out the best way to put the pieces together. Once she was familiar with the components and the process, she quickly figured out how to attack the project using a kind of assembly line approach. It took more work upfront but allowed her to complete more snowmen per hour.
The money she earned would be helpful once the baby came. Just paying for diapers was going to be a challenge.
She moved the completed snowman to the box next to her, then glanced at the clock by the bed. She had a call scheduled with Chandler in a few minutes and didn’t want to be late. They only got to FaceTime a couple of times a week, so those calls were important to her.
She got up and stretched, feeling the pull in her back. She was so gross, she thought, waddling to the kitchen where she got herself another glass of water. Staying hydrated was important.
Once her glass was full, she opened the refrigerator and stared at the contents. She’d gone to the grocery store earlier to buy what she needed to fix dinner. Her dad had told her he wanted her to be responsible for dinner twice a week—not a surprise after her conversation with Wynn. She’d thought about telling him no, but it had seemed like too much energy. Plus she supposed she knew that Wynn wasn’t wrong about all the things she said. Joylyn might not feel like she had it easy, but the truth was she did. The fact that she was away from her friends was her own fault. She should have stayed on base when she had the chance.
Feeling her mood spiral, she headed back to the bedroom and tried to distract herself with the snowmen construction.
Right on time, her laptop came to life, indicating an incoming call. She pushed the button to accept the call, then felt her heart jump when Chandler’s face filled the screen.
“Hey, beautiful girl,” her husband said with a smile. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine,” she said, even as tears filled her eyes. “I miss you.”
“I miss you, too. It’s just over a month until we’re together. You need to hang in there.”
“I’m trying. Tell me what’s happening with you.”
As he told her about his days and what he was doing, she stared into his eyes and longed to feel his arms around her. Being apart was so hard and unfair.
“How are things with your dad?” he asked. “You getting along better?”
“I guess. I hate being here.”
“I know you do, baby, but you and your dad used to be tight. Maybe that can happen again.”
“I don’t know. I just can’t trust him not to leave me.”
“You’re the one who’s going to be leaving when I come home. I hate to see you suffer.”
She faked a smile. “You don’t have to worry about me, Chandler.”
“Sure I do. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“You heard from your mom?”
“No. Not a word.” The tears returned. “I don’t know what’s wrong with her or why she did what she did.”
“It doesn’t make sense to me, either. But sometimes the things that happen aren’t about us. They’re about the other person.”
Joylyn knew he was trying to make her feel better, and while it would be nice if her mom had sent her away because she had some issue she had to deal with, Joylyn knew the truth wasn’t that convenient. Time and distance had allowed her to see that maybe she hadn’t been the easiest person on the planet to get along with. That maybe her complaining and general annoyance with the world had gotten to be too much.
“I don’t want to talk about her anymore,” she said. “Look what I’m doing.” She held up one of the snowmen. “They’re for a wedding, and I’m getting paid to make them. I’m saving it all, Chandler. For us and the baby.”
“That’s great. How do snowmen fit in a wedding?”
She laughed. “I have no idea, but apparently it’s a thing.”
“If you say so.” He glanced over his shoulder. “I gotta go. I love you and I’m counting the days.”
She touched the screen. “I love you, too. I can’t wait to see you. I miss you so much. You’re everything, Chandler.”
“You’re everything to me, too, sweetie.”
The call ended and the tears came right on cue. Joylyn brushed them away and went back to work. She might not be able to see her husband, but she could build the stupid little snowmen and save money so that when she and