eyes quickly scanning each of the faces as they went by.
Right in the
middle of the group, I spotted a familiar face. Spencer kept his eyes straight
ahead; they all did. He looked skinnier than when I had seen him last, but
other than that he looked the same. My stomach flipped at the sight of him and
a wild grin spread across my face as I cheered and waved with the crowd.
Spencer’s blue eyes shifted in my direction, and I could tell by the
barely-there quirk of his mouth that he had seen me.
“Did you see him?”
Olivia asked excitedly.
I nodded, smiling
at the happy tears in the girl’s eyes. I turned back in the direction of the
Marines as they rounded another corner and disappeared behind the yellow
buildings of the museum.
“Well, now I guess
we can go find our seats for the ceremony.” Olivia said, wiping the underside
of her eyes to make sure none of her mascara had run. “That was crazy. I only
saw him for like, a second, but here I am crying like a baby!”
I laughed and linked
my arm through Olivia’s as we started to follow the crowd toward the Parade
Deck. “Well, I can tell you love him a whole lot. How long have you guys been
together?”
“About five years.
We started dating the summer before high school. He’s such a great guy.”
“I’ve heard a lot
about him. Spencer’s really glad they have the same job so they’ll get to be in
more training together after this.”
Olivia smiled.
“Yeah, Matt said the same thing. I’m glad that he found a friend. I could tell
by his letters that he was really homesick, but it seemed like Spencer helped
him out a lot. You’ve got a good friend there.”
“Yeah,” I agreed.
“He really is.”
We had reached the
bleachers and I followed my group as they made their way up the metal steps to
an open row that would accommodate the whole family. I took a seat next to
Olivia at the end of the row, right next to the stairs. The view from the
bleachers was amazing. I gazed out at the beautifully maintained landscapes of
the base, admiring the red roofed buildings with the contrasting yellow hue of
the exterior. It almost looked like a college campus from this angle.
I turned to look
at the barracks behind the bleachers, and saw a scattering of recruits cleaning
windows and gazing out longingly at the families. I would bet my life that they
were all wishing that it were their turn to graduate. I felt bad for the
recruits that had to have their sleeping quarters right next to the Parade
Deck, since they had an unobstructed view of families embracing new Marines.
Spencer had told me in a letter that there was a graduation every week, so a
front row seat to the elusive event was constantly torturing these poor guys.
“So, how long have
you known Spencer?” Olivia asked.
“Since middle
school. We’ve been best friends since high school, though.”
Olivia nodded.
“Right on. And you’ve never dated before?”
“Absolutely not.”
I laughed and waved my hand. I was used to this question where Spencer was
concerned. No one ever believed that a guy and a girl could just be friends.
“Spencer doesn’t ‘date.’ He sleeps around. We’re really good at being friends.
Neither one of us wants to mess that up.”
“I see.”
“Besides, I
actually have a boyfriend. His name is Tim. He just started school up in
Sacramento, or else he’d be here.”
Olivia looked confused,
and started to respond, but a middle-aged woman sitting halfway down the row
reached over to get her attention. I turned away, giving the two women some
privacy. I really wished Spencer’s dad had come, but took solace in the fact
that he would be there tomorrow. He wasn’t the easiest person to get along
with, but it would be good for Spencer to have his support.
A man came over
the speaker system announcing the start of the ceremony. I immediately forgot
everything I had just been thinking about and focused my attention on the
Parade Deck in front of me. I could barely hear
Right in the
middle of the group, I spotted a familiar face. Spencer kept his eyes straight
ahead; they all did. He looked skinnier than when I had seen him last, but
other than that he looked the same. My stomach flipped at the sight of him and
a wild grin spread across my face as I cheered and waved with the crowd.
Spencer’s blue eyes shifted in my direction, and I could tell by the
barely-there quirk of his mouth that he had seen me.
“Did you see him?”
Olivia asked excitedly.
I nodded, smiling
at the happy tears in the girl’s eyes. I turned back in the direction of the
Marines as they rounded another corner and disappeared behind the yellow
buildings of the museum.
“Well, now I guess
we can go find our seats for the ceremony.” Olivia said, wiping the underside
of her eyes to make sure none of her mascara had run. “That was crazy. I only
saw him for like, a second, but here I am crying like a baby!”
I laughed and linked
my arm through Olivia’s as we started to follow the crowd toward the Parade
Deck. “Well, I can tell you love him a whole lot. How long have you guys been
together?”
“About five years.
We started dating the summer before high school. He’s such a great guy.”
“I’ve heard a lot
about him. Spencer’s really glad they have the same job so they’ll get to be in
more training together after this.”
Olivia smiled.
“Yeah, Matt said the same thing. I’m glad that he found a friend. I could tell
by his letters that he was really homesick, but it seemed like Spencer helped
him out a lot. You’ve got a good friend there.”
“Yeah,” I agreed.
“He really is.”
We had reached the
bleachers and I followed my group as they made their way up the metal steps to
an open row that would accommodate the whole family. I took a seat next to
Olivia at the end of the row, right next to the stairs. The view from the
bleachers was amazing. I gazed out at the beautifully maintained landscapes of
the base, admiring the red roofed buildings with the contrasting yellow hue of
the exterior. It almost looked like a college campus from this angle.
I turned to look
at the barracks behind the bleachers, and saw a scattering of recruits cleaning
windows and gazing out longingly at the families. I would bet my life that they
were all wishing that it were their turn to graduate. I felt bad for the
recruits that had to have their sleeping quarters right next to the Parade
Deck, since they had an unobstructed view of families embracing new Marines.
Spencer had told me in a letter that there was a graduation every week, so a
front row seat to the elusive event was constantly torturing these poor guys.
“So, how long have
you known Spencer?” Olivia asked.
“Since middle
school. We’ve been best friends since high school, though.”
Olivia nodded.
“Right on. And you’ve never dated before?”
“Absolutely not.”
I laughed and waved my hand. I was used to this question where Spencer was
concerned. No one ever believed that a guy and a girl could just be friends.
“Spencer doesn’t ‘date.’ He sleeps around. We’re really good at being friends.
Neither one of us wants to mess that up.”
“I see.”
“Besides, I
actually have a boyfriend. His name is Tim. He just started school up in
Sacramento, or else he’d be here.”
Olivia looked confused,
and started to respond, but a middle-aged woman sitting halfway down the row
reached over to get her attention. I turned away, giving the two women some
privacy. I really wished Spencer’s dad had come, but took solace in the fact
that he would be there tomorrow. He wasn’t the easiest person to get along
with, but it would be good for Spencer to have his support.
A man came over
the speaker system announcing the start of the ceremony. I immediately forgot
everything I had just been thinking about and focused my attention on the
Parade Deck in front of me. I could barely hear
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