Sassy Knows

The doorbell rang and Destiny was sure she knew who it was, she did not want to answer that bell. It rang again, they knew she was here, she had told them she was. With her legs feeling like lead and a stomach that consisted of Jell-O, Destiny rose from the table and made her way slowly to the door. She could see the uniforms through the glass panels one on each side of the solid oak door. Taking a deep breath, she placed her hands flat against the carved face of a mustang, she put her forehead against the horse’s forehead. The mustang her husband had spent countless hours carving just for her.

The bell rang again startling her. “Momma, are you going to answer? They are soldiers, they might be daddy’s friends.” Destiny’s four-year-old little person looked up with innocent crystal blue eyes that so perfectly matched her father’s.

Taking a deep breath and patting the tiny crown of golden curls that fell to her daughter’s shoulders, Destiny reached for the door handle.

“Ma’am” was the first thing out of the officer’s mouth, tears ran unchecked down Destiny’s cheeks. She kept her head high hoping Sassy could not see her distress. The other man standing beside the officer was not military, his uniform depicted a courier service. This seemed odd to Destiny, but she returned her attention to the officer. “I am at a loss Ma’am, I was given orders to escort this package to you and see it placed in your hands.”

The Courier held out the package and the officer signed the manifest as the Courier placed the package in Destiny’s trembling hands. He nodded and the two men retreated without another word. Destiny stood staring after them for a long moment. Then sucking in a breath, she turned and walked to the table, here she placed the cardboard box wrapped simply in brown paper. She backed away as though frightened of it.

Sassy closed the front door watching her mother closely. She walked resolutely up to her mother and slipped her small hand inside her mother’s. “Aren’t you going to open it?” She asked softly. “Is it from daddy?”

At this innocent question Destiny finally broke and sank to the floor. As the sobs shook her slender shoulders little Sassy wrapped her own small body around her mother, holding her as she wept. Sassy was distraught and saddened over her mother’s tears. She knew something terrible had happened and it involved her father, but her mother had not been able to talk about it.

When her sobs finally subsided, Destiny turned and scooped up her tiny daughter. She distanced herself from the package and carried Sassy to her own bedroom. Here she placed her on the bed and tried once more to explain to her innocent young heart what had happened.

Smoothing back the caramel curls that so closely match her own Destiny begins with what she has already told her. “Daddy was working with the army, somewhere far away and . . . and there was an accident . . .” Her voice trailed off she could not even say the words. “Daddy may not . . . not come home, not come home for a very long time.”

As the young mother attempted to comfort her child it was actually the other way around. Holding her daughter was the only comfort Destiny could find since the awful and life altering news had been delivered, ‘her husband had been riding in a jeep that was completely destroyed by an enemy attack. It had not been an accident, not remotely, the jeep had been incinerated, nothing left of the bodies . . . except.’ Her eyes traveled to the door and seeming the unseen brown package.

Destiny was unaware that Sassy had been listening the other night when her uncle Ray had tried unsuccessfully to convince Destiny plan Wade’s memorial. They had discussed what had happened Ray believed that both Destiny and Sassy needed a memorial for closure. Destiny resolutely refused.

Laying back on the soft pink comforter Destiny held her daughter close and stared at the picture of the tiny family. Wade was the love of her life and she had married him six years ago. They had met as teens and his closely cropped, thick, rich mahogany hair was just long enough on top for her to run her fingers through, something she loved to do, especially when he made love to her. She closed her eyes and remembered his strong muscular body, those penetrating ice blue eyes that Sassy had inherited. She felt his tenderness to her, always, and especially when he held his little daughter.

Wade had joined the Marines right after high school and two years ago had lost part of his leg and several finger in an explosion, this only brought them closer. He was no longer active, and this job was supposed to be far from any danger. Advisor, they had said, just . . . just advise. Her thoughts drifted and she soon dozed.

Sassy was far from ready to nap and slipped quietly from the room. Though a very small child for four, Sassy was wise beyond her years. She stood in the doorway and studied the mysterious package that had her mother so upset. Her very active imagination came up with all sorts of ideas, but she dared not touch it. For Sassy there was no real fear attached to it but she had picked up on her mother’s.

Needless to say, when Destiny awoke an hour later she became frantic to find little Sassy whom she discovered was standing on a chair at the dining table spreading peanut butter on a slice of bread. Other then a few distinct globs of grape jam on the placemat she was accomplishing her task quite nicely.

