Wow This is looooong. It's hard to sum up a whole story in just one chapter. So anyway, I hope you like Annie and Jake and their story. I tried to write it a little differently, so it wasn't all first-person story-telling. I promise, more fun Java Junkie stuff in the next chapter I've already started it, so I know I'm not a liar. This is just a short diversion. Hope you like it.
*****
My parents were young when they had me, barely out of high school. My mom waited tables while my dad worked the night shift for UPS and went to college in the afternoon. Jake grew up in the same neighborhood; we went to grade school together. His mom died, and his dad went to jail, and he moved away when I was in the second grade. I didn't see him again until 8 years later. I was working at a train station just outside of Boston, and then there he was.
June,1988
" Umm, crap. Hold on one second." Annie punched the ancient keyboard ferociously, her multicolored bracelets clinking against each other. "Come on you stupid" She banged on the side of the monitor. She glanced around nervously, thankful this place hadn't been busy since she started working there two days ago. The customer in front of her had been the only one she had seen that morning. "There!" She said triumphantly. The screen popped up and Annie flashed a toothy grin at the young man in front of her. "Welcome to the Weston Station train depot. Now, what can I get for you?"
"I need to pick up my ticket," he was soft-spoken, polite, with a hint of a southern accent. He kept his head low, unfolding a paper in front of him. "Here's the confirmation number," he looked up at her through deep blue eyes and handed her the sheet.
"Right O.K." she typed the number into the system and tapped her fingernails impatiently as she waited for the information to pop up, glancing back to smile at him every now and again. "Here we go, a one way to North Carolina? Do you have your I.D. Mr. Eden?"
Jake paused for a moment, unnerved by being called Mr.' "Yeah, sure, right here," he fumbled with his wallet and handed her his driver's license. Jake Eden birthday 06/17/ 1970. Jake Eden She glanced back up at the man in front of her and then back at the license.
"Is there something wrong?" Jake asked, his tone steady despite his nervousness.
"You're Jake Eden did you grow up around here? I think I went to school with you. I lived in Wayland, off of Jackson road." This time Jake couldn't completely hide his surprise.
"I lived there once, yes," he said cautiously. Annie's smile widened.
"I knew it. We rode the bus together- I was in first grade, you must have been in third or something. I had a huge crush on you!" he blushed, the redness creeping over his cheeks. Annie leaned over the counter and continued. "We were getting off the bus at school and that horrible little girl what was her name? ShannonMoretnson. Shannon Moretnson, evil girl. She shoved me out of her way and I- smack," she slapped her hands together, "slid right on my knees in the pavement," he watched her remembering, eyes looking up into the air, a soft smile on her face.
He remembered her.
"You grabbed my books, held my hand and took me to the nurses' office cause my knees were bleeding. You were so nice- I tried so hard to be brave in front of you. That afternoon I went home and told my momma I was going to marry you." He was still blushing, she noticed, just barely. He was no longer that skinny little boy that helped her into the school that year. He was taller than her father, which put him over 6 feet. He looked as if he worked hard labor outside; his arms were muscular and his tan reached as far as the edges of his shirt sleeve.
"You have a good memory," he said with a small smile. She twirled a golden curl of hair in her fingers.
"So, what the heck are you doing out this way? I thought you moved to Mississippi or something after after." She didn't know the details of his move, only that it came after his mother died, and nobody ever wanted to tell her why.
"Close. Tennessee. I lived with my aunt out there."
"So you're going to North Carolina by way of Massachusetts?" she teased. He shook his head.
"I wanted to visit my mom's grave," he said in the same soft tone. Annie's smile faded.
"Oh. Sorry to pry," she looked down at her hands. "Oh, here's you're license back. I'll just print this out for you," she busied herself, embarrassed. "Your train leaves at 6:30. It's only 1:45," she glanced at her watch, the back up at him. "Are you just going to wait around here the whole time?"
He nodded, walking over to the sitting area. "I don't really have anyplace else I wanted to go to or anything."
