A slight wind blew through the trees over the graveyard. I clutched the flower that Adrienne had given me tightly. That was the sweetest thing that anybody had ever done for me…since Christopher had died. I looked back over my shoulder. Adrienne was still kneeling before her parent’s graves. I let her be. The grieving process is long and hard. I didn’t want to disturb her. Yet it was so ironic that they had been buried in the same graveyard as… I stopped in front of one of the headstones. “Christopher Jenkins,” I said aloud. “We meet again. It’s been a while.” I smiled slightly. “I’m sorry for not visiting. I probably wouldn’t have come today either had Adrienne not brought me here. I’ve missed you.” I caught my breath. “You know…I’ve been rather lonely lately. I’ve thought so much of father, mother, my brothers…and you. The world, Christopher…you will always mean the world to me. You know, I think that you would’ve liked Adrienne had you gotten the chance to meet her. She’s a sweet kid. She made me think about a lot of things in the past two days. You definitely would’ve liked her.” I placed the daisy on the headstone. “It’s a symbol of friendship, that’s what Adrienne told me. For you, it’s a symbol of my love…”
“Oh Helga!” I heard Adrienne gasp.
I realized that she had heard everything that I had just said. Emotions…they always complicated things. They always got in the way. I watched as Adrienne knelt beside Christopher’s grave, just as she had her parent’s. What I didn’t notice was the daisy in her hand. That is, until she placed it beside mine.
“Adrienne?”
“A symbol of friendship. I know that I never knew your husband, but I’m sure that he was a great man, a wonderful man.” She stood back up.
I nodded. “He was. He really was…” We stood in silence. I glanced at Adrienne and studied her face. Her expression was calm, but melancholy. Her hair rippled slightly in the wind. Did this girl ever get angry? I wondered…
“Lieutenant?” asked a voice from behind us. I knew that voice anywhere.
“Commander? I didn’t expect you to be here.” I stared up into the face of my Commander, Lyle Tiberius Rourke. He was tall, built, and had a face of stone.
“I didn’t expect you to be here either,” he answered.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Paying my respects to some fallen soldiers. And you?”
“Paying my respects to my husband and Ms. Whitmore’s parents.”
“Ms. Whitmore?”
I gestured at Adrienne. “This is Ms. Adrienne Whitmore. Adrienne, this is my Commander, Lyle Rourke.” Rourke stuck out his hand and Adrienne shook it. I saw a look of discomfort on her face. Maybe she was intimidated? Rourke was tough. He could be quite intimidating if you didn’t know him.
“So you’re a Whitmore? As in Preston Whitmore?”
“Yes, he’s my grandfather,” she answered.
“He’s a good man,” Rourke said.
“He is.” Adrienne looked at me. I could tell that she was uncomfortable. So I pulled her away from Rourke for a moment.
“What’s wrong?” I whispered.
“I get a bad feeling from that guy. A sinking feeling in my stomach.”
I had to laugh. “He’s a Commander. He’s supposed to be that way.”
She shrugged. “Whatever. I don’t trust him.”
“I’ve known him since I was a teenager. I do trust him.”
“You’re a smart woman Helga. I’m not worried.”
I turned back to Rourke and watched Adrienne out of the corner of my eye. “Commander, did you get the call from Mr. Whitmore?” I asked.
Rourke nodded. “I got it. I’m meeting with him tomorrow. Will she be there?” he indicated Adrienne.
“No, I don’t believe that she will be. What’s it to you?”
“Just wondering.”
“Whitmore doesn’t want her to know about the Atlantis plan. So let’s not mention it.”
“Yes, Lieutenant.” He looked at Christopher’s grave. “Flowers? You’re becoming soft, Sinclair.” He picked one of them up and began to tear the petals one by one. I felt anger in my heart. How dare he do that? Just because he was my superior officer didn’t mean that…
“What are you doing?” That was Adrienne speaking to Rourke.
“Oh no,” I muttered under my breath. This could get ugly. I couldn’t stop her though…
“Are you talking to me?” Rourke asked.
“I believe that I am, sir.” Adrienne’s voice was firm and polite, but her expression was…angry? Rourke finished tearing the petals off of the daisy. He dropped the rest of it on the ground and crushed it with his boot. Then he reached for the second one. “Don’t touch that!” Adrienne jumped in front of Christopher’s headstone.
“Adrienne,” I warned. “Please don’t be disrespectful to the Commander.” But she wasn’t listening to me by now.
“If you dare touch that flower, I will strike you. I don’t care if you are a Commander. I wouldn’t care if you were the President of the United States. You have no right to touch these flowers.” I could tell that Rourke was getting angry by the look in his eyes.
“Adrienne!” I said and grabbed her arm. “You go to the car. I’ll be right with you.”
“But…”
“You heard me. Go!” Adrienne shot Rourke a look of pure disgust and stalked off to the car. “Commander, please forgive Ms. Whitmore. She has just lost both of her parents and is having a tough time adjusting.”
“Lieutenant, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say that you’re becoming soft.”
“I am looking out for everyone’s best interests here. Besides, you know as well as I do that you have to keep good relations with Preston Whitmore. Let it go, Rourke.”
He grumbled in frustration. “All right. But only this time. I’ll see you tomorrow, Lieutenant.”
We saluted each other and he walked away from me. I started down the path that led out of the graveyard. Was I becoming soft? Perhaps I was… I glanced back at my husband’s headstone. “Good-bye Christopher.” And then I smiled…a pure smile, not a smirk. Adrienne’s symbol of friendship was still there…standing as strong as any soldier.