Chapter 52
The following dayBeckett called Chickadee.
“Beckie!!!” She yelled into the phone, then to everyone else, “Beckie’s on the phone!!”
“Hi Chickadee, are you still with Luna at the camps?’
“Oh we are, we’re all here, and the crowd is even bigger now. Hey everyone say, ‘Hi Beckie!’”
A cacophony of voices yelled his name. She said, “Roscoe has the hearing set for Thursday, three days from now. He said this was merely a formality.”
“That’s amazing Chickadee, this is quite an accomplishment.”
“All I did was plant myself like a brick wall. It’s pretty much all I’m suited for. Don’t tell Dilly I said that, she’ll get all romantic and make me sit still and listen to her list off my assets in long form poetry, but really she has to say that because she loves me. Those that don’t love me know — I’m stubborn as a brick wall. It’s what they say behind my back. I’m a realist.”
“I agree with Dilly, you’re amazing.”
“You should save your long form poetry for Luna.” She giggled. “She wants to speak to you, I’ll hold the phone to the fence, so don’t say anything lewd, because I’ll probably hear it.” She grunted as she rose from the chair.
Beckett said, “Lewd? You’re the one talking about my long form poetry.”
She cackled merrily. “It’s not really you I’m worried about, it’s Luna who would, wouldn’t you dear?”
Luna gave her a weak smile, took a deep gulp of edifying air, and sat up from her sprawled position on a blanket on the ground. Her nausea had been terrible all day, but she wanted to talk to Beckett more than anything. Her next few moments would be very difficult to maneuver.
“Hi!” She forced herself to sound upbeat.
“Hey love, last I saw you you were spewing chunks all over your feet.” He laughed. “Dan says you’re good?”
“Yeah, I’m great. And it stopped raining, so — everything is good here.”
“I’m so glad. I miss you so much.”
“I miss you too, though I’m getting used to it,”
Beckett sat for a moment. “You’re getting used to it?”
“Yes, I mean, we’ve been apart so much it’s just normal. I didn’t mean I didn’t miss you, I—”
“Yeah, no, I get it. We’ve been apart a lot.”
“Beckett, I just meant that I’m okay, that this is going to be okay, us being apart.”
Beckett ran his hand over his head. “Wait, I need to hang up, my commanding officer wants me.”
“Okay, I love you, I miss you, I really do, I just wanted you to know that I was okay—” Luna looked down at the phone — the call was lost. She burst into tears. “I said it all wrong, and he — this is too hard.”
Chickadee said, “I know dearest, you’re going to have a lot of difficult conversations for the next little while. It will be hard, but he knows. Don’t worry yourself, he’ll understand.”
