Love Lost
"27, 29, 30, 32, 33, 36, 38, 40!!" counted James in unison with the rest of the men around him, except they counted out loudly as their Physical Fitness Test partner completed each pushup or situps, while Lee and James worked together and eventually helped each other pass the PFT final.
But the large black Navy SEAL standing off to the side didn't miss the odd count, he just looked at his swim buddy the "hulk Hooligan" look alike and they quietly chuckled behind mirrored shades and stone faces. At least these two Recruits "were" working hard and fast and that's what mattered in the end.
"Thanks James" Lee said one day almost a year later.
"aaghh." James guffawed. "We had to get out of there,"
"I had to see her". he paused between bites of his chicken kiev as the two Sailors
quietly sat on the messdecks of theWarship.
"So you're a squadron man and I'm a ship mechanic?" James mused.
"Yep, and looking around at some of their faces..."
Glancing around at some of the sullen men eating, standing in chow line,
"I don't think they did their homework at all before they signed up." Lee pointed.
"True, true." James agreed.
3 weeks later they met on the aft (rear) end of theWarship just before sunset. James was taking out trash for his work division and Lee was just waking up from sleeping all day and now his 12 hour Night work shift would start.
"So how is SHE?" Lee quietly spoke.
James' eyes were looking past his, out upon the glass surface of theSea.
"She was with me for 10 months", he shrugged and quietly tested the chain fence.
The small stanchions were steel poles 3' high and small 2" chain linked together and wound in braids of 3 strands. In port this small gate would be moved aside and the gangway (stairs) would be tied to the opening and one could leave the ship via the aft stairs or from amidships on the right side.
James sat upon the top of the fence care free as if he sat upon a barstool.
Lee eyed the flimsy gate, knew from personal experience that building many fences and gates of wood, metal, chain and barbed wire. This fence here might break.
Better to be accountable for a shipmate than to leave him alone.
And wasn't this situation just like the many events that had happened?
And would be similar to many more to come in the future.
Knowing and seeing what could happen in situations and hanging around to see the outcome. Saving people or summoning aid if necessary or just watching the disaster unfold.
James unpacked a filtered cigarette and lit it up.
"she didn't like the times I was gone at sea, her mom talked her out of seeing me after that, I let her keep the ring."
It was a big one too Lee remembered.
In bootcamp, a few of the men would pass around pics and perfumed letters that they had received from home.
Lee considered it sacred to get such personal mail and didn't lean over to look at the risque pics, but that one evening he did catch a hint of sweet musk and he did look.
She was beautiful. Reminded him of a salon client that he worked on just before he left the Salon and talked to the military recruiter. 6 months out of beauty school and he was booked half the week but this conflict in the Middle East kept interupting his days by news bites on the radio or the newspaper that the Salon subscribed to.
The client was a young mother of 3 and was buxom, blonde and nice. The long haired Perm service took him 2.5 hrs and at the end when the client saw her new curls in the mirror she faked a startled response "AAggh!!!" and jumped in the Salon chair.
Now and then, ever after, Lee would do something quirky like that to anyone that he laid hands on for Salon services. It broke the ice many times.
There in the Navy barracks, Lee was quietly looking at the photos of Her.
A nice young woman in a sunflower dress, outside on the patio.
Another shot of her in capri pants and a loose top by the fountain with her young nephew, and another shot with 2 friends of hers holding bunny rabbits.
The rabbits looked bored and ones leg was a small blur in the photo. They're hard to keep still.
"I'm with Desilva now". I met her in a cantina in Tijajauna".
She can out drink anyone and still be classy" James quipped.
LOL, Lee laughed.
A few other men standing nearby caught onto the "I met her and she can out drink.." part of the conversation and laughed too. Somehow the men could understand each others conversation even if they walked into it at the very end sentences.
For on a Warship like theRanger, a Nuke carrying, missile bearing, aircraft slinging, helicopter gunship loaded tool of American military might, none of her crew were ever alone-at least physically.
