Double barrel – The retrieval of Jupiter’s heart

She cried. Then, the tears came. Her wounded heart opened and she wept bitterly. Somewhere along the way, the sun appeared. However, there was no joy in her heart as she lay, spent and hollow.

Double barrel

The previous day, everything was normal. Real. Life was still simple. And pain was for another day. A day far off into the future. Today, Jupiter puts away the last of the clean dishes from supper. Then the doorbell rings. Not only is this out of the ordinary, but also they rarely get company after six. Furthermore, Benjamin is adamant on this point.

Additionally, ever since James Abner left to join the war, they were all rising earlier. Therefore, it was not a special holiday. Her mind is contemplating which of their neighbors would consider calling at this hour of the evening. She is drawing a blank, as she enters the foyer of their home. From here she can see through the glass of their front door, that it is Brenda Seivers. This not only perplexes her, but also sends little icy shards of panic racing through her system.

The retrieval of Jupiter’s heart

Jupiter opens the door just as Benjamin peeks into the foyer. She can tell by the look on his face that he is annoyed. Therefore, she quietly assures him it is a private matter between her and Brenda. They just needed some girl talk. As Jupiter suspected, this had the effect of clearing Benjamin out of the area. Furthermore, it meant he wouldn’t be lurking around while her and Brenda talked.

As she opens the door, she gets a better look at Brenda. The young woman’s eyes are swollen and red, from recent tears. She looks at Jupiter with a very sad expression. Then she falls into Jupiter’s arms sobbing uncontrollably. Jupiter holds her, rocking her gently back and forth. All the while she is lightly shushing and consoling Brenda.

She leads her into their small dining room just off the foyer. Then she sits with Brenda. It takes a few minutes before she regains her composure. Jupiter is at a loss for words. Moreover, she has no idea how to ask what happened. Although Jupiter feels loathe to ask, Brenda eagerly shares.

Double Barrel

It takes ten minutes for Jupiter to learn that Brenda is upset for her friend, Margaret. Margaret’s son is serving in the same unit as Brenda’s son. Margaret came to see Brenda earlier in the day. She was crying, and very much beside herself. It seemed her son’s platoon was overrun. There were no survivors.

At first Brenda held herself together. However, the suspense finally broke her resolve. She lost her nerve and came to see Jupiter. The two talk and console one another for an hour or more. By the time Brenda is ready to leave, they are both convinced a letter from the military would already be here. Therefore, they had nothing to worry about. This was fine, until the following day.

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