"Oh. Well, it isn't going to be all that exciting around here at all. My boss says that since the new station opened up three months ago just outside of Waltham, no one swings by here anymore." Annie walked around the counter and sat down in the waiting area across from Jake. He was startled by her brazenness as she continued to engage in conversation with him. "I just started working here three days ago. I turned 16 in May and managed to avoid the whole work thing until my dad got sick of it and said 'young lady, you need to enhance your moral character and get a job,' " her voice dropped low and cartoon-like as she imitated her father. "So I got a job out here just to irritate him. We moved to Boston when my dad got his new job, but I still have friends out in Wayland," she barely paused for a breath as she continued her chatter. Her boss never stayed for more than an hour, yesterday she did crossword puzzles all day and read book after book, she was bored stiff and the friend who she had gotten the job with had quit the first day. Jake just stared at her, amused and surprised. He couldn't' recall the last time someone had said so much to him at once- possibly, no one had.
"You sure talk a lot," he drawled when she stopped to breathe. She turned red and started to stand up.
"I'm sorry, you probably want to be left alone," she looked wounded and stood up. Wait, no, that's not what I meant. Shit say something. His eyes followed her as she walked back around the counter and sat down at on her stool. She kept her eyes lowered and picked up a book and started reading. Damn. Jake sighed and picked up his magazine.
++++ half an hour later
Not one damn person had walked through the door to break the silence between Jake and Annie. She kept glancing up at him obsessively as she pretended to read. Stupid boy. Stupid cute boy I used to know. Stupid me, yapping away like an annoying little chatty-kathy. Stupid. She turned the page angrily without reading a word on it.
"What are you reading?" Jake finally broke the silence and Annie almost fell off her chair.
"Nothing, I'm just bored," she answered honestly.
"Me too," he added, uncomfortable by his attempts at conversation.
"So" Annie started to walk around the counter again and resumed her position in front of him. "Where are you going? Well, I know you're going to North Carolina. Why?"
"It's where I got stationed, for boot camp."
"You're joining the army?"
"Marines," he corrected. Annie didn't know quite what to say to that.
"Well, that sounds terrifying," she settled on honesty. He laughed.
"I'm sure it won't be that bad," he smiled, and it lit up his face.
"Annie?" her boss burst through the door, and she stood up suddenly, banging her knee on the row of chairs.
"Ouch. Over here," she called, hobbling to the counter. "He'll only be here for a minute," she whispered. He watched as her boss blustered on about staying behind the counter, yadda yadda yadda. A couple walked in and she helped them with their tickets, and the station filled up a little more as the 2:30 train pulled into the station. Jake just watched her, quietly, as she smiled at the passengers and helped them along. Occasionally, she would glance over at him and give him a wink, and his stomach would jump. The train left and Annie wandered back over.
"My shift is up in about half an hour. I have some paperwork and stuff I have to do maybe we could get coffee or something?" she looked at him shyly, and he nodded. "O.K. then!" she almost tripped over her legs as she walked back. She asked out a boy wait until I tell June what she missed quitting so soon.
*****
We went out for coffee, and I talked more and he listened more. Before he left, I gave him my address- I told him to write me if he had the chance. I never thought he would, really- he was so quiet and I thought he had just been humoring me. But he did, and the letters at first were short and simple. It was easy to forget about him and start going out with other guys though, and it wasn't like we had even been dating or anything. At first I was embarrassed and stopped writing to him all together, but he kept sending me a letter every couple of weeks, and I told him I was seeing so-in-so, he'd say congratulations, and we were writing again. He'd politely ask about the boyfriends I had, but we'd mostly talk about other stuff.
I saw him after he got out of boot camp; he stopped by for the day and we hung out a little bit. He was even taller, I remember, and more quiet, if it was possible. He came back a year later to take me to prom after Jerry Breckenstien dumped me a week before for some slutty cheerleader. He flew out here and rented a tux and we took pictures at my mom's house. I chickened out at the last minute, not really wanting to show up with my "stand-in" date after everyone knew I got dumped. He understood, and he took me out for dinner to some restaurant that was way too expensive. We went bowling afterwards, formal attire and all. I don't think I missed the prom at all.
We kept writing all through college- he came to my graduation ceremony and took me out for dinner when I got accepted to Yale. There was one time we tried dating, almost, but it didn't really work with the distance. I'd go over and take care of his mom's grave now and then, and we'd exchange pictures and little gifts and what not. There's so much to tell- I'm trying to sum up, honest, but we're talking almost 13 years of little histories here.