Ms Ranger commanded a crew of 2500 and with a full airwing. Almost 6700 men and the occasional woman too were packed aboard and they all lived there happily for 6 months out of the year.
Such was the pride of the American fleet. And behind it all were the daily conversations on the messdecks during chow, in the long lines that led to all 5 of the Ships small convenience stores and ATM machines.
The bomb loaders on the aircraft deck would chat now and then.
"......resting for 3 days until we went back into the house to get her loaded and off to the hospital. They say sheee deead.
We go home and everyone come round cryin' and shiit. Everyone drinking and high.
Boom boom boom at the door. Who dare? I say.
I'ts me... Gramma. let me IN Damit!!!
Talk about clearing the hhouuusee!!!" The young petty officer from the gang infested Compton of South Central LA cackled and high fived his buddy as they wrestled a Thousand pound bomb under an A-6 Intruder Bomber.
Two weeks later at chow James repeated his breakup and meeting a new girlfriend to Lee. "and you?" james looked.
"she left me before I signed up. She wrote a lot, promised a lot, delivered nothing really." Lee exlained.
"oh.. you don't sound happy." James observed. "At least for me, de Silva kept me sane. She went straight up to my parents and talked with them. didn't act at all like a meek submissive minority at all, I was sure impressed."
Lee wondered if that were true. For a Mexican girl to impress some die hard White people that she was good enough for their son.
And certainly over the years Lee found such things to be true.
For THEY came and went in His life. Kari, Debbie, Heather, Sara, Jill, Shannon, Lisa.
All of them and many more that proved themselves to be above the rest in overcoming racism and bigotry. For Lee was a minority and the girls were all White.
It hurts too much though to think about. Yet such pain brings strength and resolve to face each day. Knowing that there are other women to meet. Some are just young girls. Others are old women. But they each give of self and in return receive trust and friendship.
It took a small moment of time and a flimsy chained fence to let Lee hear a tale of pain and progression. It took 4 years of his time and 6 months at sea, and in the combined time with his friend from Bootcamp?? Probably 8hrs total before they parted company when the War cruise ended.
Love lost and found again.
But the large black Navy SEAL standing off to the side didn't miss the odd count, he just looked at his swim buddy the "hulk Hooligan" look alike and they quietly chuckled behind mirrored shades and stone faces. At least these two Recruits "were" working hard and fast and that's what mattered in the end.
"Thanks James" Lee said one day almost a year later.
"aaghh." James guffawed. "We had to get out of there,"
"I had to see her". he paused between bites of his chicken kiev as the two Sailors
quietly sat on the messdecks of theWarship.
"So you're a squadron man and I'm a ship mechanic?" James mused.
"Yep, and looking around at some of their faces..."
Glancing around at some of the sullen men eating, standing in chow line,
"I don't think they did their homework at all before they signed up." Lee pointed.
"True, true." James agreed.
3 weeks later they met on the aft (rear) end of theWarship just before sunset. James was taking out trash for his work division and Lee was just waking up from sleeping all day and now his 12 hour Night work shift would start.
"So how is SHE?" Lee quietly spoke.
James' eyes were looking past his, out upon the glass surface of theSea.
"She was with me for 10 months", he shrugged and quietly tested the chain fence.
The small stanchions were steel poles 3' high and small 2" chain linked together and wound in braids of 3 strands. In port this small gate would be moved aside and the gangway (stairs) would be tied to the opening and one could leave the ship via the aft stairs or from amidships on the right side.
James sat upon the top of the fence care free as if he sat upon a barstool.
Lee eyed the flimsy gate, knew from personal experience that building many fences and gates of wood, metal, chain and barbed wire. This fence here might break.
Better to be accountable for a shipmate than to leave him alone.
And wasn't this situation just like the many events that had happened?
And would be similar to many more to come in the future.
Knowing and seeing what could happen in situations and hanging around to see the outcome. Saving people or summoning aid if necessary or just watching the disaster unfold.
