Doug: Far Away

“I will live my life as a lobsterman’s wife…” the girl with hair the color of fire sang softly, her fingers moving deftly over the tempered steel, examining the complex machinery with her turquoise colored eyes, “He will take care of me, and we’ll live by the sea on our island in the blue bay…”

She sighed, brining the brush back the intricate combination of chrome and steel. “Still dirty.”

“That’ll happen.” Daniel muttered, his own fingers occupied with a small metal pin. “Try the smaller gage brush.” He pushed it over to her without taking his eyes off the pin. They flicked back and forth, scanning for the slightest imperfection. Mara smiled at his concentration, picking up the brush and returning to her scrubbing.

“He will smell like the sea, and he’ll take care of me on our island in the blue bay…”

Daniel ceased his examination of the pin and set it down on a white piece of cloth, picking up the long upper receiver of the rifle they were cleaning together. A quick glance down the barrel told him that Mara, his daughter, had cleaned it perfectly. Despite his pride at her attention to detail, it hardly surprised him; she had been cleaning rifles with him since she was six.

She put the wire brush down, wiped off the bolt carrier assembly and then examined it closely. After a moment, she handed it to him. He glanced it over, grunting his approval at the bright steel. “This looks good.”

“Don’t sound so surprised, Dad.” She took it back from him with a mock grimace. “I’ve been doing this for a while now.” She began to reassemble the rifle, humming a few bars before beginning to sing again: “I will bear three girls, all with strawberry curls, little Ella and Nelly and Faye…”

Daniel started as he recognized the song, fought to keep the tension out of his voice. Failed.

“Who taught you that?”

Mara pushed the two retaining pins holding the upper and lower receiver together home and then racked the charging handle to the rear, checking the barrel.

“Mom.” She frowned, “Kind of.”

Daniel heart hurt at the answer he had known was coming, but he kept his mouth shut.

Mara finished with her check of the assembled firearm and set it carefully down on the table, seemingly deep in thought.

“I keep having this dream.” She admitted, frown deepening. “In the dream, everything is kind of hazy and fuzzy, and there’s a distinct rocking motion. The one clear thing is Mom’s voice, and she’s singing that song.” Mara looked at Daniel. “I’ve never heard that song in my whole life.”

Daniel did not say anything for a very long time. Then: “Yes, you have.” His voice was very low, and more than a little choked. Still, he managed to smile as she looked at him. “Stay there.”

He got up and messed around with the vid player on the wall, accessing files who’s data said they hadn’t been opened in almost twelve years.

Mara sat obediently, a little confused. She was seventeen and remembered little of her mother’s losing fight with cancer ten years ago. Despite that, she didn’t need memories to feel the empty place deep in her chest when she thought of her mom.

Daniel had never remarried.

Finally, he found the file he was looking for. An image flashed on the screen and then turned into a video as he toggled the play button.

The image was of a woman with long blonde hair and light blue eyes holding a bundle and singing softly, staring at it with the utmost love and delight on her face.

“I will live my life as a lobsterman’s wife…”

“That’s mom!” Mara blurted the obvious, unable to tear her eyes from the screen.

“Yep.” Daniel said, a few tears leaking down his face. “She made this for me when I was deployed to Iran. The little bundle is you. You were about six months old.”

The recording finished, the woman on the screen gently placing the baby bundle into a crib then turning her face towards the camera. “We miss you, my love. I know I can’t ask you to be safe, but I am telling you to come home.” She pointed at the camera, mock serious and then broke into a smile. “Our daughter’s beautiful, she has your nose. I miss you so much.” She wiped a tear away and smiled “come back to me.” The smile froze as the recording ended.

Daniel smiled through his tears. Touched his fingers to the screen. “I miss you too.”

He stared at the screen a moment longer then turned to Mara. “Not a dream.”

“No.”

She threw her arms around him and sobbed into his shoulder. He kissed the top of her strawberry curls. “She’d be so proud of you. I know I am.”

“I love you Dad.”

“I love you too, kiddo.”

-Doug
"Just open your eyes and see that life is beautiful."
-Sixx Am "Life is Beautiful"