1968

Chapter Two: June 12th 1968

Lorelei's point of view:

"And I swear, by the code of High School Graduates, that I will never, ever go back there again!" I shouted as I stood on the sofa with my graduation robe still on, although it was loosely untied around my body. Jacob and my sisters all wooed at me as I stood there, and they applauded. Elora and Carina even came along to our house after the graduation ceremony, since they didn't live in this house anymore.

"Lorelei, it's nearly midnight and we have to leave tomorrow. Shouldn't you both get to bed?" My mother asked as she approached the den with Carina's husband and my brother-in-law, Peter Milton. I stepped off the couch and took a little breathe.

"Carina, we should get home. Thanks to everyone, it was a fun night. Jacob, Lorelei, congratulations on graduating. Have a really safe trip," Peter said to us. He hugged me and shook hands with Jacob, we said our goodbyes to Carina, who told us both to be safe. She said goodbye to our mother, and with that, they left. Elora came next.

"Please be careful, wherever you are in that country," Elora said to me. As I hugged her I nodded and smiled at her. She was more terrified than anyone in our family for Jacob and I. Elora was always a rather nervous girl, always thinking of the worst case scenario.

"I will I promise," I replied. She nodded and went off to say goodbye to everyone else. Emmaleigh was the last to say goodbye to me, and when she came along I felt like I was on the verge of tears. We hugged tightly and she sniffled to keep herself from crying.

"Please take care of yourself. I love you," she said to me.

"I will, and I love you too," I replied. I released the hug, and she retired to bed after saying goodbye to everyone else.

•••

As the plane landed on the runway, I felt my stomach churn a little. I always felt that jolt in my gut when planes would land. I took a sharp breathe as we reached land, and my tight red and black dress seemed even more constricting as I took that breathe. I wanted to get off as soon as the plane had made a stop.

"You alright?" My father asked from the seat beside me. I nodded and took another breathe to calm myself down. He put a nurturing hand on my shoulder as the plane made a full stop. Now I knew it was time to get the so called 'glamour' over. My parents told me that I had to make myself look presentable for this day, because this wasn't just the day we landed in Vietnam, but it was also the day we met Captain Nash and some Colonels as well. Jacob and I had to look nice, even though my father outranked them both.

So I decorated myself as much as I could to make myself look nice. I had one a pencil dress, red on the bottom and black on the bodice, white polka dots on the top, black heels adding to my small height. My hair had curlers in it for hours this morning to make sure they were perfect around my neck, and bright red lipstick cascaded along my lips like a wave of crimson. I wore a black sunhat and cat-eyed sunglasses to cover my face from the scalding hot weather of Vietnam. My skin always burned rather easily. A product of my mother no doubt.

"Are you going to be able to walk down the plane stairs with those shoes? They look painful as it is," Jacob asked as he followed me out the doorway. My father and mother had already made their way out and were attending to the men that greeted us.

"I'll be fine," I replied. I had walked in heels bigger than this a thousand times before, I was borderline professional. I stepped off the plane and onto the stairs and successfully, and I'll add somewhat gracefully, made my way down to the cement runway. Jacob followed a few steps behind me in his well-manicured suit and tie.

"Captain Nash, Colonel Powell, these are our youngest children, and new partners, Lorelei and Jacob Horowitz," my mother introduced. I had met Nash before, whom of which was my father and mother's old commander from before I was born. He was promoted after a while. Colonel Powell, however, I had yet to meet. He was a middle-aged man, maybe a few years older than my father. His hair was a bright red, his skin pale and his eyes a soft brown. He was about my father's height, and seemed very formal, but kind nevertheless.