"Just look at them. This breaks my heart!" she said quietly.
"You taught both of them, right?" her husband whispered.
"Yes. She just finished my class, and he was my student five years ago."
"Wait. Wasn't he the valedictorian?"
"Uh-huh. Smart as a whip. And as nice as they come. And very popular with the girls. I tried so hard to get him to go to college, but he was hell bent on the Army."
"Right. I remember you telling me that. Such a shame. Not that there's anything wrong with the military. But being that smart..."
"Oh, look. His sister is about to fall apart!" his wife said as she squeezed her husband's arm so hard it hurt.
She'd managed not to cry up 'til then, but when the sister started crying, she cried, too.
The sister was Andrea Simmons who was 16 years old while her older brother, Nathan, had just turned 21 six weeks earlier. The siblings had just lost both of their parents in a horrible car accident that shook their little town of Maple Valley, Washington, more than anything anyone could remember in many years.
Nathan had indeed joined the Army a few months after high school, but he hadn't enlisted in the traditional sense. He'd gone in under something colloquially called 'high school to flight school' in which qualified applicants could, without a college degree, fly some of the world's most sophisticated helicopters after completing the Army's warrant officer basic course and flight school at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
Nathan had carefully planned his future starting when he was 16 and fell in love with helicopters after watching the movie Blackhawk Down. The thought of flying one captivated him, and after doing some research, he found out it was possible for him to do just that if he could meet all of the Army's qualifications.
From that moment on, everything Nathan Simmons did was with one goal in mind—to fly an Army helicopter. Whether it was academics, sports, or studying for various physical or academic tests he needed to pass, Nathan had a singular focus.
That kind of self-discipline had recently paid off for Warrant Officer Nathan Simmons who had just finished flight school. He was one day away from leaving Fort Rucker for his first duty station when his commanding officer called him in to break the worst kind of news to one of the Army's newest pilots.
In fact, his final flight had been on Wednesday, his class was due to graduate on Friday, and the Red Cross called Fort Rucker on Thursday informing the chain of command that both of Nathan's parents were dead. Too stunned to think, Nathan somehow managed to thank his commander, salute when he left, then talk to the admin section about his options.
Nathan had 30 days leave coming to him, and his commander told him he could try and delay his reporting date to his first unit if needed. Nathan thanked him and promised to stay in touch then found himself on a flight from Alabama to Seattle the next day, just three hours after graduation, an event he couldn't recall as more than a hazy blur.
His first concern had been for his little sister who was staying with a friend until her brother arrived. The first two days had also been a blur of planning for a funeral, meeting with their parents' lawyer, and a non-stop parade of people coming by the house to wish them well or offer assistance.
Now today, he found himself standing in front of all that remained of his mother and father, with his unconsolable, brokenhearted sister by his side.
The woman's husband knew she was going to go try and comfort them, and he knew her well enough to know there was no stopping her even though this brother and sister were the only ones standing in front of their parents' caskets as everyone else gave them time to grieve alone before filing by to pay their last respects.
She did interrupt them when she walked up and gently touched the girl's shoulder. She turned around, and once she recognized her former teacher, she hugged her and continued to cry.
"Ms. Edwards!" the girl sobbed as they held one another.
Over the girl's shoulder she saw Nathan who acknowledged her presence as she quietly said, "I'm SO sorry!"
She beckoned him over, and he joined in the hug as he thanked her for coming.
"Do you kids have a place to stay? Is there anything I can do? Anything at all?" she asked with genuine concern.
They were staying at their parents' home, and school had been out for a week, so Andrea didn't need a place to stay to finish out the year. Had it not been, Nathan would have done his best to find someone to keep her until school was over. Not having any family in the local area would have made that a huge challenge, but it's possible one of Andrea's friends would have offered. He might have even considered allowing this former teacher to care for her until school was out, but that was now a moot point.
"We're fine, Ms. Edwards," Nathan told her. "But thank you very much for your kind offer."
"Of course," she replied. "Listen, if you think of anything, you just let me know, okay?"
"We will," he told her as he gently pulled his grieving sister away from their former teacher.
"Come on, Andi. We need to move out of the way so other people can pay their respects."
She nodded as she sobbed then put her arm through her brother's and let him lead her back to their pew in the front row.
"It's...just...not...fair!" Andrea sobbed as Nathan helped her sit back down.
He thought about trying to explain how randomly the universe worked to her; that fairness had nothing to do with it. He wanted to tell her they'd just been in the wrong place at the right time, and that was all there was to it. But his younger sister needed love and reassurance, not cold, hard information, so he put his arm around her and let her cry as family members from out of town and other friends filed by the shiny coffins.
After what seemed like an eternity, their parents were laid to rest in a local cemetery. The last of the crowd was gone leaving just two people and the funeral director there with Nathan and Andrea.
"Thanks, Uncle Bart. We appreciate that," Nathan said to him after being offered his condolences yet again.
"You uh, you look sharp in your uniform, Nate," his uncle told him.
"Oh, thanks. I nearly forgot I wore it," Nathan told him truthfully.
"We're all real proud of you," his aunt said before taking Andrea aside to talk to her alone.
"So what's next?" his uncle asked.
"Well, I was on my way to Fort Riley, Kansas, but I asked my last 'boss' to see if they can delay my reporting date until I can deal with...all this."
"Makes sense," his Uncle Bart told him. "What about Andrea?"
"I guess she'll have to come with me. There's no one here to take care of her, and I'm the logical choice. Besides, she's my responsibility now, so I'm really the only choice."
"We'd love to have her, but with me being unable to work anymore, I don't think we could do that."
"I understand. And I'd never ask you to do that. This is on me, and I'll figure things out as I go. I just hope I don't have to deploy for any length of time until she finishes high school."
"She's got two more years left, right?"
"Correct. She just finished her sophomore year."
"Is it too early to ask about college?"
