Reunion

            Elizabeth sat impatiently waiting as the minutes slowly ticked by. She peered at her watch once again, wondering why time wouldn’t move faster.

            Finding nothing else to occupy her and give her itching bones something to do, Elizabeth jumped to her feet to begin rhythmically pacing.

            In the midst of her stride, Elizabeth didn’t realize someone approached her from behind. She felt a light tap on her shoulder and begrudgingly turned around.

            Focusing on the face that interrupted her, Elizabeth slowly realized, with overwhelming joy, she started into the eyes of who she had been waiting for. Nathan, her older brother, smiled back at Elizabeth as she flung herself into his open arms.

            “Oh, how I’ve missed you, big brother!  How long are you back for this time?” Elizabeth held her brother at arms length to have a good look at him.

            “Just a week. Then, I have to ship out again.” Elizabeth and her brother turned and moseyed arm-in-arm to the baggage claim.

            “Well, I’ve really missed you this past year.” A twinge of sadness crept into Elizabeth’s voice.

            “I’ve missed you too, sis.” Nathan glanced at his younger sister and regretted not being able to spend as much time together as they used to. “Don’t worry, at the end of this year, I’ll be done with my tour in Afghanistan.” Nathan reassured his sister.

            “Yeah, but that seems like forever away,” Elizabeth sighed.

            “I know, sis.” Nathan felt his weariness set in.

            Forcing herself to stop dwelling on the negative, Elizabeth quickened her pace and happily declared, “Let’s just enjoy your time home. What do you want to do first…”

            Walking together, Nathan and Elizabeth continued to chat, catching up on al they had missed during their separation.