So anyway, fast-forward to last March. I hadn't gotten a letter in almost six months. Jake thrived in the Marines- he was a member of the Special Ops- Marine Force Recon. I'd start to get letters with lines blacked-out by some military group or another (as if 'hi, how you doing in law school' was really top-secret or something), and he couldn't ever really tell me where he was at an given time. I wasn't surprised when I hadn't heard from him, there wasn't any real talk of war or whatever then, but it was odd; in 13 years, I'd heard from him at least every three months or so. His letters were getting longer, like his mind was starving for conversation and I was the only one feeding it.
March, 2002
"Morning Lois," Annie picked up her mail at the admin.'s desk, briefcase in tow. "How was your weekend?"
"Good. It was fine," she said hurriedly. "Miss Goodspeed, there's an officer in your office,"
"Excuse me?" Lois nodded, standing up to whisper.
"He came in about 7 a.m., wanting to speak to you. I told him you'd be in around 8:30, but he insisted on waiting."
"A police officer?"
"No. Military," Lois nodded knowingly. Annie's heart skipped a beat, her stomach dropped. Jake wasn't one for surprises; he would have called. Shit. "Thanks, Lois, um, hold my calls, I guess?" She shrugged, straightened her shoulders, and headed into her office.
"Good morning," she said, too cheerfully for her own taste. "What can I do for you?" The officer stood, and she shook his hand and hurried herself around him to sit at her desk. Stay calm. Calm"
"Miss Goodspeed," he began
"He's dead. Isn't he?" she blurted out the words. Nice. Good calm. The man didn't speak for a moment, and she sat in the silence, panicking. A million thoughts ran through her head, I should have written him more, talked to him on the phone or something- I've been neglecting his poor mom's grave for almost a year, I only spent a day with him last time he was here, and he was in for almost a week damn it! She started to tear up.
Major Jeffrey Simmons didn't know what to make of the woman sitting before him. He came here expecting to tell her how awful she had been but she looked generally upset. "Would it matter to you if he was?" The words sounded harsher once he spoke them.
Annie's worry turned to absolute anger. "Excuse me? Who the hell are you and what exactly do you want here?" She was incensed. Simmons acknowledged is tactical error- she was becoming hostile.
"My apologizes. Let me start again. I am Major Jeffery S. Simmons, and a friend of Jake Eden, your boyfriend," he hesitated at the word and looked disdainfully around the room, where he hadn't found any evidence his statement was correct.
"Jake is a friend, yes. What is this about Major Jeffery S. Simmons?" She mocked him haughtily. Boyfriend?
Simmons sighed. This was not going well. He hadn't expected Jake's woman to be emotional. The opposite, actually, considering.
"Look, allow me to lose my professional composure and tell you that you are seriously freaking me out right now, and I want to know what the hell is going on. I assume it's about Jake, and I assume that it's not good. So spill," she stood up, slammed her hands on her desk and stared at him.
"If you'll just calm down,"
"Don't even tell me to be calm."
"Fine, please, sit." She glared at him and took her seat. "When if the last time you heard from Major Eden?" Annie opened her desk drawer and pulled out a large envelope.
"The last letter was postmarked June 24, 2001," she flicked the envelope across the desk to Maj. Simmons.
"He didn't write to you at all?" Maj. Simmons seemed perplexed, and he was flustered for a moment. "I thoughtI owe you an apology. If my attitude was less than inviting, it is only because I thought you had been ignoring the entire situation."
Annie wanted to scream. "What situation?"
"Three months ago Maj. Eden came back from a FR mission wounded in battle," Annie felt nauseous.
"What battle?" Simmons shifted uncomfortably. "Fine, never mind, it's probably delta blue, code purple vector classified or some shit," she muttered. "How badly?"
"Maj. Eden's been in the hospital at Camp Lejeune since. His jaw, broken and wired shut. Both of his legs were severely crushed, as well as his right arm. He's got three broken ribs that we know of. He was treated for head trauma when they brought him in but has recovered from those injuries. He's started physical therapy, but the recovery is slow." Annie sat speechless. "He's been at the hospital for a long time, Annie. He needs to go home, and he can't go by himself. I should have known he'd have too much pride to have someone contact you or write to you himself."
"What are you asking Major?" Annie asked softly, her thoughts muddled
"He doesn't have anyone else Miss Goodspeed."
"Well, I have a smaller place, here in Boston- it's a studio, really, but I can" she started trying to piece things together.
"He needs the medical attention he gets a Camp Lejeune. He needs to be home, at his home."
