A Starling's Awakening

Venturing out

For the first few days, while Bret was on duty as he put it, I stayed in our little shack. I finally ventured out when I couldn't wait any longer to do our laundry. I had never set foot in a laundromat, so the day would be an adventure all its own.

Bret's car is a Japanese sedan. It's decidedly bigger than my little German coupe, and I hadn't driven it before. I was nervous, and drove like a granny going to church on Sunday. Not long after I left our driveway, a car came up behind me. It followed me all the way to the laundromat.

The car that had followed me pulled in behind me. A middle aged woman got out. Her face had a kindly expression. When I got out of Bret's car, her expression became one of surprise.

"Young lady, could you use some help?"

"No, I think I can manage." I opened the back door, and struggled to get the laundry basket out.

"Here, let me help you." I stepped aside. She lifted the laundry basket straight up, tilted it slightly, and pulled it out. She stepped back, still holding it. I closed the car door.

"Thank you. I'm sure I can get it from here." She carefully handed it to me.

"My name is Margaret LeMars. My husband is Colonel Michael LeMars." She pulled open the door of the laundromat, and held it for me.

"Elise Whitaker. My husband is Private Bret Whitaker."

"He's one of those fresh from basic, here for training."

"That's right. How did you know?"

"I could tell because of you. You are not a seasoned army wife, and obviously not a brat."

"My husband calls me a brat often enough. Do I really stand out that badly?"

"You stick out like a sore thumb. And the slang term brat refers to someone who grew up with parents in the military."

She helped me with the washing machine. The machines are set-up to take quarters, and also special tokens. She went to a near-by kiosk, pulled out a military credit card, and swiped it through the reader. A handful of tokens were dispensed.

"You will need these for the machines."

"Thank you. How much do I owe you?"

"My husband is an officer, so it's on the Army." She winked at me. She asked where we were from. I told her.

"A year ago, I was still a starling." She looked shocked.

"You were a what?"

"A starling. That's a rich, spoiled...." She interrupted me.

"Yes, yes, I know what a starling is. They are not a new thing. I had to put up with them when I was in school. How does a starling become an Army wife?" I told her my story while the washer was running.

"I don't even want to guess where I'd be now if I hadn't dated Bret. I know I wouldn't have been happy with my life."

"He sounds like a wonderful man."

"The best. I don't deserve him."

"There is a support group of wives who meet once a week. We will be meeting tomorrow afternoon. You are more than welcome to join us. It sounds like you could use a new friend or two."

"I would like that. Where do you meet?"

"Do you know where the commissary is?"

"We drove past it once. It's right over there, right?" I pointed through the front window at the building on the left.

"That's it. On the other side is a building with a small sign, 'the Hen House.'"

"The Hen House?"

"It was someone's idea of a joke, but it stuck."

When my laundry was done, she carried it out to my car. She had me open the front passenger door. She set the laundry basket on the seat. She hugged me, and we went our separate ways.

I told Bret that night over dinner.

"Colonel LeMars is the commanding officer of the Corps of Engineers guys who are training us."

"What do you think of him?"

"He's really pushing us hard because he wants to see all of us succeed. He hasn't been social with any of us."