Lined With Silver (8 page)

As she thought about the months of keeping
her emotions under tight wrap, she let them loose. She buried
herself in her pillow and cried herself to sleep.

* * *

When the alarm rang at 6:30, she had managed
to get enough sleep to feel semi-rested and able to tackle the day.
She rolled out of bed and looked out the window. Even through the
pre-dawn darkness, she could see the sky was clear. Zack’s weather
report seemed to be accurate. Hopefully, they’d be able to get the
car unlocked. She didn’t want to have it towed to the rental
agency.

They had breakfast in her room again, Zack
opting to go through the connecting doors as well. He looked as
good in jeans and a polo as he had in his immaculate suits.

She doubted he’d spent half the night stewing
over their marriage like she had.

After they finished, he asked, “What’s the
plan for the day?”

“I want to tour the National Mall and then
watch the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier.”

“That happens every hour throughout the day,
so we’ll have to make sure we get there at the half hour. They like
the audience to be settled well before the ceremony begins.”

“I hear they take it seriously.”

“Very. It’s an honor to serve, and a lot of
the ceremony is symbolic, so it will seem strange and ritualistic,
but it has deep meaning for all the soldiers who serve.” He paused
and swallowed hard, and she suspected he was fighting tears. “We’ve
all shared the fear of dying without closure. It’s hard enough
having friends die. Knowing there are fallen soldiers who can’t be
identified—”

Hesitantly, Sondra reached over to touch his
arm, offering some silent comfort.

He focused and looked at her. “At least I
have the comfort of knowing I will see them again. Not all my
buddies share our beliefs.” He coughed to hide his emotion and then
changed the subject. “So on to the National Mall?”

“Yes.” She grabbed her purse, gloves that had
dried in the night, her camera, and her coat. “Let’s go.”

The day was as warm as Zack had promised.
Sondra sat in the taxi while he unlocked the car. The heat of the
day had thawed out the locks. In a few short minutes, he found a
parking stall close to the National Mall.

The wind had died and they were able to
stroll through the shoveled walks in relative comfort.

They spent the next couple of hours walking
around the National Mall and taking pictures. The Washington
Monument was closed for upgrades, but there were enough monuments
to explore that Sondra only felt a momentary twinge of regret.

As she approached the Vietnam Memorial, she
felt a surge of fear from her previous experience, but the winter
sunlight was enough to show there were no muggers hidden in the
trees. Instead, there were milling tourists as intent on their
explorations of the monuments as they were.

When they walked around the Memorial, Sondra
was saddened by the number of names on the wall. “I didn’t realize
how many had died.”

“I don’t remember anyone talking about it in
school. It’s hard to imagine that many families missing their sons,
their brothers, their fathers.” Zack was scanning the names as he
answered. He stopped and pointed at one. “That was my mother’s
uncle. The story was that he died during a reconnaissance mission,
but I don’t know the details.”

Sondra leaned over to inspect the name. “I’m
sorry for your family’s loss.” She rested her hand on his arm.
“Thanks for your service and sacrifice.”

He covered her hand with his. “It’s a
sacrifice I think my family would make again. The cause of freedom
is worthwhile, even if the folks back home don’t always agree.”

Sondra met his eyes a moment and saw a hint of
bitterness. The war in Afghanistan was about as popular as the
Vietnam War had been in its day. There were too many politicians
who were willing to put young American lives at risk, sending them
to fight without giving them the tools to win. After spending a few
more minutes at the Vietnam Memorial, they walked over to the
Korean War Memorial.

The main memorial was in the form of a triangle
intersecting a circle. Black polished granite was sandblasted with
the images of photographs taken during the war. Within the walled
triangle were nineteen stainless steel statues in raingear. The
dusting of snow on the metal made them seem almost alive.

Sondra said, “It’s amazing how every soldier
looks so different. And their uniforms look as different as the
individual wearing it. How come each uniform is unique?”

“Each soldier represents a different military
branch.”

