Field of Blackbirds - Clayton Jeppsen & Lindsey Jeppsen (me reader txt) 📗

weak.
Mr. Love worked for the CIA as a spokesman, a political liaison and an advisor to the department head. As the conversation progressed, Reed found out that Lindsey worked in her dad’s office, filing paperwork. She said this was her dad’s way of compensating for the lack of time he spent with the family.
“Lindsey Love,” Reed said quietly to himself, “A beautiful name for a beautiful girl.”
Reed immediately started to take interest in her. By the end of the night, a great opportunity presented itself to Reed. Lindsey had a 1971 pink and purple, Buick Skylark that, for some reason, wouldn’t start. Reed was quick to act and applied his recently learned auto shop skills and got the Skylark started. Reed offered to follow Lindsey home and she accepted. Their next date was single and, to say the least, it was the beginning of many.
Reed’s last few weeks flew by faster than expected. The night before, Lindsey surprised Reed by taking him to a Dodgers game. Baseball was still Reed’s most developed childhood passions. Lindsey knew it would be a while before he would see the Dodgers play again.
Orel Hersheiser pitched the game, but even his best couldn’t calm the bat of the Giants slugger, Will Clark. The Dodgers lost 11-8. Still, it would be Reed’s most memorable game.
Like a genie, Lindsey granted Reed’s request to plan out their last two days together. They spent the morning at the Love’s house in Garden Grove. Of course Mr. Love wasn’t there. Reed hoped to get to know him better or at least, he wanted his approval as a suitor for his daughter. He wondered what he thought of his choice to join the military. After all, Mr. Love was also a man of his country.
Mrs. Love, however, was a very sweet lady, very motherly and down to earth. She was interested in Lindsey and Reed’s relationship and wanted to know all the details. Reed felt her warmth and was content with that. Mrs. Love handed Reed a package that was wrapped in red, white, and blue ribbon.
“Reed, I’m going to miss that smile of yours, with those deep blue eyes and that, ‘to die for’, sandy blond hair.” Mrs. Love laughed. She was a little flirtatious. She looked exactly like Lindsey, but twenty-five years older.
Reed tore the wrapping from the package and saw a top-of-the-line Nikon camera and a Sony voice recorder.
“The camera is so you can send me lots of pictures, mainly of yourself, with your shirt off.”
“Mom,” Lindsey jabbed her arm.
“Well have you seen his muscles?” Mrs. Love laughed.
“Sorry, Reed,” Lindsey tried to excuse her mother. Reed’s face began to flush, as he exposed two moon-shaped dimples in his cheeks. Lindsey loved those.
Mrs. Love pointed to the recorder. “And the voice recorder is so Lindsey can hear your voice when you tell her, over and over again, how much you love her and miss her.”
Still smiling, Mrs. Love wiped a small tear away from her eye. She and Reed embraced.
The afternoon was spent at the Becklys. Every other Sunday, Lindsey had come over to the Beckly’s home for dinner, so she knew the family well. Reed’s family was crazy about Lindsey and complained they probably wouldn’t see her as much. She assured them that she would come at least once a month for dinner.
Tom and Anna were on the front porch swing when Reed and Lindsey drove up. Reed’s younger brother, Reddin, was at the barbecue turning a large rack of ribs with one hand and waving hello with the other. Reddin had just graduated high school and had already been scouted by UCLA to play football. He was the starting quarterback his junior and senior year at Hinckley High.
Gracie, Reed’s sixteen-year-old sister, who had recently acquired a driver’s license, came running down the front steps toward the car.
“Lindsey, can I use your car to pick up Kyle?” she asked.
Kyle was Gracie’s boyfriend. For the past couple of months, Lindsey was letting Gracie secretly drive her car anyway. But now Gracie didn’t have to sneak.
“Sell me this car Lindsey.” demanded Gracie. “I love purple and pink. It’s hot!”
Lindsey laughed. Gracie seemed so spunky and full of life. She was the little sister Lindsey never had. That’s why she felt so attached to her.
“I’m glad you’re so excited to see me.” Reed added sarcastically.
Gracie went over to the other side of the car as Reed was getting out. She wrapped her arms around him tightly.
“You know I am.” she assured.
