Twenty
Ranger
Carlos frowned slightly. He couldn't remember his Abuela ever being so angry, not even when he came to live with her after getting out of juvie. She had softened slightly when he mentioned marriage, but she was still glowering at him from across the room.
He thought back to that night three months ago. He was home on leave after getting accepted into Ranger training, and his grandmother had invited family and friends over to celebrate. He'd known Rachel and her family for years, but had never really paid much attention to her. That night, they had both been drinking. His uncle Rico had been making his special Mojitos, and everyone was dancing. The rum had made Rachel brave enough to ask him to dance. He'd put out his cigarette, and pulled her onto the dance floor. They had danced together for nearly an hour, and then he'd pulled her into the shadows and kissed her. Her eager response had encouraged him, and he asked her if she wanted to go for a moonlight swim. She nodded, and they had slipped away from the party. She had been hesitant to undress at first, but soon she had joined him naked in the warm ocean water. The kisses and caresses had become more intense, and neither of them considered precautions. Later, he'd been horrified to discover that she had been a virgin. He promised to stay in touch, but warned her that Ranger school was very intense, and he probably wouldn't have much personal time. His original intention had been to call her a few times, then gradually disappear from her life. His grandmother's urgent phone call had changed that.
So, here he sat, waiting his turn to go before the Justice of the Peace. Rachel's parents were their only other witnesses. He cut a sideways glance at Rachel, but she still had her head down. She'd barely looked at him when he proposed to her, in front of her parents. She had only nodded mutely. There was no time for a formal wedding. Her family would let it be known that they had eloped, and she would be returning to Fort Benning, Ga with him.
He supposed it was the speed with which everything was happening, but Rachel didn't look at him the same way she had at the party. When she'd opened the door to him this morning, she had looked at him with shock and ....fear? He thought back to the last time she'd seen him, and realized that he had probably lost 20 pounds during training. No wonder she had been surprised.
The clerk called his name, and they went into the office. Twenty minutes later, he was a married man with a baby on the way. Her family hugged her awkwardly and shook his hand, then quickly left. His grandmother hugged him, and gave him a slight smile. "Be good, Carlito. Take care of your wife and your baby." Then she was gone.
Rachel didn't speak as they went out to the rental car. She seemed to shrink away from him as he helped her into the front seat. He slid behind the wheel and glanced over at her.
"You okay?"
She nodded, sneaking a quick peek at him, and whispered, "I'm sorry."
Carlos shrugged. "It's not your fault. We'll just have to deal with it."
Rachel looked at him then, and spoke hesitantly. "Carlos. I'm not sure if I can do this. You're different."
He looked over at her. "Different?"
She nodded, and took a deep breath. "When I opened the door. I did not see Carlos. I saw the Ranger. You are not the same boy I danced with. You have changed, and I'm frightened by those changes."
Carlos glanced at himself in the rearview mirror, and saw a pair of hard eyes looking back at him. He looked over at Rachel, and realized that she was right. He had changed. The street punk was turning into a machine. It wouldn't be fair for her to be married to a machine.
"I will take care of you and the baby, but I think you're right. I don't think that I'm someone you would be comfortable being married to. Whenever you're ready, you can leave me and I won't stop you. If you ever need anything, you can call on me. I can give you financial support, but not emotional."
Rachel smiled at him for the first time. "Thank you Carlos. I will go home in a few days, and tell them it will never work out. We have the marriage license, so my child will have a name. I will make sure that your Abuela is part of his or her life, no matter what happens between us."
Carlos smiled briefly. "She'll like that. Thank you, Rachel."
They rode in silence the rest of the way to Georgia. Each thinking of how their lives were going to be changed. Rachel's hand rested lightly on her stomach, and from time to time she rubbed it. Carlos thought about how sweet she was, and felt guilty that he had taken advantage of her innocence.
Her remark about the changes in him had started his mind on a different track. He'd just finished an intensive three month course, and soon he would be deployed in trouble spots all over the world. It was the path he had chosen, but it was not the right kind of job for a family man. He'd have to be careful in the future. His chosen lifestyle wasn't one that could handle romantic relationships. It was time to shut down that part of him. Ricardo Carlos Manoso had to disappear. It was time to become The Ranger.