“I can’t imagine how much time it must’ve
taken to do all the research and then the crafting.” Sondra stopped
next to one of the soldiers to inspect the details.

“Frank Gaylord must’ve felt a great deal of
passion for the subject, that’s for sure.” Zack agreed. They walked
on and stopped at the reflecting pool. Carved in a granite slab in
front of the reflecting pool was an inscription. It read “Our
nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to
defend a country they never knew and a people they never met.”
Sondra thought about Zack and his service in Afghanistan. The same
thing could be said of him and those who served there.

The granite wall behind the pool was carved
with four simple words: “Freedom is Not Free.” They spent a few
minutes in quiet contemplation at the pool and then strolled on to
the WWII Memorial. Flags from each country involved in the conflict
fluttered in the breeze.

“When you see all the flags, it really puts
into perspective how much of the world was at war then, doesn’t
it?” Sondra indicated the flags with a slight wave.

“It’s sobering, that’s for sure.”

They moved to the Roosevelt Memorial, which
dwarfed the War Memorials. As they walked through the opulent
memorial, Sondra turned to Zack. “Doesn’t this seem out of
place?”

“What do you mean?”

With her outstretched arm, she indicated the
surrounding memorials. “Here are all these memorials dedicated to
people who died for freedom in this land, and the biggest, most
expensive memorial here celebrates socialism.”

Zack shrugged. “It’s all based on
congressional approval. There isn’t much anyone can do.”

Sondra stared across the mall toward the
Vietnam Wall, the names invisible from the distance but imprinted
on her heart. “It feels wrong, Zack. Maybe I shouldn’t say this,
but I hope some future generation with more guts than we have will
tear this memorial down and replace it with something that
celebrates the freedom we enjoy, not the welfare state this
monument clearly celebrates.”

Sondra shuddered, then turned to Zack. “All
this walking has made me hungry. I’d like to go eat and then watch
the changing of the guard.”

Zack reached for her hand as they headed to
their car. The trip to the restaurant only took a few minutes.
After they ate, they got back into the car and wound their way to
the Arlington Cemetery.

Thousands of white crosses across the hills
blended in with the snow. Green wreaths placed at the base of each
cross were topped with a bright red bow, the crimson a reminder of
the season and the sacrifice of the veterans.

After walking around parts of the cemetery
and stopping at the Kennedy Memorial, they worked their way to the
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and sat quietly, immersed in their own
thoughts.

When they were asked to stand, Sondra was
touched by the careful ritual performed by the soldiers. She was
glad Zack had taken some time to explain the process. She wouldn’t
have understood the significance of the ritual without his
insight.

They sat a few minutes after the ceremony was
over. Sondra reached for Zack. “Thanks for coming with me today. It
means a lot to have you here with me.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve come to the
monuments. I think coming here with my family was what made me
decide to serve in the military.”

“I’m grateful there are those who feel the
way you do.” Her voice was fervent.

He stood and led her to the car. She was
hopelessly lost and was grateful he seemed to have a built-in
compass.

“Did you have anything else planned for your
trip?” He asked after they were settled in the car.

“I’ve neglected my shopping. I have a few
Christmas presents to buy. Is there anything close?

“I think I know a place you’ll like.” He
drove a few miles and then stopped at a mall. They wandered,
stopping occasionally to look at an interesting display. One stop
was for a particularly garish display of Christmas items. When a
short stuffed flannel Christmas tree broke out in a version of
“Jingle Bell Rock,” Sondra giggled. “That’s just what I need. It
would match my dancing Santa.”

His brows rose in surprise, then he chuckled.
“I didn’t picture you as the type to have a dancing Santa.”

Sondra wrinkled her nose. “He’s a hula Santa.
My parents brought him home for me during one of their trips to
Hawaii.”

“You didn’t get to go?”

Sondra shook her head. “It was an anniversary
trip. Their thirtieth, I think. No kids allowed.” She paused and
then smiled at him. “I made up for it later, though. I went there
on my mission.”