She held him longer than Reed expected. He knew what that was about. Gracie would probably miss Reed the most. He had always watched over her and defended her in every dispute. In Reed’s eyes, Gracie could do no wrong. She was innocent and pure. And that was found in her sky-blue eyes and strawberry-blond hair with cork-screw curls. Until now, Reed had scared away every one of Gracie’s boyfriends and convinced her that none of them were good enough for her. Kyle, however, underwent one of Reed’s most grueling interrogations, and survived. Reed said Kyle was a good catch and would be good for Gracie while he was gone; although Reed had threatened to use a variety of his new Marine skills to dispose of Kyle if he mistreated his little sister. Reed promised Gracie he would write her almost as much as he wrote Lindsey. He knew she was going to need it.
After dinner, Mrs. Beckly signaled Lindsey and Gracie to follow her into the kitchen to help with dessert. Mr. Beckly, Reed, Reddin, and Kyle stayed outside. Reddin picked up a football and through it to Reed, causing Reed’s cup to tip and splash on his lap. Mr. Beckly chuckled with that deep voice of his.
“Well, I hope Reed’s aim with an M-16 is better than your aim with that football.”
“Yeah Reddin, I thought you were supposed to be a pro quarterback. Are you sure that scout was wearing his glasses that day he found you?” asked Reed.
“Hey you’ve been to every one of my games. You know I don’t miss. I was actually aiming at the cup.”
Now Mr. Beckly was really laughing. Kyle even had a slight grin on his face. Lots of times, around Mr. Beckly, Kyle would try to act more serious than he really was to convince him he was mature enough to be dating his daughter.
Reed stood up and walked over to one side of the yard across from Reddin and threw the ball. Reddin was probably the best quarterback Reed had seen growing up and he knew scholarships would be dangled in front of him because of it. Reed was truly proud of Reddin’s accomplishments.
Reed noticed that Reddin had been quiet all night. Even now, as Reed looked over at him he could see something was bothering him, or at least something was on his mind. Reed waited until his shoulder was all thrown out to ask him about it.
“So, I can tell you’re upset that you won’t have me here to model yourself after anymore.” said Reed with a smug look on his face.
Reddin sat down where he was. He rested his elbows on his knees, still holding the football turning it side to side.
“Reed, It’s an honorable thing you’re doing, joining the Corp. and all. I’m almost old enough to join, but I’m just not sure I’d have the courage to do it.”
Reed sat down next to Reddin. “I hope you don’t think that just because I joined the Corp. that you have to. You should go to college, Reddin and take advantage of the scholarships you’ll be getting. I’m only upset I won’t be here to watch you start college ball.”
“Will you worry about Lindsey while you’re gone?” Reddin asked.
“Why, you’re not planning on moving in on her after I leave are you? It kind of worries me. You’re almost as good-looking as me you know? And if things get hard, she might just fall for you.”
Reddin could always count on Reed to make light of a situation. Reddin did look a lot like Reed. He was the same height, but a little less compact. He had the same sandy-blond hair, but purposely disarrayed, not high and tight like Reed’s. And he had the same bright blue eyes, though his nose was a little more eagle-like.
“Reed, why did you decide to join?”
“I’ve always felt that I needed to serve my country,” answered Reed with confidence.
“How could I expect America to be such a great country and not give back to her? You know how it goes; ‘Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.’”
“Dad told me about that boy you saw on the news when you were younger, the one that got shot for trying to jump over the wall. Does that still bother you?” Reddin laid back in the grass, using the football to rest his head.
“Reddin, I always told myself that I would fight until that wall came down. That boy would be my same age today. In a weird way, I thought I owed it to him. So I made a promise that that’s what I would do. The Berlin wall fell two years ago, Reddin and most of the fighting in Iraq is over, but my feelings are just as strong. I know there are other young boys out there, just like the one I saw, who are suffering because of the evil in this world. You and I just don’t know how bad it really is because we live in America. I want to do something for those boys. I want them to have what we have. I want their mothers to know they’re safe. I want them to be able to protect their little sisters. And I want their little brothers to have someone to look up to.” Reed picked a longer blade of grass and then pulled it apart with his fingers. “All that was stolen away from the kid I saw laying in the gutter. And the soldier who stood over him, smoking that cigarette, well, men just like him are