"You're asking me to go there? To live, at camp whatever and leave my job and take care of Jake" She didn't have an attitude, didn't ask him if he was crazy. She was simply realizing what had to be done- what he was asking her to do. But it is crazy, I can't just up and leave and
He doesn't have anyone else.
"I understand this is inconvenient, Miss Goodspeed."
"I don't know that you do," she said softly, without malice. "I haven't seen Jake for almost three and a half years. He isn't my boyfriend, or anything like that. We write to each other a lot, of course, but," Annie's word's faltered.
"I apologize then. I misunderstood your relationship. I shouldn't have bothered you, Miss." He started to get up to leave as she paced around him.
"Well, you did, so too late now." She put her hand on his shoulder and pushed him back into his chair. "He's going to be mad, you know. You're right about his pride. I don't really have a choice, do I? He's my friend, and he needs me.' Her mind was whirling a mile and minute, but one thought was clear. He would do this for me, no question. "I have to talk to some people, get some things organized" she sat down and started making a list. "When are you leaving?"
"0800 tonight."
"Wow. O.K. yeah. I can do that. I have to do some things, figure some things out" She pushed the intercom button on the phone. "Lois, I need to talk to Mark Crawford, now." Her composure regained, she made up her mind, quickly and without hesitation, like she had all her life. The sinking feeling at the pit of her stomach- that would go away. She just had to finish her list.
*****
I packed up some stuff and sublet my apartment and that was that. Crawford thought I was crazy, but he let me go, unpaid leave, f course, and I went. If Jake was pissed he couldn't really say- he couldn't talk at all with his jaw wired shut. I hadn't heard his voice for three years and there he was, and I still couldn't hear him talk. His house was on base and had nothing in it aside from some pictures of his mom, of me, a bed and a fridge; he didn't even own a shower curtain. He gave me carte blanche to furnish the place, and I did. The first month, when he couldn't talk, was awkward, and I filled the silence with incessant chattering.
We got along well, though I was bored out of my mind and he didn't want help with anything, stubborn mule. Everyone assumed I was his girlfriend, and I kept the assumption going. It made more sense to people why I was there. I had my own room, of course, and my own stuff. When he was able to get up and around on one of his legs he suggested I look into helping out with the Military lawyers. He had an acquaintance that wouldn't mind "keeping me busy." So I started working with some of the guys out there- trial work, which was fascinating. Military courts are so different, the laws and procedures anyway. We were defending some guys involved in a friendly fire incident, and I was helping with some research and what not. We won.
August, 2002
"Jake! JAKE!" She skated through the kitchen, kicking off her shoes. "Jake?" She called happily, screeching to a halt at the sofa. "There you are!"
"The place isn't that big, Annie." He smiled, having grown accustomed to her penchant for loud outbursts.
"We won!" she shouted before she dived into him for a hug. He was getting used to the constant physical contact too- she was always hugging and rubbing his back, grabbing his hand it was so strange at first, to have someone touching him all the time. She'd always been that way, sure, but a night out here and there compared to everyday well, he was getting used to it. Maybe even liked it. Maybe.
Annie jumped up again. "I have to get dressed. Benny and Carl and Ricky are waiting outside to take us out, I have to change." Jake made a face. "You're going Jake. No buts about it. We're gonna have a life if I have to carry you out on my back myself." She ran to her bedroom, unbuttoning her blouse as she ran.
"Um, Major Eden?" A tentative voice from the front door.
"Come in," he said, laboring to stand up. God damn it, he cursed the pain in his legs and back.
"It's Benny sir," Benny looked uncomfortable. "Well, sir your girlfriend is nuts," he said simply. Jake grinned.
"This is not news." My girlfriend. Interesting.
"She asked us on the way over here where people go to celebrate, and we mentioned Diamond's and she said let's go there"
Jake nearly choked. "Does she know it's a strip club?"
"Oh yes sir, we told her over and over, but she said if that's where you go"
"I'm ready. You're ready enough I guess," she glanced at Jake in one of his patented solid black tees with jeans outfits. Jake just stared.
"What are you wearing?"
"Clothes?"
"Are you sure?"
"Don't be a prude." Jake crossed his arms over his chest. Annie's suede skirt came just above her knees, frayed at the edges; she wore long brown boots but this wasn't the problem. Her shirt, on the other hand, if you could call that a shirt, he thought, looked like nothing more than a handkerchief tied loosely around her neck and midriff. Her back was practically bare.