Destiny took a deep breath and eased into the kitchen smiling. After lunch she took Sassy to the park to try clearing her mind. More memories surfaced instead. She and Wade had spent hours here with Sassy and helping him learn to master his new prosthesis, cutting edge, the doctor had told him. Lightweight, titanium and perfectly balanced to Wade’s height and build. After several months he walked so well one would ever notice he had it. The missing fingers took longer to master but once he did, he called it his bionic hand. Destiny moved around, but she just couldn’t escape the memories.

Sensing the sadness in her mother Sassy was on her best behavior. As they arrived home, they met with the Pizza delivery guy. Destiny had tried to get Sassy to eat in another room, but she insisted on eating at the table, and it took away her mother’s appetite, she spent a good hour simply staring at the box. The tiny grown up made a decision, pushing back from the table she strode over to the box. Before her mother could stop her Sassy had cut the tape holding the box closed with small scissors she had carefully placed there earlier. Destiny stood so quickly the chair tipped over backwards, clattering loudly on the tile floor.

Sassy looked up briefly but quickly went back to removing the white paper from the top of the box’s contents. She stared at it briefly and then lifted the severely burnt prosthesis from the box. Destiny gasped and tears welled up. “Baby you – you shouldn’t . . .” Her voice trailed off, Sassy seemed quite calm as she studied it.

Standing straight on the chair she placed the foot part on the chair beside her and leaned the blackened bar against her, then looked up into her mother’s tear-filled emerald eyes. Sassy had done what Destiny had been unable to do, touch the only part of Wade that was left. Some of the soot rubbed off on Sassy’s lacy pink dress, and a slight anger took over Destiny that the army had not even bothered to clean it.

Sill studying the apparatus, Sassy turned it over and examined the bottom of the foot insert for the boot. She raised her eyes once more as her mother moved closer willing herself to do so. “This is not Daddy’s leg.” She announced to her mother’s absolute shock.

“Honey . . . the – the Marine Core . . . the Core said . . .” She stopped and studied her daughter. “H-How do -do you know?” she asked taking another step. Her child seemed sure of what she was saying.

Innocent as a lamb Sassy answered, “It is not tall enough and daddy wrote my name on the bottom.” She then turned the bottom of the prosthesis toward her mother.

“Honey it was – was burned, it probably burned off.” Destiny took another step now wondering at her daughter’s insistence.

“No” she said shaking her head and causing her beautiful curls to dance, “No daddy used his tools so it would never come off.” She watched as her mother gathered her courage and came closer to inspect the prosthesis now. “Somebody is probably mad that the Marines sent the wrong one.”

Sassy watched as her mother finally reached out and took the prosthesis from her hands to examine it. Destiny began to get an uneasy feeling in her gut and it was not sorrow this time, it was anger mixed with fear. She looked for the serial number on the bar, it should be just above the foot, it was not there. It was nowhere to be found, if it was she still had Wade’s paperwork to compare it. Along with the fear that she had let slip in there appeared a tiny sliver of hope, hope that a mistake had been made, that her husband had not been in that jeep, that someone else had died.

Destiny carefully placed the prosthesis back in the box and hugged Sassy almost too tight, then nearly ran to her room and began digging in the closet, she found Wade’s temporary prosthesis he wore before the permanent one was completed. Nearly running over Sassy, she stopped and kissed her on the top of the head, then pulled the burnt prosthesis from the box and held the two up against each other. Her eyes misted over, she checked again, sure enough the burnt one was more than a half an inch shorter.

Now her hands were shaking, she looked at the clock. Too late to call, no she would not call, she would drive over to Dr. Thomas’ office first thing in the morning and personally ask him to check the prosthesis.

Dr. Thomas was just as curious as Destiny and carefully checked for a serial number, it was not there. He had Wade’s file laying open on the table. “I have another option” he said as he began to remove the upper section of the prosthesis. “Sassy was one hundred percent correct in that the measurement is off. Now here . . .” he pointed to a flat spot at the top of the bar that had been under the upper piece. “Each piece also has a number.” He checked the file and looked up at Destiny. “It does not match. This is not the prosthesis I fitted to your husband. Since there is no number here,” he pointed to the bar near the foot, “It appears to be an unassigned piece, not fitted at all to a person.” He looked completely puzzled.

Stunned, Destiny wondered what to do next. ‘Why had the Marine Core sent a substitute prosthesis, a new piece made to look as though it had burned? Had they tried to cover something up? Where was her husband? Had he even been where they said he had died? She had not heard from him in two weeks. He never goes longer than five days, it was a rule he had.’

“So where is my husband?” She whispered, “And who is responsible for this lie?”