“Okay,” I whispered. “I’ll go with you.”
An electrifying smile spread across his face. His excitement meant I didn’t dare burst his bubble with my concerns.
The rest of the night, he filled me in on the timeline for our departure and helped me make plans to give up the apartment and figure out what to do with the few things I needed to dispose of if I moved with him.
We were off on our grand adventure.
Chapter Eight.
Jesse & Lyrical – Boot Camp.
Dear Lyrical,
I’m glad to hear you’ve settled into the apartment. I know my sweetness can take care of herself, but don’t be afraid to ask the neighbors for help.
Boot camp is more tiring than I expected. I don’t think I’ve ever been so exhausted in all my life. I spend most of my limited downtime sleeping. It seems to be the way for most of us.
Except for Jamie. He’s thriving, of course. He’s the happiest I’ve ever seen him, and he’s right where he belongs.
But… he’s still Jamie. The other recruits started calling him Chaos because he’s always doing something he’s not supposed to be. He’s done more planks and ten-mile runs with a hundred-pound pack than our entire platoon combined, and we just got here.
The drill instructors (or DIs) punish him for the most ridiculous things. This morning it was because his perfectly made bed had a wrinkle in the pillowcase on the underside. It’s like they’re looking for stuff to nab him on. Punishments aside, I see how they watch him, though. They may act like he’s a tool (and he is), but they already know he’s something special.Wouldn’t surprise me if he’s the first of us to complete training and enter the thick of things.
I hope the job search is going well.
All my love,
Jesse
Dear Jesse,
My first letter! I must admit that I was getting a little worried when it had been seven days, and I hadn’t heard from you. Ava, the woman who lives across the hall from me, saw me at the mailbox several days ago with a disappointed look on my face. She assured me that the DIs keep you extremely busy—so busy that you often are asleep before your head hits the pillow at night—and that letters might be rare until you get into the swing of things. (Her husband works on the base in the motor pool. He’s a mechanic.)
The job search went so great that I already have a job. I applied for a clerk position at the public library, which is just six blocks from the apartment, and I started on Monday.
This grandmotherly woman, Violet, is truly my favorite part. She’s eighty-three years old and works the counter for three hours, three days a week. Whenever she makes a mistake, she slaps the counter and says, “Oh, sugar!” instead of “Oh, shit!” Makes me giggle every time.
All the women are very kind, and they invited me to their Saturday morning breakfast ritual, so I think I might take them up on that. Making friends is tough for me, so I’m trying to do something new. If I hate it, I just won’t go anymore.
Work hard, but be safe. And you tell Jamie not to pull you into any stunts!
I miss you.
Lots of love,
Lyrical.
Dear Sweetness,
Your first week on the new job at the library sounds like it was good. I can’t wait to hear more about those crazy ladies. Especially that older woman, Ruthie! I shared her swearing habit with the guys and now instead of saying “shit” they all say “sugar.” It started as a joke, but now they can’t stop. Good job emasculating a bunch of tough-guy wannabe-Marines.
Jamie just dropped into his bunk and passed out, but before he collapsed, he said to say hello. He got back from scrubbing toilets with a toothbrush. Ha ha, just kidding, although I’m pretty sure he was cleaning bathrooms. Apparently, the sergeant didn’t like his time on the obstacle course this morning. He tied the camp record instead of breaking it. (The whole platoon is eating it up, though, that we’ve got the best guy in camp.)
We had a unique training exercise the other day. I can’t tell you specifics, but the best I can describe it was like a Marine escape room. Jamie got himself “eliminated” early. We got stuck on something, so he decided to do something crazy to see if it would work.
While we finished up the room, he did another 10/100 as I call it. Ten miles, one hundred pounds of pack on his back. You should see how fit he’s getting from all of these extra runs. But he’s always smiling when he gets back. I think he enjoys making the DIs work so hard.
Only a month and a half until graduation. Can’t wait to see your smiling face! I miss you too.
