As Billy and I exchanged our vows, our country invaded Iraq. As we sat naked in a hotel room, bombs fell from the sky, all as politicians promised a quick resolution to the whole affair. None of which we knew until the following day. Billy kept his phone with him throughout our wedding and beyond, but no call was made for him to report to his unit. And we, the happy couple, did not want to sully our happiness by watching the news.
     After the frantic beginning of our marriage, we settled into an uneasy wait for Billy's deployment. But he did not receive a phone call the next day, or the day after. Nor that month, or the month after that. But almost eight months later, on Halloween. The date we had originally picked for our wedding.
     Attendi...

Please subscribe to keep reading.