US Fighter Jet Pilot Lonnie Anderson was returning home after a very long period of serving the country. He was excited to get home and finally hug and kiss his wife.
When he finally reached his house after a 12-hour journey, it turned out he had a bunch of surprises in store for him. It was only when Lonnie finally came face to face with the truth he couldn’t believe what his wife had done to him behind his back!
Nothing New
Lonnie Anderson was a family man. He and his wife Abigail had three children and they were a loving family. His family members were no strangers to the fighter jet pilot's family life.
This wasn’t the first time when Lonnie had left for such a long tour. So when he left his home in early 2017, his family knew what to expect as they had already experienced the longing before.
Loneliness Strikes!
Although Abigail too, was used to staying away from Lonnie, she still felt lonely at times. Particularly this time around, she was behaving a bit strange and weird.
It all began with small changes in her behaviour which became more and more pronounced as days passed. There was a reason behind Abigail’s restlessness and loneliness.
Trying To Hide Something
Even Abigail’s kids found out about the reason behind their mother’s erratic behaviour. The main question was – will they keep their mouth shut or ruin the lives of their parents?
Abigail and Lonnie used to stay in contact with each other through video calls. Every time Lonnie called, Abigail was afraid that their children might reveal the secret that Abigail had been hiding from Lonnie.
Almost There
With each passing day, it was getting harder and harder for Abigail to keep the secret concealed. There were times when she almost gave it away.
One day, when Abigail and Lonnie were on their customary video call, she almost gave the secret away while hanging up. She wanted to tell Lonnie so badly but she couldn’t muster up the courage to break the news to him. What was she hiding after all?
Not The Only One Unaware
Abigail had kept it a secret from everyone and not just Lonnie. Even her immediate family and closest friends had no idea what was she hiding.
She had many clever relatives who could even put the FBI to shame when it comes to unravelling a secret. But this time around, they had no clue.
Tough Phase
Abigail was finding it hard to manage things all alone. Things weren’t looking good for Lonnie either as Afghanistan had just decided to test its nuclear capabilities. Moreover, Lonnie’s base was adjacent to the test site.
Abigail was very concerned about Lonnie’s fate. Still, keeping her worries aside, she was juggling through three jobs to make ends meet. Abigail also had three children to take care of. It was a rather tough phase for the Anderson family.
6 Months Later
6 months had already passed since Lonnie left for his mission. Ideally, he should have been packing his bags and heading home. But then Lonnie was informed that he would have to stay for at least another month.
He called Abigail to break the news to her. Actually, the mission that he was on became increasingly dangerous and this is the reason why Lonnie’s stay was extended.
Uncertainties Take Over
If we think about Abigail, it was a nerve-wracking time for her. Every day she spent in the same dilemma that whether she should reveal the secret or not.
She also couldn’t help but think about Lonnie’s safety. She just wanted him to return home unscathed so she could lighten her heart by revealing what she was hiding from so long!
Coming Home
The moment the Anderson family had been eyeing for so long, finally arrived! The perseverance and determination that Abigail displayed finally paid off as well. In June, almost six months after Lonnie’s departure, he was instructed to get back home.
It was June 23 when Lonnie finally landed on American soil. Lonnie’s family gathered in San Diego to welcome him. They finally got to see the mam they had been patiently waiting for.
Heart-warming Welcome
As soon as they saw their father, Lonnie’s children ran towards him! Abigail was standing right behind them, holding a large sign: Welcome back, Daddy.
After Lonnie had given his children a lot of bear hugs, he approached Abigail. As Lonnie got closer to Abigail, she dropped the sign. “Are you kidding me? Seriously?” Lonnie exclaimed when he noticed what was behind the sign…
Unboxing The Secret
As soon as Abigail dropped the sign, Lonnie noticed what was written on her t-shirt. “I am the present Dad left behind before he left,” it said. And under the shirt? Abigail’s baby bump.
Yes, this is what she had been hiding from Lonnie and other people for so long! While most of us thought that she might have gone astray in her loneliness, that wasn’t the case.
Father’s Day
Lonnie was absolutely flabbergasted and he couldn’t believe his eyes. He looked at her, poked her stomach and said to Abigail “I thought you were kidding me! I cannot believe that this is happening for real!”
Needless to say, it was a very special day for Lonnie. Coincidentally, it was Father’s Day when he landed back in America. He had no idea that it was only going to get better!
A Lot Of Efforts
Since Abigail had been in frequent contact with Lonnie throughout her pregnancy, keeping it hidden had been a lot of work. Whenever they were on a call, Abigail often used to put one of her children on her lap to hide her belly.
Not only this but to fool Lonnie, she also took a picture with a beer. Talk about efforts and strategic planning!
Hardest Time
According to Abigail, the hardest part was convincing her children that nothing special was going on. “When my eldest daughter started noticing, I just said I was getting fat,” Abigail said in an interview.
On multiple occasions, Abigail wanted to call or email her husband to reveal the secret. But nevertheless, she was finally able to keep it a secret.
Out Of Love
Abigail also revealed later that her choice of keeping it a secret was made out of love. Abigail knew that if she told Lonnie, he would not be able to focus on his mission.
When he returned, she felt overwhelmed to finally be able to tell the secret. But guess what? This wasn’t the only surprise Lonnie awaited…
A Girl Or A Boy?
Lonnie and Abigail still didn’t know the gender of their baby. When Lonnie returned, Abigail and Lonnie went to the hospital for an ultrasound.
It soon became clear that whether Abigail was carrying a girl or a boy.
Gender Reveal Party
Since they had to break the news to almost everyone that they were close to, they decided to invite everyone to a party. Lonnie and Abigail hung up balloons filled with confetti.
Pieces of pink paper flew over everyone as they popped the balloon. It became stark clear that they were expecting another daughter.
Bad News
Things started going a bit too bad in Afghanistan. Lonnie was afraid that he could be summoned to go on a mission at any time, which could mean missing the birth of his daughter.
Abigail and Lonnie waited anxiously for a message from the army.
The Final Relief
Lonnie soon received a call and got the information that he would have to go on another mission in early 2018. It meant that Lonnie could be there for the birth of his daughter, who was expected around August 2017.
August passed but baby number four was taking its own sweet time. It was September 02, 2017, when Anara Rose was born.