Every Storm by Lori Wick Page A

still gave her a view of the street, and began to think about the little she knew.
    Neither telegram had provided her with details. The ranch had reported what they'd known: Lorri and Josie had left Carson Point in a plane on June 1. The plane was piloted by Clarence Fuller, and the three of them never arrived at their destination. In her mind the miles of ocean had stretched forever. The chances of survival were slim. And yet she hoped. That was the type of person she was. She was not going to decide it was bad news but wait for word. There was no point in crying over imagined events. And when worry came, she confessed it and reminded herself that the Lord Jesus Christ was in control.
    Nevertheless, seeing those words- Josie lost -had plunged her into a place she'd never visited. She didn't know why it was different from burying a mother and a spouse, but she knew firsthand that it was. In sudden pain, her breath caught in her throat, her heart realized she wasn't even able to bury her daughter. She had been lost at sea.
    "Mother?" Max's voice sounded from the stairway just before she entered the room.
    "Yes, Max."
    "I shut Jo's door. Was that all right?"
    Ruth looked at her youngest child-no longer a child but a young woman-and tried not to hold on too tight. At the moment she wanted to tell Max that she was never leaving home.
    Ruth gave a small shake of her head.
    "It's not all right?" Max questioned.
    "It's fine, honey. My mind wandered for a moment"
    Max sat down and stared at her mother. Ruth stared back Max was the first to speak.
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    [ill 'i"I don't want to cry when I see Raine."
    |j|"Why not?"
    j||"I don't want that to be her first memory, me being a big baby."
    ij"So you don't think she'll cry; you don't think I will?"
    Max sighed. "I guess we all will-maybe even Grandpa." "He just might."
    "I just wish I knew what happened." This was not the first time Max had voiced this, and even though they had spoken of it, Ruth warned her again. I,'if I"Don't let your curiosity overrule your good sense, Maxine.
    . ,|Whatever happened, it must have been awful. Lorri will tell us
    f Iwhen she's ready. We're not going to pepper her with questions-
    not today, and not ever."
    . IMax nodded, her face composed, but the questions still
    ||JI Ipestered her. Was Raine really all right? How could Jo die but not
    l' trRaine? Where in the world had she been all this time?
    Ir|jlFor a moment a shudder ran over her. At times when she
    ' -thought about her oldest sister never coming home, she ached with
    pain. The news was still so new that Max was quite numb inside, but every so often pain washed over her, pain so acute that it took I!her breath away.
    Watching her, Ruth saw her daughter's anguish but opted not to question her. She believed she knew the answers. And if they spoke of it just now, they might be in tears before Lorri and Dean ifl'IUarrived.
    W"Ruth's eyes went to the window. She hoped it would be soon.
    II
    Gasoline rationing was over. Stories on vegetables, canned fruit, and fuel oil-all released from restriction-filled the newspapers.
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    Nearly every article concerned the winding down of the war or life after the fact. Nearly four weeks after being united at the base in Australia, Dean and Lorri now waited at the U.S. Naval Base outside Harmony Hills, California, for their ride home. They shared a newspaper, heads bent as they devoured the words.
    Thankfully it was not a long wait. After just a bit of detail work, a sailor appeared and told them the car was ready and waiting.
    The newspaper had been a diversion. Lorri was so anxious to be home, she couldn't stop the pounding of her heart. She was on her feet and headed to the waiting car before the man finished speaking.
    Ruth had meant to relax, but by the time the car pulled into the driveway, she had been back at the window for some time. Her first reaction had been to run outside, but she knew instinctively it was the worst thing she could do.
    Instead she stared