn't have been all that bad...You were still in one piece...Sally must have done something right-"
As Lee then sighed, the Colonel answered, "But I digress...Lee, as I said, I was in Hawaii, but had orders for my next three year base assignment at Travis Air Force Base in California when my funeral leave was up...I explained to your aunt that you should stay with her until I could finalize the arrangements as custodian for you, and your move."
The Colonel then continued on, saying, "Son, The Air Force was my career, and please try to understand, I was only in my twenties at the time, and I knew not a lick about raising kids!"
Lee, puzzled, asked, "But what about Barney Dorsey?"
The Colonel smiled replying, "Ahh! A good man! Our base cook! I met him after starting at Travis, and I explained the situation about you to him, and he put me at ease right away, telling me that they'd all look out for you when I couldn't...You, um, you did have to see a therapist for a bit when you first arrived-"
Lee asked, "I did? Why don't I remember that?"
The Colonel sighed, responding, "You-You were having night terrors about your folks...You kept asking me where they were, and why they were gone...You even accused me of hiding them from you...So, the therapist had suggested to me that you and I take a trip to D.C., to their cemetery...We took that trip when you were ten, and I explained about the car accident that took your folks. I also tried to comfort you by telling you that even though they were no longer physically here for us, they were in our hearts and they'd keep watch over us until we see them again in heaven, where all of us will one day be..."
He stopped when he saw Lee in his seat, suddenly crumple up and start to cry!
The Colonel then, in an uncharacteristic move, went over, and putting his arms around Lee, answered, "It's alright, Son...It's alright...Let it out."
Amanda, while moved by the Colonel's explanation and comfort he extended to his nephew, also knew that this was a way for Lee to heal from the loss of his parents at such a young age, and softly remarked with a gesture as she got up from the couch to get her purse, "I'll-I'll just let myself out...Please tell him he can call me tomorrow if he wants to talk..."
The Colonel, rubbing Lee's back, nodded answering as Lee continued to weep, "I will, Dear...And here I was, thinking that the boy really hated me...When in truth, he was angry at them all this time, and directing his anger at me..."
Amanda, feeling tears come to her eyes, went over and kissing the Colonel's cheek, replied gently, "Grief isn't easy on anyone...Good night, Colonel."
A few minutes later, Amanda was in her car, and leaving the parking lot to head back to Arlington, thought sadly, I hope Lee can find some peace with this now and be able to move forward...
TBC