"I don't think so,"
"I'll wear a jacket," she assured him, slipping into a short jeans jacket. "Now can we go?"
"We're not going to Diamonds Annie." His face was hard as stone, arms still crossed.
"Well, you have no say over where we go if you're going to be a fuddy duddy and just stay here," she smiled wickedly. She had him now.
"So, I don't go, you bully these men into taking you to Diamonds, right?"
"Yup."
"If I do go, we'll go somewhere else?"
"Yup. Nice one, huh?" She grinned wickedly. Jake sighed.
"Fine." She clasped her hands together in happiness and gave him a quick kiss. She had been doing that lately- pecks on the cheek, an occasional quick kiss, like now. Maybe he was getting used to that too.
+++++
"Down the hatch, gentlemen!" Annie threw her head back and swallowed what was now her fourth shot. Jake smiled and finished his off as well, watching her dance in her seat. Annie was practically bouncing around the bar, laughing with delight, flirting shamelessly, but mostly with him. "I love this song!" she exclaimed for what had to be the millionth time that night, and she got up to dance. Her jacket was long gone, which he had figured in the first place, and watching her dance by herself on the dance floor was driving him crazy. Annie far away, in a letter, a photograph- that he could handle, push out of his mind. Annie in front of you, the smell of her, the brightness- of her smile, her clothes, her laugh- they were intoxicating.
She caught him watching her and smiled devilishly. Holding his gaze, she danced towards him, slowly, to the music. His demeanor remained cool, composed, but still he worried people could hear his heart racing madly. She was close now, and he let his eyes wander over her dancing body. Closer now, bending down over him, golden curls tickling his face. The same devilish smile she locked their gazes and stopped for a moment, eyes questioning. Hell. There was no stopping as he reached for her face with his good arm and brought her lips crashing into his.
She was practically in his lap, locked deeply into a maddening, ferocious kiss- pent up feelings rushing together in the culmination. He tasted like whiskey. She tasted like salt. He broke away first, and stared at her intently. She didn't really know what to say.
"Guys, I'm getting out of here," the moment was broken as Carl stumbled into them. It was late.
"We'll get a ride with you then," Annie said, eyes still locked with Jake's. She tried to read them, but her own thoughts were muddy.
+++++
"Home sweet home," Annie quipped as she held the door for Jake. She'd held his hand during the car ride home, but there hadn't been much conversation. She shook out her hair and tossed the keys on the kitchen table.
"Annie?" The question in his voice was implied, but she knew what he was getting at. Don't think too much Jake. Don't. She turned to face him, the same smile she flashed him at the club slowly illuminating her face. "Do we need to talk?" he offered lamely. She shook her head, closing the gap between them swiftly. "Annie," what began as a protest ended as she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him again. He took her weight with him and leaned against the door, their kisses frenzied and hot. She leaned against him and a sharp pain shot up his leg.
"Oh, sorry sorry," she was breathless. "About the leaning. Sorry about that" she moved to kiss him again but he stopped her, cupping her face in his hand.
"Annie, you're probably drunk," he started. She shook her head.
"Little liquid courage, that's all. I want this. Jake, I want this." She stared into his blue eyes. "Do you?"
"I'm not sure what this is. I'm not sure what I can give you," he looked lost, absently stroking her face with his thumb.
"We'll figure it out. I promise. Now, can I tuck you in?" she asked seductively. He nodded slowly, matching her smile with one of his own.
*****
But we didn't figure it out. We went from bizarre friends-with-tension to happy little couple living together like it was always meant to be- I'd go to work, come home and we'd have dinner, watch a movie, go to bed together. My room was cleared out completely by September and we were like kids playing houseJake was different, and I thought to myself- I did that, I made him laugh and smile and be a different person, and I let myself believe it.
But he was getting better, and I had a life in Boston and a job and ignoring it wasn't going to make it all go away. We had the perfect Christmas, just the two of us, with gifts and our first "I love you-s." Maybe it was so perfect because some part of us knew things were going to change.
*****
January, 2003
"Mark Crawford called again today," Jake looked over the newspaper he was reading as Annie bounced back into the kitchen, having changed out of her work clothing.
