Longing For December by Shelia Burket (reading diary TXT) 📕

years and in February, Caden or Cassie would be born. They didn’t want to spoil it by knowing the sex. Her feet swollen propped on a stool. Clyde sniffing her toes. “You’re very active today”, she rubs her pregnant belly.
A car pulls in the driveway, the neighborhood stray barks idiotically. It’s Harmony Slater her girlfriend from high school. “Savanna?”, “Oh my gosh!” How’ve you been?”, “Your mom told me you were home”. “I’m great”. “How are you?” “You look like you’re gonna pop any minute!” “I feel like it” Savanna sighs. “I thought you and Grant moved to Texas”. “We did”. “We’re back home now”. “Well come in”. “Would you like some coffee?” Savanna shifts her position. “I just put on a fresh pot a few minutes ago”. She relaxes again with her hands on her belly. “I’ll get it”. Harmony opens the front door. “You stay put”. “I’m staying at moms “. “Grant’s job hunting”. She turns before walking in. “Are you planning to have a baby shower?” harmony shouts from the kitchen. Savanna tries to get up to go to the bathroom. “Mom’s planning something”. “Well I can help her I have some stuff left over from my shower”. Harmony offers. “How is the baby?” Savanna shouts through the bathroom door. “Oh, she’s wonderful, she’s at moms”. Harmony shouts back. “Oh you should have brought her!” Savanna sighs. “She’s teething”. Harmony carries two cups of coffee out to the front porch. “What did you decide to call her?” Savanna asks as she reaches for her cup. “Tristan”. “We named her Tristan Elizabeth, but we’re calling her Tristan”. “That’s pretty”, Savanna smiles, “I know you talked about calling her Elizabeth”. She adds. “Yeah, Grant wanted to, but I won”. She laughed.
November turned to December, Christmas snow and cold weather came with December. January brought more snow and some snow storms that brought power outages. Finally February arrived. The doctor said the fourteenth would be her due date according to her ultrasound. Ryan was due home that weekend from his med. cruise. He had been away on a peace keeping deployment for six months. Savanna was so excited as she finished decorating the nursery with the help of her mother and her best friend Harmony and of coarse the occasional input of her sister. She was usually busy with her own agenda, but was looking forward to life as an aunt. She often dropped off baby odds and ends and put her two cents in on where the nursery furniture should go.
Savanna usually nodded and smiled. Always appreciating the gifts and usually ignoring the nursery advice. Crissy her sister-in-law was making her a baby quilt. She had offered to watch the baby when Savanna went back to work and she would probably, take her up on it. Crissy along with Harmony was a very dear friend always there in crisis and Savanna was also the glue that held them together when things started to fall apart. Savanna and her neighbor Tia sat on the floor of the nursery, glue in hand making picture frames and starting scrap books for the new baby. Tia was her crafty friend and usually emergency nurse to anyone with a cut, scrap or a cat in a tree. She was always helpful when humans or animals were in crisis. Tia and Savanna went to school together from kindergarten through high school. She along with Harmony and Crissy were in her wedding and of coarse Sierra too. The sky was gray; the wind piercing on the morning of the fourth, a snow storm was heading their way. She hoped Ryan’s flight would not be delayed. She had a few twinges that day but nothing major. The doctor said she was dilated 2 cm. she and Harmony put on their boots, winter coats and scarves and headed for a walk. She was hoping to go into labor while Ryan was home, but not before. A few hours before the storm would arrive they headed out, wind blowing their scarves and their hair fiercely. Ryan’s plane was due to arrive at 8 p.m.
The storm arrived the roads were getting bad so Savanna stayed at home while her father drove the four wheel drive to the airport. She paced the floor in front of the fireplace occasionally practicing her breathing techniques as she was now having contractions. The wind blew fiercely as branches hit the roof top falling from the tree above. The power went out. The room was lit by the fireplace she lit candles that filled the air with the scent of pumpkin spice. A chill filled the air, she grabbed a quilt and sat by the fireplace thoughts filled her head of Ryan. The sound of a motor, then a car door, “Ryan?” she whispers. The door opens, Ryan duffle bag in hand, handsome as the day she met him at the church picnic. His bag drops to the floor and they fall together. He looks at her and then her rounded belly; he pats her tummy and says, “Daddy’s home”. And he was, at 3a.m. in spite of a snowstorm and no power, John Caden was born. Two years later Cyle Andrew followed along with Cassandra Dawn to complete their family a year later.


