Chapter 7 - The Unopened Shadowbox
Before Evelyn or Vanessa could utter another word, the heavy double chime of the front doorbell echoed through the silent house.
Evelyn looked terrified, as though the reality she had carefully constructed for ten years was collapsing around her ears. "Who... who could that be at this hour?"
"I’ll get it," Mia said calmly, setting her napkin neatly beside her plate.
She walked to the front door and pulled it open. Standing on the porch under the warm glow of the exterior lamp were two men in service dress uniforms.
The first was Master Gunnery Sergeant Caleb Hollis. The second was a man whose presence made the air in the neighborhood feel colder: Colonel Marcus Vance, the commanding officer of the 5th Marine Regiment—and Vanessa’s uncle.
Behind them stood an enlisted Marine carrying a long, polished walnut presentation box.
"Major Carter," Colonel Vance said, offering a crisp, picture-perfect salute.
Mia returned the salute smoothly. "Colonel Vance. Caleb. What brings you gentlemen here?"
"We apologize for interrupting your family dinner, Major," Colonel Vance said, his weathered face solemn. "But after what occurred at the front gate today, Master Gunnery Sergeant Hollis brought an administrative oversight to my attention. Four years ago, when your unit was extracted from the Shigal Valley, certain decorations were held in classified suspension pending after-action debriefs. They were finally cleared through Department of the Air Force headquarters yesterday. I felt it was my duty to deliver them personally."
From the dining room, Vanessa gasped. "Uncle Marcus?"
Colonel Vance looked past Mia into the dining room. His eyes narrowed as he saw his niece and Dylan standing by the ruined table. "Vanessa. Dylan. Good evening."
Evelyn hurried into the entryway, her face pale, her hands trembling as she smoothed her apron. "Colonel Vance... I... we didn't expect you. What is all this?"
Colonel Vance stepped inside, removing his cover. He looked at Evelyn Carter with the heavy, piercing gaze of an officer who had seen too much war to tolerate civilian vanity.
"Mrs. Carter," the Colonel said clearly. "I am here to present your daughter with the honors she earned while preserving the lives of thirty-two United States Marines."
May you like
He signaled to the young Marine behind him, who stepped forward and opened the velvet-lined lid of the walnut box.
Resting inside, gleaming against the dark blue velvet, was the Silver Star with a Combat 'V' device, two Purple Hearts, and the Air Force Cross—the second highest military decoration for valor against an enemy of the United States.