"Yeah, I know. He called me on my cell phone too," she grabbed herself an apple out of the fridge and sat with him at the table. "He has a couple of cases he wants me back to work on with him, two acquisitions he's having some contract issues with. He wants me to go one a loophole hunt." She took a huge bite out of the apple, juice dribbling down her chin. Jake wiped her chin with his thumb, and she smiled at him.
"Maybe maybe you should think about it," he said slowly. Annie swallowed hard.
"What?"
"Maybe you should think about it." He stood up and started pacing. "Annie, I doc said I'm ready to go back to active duty."
Annie's stomach plummeted. "Well, fine, good, that means you're better so what are you going to do?" He looked at her pointedly. "You've got to be kidding me!" She jumped out of her seat.
"Annie,"
"No! You have got to be crazy! Tell them no; tell them to go hell! There's got to be something else you can do!" Her heart hammered the inside of her chest, and she was pacing with him, eyes angry and worried and wild.
"This is what I do Annie, this is my life. I don't even know who I am if I'm not in FR."
"You almost died you idiot. You couldn't walk straight for almost a year. They've taken all you need to give them, Jake! No, don't," he tried to calm her down, reaching out to hold her arms.
"So there's nothing different here, now. Nothing changes. And what the hell: 'Maybe I should think about going back to Boston?' Yeah. Translation: thanks for the time Annie, now go back to your other life cause thins one's coming to a close I said don't!" she jerked herself away from him.
"Don't Annie, I can't fight with youstop," he grabbed her arms, too tightly, and she flinched. He released her arms as if they burned him, staring at his hands blankly.
Annie panicked. "Jake, stop, you didn't do anything stop, don't do that to yourself. You're not like that Jake," he stepped away from her but she wouldn't leave it alone, taking his head in her hands. "Baby, please," she hugged him tightly. They stood in a silent embrace until he could gather his thoughts, until he was calm again.
"I'm sorry," he tried to apologize and she shook her head, kissing him softly.
"Jake, it's O.K., really. We'll just work out some other solution to all this" she started to say, breaking away from his embrace.
"What kind of solution Annie? We knew this was coming." She felt the anger welling up again, the pain his words inflicted unintentionally. "Annie, they want me to leave next week," he let out a slow breath.
She laughed bitterly. "And you're going."
"It's my job."
"It's your life," she spat out the words angrily. "Which means, I'm not."
"This is what we do Annie, we do our jobs, the difference is now we're together, we can"
"What? What can we do? Can I sit here, waiting to hear if you're alive or dead every other day, reading through the blacked-out messages, sick to death every five minutes? I love you, you jerk and that's the difference now. And if you leave next week, it'll be the only difference, because we certainly won't be together any more." Jake straightened his back, willing his heart to go cold, to stop with the damn feeling because that was only complicating things. She wants to leave. She's better off gone anyway. He'd been repeating the lies to himself for the past three weeks, when he and Simmons began discussing his next mission.
"We're going to war, Annie. In a couple of months, if not sooner."
"Are you crazy? Is that supposed to make me feel better?" She wiped furiously at the angry tears that began stinging her cheeks. He's leaving.
"It's my job," he sounded cold. "I'm leaving next week."
Her heart lay in a million pieces at her feet. She sucked in her tears, sucked in her breath, and matched his tone with a coldness of her own. "I don't even know what you're waiting for. You should have just sent me a letter."
"It doesn't have to be like this."
"You know what, you're right. Get the hell out."
"It's my house Annie."
"I don't give a shit, I don't want to see your face, now or ever. Just get out. Get out!" she shoved him towards the door. Angrily, he grabbed his keys.
"Fine." He slammed the door behind him. Don't fall, don't break, don't let it happenshe took deep breaths and ran into the room that had been hers. She grabbed the suitcases out of the closet and started packing furiously.
"Benny, it's Annie. I need a ride; can you stop by? Right now, yeah. Thanks," she hung up the phone, wildly wandering throughout the house shoving anything she could find that she wanted into her bag until it was full. They had accumulated so much that wasn't his, or hers, but theirs. She grabbed the stack of pictures she had taken -of him, of camp in general, at the dance- and shoved them into her bag as well. What the hell did he need them for? Shit. She was crying again. Benny honked the horn outside, and she ran into the bathroom and splashed water on her face. She should leave something- a note, a symbol she couldn't think of anything. So she justleft.
*****
An interesting link I found about the Marines' Force Recon:
