Combat Kisses

Chapter One: Miracles come in all shapes and sizes.

Chapter One: Miracles come in all shapes and sizes.

         

'Howard University's Laundry Mat is out of order due to water damage'

                Are you freaking kidding me right now, I thought letting out a deep and frustrated sigh as I threw the t-shirt I was strangling back into my hamper. Out of all days the pipes had to burst had to be on MY laundry day! Not wanting to bring anymore stress to my already stressful week I turn around & head straight out of the main commons building.
       The sidewalks are already packed when I step onto them, they never seem to die down here in D.C. and that's something that I could never adjust to. When I made the transition of small town Alabama life to barley breathable Washington D.C.'S life two years ago I was completely clueless on what would happen. Roxy, my older sister, never pictured herself moving out of that small little town like I did. Now she's living on a Army base with her husband and two kids with another on the way. She's always telling me about how perfect it is down in North Carolina and how I should visit. Trust me I would in a heartbeat, I miss my Nephews and I would love to meet her new husband Trevor. I just don't have the money to fly down or take a bus or even a car to drive down to see her.

                As I rounded the corner just a few feet from the nearest laundry mat off of campus I felt in my pocket for some change. With no luck of finding any in the pockets of my denim jeans I turned around  began to prepare myself to wear my dirty clothes for another week until I could use the campus's free washer and dryers. I didn't even make it two steps before my face collided with the chest of someone almost two heads taller than me.

                "Oh my apologizes ma'am I didn't see you, you just turned around so quickly and I wasn't paying attention. Really ma'am I am deeply sorry." I stepped back from the strangers chest and began to rub my nose to check and see to it that it wasn't broken. Ma'am? Who says ma'am anymore? I thought as I looked up to meet my road block. It was a man who looked to be in his mid forties and was wearing a military uniform, possibly Army. His eyes were a light blue with a hint of grey and his hair was a very light blonde that looked to be a buzz cut, I was unsure because of his hat that had taken up more than half of his head. Concern was clearly plastered all over his face.

                "Oh no, it's mine. I should've been more careful." An aggravated sigh left my mouth as I began to pick up the articles of clothing that had been tossed from the laundry basket in my arms and onto the filthy crowed sidewalk. Looks like I won't be wearing these anytime soon.

                "Ma'am..are you okay?" I didn't understand what he meant by that until I began to feel wet trails on my cheeks. Good god, I so stressed out I'm crying.

                "Yeah, I'm fine just stressed out is all."  We both were silent for a minute before he spoke catching me off guard a little.

                "I don't want to seem like a creep or anything but I don't have to be in meetings for a few hours and you look like you could let some weight off of your shoulders. Why don't we go and get some coffee and if you want you can talk to me about what's bothering you."

                "I would like that, but I don't even know your name."

                "Lieutenant Colonel Frank Sherwood, Ma'am." He stretched out his left hand for me to shake and I gladly took it.

                "Riley Brooks, now how about that coffee."

_________

                "So tell me about yourself." My voice almost barely audible due to the fact that my coffee cup was resting just in front of my mouth, ready to take a sip of the knowingly scolding coffee.

                "Well I've been in the Army for over twenty years. I enlisted when I was nineteen..um..I've been married for nineteen years to my beautiful wife Denise and we have two wonderful children together." He paused for a moment with a wide smile plastered on his face that only a proud father would wear. "My son who is around your age is serving his first tour right now."

                "My brother-in-law is in the army. I've never met him but Roxy, my sister, is always talking about him. I think she said something about him being a Sergeant in the 23rd Airborne Division."

                "Hold on, is your sister Roxy LeBlanc?" His eyebrows scrunched together as he tried to figure out the connection he made.

                "Yeah, do you know her?"

                "I served with her husband Trevor in Iraq and Denise is best friends with Roxy. I've never seen you around the Post before."

                "The post?"

                "Like a military base except the Army calls them posts." I could feel the 'O' that my mouth had formed in the understanding that had been made.

                "I haven't seen my sister since I had left for college two years ago. That was a few months before her and Trevor's surprise wedding." Trevor and Roxy had only known one another for seventeen days before they got hitched. I was kind of disappointed but it was only because I didn't want her turning out like our mother, who chose men and alcohol over her own children, but the boys seem to love Trevor. Trevor adopted Finn and T.J. within a few months of them being married and that is more than either of their dads have ever done for them.

                "I heard they're expecting, do you plan to visit when the baby is born?"

                "I would love to more than anything, but with money the way it is I'm lucky I even have anywhere to stay for summer break." We were both silent for a moment before he spoke again.

                "I have a great idea. Why don't you fly back down with me and you'll be my guest so you won't have to pay for anything. We can even make it a surprise!"

                "I don't know, what if she doesn't even want me there." I know she does but I mean I barely know the guy and he's offering to help me with something I've been praying for, for months.

                "I'll have Trevor plan everything. Please you need this and so does Roxy." I thought about it for another minute before answering.

                "Alright, when do we leave?"

A/N: Alright I really hope you guys liked my first chapter. If you have any questions please feel free to ask, I don't mind at all. Also please share this with people if you enjoyed it and please vote for it! Also one more thing, I won't have an updating schedule like most authors but I'll try to post as much as I can. Except for the next couple weeks I have my winter exams and I have to semi-focus on them.