Monthly Call Home
The best day in Iraq was the one that came every month: the call home. Jamie was the first to arrive and had 20 minutes before his family could call him. Stacy was the first to ask about the dog in the drawing. He joked that it should have come as a surprise. She became nervous and said their daughter had meant the dog that she visited regularly. What was she trying to hide?
Jamie was confused, but knew that he needed to trust Stacy. He needed to believe that Stacy was honest and caring for their daughter. He asked her for more information about the dog. She said that she had been caring for the stray dog for several weeks. She was worried that it would be abandoned when she left. Jamie was relieved that Stacy was taking care of his daughter, but was curious as to why she hadn’t mentioned the dog earlier.
Ignoring signs
Jamie let himself be blind. He thought the background noises were the voices of his family and friends. He kept himself away from the truth up until his last day in Iraq. The day of Jamie’s return came, and he was in for a surprise.
Jamie was in denial about his imminent return to America. He heard a male voice in the background of the calls he received from home but chose to ignore it, thinking that they were the voices of his family and friends. He kept himself away from the truth up until his last day in Iraq.
