16
After they’d eaten their Thanksgiving meal, Gigget sat in the kitchen with Lulu.
“So, you have enough food to last you several meals.” Lulu waved at the leftovers they’d stored in various containers.
“Yes. Maybe we’ll have to have you and Tink over for dinner on Sunday. The rest I can freeze or use for sandwiches.”
“That’s amazing. You have no idea who sent that?”
Gigget shrugged. “I know the church youth group raises money to do stuff like that, but I have no idea if it was them or anyone else.”
“How do you feel about that?”
“Blessed. Grateful. God hasn’t forgotten us.”
Lulu grinned. “Of course, not. God loves you and your children more than you can imagine. I’m grateful you could be with us. Both our parents are too far away right now. Thanksgiving gets lonely without family around.”
“I’m still praying for a baby for you and Tink.”
“Sometimes I wonder if I’m wishing too hard. God understands our desire. I need to relax and let it happen—if it happens—and stop getting so emotional every month when it doesn’t. We don’t have the resources to pay for fertility treatments.”
“Adoption? Foster care?”
“We’re praying about both of those but aren’t on the same page yet as we seek God. He knows the right child at the right time. I understand that I might have a bit of a fantasy about how wonderful it will be. Maybe that’s God’s way of blinding me to how hard raising a child is. You seem to do it with ease.”
“Right, colicky baby crying all night? Djoni was a struggle. Amoretta was much easier, and Djoni attached to her right away. Protective older brother and all, but they are mostly good friends. Not too much fighting—yet.”
“Have you heard from Bing?”
A tingle traversed Gigget’s body as Lulu changed the subject.
“Yes, I get a letter pretty much every day. He also arranged for a lovely bouquet of flowers that arrived yesterday. That was a surprise. He’s busy but won’t say what he’s doing. He tells me about how he’s playing ping pong with the guys and getting better at it. Playing card games but not gambling. He says he won’t do that. He’s tired and sore. The work is exhausting him but not sure how much of that is physical and how much is emotional.”
“We’ll continue to pray for his safety,” Lulu said.
“Thanks. I have this foolish wish that he would be home for Christmas. He hasn’t said he would or made any promises, and I’m avoiding saying anything to the kids. We haven’t been acquainted for very long. But I want him here with my children for Christmas.”
Lulu grinned. “I think you have a clear idea of what you want in a man. Trust yourself a little more. If you desire to see him again, I think that’s a good thing. Don’t minimize those feelings or bury them.”
“I don’t want my heart broken.”
“Are you letting those vicious letters from Sharlie taint your perception of him?”
Gigget waved a hand down. “Right. He’s stalking her daily and desires to have her back. She has no idea that he’s even out of the country! Nah, I’m not being hesitant because she’s telling me how violent he is. I’ve seen him be provoked and avoid a fight. I also have photo and video of her on my property. I’ve handed that over to the police. Trespassing, stalking, harassment, slander, and abusing the postal system. At some point there will be charges and Bing will be vindicated. Right now, I doubt it’s even on his radar.”
“I hope not. You want him sharp and able to do his work so he can return to you quickly.”
“Right.” Gigget stood up. “Now, we can continue to chat, but these dishes will not wash themselves. Why don’t we get that done together so we can enjoy time with the kids and Tink in the living room?”
“Sounds like a good plan. And later, we’ll have pumpkin pie.”
“Waiting is good, I’m stuffed!” Gigget cleared the plates with her friend’s assistance.
~*~
The weeks flew by, and every day, Bing received a letter from Gigget. This afternoon he even got a box with some socks and homemade Christmas cookies. He was reluctant to share the cookies with his team, but did anyway. He longed to go home. He was due to depart on the twenty-third, but there were no guarantees the Army would stick to that. The more he read the letters she and the children sent, the more he longed to be with them for Christmas.
Home?
He lived in a tiny apartment. But for some reason it felt like home when he was with Gigget and the kids. God, are You telling me that You planned a family for me? Not just a wife? What a blessing that would be. Would it be precipitous to propose when he returned? He couldn’t believe he was even considering that when he’d only met her a few months ago.
What if God was telling him to take that leap of faith?
Into marriage?
With children involved. Kids who were praying for him to be their dad.
As if he’d even have time to get a ring to propose. He needed time to woo her before he did that, and for some reason, writing letters didn’t seem to be enough to him to qualify for that.
“Hey, Corporal, are you lazing around daydreaming or will you join us in the dining hall? You’re the one who told us we were doing recon tonight.”
Bing shoved his feet into his boots and began lacing them. “A tad impertinent, aren’t you Private Helios?” He understood the friendly jibe for what it was. The team wanted him with them for the good times, not just to be leading in the bad situations.
He headed out the door with team. The conditions were rough out here, but he didn’t mind. He would do his job to the best of his ability. Tonight, if all went well, hostages would be freed and he, and they, would be one day closer to Christmas with their families.
Except he had no close family to spend it with.
Unless, Gigget…
He sighed and met with the rest of his team to get their meal before getting armed and ready for the task they’d been preparing for over the past few weeks.
