Chapter 1 - Doubts

Lilith Groen waited. She sat on a bench at the airport and she was nervous. Today she would be in his arms again - finally. Her husband had been deployed to Afghanistan where he was responsible for the logistics of German soldiers and materials. After more than ten years the German Bundeswehr was about to leave the country and the responsibility to the Afghan state, its soldiers and authorities.
Leon and her had not even seen each other on Christmas. It had been a quite lonely Christmas although she had met friends and family. Lilith let her thoughts wander. Her eyes met those of mothers, husbands, wives, children, even dogs who all waited for the arrival of their beloved.
This last year had been in so many ways a good year but she had missed him so much.

This last part of his journey back to Germany seemed to be so long! Leon Groen stretched out his legs, these seats were just too small. Or he too tall. However. A year lay behind him. A year filled with impressions and experiences. Although his job had "only" been to organize the pull-out of troops, tanks, helicopters and arms, he had seen things he never expected to see. And most of them had not been that nice.
It was quiet now in the airplane. They were all too excited and also too exhausted to talk. Everyone was looking forward to see their families and good old Germany. Out from his field blouse Leon took the picture of his beautiful wife for one last time. Dark blonde hair, fine features, a toned body and a radiant smile.

Lilith pulled her skirt down and tucked her top back into her pencil skirt. She wondered what Leon would say. How would he react? Would he close his arms around her tightly or stare at her? No, he loved her, didn't he? Doubts rose again. Annoyed (and afraid) she pushed them aside.
Yes, she probably did not look the same anymore. But did it matter?
Lilith remembered. It all started after Leon had left...

"Hallo Lil, this is Marie, please get the phone! How are you? I was wondering whether you want to join us? We're about to go for dinner to this new Chinese buffet at the corner of the Bremer Straße. We'll be there at six, afterwards we thought about watching a movie at my place. Just come around if you want to, the other girls gonna be there, too! See you, sweetie!"
Lilith sighed. She was not in the mood for anything noisy and funny. Actually she had not been in the mood for anything since the most important person in her life had left. Suddenly she realized that she had the chance to do whatever she wanted to do. Without having to consider when to be home, when to be able to see her husband, how to get a balance between friends, family and husband.
Lilith forgot her lazy Sunday mood, put her book aside and got up from the sofa. She changed into adequate clothes and left the apartment.
The four girls were very different from each other and many wondered how their friendship could be so steady. But actually, none of them cared. In the following months they saw each other more often than usual for Lilith had more time now as her husband was deployed. They visited cafés, restaurants, went on Christmas markets, visited museums, concerts, travelled from Hamburg to Dresden, Munich or Hannover and went on holidays in Denmark. The girls enjoyed the time they got.
Lilith had always been slim. She had played volleyball, basketball and handball in school, had done yoga and kickboxing during university. And when she started working full-time she had started running and cycling together with her husband.
Whereas the other three girls had never been very active. So, over the years, they had slowly piled on the pounds while Lilith stayed pretty slim with her 1.70m and 68kg.
But without her husband taking her with him on his runs and Lilith enjoying good food, her clothes started to feel a little tighter than usual. She struggled to get into her jeans, pulled her S-sized top over her growing boobs and her slightly softer stomach. But she ignored the changes and went to work.
Everything worked well, her boss gave her a new department and going with it more responsibility. The girls spend more and more time together and Lilith managed to see family members she had not met for years.