That's Life

Today a soldier in ACUs walked right into work.

Now, I know that when I go to Walmart around pay day that I'm going to see some soldiers in ACUs, alone or with their families; in fact, any time I go in, I prepare myself for the possibility. Needless to say, when I go on post I prepare for this as well.

But at work! There I am, at my desk happily inputting data when I look up and see a soldier entering the building. It was like a mirage.

And he wasn't just visiting, either; he came to deliver a cold coffee drink to his girl and hung around my desk while waiting eagerly to see her, making small talk about our house dog.

Two of him could have fit into any one of my husband's ACUs and he was very young, but still! The final blow came when, right in front of my desk, he kissed his girl and said he would see her later. He would see her later!! She got to see her guy later. Not, five and a half months later, just later. I'd almost forgotten all about how that word could be used.

I wished at that point then to wail and kick my heels like a small child having a tantrum in the back seat.

Not only that, but also today a fellow wearing a jacket that identified him as belonging to the Air force came in, lost and looking for directions to a building that was located a mile and a half south.

Sigh. I wish to officially thank Life for reminding me twice today that my man is in the military and far, far away from me. Thank you, Life. Point taken.

Fortunately, my fellow Army wife and deployment buddy came by and I could vent to her.

"We're more than half way done!" she said encouragingly, and told me that our guys will be home about a month sooner than I was expecting; she goes to the FRG meetings. But I'm trying really hard not to count on that, because, really, who knows? But I do keep secretly hoping that he'll come home at least a little bit early.

Every day driving home, I face an oncoming stream of soldiers driving off post, most in large trucks and SUVs, some in small, sporty cars and two or three daring ones on motorbikes. That doesn't bother me so much, actually.

I like to think of all those soldiers able to go home to family and dinner; it's a comforting thought. It won't be too much longer before my man is one of them.