Mom made it through the winter. She’s a fighter, that one. But we’ve moved her to the nursing home wing, something neither she or Dad is all too pleased with.
So much of life is out of our control.
Zach and Holly are settled in their house outside of Cleveland. It’s a cute little place that needs a lot of fixing up. But they’re happy, so I am too.
I’m up early this morning, playing taxi driver for Mindy and Sonny. They take off today for two weeks in Vietnam and, boy, am I excited for them.
So excited, it seems, I forgot my travel mug on the kitchen counter. That’s all right. Sonny’ll have plenty of coffee brewed for all of us.
There’s a light on in Sonny’s living room when I pull into her driveway. Otherwise, the house is dark and I try not to make too much noise when I get out of the truck and go to the front door. Mindy’s Prius is already here and her luggage is on the porch. I go ahead and grab it, hauling it to the truck.
“Hey, Dad,” Sonny whispers out the front door. “You want some coffee for the road?”
“Yes please,” I say after lifting suitcases into the pickup’s bed. “Where’s your stuff?”
“Just inside the door.” She waves me in. “Oh, and we might have a little stowaway.”
Evie peeks at me out the living room window, giving me her toothiest smile.
“Hi, sweetie,” I say when I step inside.
“Sorry,” Sonny says.
“It’s all right. I’ll be glad for company on the way home.”
“Thanks.”
We make quick time of getting the truck loaded up, and I’m glad for the cup of coffee that Mindy hands me. I glance at her in the passenger seat before pulling the gearshift into reverse.
“You ready for this?” I ask.
“I can’t believe it’s actually happening,” she answers.
There’s this spark of excitement in her eyes that warms my heart.
This day has been a long time coming.
Evie holds my hand as we walk into the airport behind Sonny and Mindy. I’m sad that I can’t take her in past security to watch the planes on the runway or the scrolling flight schedule on the wall. But we look at the artwork in the lobby while her mom and aunt get their luggage checked in.
She thinks it’s pretty special anyway.
Before I know it—before I’m ready—Sonny and Mindy are saying their goodbyes.
Sonny crouches down and kisses Evie on the cheek, telling her to be a good girl for me. Evie promises that she will and I believe her. Sonny lifts her hand, cupping Evie’s cheek, and looks her right in the eyes.
“I love you,” she says. “And I’ll miss you every minute.”
“I’ll miss you every second,” Evie answers. “Will you call me?”
“Yes.” Sonny gives her another kiss. “Will you make sure to help Daddy?”
Evie nods. “Love you, Mommy.”
One last kiss and Sonny’s up and giving me a hug.
“It’s hard to go,” she whispers.
I know exactly what she means.
“She’ll be all right,” I say. “And so will you.”
Mindy hugs me next. It’s a quick one, which is all right. Short and sweet.
“We’ll call as soon as we land,” she says. “Keep your phone on, okay?”
“Will do,” I say.
“See you in a couple of weeks.” She bends down and gives Evie a kiss on the forehead. “I’ll bring back something special for you.”
And then, just like that, they’re on their way.
Evie and I watch them go through security and they turn and wave once before heading for the terminal and out of our sight.
I take Evie’s hand, really glad to have her here with me.
“How about some breakfast?” I ask.
“All right,” she answers.
Together, we turn and walk to where I parked the truck, her hand in mine.
Evie and I grab a couple egg sandwiches from a drive-thru place near the airport and bring them to a park that overlooks the runway. Just a couple of planes have taken off so far, but not the one I’m waiting for. Not yet, at least.
“Grandpa,” Evie says, her mouth full of breakfast, “how do airplanes fly?”
“Oh, boy,” I say. “I don’t know exactly.”
“That’s okay.” She chews and swallows before going on. “Mom says that it’s okay not to know everything. All it means is that you get to learn something new.”
“She’s pretty smart, isn’t she?”
“Yup.”
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and when I pull it out, I see a selfie of Sonny and Mindy along with a text.
“About to take off!” it says.
“Ready?” I ask Evie, tapping her on the shoulder. “Watch.”