“Ouch. Tough mission.” Zack’s eyes
twinkled.

“You’re just jealous.”

“Not hardly. I liked my mission just fine. I
served in Canada.”

“Brrrr.” Sondra rubbed her arms as she faked
a shiver. “I’ll take Hawaii any time.”

While they were talking, Zack indicated he
wanted to buy one of the trees. The clerk wrapped the tree in paper
and put it in a bag proudly proclaiming The Christmas Shoppe.

As they climbed into the car, Zack asked,
“Was there anywhere you had in mind for dinner?”

Sondra shook her head. “I’m at a
disadvantage. I don’t know this area at all. You’ve done a great
job picking so far. I’ll leave it up to you.”

She watched the surrounding traffic for a few
minutes and then turned to him. “I have to admit that if this trip
has done anything for me, it’s to remind me how human I am. I’ve
been almost invincible in the courtroom, but those thugs and the
ice storm last night reminded me that I’m as human as anyone else.”
She turned to the window again and sighed. “It was Nikki’s request,
though, that reminded me first.” She turned back and caught his
gaze. “I was a sister and a daughter before I was ever an attorney.
Nikki reminded me how strong those ties are.”

Zack nodded and stared back at the road.
“Things like that remind us that we aren’t here for long. The
family ties are the ones that matter. Your clients will come and
go. The laws change. Family doesn’t.”

He glanced at her, reached over to softly
squeeze her fingers in a comforting gesture. “I believe the guys
who were after you the other night were random. You were in the
wrong place at the wrong time.” He released her fingers to move the
visor to block the setting sun’s glare. “DC isn’t a safe community.
The area is crawling with criminals, and it doesn’t help that the
whole area is declared a gun free zone. The criminals know there
isn’t anything citizens can do, and the police are so busy
investigating murders that they hardly even bother to investigate
anything else.”

Sondra shuddered. “I guess I didn’t really
appreciate living in Utah until now.”

“DC isn’t all of the East Coast. There are a
lot of safe communities here.”

“I’ll stick with Utah, thank you very
much.”

“And I’ll stick with San Jose.”

As much as she understood their marriage was
a temporary convenience for both of them, hearing him announce his
intention to continue living as he always had was a clear reminder
that this farce was never going to be anything else.

She stared out the window and wished she’d
never taken this unexpected trip to DC. Then she remembered Nikki
and her problems and realized her own problems paled in comparison.
She was donating a little over nine months to help her sister in
her quest to add a child to her eternal family.

The time would be over before she knew it,
and Zack could go on to his software engineering and she would go
on helping families break into pieces. The pride she felt in making
sure her clients got their fair share in a family break up seemed
vainly shallow. She wondered if he despised her for her career
choice.

Determined not to let her depressed thoughts
interfere with the last few hours together, she pushed them away
and concentrated on enjoying her time with him. They stopped at a
quaint restaurant similar to the one they’d eaten at the night
before.

As they walked in the door, he said, “This
was one of my mother’s favorite places.”

The walls were covered with antiques and
photographs. Sondra glanced over the room and then turned to him.
“What was your mother like?”

He pulled out his wallet and showed her a
picture of their family. Since he looked the same in the picture,
she assumed it must’ve been taken shortly before his mother died.
The picture included Zack, Jade, and his parents. He had a separate
picture of Jade and her family, which appeared to be recently
updated.

“Mom was an incredible person.” His eyes
filled with tenderness as he looked at the image. “She loved life.
She was very artistic and loved mosaics. One of the mosaics she
created is hanging in the library at BYU Idaho. It depicted Joseph
Smith and the first vision. A couple of the stones in the picture
were from the Sacred Grove.”

“What an honor for your family.”

He nodded. “It’s also a great reminder that
any of us can add to the beauty of the gospel. We were happy she
was able to see it hung before she died.”

“How did she die?” Sondra’s voice was soft,
hesitant.