Married Life

The air is filled with the smell of fresh brewed coffee and homemade biscuits. Savanna pours coffee for Ryan then for herself. She opens the fridge and takes out the orange juice. Taking out three glasses she pours the juice. The sound of Saturday morning cartoons blares from the living room. Eggs frying in the iron skillet, bacon stacked on a plate, Ryan comes up behind her and hugs her from behind. “Morning”, he whispers. “Morning”, she smiles. ”Mommy”, the sound of a little voice calls from the living room. “Yes”, she answers. “I’m hungry!” Cassandra shrieks. “Me too”, another voice shouts from the bath room. “I’m cooking as fast as I can”. Savanna shouts. “Did you get the paper?” “No, did it run, it’s 8:30?” “Probably not, on Saturday they take their sweet time”. Ryan grumbles. “Your coffee’s on the table”. “Thanks, are these eggs mine?” Ryan picks up a plate. “Kids come and get it!” Savanna yells with a plate in each hand. Little feet race to the kitchen like thunder. The Oliver’s sits down for a family breakfast. Ryan blesses the food. Cassandra follows with her prayer; “God is great, God is good, let us thank him for our food, amen”. “That’s good sweetie”, Ryan smiles.
After breakfast they all loaded up in the van and headed for the park. They planned a day of fishing and picnicking at the state park. The sun hid behind the pillow like clouds. A warm breeze blew, the sound of ducks quacking and children playing by the lake filled the air. Ryan took Savanna’s hand and leaned over and kissed her. They sat on a patchwork quilt her grandmother had made her for Christmas. The children played and laughter rang across the still waters of the lake. “Let’s go fishing, Daddy’. Cassandra begged. “I’m not touching any worms!” she wrinkled up her little nose. “I don’t wanna fish, I wanna go home”, Cyle whined. “Go!” Caden shoved. “Alright boys”, Ryan said sternly. “We’re going to have fun guys”, Savanna smiled. “Come on boys let’s fish”, Ryan grabbed a pole. “Me too Daddy”, Cassandra shrieked. “You too squirt; go tell Mommy to grab your pole”. They spent the day fishing and picnicking. They decided to make a tradition every Saturday to go to the park for family fun. Ryan and Savanna spent many nights sitting on the front porch talking while the children slept. Talking about their hopes and dreams holding hands, sometimes saying nothing at all, sometimes she watched him sleep, not knowing that he too watched her sleeping.
It seems that they were made for each other. Savanna runs her fingers through Ryan’s sandy blonde hair as he lies beside her. She caresses his soft skin; he smiles gently as she kisses his soft lips. “I love you”, she whispers. “Me too”, he says half asleep. As the days rolled by so did the years their toddlers in diapers grew to be independent little souls with minds of their own. They were all sweet children, not perfect but Savanna and Ryan were truly blessed. Cyle had his father’s impatience; he was a little stubborn but very loving, probably spoiled. I guess they’re all a little spoiled in a way. Cassandra was a cheerleader, very sporty, a social princess. Cyle always shy kept to himself and loved computers. Caden was in a band with some boys from the neighborhood. I’m sure it’s noise to the neighbors, but they called it music, so music it was. Later Caden enrolled in art school, Savanna always wanted to go yet she was still an artist. The kids painted along with their mother from the time they were little. They proudly hung their art work all over the house. Married life agreed with Savanna and she was content with her little family and her painting. Sometimes of the early morning she worked on the book she was trying to write. When the world was silent and all was still, words flowed like a river from her pen. It was a love story. Mostly fiction some of it drawn from her love for Ryan, some from past experiences, some from the imaginary places in her mind. Fiction, Fact, Fantasy……
She enjoyed writing as well as painting, when she could find the time. Sometimes it took a backseat to life. Savanna dreamed of being an artist, a writer of novels and children’s books, a song writer……of maybe opening a shop designing her own greeting cards. Working in the art studio was a dream come true. It was very therapeutic, extremely relaxing and peaceful. Ryan joined the reserves after his enlistment was up. Ryan worked in town at the lumber mill. Small town, small world, that’s where Blake worked for his uncle in the summer when I was 16. Summer love…I guess you never really ever forget your first love. That was so long ago. Still every now and then she thought of him and smiled. Life was good. So much more than she had hoped for, Ryan and Savanna had a wonderful life together. They often got together with their friends to cook out or play cards. After an exhausting work week, the weekend had arrived. Ryan had stayed in the reserves; most of the time he was home, when he wasn’t it was for short periods of time.
Then the war came….
Even the reserves were called in. Savanna prayed that Ryan would not be called, but he was. Her heart sank as he told her the news.


Losing Ryan

He kissed her lips, looked into her eyes and told her that he loved her…fighting back tears she told held