Finding Home by Megan Nugen Isbell Page B

it. 
    “It’s just a water tower, Brandon.”
    “No, it’s not,” he said, still looking upward. “It’s home.”
    The tone in his voice was low and serious and I heard a hint of hope in there too.  I don’t know why I did it, but something was drawing me to him and a moment later, I was beside him, turning my neck upward, trying to understand what he was feeling as he stared at the hunk of metal. 
    “They’d just started this thing when I left and when I got home and saw it was done…it was like this affirmation that life goes on.  The whole time I was gone, even with everything that happened, life went on here…” he said softly until I interrupted.
    “It went on because of you,” I said, nervously resting my hand on his back as we stood there. “Because of you and your friends.” I felt his gaze on me and I turned my head to see he wasn’t staring at the water tower any more.  He was staring at me. “Thank you for that, Brandon.” My voice was quiet and there were tears in my eyes.  I was grateful for him and for others like him who sacrificed so much to give us the freedoms we often took for granted.
    “Don’t thank me, Mandy.  It’s just what we do.” He walked away then, my hand trailing off his back and he made his way back to the truck, opening the tailgate so it fell open and he climbed into the bed. “The view’s even better from here,” he said, lying back, and I wondered if that was an invitation for me to join him.  I didn’t second guess my intuition and I walked over to the truck, hopping up onto the tailgate and scooting myself into the bed.  “Come here,” he said, patting the spot next to him.  I felt the nerves building as I moved myself so I was beside him.  I leaned back, folding one of my hands behind my head with the other resting at my side, just as his were.  Our eyes both stared up at the red letters and he was right, the view was better.  It was actually kind of spectacular, the lights shining up on it, as if it were some majestic wonder instead of a simple water tower in the middle of a Kansas wheat field and then I heard him start to sing.
    “ Water tower, it sure is good to see you.  I’ve been away…way too long.  Water tower, like a lighthouse in a storm, you helped me find my way back home.”   The sound of his voice singing the Jason Aldean song made me smile.  I’d never heard Brandon sing until he’d come home and there was something about his voice that touched me.  I could hear the pain and feel what he’d been through.  It was deep and a little raspy and spot on when it came to pitch. 
    “I wish you’d sing more,” I said to him and I saw him smile a little in the light of the water tower.
    “I’ve gotta have something to sing about.” He turned his head and grinned at me. 
    “You’ve got something to sing about tonight then?” I pressed and he turned back to the water tower, the smile still on his face.
    “I do,” he said, and then I felt him adjusting, his left hand coming down from where it’d been cradling his head.  It was holding mine a second later, his warm palm resting against mine and I curled my fingers around his. “You’re here.”
    He inched closer so our bodies were touching and he lifted the hand he was holding to rest on his chest.  I could feel his heartbeat and we just laid there for a while, staring up at the water tower.  I wasn’t nervous having him so close.  I thought I’d be nervous.  It was Brandon, after all.  He wasn’t supposed to be lying next to me, holding my hand and making my heart beat too fast. 
    “I didn’t think it’d feel this good to be home,” he said and I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye.  He was still staring up at the tower, a little smile on his face, but then he turned towards me, our eyes meeting. “And I didn’t realize how much I’d missed you.” I could feel the heat rushing to my face, but I didn’t look away. 
    “I missed you too,”