It’s a big airplane that taxis onto the runway, gaining speed as it goes.
When it lifts up off the ground, it takes my breath away.
I know there are at least a hundred planes that fly in and out of here every day. But only one of them carries two parts of my heart.
It sure is something to see them fly.
Author’s Note and
Acknowledgments
I first heard about Operation Babylift as I was reading up about the Vietnam War, researching for All Manner of Things. I knew I couldn’t mention the event in Annie’s story—the timeframe didn’t line up. But I decided to save the idea for later, having absolutely no clue if I’d ever get the chance to write about it.
A few years later I needed to come up with another novel to write. Rummaging through my files, I found a note I’d jotted down about the Babylift and listed it as a potential book idea. Honestly, I didn’t think my editor would be interested. I sort of hoped she’d pass.
It’s no exaggeration to say that it scared the socks off of me when she said yes.
Fortunately for me, I found fantastic resources that helped me tell the story. The Life We Were Given by Dana Sachs and The War Cradle by Shirley Peck-Barns were enlightening, helping me understand the social, economic, and diplomatic implications of the Babylift. Last Airlift by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch, Escape from Saigon by Andrew Warren, and Beyond the Babylift by Pamela Chatterton Purdy informed about the lives of the children and families who lived it.
I was also thankful for the documentaries I found that offered unique and visual insight. Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam, Daughter from Danang, and Hearts and Minds each broke my heart, but also offered hope.
When I was a little girl, I often worried about what happened to the children of Vietnam. I was haunted by the picture I’d found in a magazine of the child who has become known as “The Napalm Girl” and had more than my share of nightmares about her.
When I started writing The Nature of Small Birds I had that question in the forefront of my mind. What about the kids? While it would be thick of me to imagine I could tell the story of an entire nation of children, I could at least try to tell the story of one of them.
I, gladly, wasn’t left to my own devices to tell the story of the Matthews family. What a relief.
Writing a novel is an ambitious undertaking in a normal year. More so during a global pandemic. I am doubly thankful for those who came alongside me this time around.
Many thanks to Kelsey Bowen and Kristin Kornoelje for helping me polish up this novel. Editors are bright and kind and I’m so grateful that I have the pair of you working to make me look smarter than I am.
To the Revell marketing team I extend high fives and a round of lattes for their efforts in getting this book on shelves. Michele, Karen, Brianne, you ladies are remarkable. Thank you!
Thanks to my agent Tim Beals for being excited for this book and cheering me on to keep doing the best work I can.
Special thanks to my friends who check in, offer encouragement, and let me be my nutty self: Jocelyn Green, Alexis De Weese, Anne Ferris, Sonny Huisman, Bruce Matthews, Joanne Sher, Betsy Carter, Ginger Main . . . I could go on and
on. I feel so blessed by all of you.
My kids deserve props for surviving, not only a pandemic, but also having to be shut up in the house with a novelist. You three are tough little birds and I’m so glad to share this nest with you. Love you!
Now for the sappy stuff. To my sweet husband, who loves me as I am, encourages me to be as God intended me, and always makes sure I have a fresh rose to make me smile. Jeff, you’re my very favorite reader. You always will be. I love you.
But most of all, praise and gratitude to the Father who sees us when we fly and cares when we fall, all the while keeping his hand open to offer us shelter.
Susie Finkbeiner is the CBA bestselling author of All Manner of Things, which was selected as a 2020 Michigan Notable Book, and Stories That Bind Us, as well as A Cup of Dust, A Trail of Crumbs, and A Song of Home. She serves on the Fiction Readers Summit planning committee, volunteers her time at Ada Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and speaks at retreats and women’s events across the country. Susie and her husband have three children and live in West Michigan.
SusieFinkbeiner.com
Sign up for announcements about upcoming titles.
Facebook ● Twitter ● Instagram ● Pinterest
Table of Contents
Cover
Half Title Page
Books by Susie Finkbeiner
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Contents
Epigraph
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
44
45
46
47
48
49
Author’s Note and Acknowledgments
About the Author
Back Ads
Back Cover
List of Pages
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
361
362
363
364
365
366
367