James unpacked a filtered cigarette and lit it up.
"she didn't like the times I was gone at sea, her mom talked her out of seeing me after that, I let her keep the ring."
It was a big one too Lee remembered.
In bootcamp, a few of the men would pass around pics and perfumed letters that they had received from home.
Lee considered it sacred to get such personal mail and didn't lean over to look at the risque pics, but that one evening he did catch a hint of sweet musk and he did look.
She was beautiful. Reminded him of a salon client that he worked on just before he left the Salon and talked to the military recruiter. 6 months out of beauty school and he was booked half the week but this conflict in the Middle East kept interupting his days by news bites on the radio or the newspaper that the Salon subscribed to.
The client was a young mother of 3 and was buxom, blonde and nice. The long haired Perm service took him 2.5 hrs and at the end when the client saw her new curls in the mirror she faked a startled response "AAggh!!!" and jumped in the Salon chair.
Now and then, ever after, Lee would do something quirky like that to anyone that he laid hands on for Salon services. It broke the ice many times.
There in the Navy barracks, Lee was quietly looking at the photos of Her.
A nice young woman in a sunflower dress, outside on the patio.
Another shot of her in capri pants and a loose top by the fountain with her young nephew, and another shot with 2 friends of hers holding bunny rabbits.
The rabbits looked bored and ones leg was a small blur in the photo. They're hard to keep still.
"I'm with Desilva now". I met her in a cantina in Tijajauna".
She can out drink anyone and still be classy" James quipped.
LOL, Lee laughed.
A few other men standing nearby caught onto the "I met her and she can out drink.." part of the conversation and laughed too. Somehow the men could understand each others conversation even if they walked into it at the very end sentences.
For on a Warship like theRanger, a Nuke carrying, missile bearing, aircraft slinging, helicopter gunship loaded tool of American military might, none of her crew were ever alone-at least physically.
Ms Ranger commanded a crew of 2500 and with a full airwing. Almost 6700 men and the occasional woman too were packed aboard and they all lived there happily for 6 months out of the year.
Such was the pride of the American fleet. And behind it all were the daily conversations on the messdecks during chow, in the long lines that led to all 5 of the Ships small convenience stores and ATM machines.
The bomb loaders on the aircraft deck would chat now and then.
"......resting for 3 days until we went back into the house to get her loaded and off to the hospital. They say sheee deead.
We go home and everyone come round cryin' and shiit. Everyone drinking and high.
Boom boom boom at the door. Who dare? I say.
I'ts me... Gramma. let me IN Damit!!!
Talk about clearing the hhouuusee!!!" The young petty officer from the gang infested Compton of South Central LA cackled and high fived his buddy as they wrestled a Thousand pound bomb under an A-6 Intruder Bomber.
Two weeks later at chow James repeated his breakup and meeting a new girlfriend to Lee. "and you?" james looked.
"she left me before I signed up. She wrote a lot, promised a lot, delivered nothing really." Lee exlained.
"oh.. you don't sound happy." James observed. "At least for me, de Silva kept me sane. She went straight up to my parents and talked with them. didn't act at all like a meek submissive minority at all, I was sure impressed."
Lee wondered if that were true. For a Mexican girl to impress some die hard White people that she was good enough for their son.
And certainly over the years Lee found such things to be true.
For THEY came and went in His life. Kari, Debbie, Heather, Sara, Jill, Shannon, Lisa.
All of them and many more that proved themselves to be above the rest in overcoming racism and bigotry. For Lee was a minority and the girls were all White.
It hurts too much though to think about. Yet such pain brings strength and resolve to face each day. Knowing that there are other women to meet. Some are just young girls. Others are old women. But they each give of self and in return receive trust and friendship.
It took a small moment of time and a flimsy chained fence to let Lee hear a tale of pain and progression. It took 4 years of his time and 6 months at sea, and in the combined time with his friend from Bootcamp?? Probably 8hrs total before they parted company when the War cruise ended.
Love lost and found again.
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