CHAPTER 15
PIETER
“Have you seen any polar bears?” Fritz, Pieter’s five-year-old nephew, asked.
“Just from a distance. They’re very shy,” Pieter said.
“Uncle Pieter is joking. There aren’t any polar bears in the part of Alaska he’s in,” Jan said, rolling his eyes.
“How about lions?” Fritz persisted.
“Just Alaskan lions, and they’re no bigger than a house cat,” Pieter told his nephew, whose excited face stared back at him from the laptop screen. Fritz’s younger brother, Johann, appeared to be sitting on his lap.
“Again, Uncle Pieter is joking,” Jan said.
“Whales? Have you gone swimming with any whales?”
“Just my pet whale, Valentino.”
The sound of Fritz and Johann giggling flooded Pieter’s heart with love. He’d been so busy over the past few weeks that he’dbeen unable to organize a video call with his brother and young nephews. Seeing them was just what he needed.
“When are you coming home?” Johann asked.
“I’ll come and see you as soon as I can get some time off,” Pieter promised, even though he had no idea when that would be. He watched as his nephews, whose attention spans were now exhausted, ran away from the camera and out of the room.
“Don’t take it personally,” Jan said, shaking his head. “They lasted longer talking to you than they ever do to anybody else.”
“Oh, good. At least I’m still popular with some people in Laagestein.”
Jan shook his head ruefully. “Our parents are still insisting that you’re going to cave in and come back home soon. They aren’t admitting that they were wrong to force you out of the military. But hang in there — I’m sure they’ll come around soon.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
“You look tired. Are you working too hard?”
“Well, for one thing, it’s five in the morning here. Iamtired.” Right on cue, Pieter yawned. “Excuse me. I’m really glad that you and the boys found some time for a chat, though. I needed that.”
“Seriously, Pieter — is everything okay?” Jan looked more than a little worried.
“Oh yeah, everything’s fine. It’s been busy here. We had storms and flooding, people were evacuated from their homes. Very eventful.”
“Do you get to spend much time with Derek?”
“Not really. Our roles are quite different. I’d like to see him more, but our paths don’t cross very often.”
“I think you look a little lonely,” Jan said gently.
Pieter didn’t speak for a moment. Jan always had been able to read him like a book. But he didn’t dare tell his brother that hewaslonely, but not for Derek. “I guess I’m still adjusting,” he said finally.
“Is this really about being away from home?” Jan persisted.
“I miss home, for sure,” Pieter said honestly. “As beautiful as it is here. And I meant what I said to the boys — I’ll come back for a visit as soon as I can.”
“But there’s something else you’re not telling me, isn’t there?”
Pieter swallowed and nodded his head. “I met someone. Well, she’s not just someone. She’s the most amazing woman in the world. But I blew it. It’s over.”
“She’s in the military too?”
