Home Away From Home

Chapter 7

As soon as Nick got on the plane, he was told everything he needed to know.

"Welcome soldiers." The captain said. "We are first heading to Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia. Your training will take place there for ten weeks, then your advanced individual training and ongoing training will go on for another six weeks." Nick stayed emotionless, but deep inside, he wanted to yell at the captain that he has to see Valerie. But he knew he couldn't. This is what he signed up for. "For the rest of the six months, we will be given a mission we have to complete. Anyone who cannot handle training, will be sent back home. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir." All soldiers said.

"Louder!" The captain commanded.

"Yes sir!" They all yelled.

"That's more like it. Good luck, soldiers." The captain sat down and Nick looked around. There was a fair amount of women and men. Some men were his age, too.

"Hey, I'm Joe." Nick looked to the person next to him. His hand was out for Nick to shake. Joe had light skin with freckles on his nose. His blonde hair stood out from his brown eyes.

"Nick." He said as he shook his hand.

"So how old are you?"

"18."

"I'm 19."

"So this isn't your first time?"

"Nope. Been in the army for a year now, captain said I can use this as a way of going back to my assigned station last time. Just came back from visiting my wife."

"You already have a wife? But, you're so young."

"When you're a soldier, it doesn't matter if you're still a teenager, you have to think like a man. I don't know what can happen to me, and I love her. So I married her, that makes me feel better because then I know she's all mine." Nick thought about Valerie. "Do you have a wife?"

"No."

"A girlfriend?"

"When I come back, I will." Nick smiled.

"What do you mean? Did my speech knock some sense into you?"

"A little. But, before I left I told the most important girl in my life how much I love her."

"Did she say it back?"

"Yeah."

"That's good."

"Yeah, but I didn't say I love you to hear it back."

"What's the point then?"

"I said it because I wanted to make sure she knew."

"You really love this girl, huh?"

"More than you can imagine."

"So ask her out."

"I'm planning on it. I'm just worried she'll turn me down."

"Why would she, she loves you doesn't she?"

"Yeah, but she doesn't believe we can have a relationship because I'm going to the army."

"When my wife was my girlfriend, she thought that too. She said that she'll never know when I'll be back, if I'm safe, and that she can't wait on me forever."

"What did you tell her?"

"That if she really loves me, she'll wait. And she did."

"But I don't want to make her wait for me just because I know she will. Half of me wants her to be all mine, and the other half is filled with guilt."