Randoms

Not Goodbye. Just Goodbye for Now.

There she stood. Crisp, clean white uniform and hair tied up under her hat.  She was about to leave. Maybe I should explain. I'm Mia, and that's my sister Cassie. She's 19, and she's about to leave to go serve in the U.S. Navy.

Mom asks to see her, so there she stands, at attention, in the middle of our living room. Her duffle bag next to her, it finally hits me. She's leaving. Will she come back? I'm not sure, but the thought scares me beyond words.  I look at the girl in front of me. This is no longer my happy-go-lucky, fun-loving sister. This is one of the newest seaman recruits in the Navy on the USS Blue Ridge.

The look in her eyes says that she's just as scared as we are. Her jaw and lips set in a thin, slight smile, head held high. She sees me staring, fighting the tears building up behind my eyelids. She tries for a reassuring smile, and I run to her, hugging her waist as I always have.

She pushes my hair behind my ear and bends down to hug me better. I hug her tightly and cry softly into her shoulder. "P-please don't leave me...Cass...what if you don't come back..?" She pulls back to look me in the eyes and smiles softly. "Mia you can't think like that. You have to believe I will. I'm just a routine runner basically, and my service is only for two years away, then I'll come back and be on call for the base down town okay?" I nodded slowly, and again wrapped my arms tightly around her.

"Just remember," she told me. "Its not goodbye. I will be back. It's just goodbye for now." She kissed the top of my head, and I smiled slightly. She was right. She would be back. Its just goodbye for now.

Hey! I'm in a Veteran's day program at school, and this idea popped up, thinking about the pain and fear not just the soldiers are going through, but the families as well. Its a scary thing. We forget how much they and their families sacrifice. Please never forget what they do!

~Anna