wheel and followed another car over to
the lot.
After parking, I
checked my reflection in the rearview mirror. I gathered what I needed to get
on base and slung my purse over my shoulder. I locked the car and walked
briskly to the front gate. There were a few other pedestrians walking with me,
so I didn’t feel bad about avoiding the long line of cars. I made my way up to
the Marine checking IDs, and then followed the hoards of people wherever they
were going. I noticed that a lot of families had made their own T-shirts with
their Marine’s name and platoon number. I scanned the numbers and recognized
the platoon that Spencer was in. I figured that family would be the best to
stick close to, so I followed them.
My phone vibrated
in my pocket. I pulled it out and frowned at the unfamiliar number, then swiped
to open the text message.
Olivia: Hey! This is Olivia, Matt’s
girlfriend. Matt told me that you were the only one coming for Hawk, and he
wanted me to find you and invite you to sit with his family and me.
I cocked an
eyebrow at the reference to Spencer as ‘Hawk.’ Mike had been answering to
‘Hawk’ ever since I had known him, and it made sense that shortening their last
name and turning it into that nickname would happen to Spencer, too. I figured
the reason he hadn’t mentioned it was because of the connection to his dad.
Before I had a
chance to respond, another text came in from the same number.
Olivia: Sorry, I just realized you
probably don’t know my BF as Matt. His last name is Mills. I don’t know Hawks’
first name either!
I smiled. This
girl seemed very friendly, and she literally punctuated that by a smiley face
at the end of each of the texts. I typed up my response as I continued
following the other family members of Platoon 2109.
Me: Hi, thanks for the invite! I’m
walking up now, where should I meet you? His first name is Spencer, BTW.
Olivia responded
with her location and I looked around, trying to see any signs that would point
me in the direction of the Command Museum. I saw one up ahead, and figured that
the family I was stalking was probably going there too.
After what seemed
like forever, I finally walked through an arch that led to the courtyard of the
museum. I looked around for a family that had a girl my age, and cringed when I
realized that almost every group had a girl my age looking anxious to see their
Marine. I supposed that they were all waiting to see their boyfriends just like
Olivia was. Just as I was about to get discouraged, I felt a hand tap my
shoulder.
“You must be
Ellie!” A small brunette squealed, pulling me in for a hug. She looked
beautiful in her long, flowery maxi dress. The deep purples and bright yellows
of the design looked great with her olive complexion. Not to mention the fact
that she was practically glowing. This was a girl in love, no doubt about it.
I returned the hug
and smiled at the girl’s tenacity. “Yeah, how did you know?”
Olivia released me
and stood back. “Well, Matt told me you were blonde, and if you haven’t
noticed, you’re the only one wandering around by yourself.”
I glanced around,
confirming that I stood out from the girlfriends and families surrounding us.
“Very true. It’s nice to meet you, thanks again for inviting me to sit with
your family.”
“Oh, this is
actually Matt’s family. Come on, I’ll introduce you.” The bouncy brunette
headed over to a group of people all wearing matching shirts with Matt’s name
and platoon number on it. I watched her skip happily over to them, remembering
that little did she know, they would soon be considered her family, too.
***
I stood with
Olivia and Mills’ family as they eagerly awaited the sight of the runners to
round the corner. I wondered if I would even be able to pick Spencer out of the
crowd. Cheering began, and I stood on my toes to get a better view. Men in
olive green t-shirts and matching shorts ran in formation toward us. I craned
my neck, my
the lot.
After parking, I
checked my reflection in the rearview mirror. I gathered what I needed to get
on base and slung my purse over my shoulder. I locked the car and walked
briskly to the front gate. There were a few other pedestrians walking with me,
so I didn’t feel bad about avoiding the long line of cars. I made my way up to
the Marine checking IDs, and then followed the hoards of people wherever they
were going. I noticed that a lot of families had made their own T-shirts with
their Marine’s name and platoon number. I scanned the numbers and recognized
the platoon that Spencer was in. I figured that family would be the best to
stick close to, so I followed them.
My phone vibrated
in my pocket. I pulled it out and frowned at the unfamiliar number, then swiped
to open the text message.
Olivia: Hey! This is Olivia, Matt’s
girlfriend. Matt told me that you were the only one coming for Hawk, and he
wanted me to find you and invite you to sit with his family and me.
I cocked an
eyebrow at the reference to Spencer as ‘Hawk.’ Mike had been answering to
‘Hawk’ ever since I had known him, and it made sense that shortening their last
name and turning it into that nickname would happen to Spencer, too. I figured
the reason he hadn’t mentioned it was because of the connection to his dad.
Before I had a
chance to respond, another text came in from the same number.
Olivia: Sorry, I just realized you
probably don’t know my BF as Matt. His last name is Mills. I don’t know Hawks’
first name either!
I smiled. This
girl seemed very friendly, and she literally punctuated that by a smiley face
at the end of each of the texts. I typed up my response as I continued
following the other family members of Platoon 2109.
Me: Hi, thanks for the invite! I’m
walking up now, where should I meet you? His first name is Spencer, BTW.
Olivia responded
with her location and I looked around, trying to see any signs that would point
me in the direction of the Command Museum. I saw one up ahead, and figured that
the family I was stalking was probably going there too.
After what seemed
like forever, I finally walked through an arch that led to the courtyard of the
museum. I looked around for a family that had a girl my age, and cringed when I
realized that almost every group had a girl my age looking anxious to see their
Marine. I supposed that they were all waiting to see their boyfriends just like
Olivia was. Just as I was about to get discouraged, I felt a hand tap my
shoulder.
“You must be
Ellie!” A small brunette squealed, pulling me in for a hug. She looked
beautiful in her long, flowery maxi dress. The deep purples and bright yellows
of the design looked great with her olive complexion. Not to mention the fact
that she was practically glowing. This was a girl in love, no doubt about it.
I returned the hug
and smiled at the girl’s tenacity. “Yeah, how did you know?”
Olivia released me
and stood back. “Well, Matt told me you were blonde, and if you haven’t
noticed, you’re the only one wandering around by yourself.”
I glanced around,
confirming that I stood out from the girlfriends and families surrounding us.
“Very true. It’s nice to meet you, thanks again for inviting me to sit with
your family.”
“Oh, this is
actually Matt’s family. Come on, I’ll introduce you.” The bouncy brunette
headed over to a group of people all wearing matching shirts with Matt’s name
and platoon number on it. I watched her skip happily over to them, remembering
that little did she know, they would soon be considered her family, too.
***
I stood with
Olivia and Mills’ family as they eagerly awaited the sight of the runners to
round the corner. I wondered if I would even be able to pick Spencer out of the
crowd. Cheering began, and I stood on my toes to get a better view. Men in
olive green t-shirts and matching shorts ran in formation toward us. I craned
my neck, my
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