Maybe rescuing a woman’s heart was a similar battle? In her letters, she’d mentioned she was seeking God’s will. Her faith, her prayers, her sharing words of Scripture impressed him the most and stuck with him through the days after he’d read them. Maybe because she personally chose the verses with him in mind? However. God worked that all out, Bing was grateful. He might have physical weapons on hand as he did his missions, but the spiritual battle was probably more pronounced, and having those words swirling around in his noggin, definitely made him a better man. A better soldier. A better leader for his team. And hopefully, a better follower of Christ.
That was the great gift Gigget had given him. She built him up and encouraged him with the snippets of Scripture she sent in each letter.
The men under his command obeyed his orders, but ultimately all of their lives were in God’s hands. As he bent his head over his meal he prayed silently. Lord, bless this food and help it sustain us in the field. Give us a successful mission and preserve the lives You’ve entrusted to me. Help me stay focused and give us a successful mission .
~*~
Gigget rarely listened to the news but had begun to turn it on in the car after dropping off the kids. The announcer’s words caught her attention.
“We’ve received news that several of the hostages have been rescued and all were physically able to walk out. They will soon be heading home to be with their families. We applaud the team of men who remain anonymous, for their hard work in getting this job done. The fighting continues…”
She turned off the radio. Had Bing been part of that? There were skirmishes happening all over the globe, but he’d never told her where he was. Lord, thank You for the brave souls who helped free those hostages. Please keep Bing safe and bring him home for Christmas.
Christmas would feel empty without him. Along with receiving his faithful letters, he’d become so key to her daily happiness. She was almost certain God would allow the happiness that she’d only dreamed about.
She’d received an anonymous letter again, sent through the mail. It said horrible things about Bing and made some specific threats against her. She’d be visiting the police station again after work. Would the Postal Inspector pursue this as mail fraud, or would the district attorney pursue charges of stalking? She now had photos and videos of people who’d been on her property. A shiver traversed her body.
Cling to joy and hope , she chided herself. The contents of the letters were lies meant to destroy happiness. Gigget felt sorry for Bing. She could read the scars on his soul from the way he’d been treated; they were underlying the succinct way he wrote about it all when she mentioned the letters in her own correspondence to him. She sighed and headed into the office.
“Gigget, I need to see you in my office,” her supervisor said.
“I’ll be right there.” Gigget hung up her coat, stuck her purse in the file drawer, and locked it. She booted up her computer so it would be ready to go. Grabbing her thermos of coffee, she headed to her boss’s office.
“Have a seat,” Posy Nibbles said.
Gigget sat. “What’s up, boss?”
“I received a letter in the mail yesterday that was concerning. It was about you. I believe someone is trying to hurt you in some way.”
A tremor of fear overtook Gigget. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. “Did the sender give a name?”
“No, but it as hand delivered to our office and I did check the cameras.” She handed a piece of paper to Gigget. “Do you recognize this person?”
Gigget squinted at the photo. “Yes, I do. I believe that’s the person who has been stalking me. I have another letter I need to deliver to the police today.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that. Management is concerned that due to the fact that this individual has made threats against you and they came to this building in particular, that there could be the danger of collateral damage. We are giving you a leave of absence until this person is caught.”
How would she pay her mortgage and bills if she lost her job? “The woman won’t know that I’m not here and could still pose a threat regardless,” Gigget said.
“I understand that, but management is paranoid. I’m very sorry to do this to you before the holidays. You’ll still have your Christmas bonus if that’s any consolation.”
“If it’s a leave of absence, will I still get a paycheck? If you’re not laying me off, I cannot collect unemployment.”
Posy sighed. “I’m sorry. No pay. I’ll see if they can do a temporary lay-off so you can at least collect unemployment.”
“I’m assuming this starts immediately?” Gigget asked.
Posy nodded.
“What if I get a restraining order?”
Posy shrugged. “I don’t know, Gigget. And I’m really sorry. This wasn’t my decision.”
“Can I get a copy of that letter, the envelope, and the photo to take with me to the police? I’ll do that this morning. If you can get an answer on the unemployment, then I can go file for that right afterwards.”
“Fair enough. I don’t like this any more than you do. It’s not fair with the holidays around the corner. I hope this can resolve quickly so you can be back here.”
Gigget fought back the tears that threatened. “I appreciate that. I’ll clear off my desk now and bring you a list of where my projects are at.”
“Don’t worry about the projects. I’ll have Tulla take care of that. You always keep things so well organized she should have no trouble stepping into to help get things finished.”
“OK. Thank you, Posy. I do appreciate your attempts to advocate for me.”
“I’m sorry this is happening to you. I’ll be praying for you.”
“I appreciate that.”
Gigget returned to her desk. She found a small box in the hall closet, tossed in tchotchkes and photos of her children, and left the building.
Well, with this new information, would the police finally do something? Christmas had been in jeopardy before this, but now?
She drove to the police station, but the lieutenant was unavailable. She left a note with copies of the latest threats and went home.