Spring Hope

Mary gave the decorations inside of the town hall a satisfied look. It had been a long cold winter for the residents of Deer Trail, Michigan. and now spring was here. At least the calendar said spring was here; there was still snow on the ground outside, and more snow was in the forecast.

               Mary was suffering from a bad case of spring fever. Most years she could blame her edginess on the cold dreary days that lacked the bright colors of spring. Mary loved the bright flowers as they awoke from their winter's slumber. She had been fortunate to find her dream job twenty years ago when she started a greenhouse and flower shop. This year she needed something to kick start her business. Deer Trail had been suffering from a recession since last summer and flowers were a luxury that most residents thought they could live without.

               The idea of a spring dance came to her when she was planning her spring flower orders. "It will be a shame to order all of these beautiful blooms and watch them rot inside my flower shop," Mary told herself. "I just need to show the people how important it is to have beauty in their daily lives."

                Mary held a meeting with the town council and the mayor. "I will supply the decoration; it won't cost you a penny," Mary argued when the mayor objected to the cost of the event. "Local restaurants have already agreed to supply drinks and finger sandwiches," Mary argued when one of the council members claimed the town didn't have a budget to give away free food. It wasn't easy but Mary whittled away the negative arguments until all agreed; a spring dance was just what the people of Deer Trail needed.

The town hall was decorated with pots of tulips, sprigs of greenery in colorful vases, and bright yellow daffodils. Mary and a few volunteers had strung crepe paper and ribbons from the ceiling. Yellow, pink, green and orange balloons were bouncing around the room. It looked festive and fun.

 Mary let her mind drift back to another spring dance that occurred twenty years ago. Mary was in her last year of high school and her life stretched ahead of her like a pleasant journey through Disney Land.

               "May I have this dance?" A deep voice asked next to Mary's ear.

               Mary turned to see a handsome young man, who was wearing a neatly pressed army uniform.

               "Yes!" Mary managed to answer over the pounding of her heart.

 One dance turned into two and two turned into the entire night. Mary managed to learn that the handsome gentleman was named after his great-grandfather, Flynn and that he was from Chicago. Flynn came to the dance with his second cousin who lived in Deer Trail. His cousin convinced Flynn to enjoy life in the United States before he was deployed to Iraq.

 It was the most magical night in Mary's life. She knew the special man and the special night could never be duplicated. She hadn't heard from Flynn since. Mary failed to get the name of Flynn's cousin so there was no one to give her information about Flynn, not that she would have been bold enough to ask. Mary didn't even know if Flynn was alive; she might have summoned the courage to ask that question.

               "That was my magical night. I can never hope to have another, but I can try to make this night special for someone else. I hope someone else will be able to keep the thrill alive longer than one night."

Flynn Frederickson was apprehensive as he stood in the doorway to the Deer Trail town hall. He remembered a wonderful night he shared with a marvelous young woman twenty years ago. It was the night before he deployed to Iraq. Those memories had been a talisman for him during tough times.

               Flynn's tour in Iraq had been difficult. He had been taken prisoner almost as soon as he entered the country. His memories of dancing all night with Mary helped sustain him. 

               Flynn's release had occurred one year later. Flynn thought about contacting his second cousin to learn if Mary had married or moved away, but he hadn't felt that he was emotionally strong enough. If the news wasn't what he wanted to hear, he didn't want to deal with it.

 Flynn became stronger and learned to deal with his PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).  His experience as a POW (Prisoner of War) made him uniquely qualified for a secret mission. That secret mission became another mission and that mission became another. Despite his dubious start, Flynn had a fulfilling twenty-year career in the military. Now, Flynn was ready to move on to the next phase of his life.

 Flynn's second cousin was the chief of police for Deer Trail. He offered Flynn a job when Flynn announced his retirement from the army. Flynn hesitated only a minute to accept the position. He thought he could relate to the residents of Deer Trail. They had gone through some difficult times, different than Flynn's experiences, but still difficult. The other reason he accepted the job was his secret hope to see Mary, the woman of his dreams again.

Tonight was Flynn's first night on the job. The police chief asked for volunteers to provide security for the Spring Dance and Flynn was the first to sign up. He thought this would be a good way to meet some of the residents and look for Mary. He didn't even know Mary's last name or if she had gotten married or had children. Did she even still live in Deertrail?

               The town hall was beautifully decorated. "The lady that owns the flower store provided all the decorations, including the pots of spring flowers," a fellow officer told Flynn. "Her name is Mary and she talked the mayor and town council into having this shindig," the officer added.

               Could this be his Mary? "Is she here now?" Flynn tried to act nonchalant as he asked.

               The other officer looked around, "She is by the kitchen. She's the one wearing the red dress and supervising the placement of the refreshment table."

               Flynn didn't even answer, he just walked towards Mary. It was his Mary and he hadn't been this nervous in a long time.

               "Could I have the first dance?" Flynn asked

 Mary turned to the sound of the deep male voice. The man had changed some, he had lines around his eyes and the carefree look of youth was gone, but Mary would recognize him anywhere.

               "Yes!"