“Obviously.” I grinned up at him as we inched along the jet way. “Vince, do you realize I asked you who I’d get to meet from your family, and you described the food, instead?”
He pursed his lips. “Huh. Guess I got distracted. You see where my priorities are.”
“Does your Uncle Rick cook all of that?”
Vince frowned. “Uncle Rick? Cook? No. He opens up his home, my mom and nonna bring the food.”
I whistled. “That’s a lot of work for them.”
“I know, usually I help. Well, before the military, anyway. And even after, if I had a full two weeks of leave to go home for Christmas. That’s more common in the real Marine Corps. But I’m not complaining, at least we made it out of there.”
I squeezed his hand and smiled. He really needed this trip. It was our turn to board the plane and we greeted the flight attendant as we passed her on the way to our seats. When we got settled, Vince was practically bouncing in his seat. He wore his jeans kind of tight, and I happened to glance at the spot where you could see the outline from his phones. Except, it looked flatter than usual, like there was only one phone in his pocket instead of two. I reached over and patted the spot on his thigh, and he stiffened and whipped his head around to look at me.
“What are you doing?”
I laughed and felt the spot with my fingers. “Is that only one phone you have there, Sergeant Moore?”
He looked around quickly and swatted my hand away from his lap. “Shush, woman. I’m just a regular civilian like the rest of you on this flight. I don’t have two phones, that would be weird.”
I couldn’t help but cackle at his attempt to forget his identity as a Marine for a while. “Okay, okay. What would you be instead?”
“A chef, of course. At a mom-and-pop style Italian restaurant.”
“I can totally see that happening.” I kissed his cheek. “Seriously, did you leave your government phone at home?”
Vince shook his head and gestured above us to the bin where he’s stashed his duffel. “Nah, but I did turn it off and stick it up there where it can’t bother me and remind me of my terrible job.”
“I’m really sorry it’s so rough.”
He patted my leg. “It is what it is.”
“Does it help at all that you’re making a huge difference to so many people? How many kids have you recruited now?”
“I just got my thirteenth one before we left. It’s cool when I stop and think about what it all means for each poolee. I love being a Marine. It made a huge difference in my life when I didn’t have anything else going for me. Not all these kids are like that, of course, some of them having lots of opportunities and they still choose to join. But no matter why any of us join, once we finish bootcamp and earn the title of Marine, it’s forever. We’re brothers. And we’re the best. It’s something to be proud of.”
I smiled warmly at him. “Then bringing more people into it is something to be proud of, too. Remember that when you feel hopeless about the machine of it all. It’s not a machine to each one of those kids, or their parents. It’s as big of a deal to them as it was to you and to your family. When you need to get another contract, you’re not just looking for a number on someone’s spreadsheet. You’re looking for someone whose life you’re going to change.”
“I love you,” he said. “And I think my family is going to love you, too.”
Vince’s family was absolutely huge. Christmas Eve dinner at his mom’s had been intimate, with only a fraction of the guests at Rick’s house the next day. I was grateful for the smaller guest list on the first night so I could sit and talk with his mom, Sylvia, and his nonna, Maria. There was no way we would’ve gotten to know each other if we only had this gathering.
Rick’s home was massive, with a warm opulence I’d only ever seen in magazines. He was clearly one of San Francisco’s wealthiest residents. Sylvia’s home had been modest, still lovely, but more in the class I was used to with my family. Vince had told me ahead of time that Rick was a very successful attorney, and that his son, Eric, was about to graduate law school and move to San Diego to work for a law firm there.
Vince was like a celebrity to his extended family, and we made the rounds throughout the evening, greeting them all. They were all so interested in what they imagined was a very exotic and exciting life as a Marine. He fielded so many of the same questions about his job as a recruiter. He was so humble, never complaining about the long hours or the stress. He made it clear that it was hard, important work, but didn’t shed any light on the depressing side of the job.
I knew them all, though, having been his sounding board on our late nights at the store. I’d heard all about the disappointments when someone couldn’t join because of a medical issue they didn’t know about. When the office should have been hailed for making mission on time but got chewed out instead for missing a specific piece of demographic they wanted. I even knew of the moments when drunk parents would literally try to fight him for trying to take away their precious sons and daughters, when in reality, it would have been a better life for the kid. Every job has its downsides, but in my short time loving someone in this job, I couldn’t help but want to fix the whole system for him.
“How are you doing, honey? Did you eat? Here, let’s get you some more food.” Sylvia took my hand and pulled me away from Vince and the distant cousin he was chatting with. I’d lost count of how many people had introduced themselves as some sort of cousin or uncle. This loud, Italian family was intense.
“Thank you, Mrs. Moore,” I said, accepting the plate she handed me as she gestured to the antipasto that was laid out on the buffet table in front of us. We hadn’t even gotten to the main meal yet, but the olives, cheese, and meats in the appetizer spread were already filling me up.
“Ah, call me Sylvia. Mrs. Moore is my sister-in-law.” She waved a hand at me and scooped some tomatoes and mozzarella onto my plate.
“Ah, wait, I assumed Moore was your married name. Moore is Rick’s last name, too?”
“I never married Vince’s father, much to my mother’s dismay. But I’m glad I didn’t. He was a piece of work.” Her eyes sparkled and her heavy New York accent made her words even more entertaining.
“But,” I looked around, connecting the dots, “Moore doesn’t sound very Italian. Where did it come from?”
“You’re right.” She said, rolling her eyes and waving her hand like she had a story to tell. “Do you know Ellis Island?”
I nodded, understanding now why much of the family had a New York accent, figuring they’d moved west somewhat recently. Well, not too recently, considering Vince didn’t have a New York accent like the rest of them.
“When my grandfather came over from Italy, they passed through Ellis Island in New York. The guys at the records desk were famous for butchering the names of the immigrants. Our last name was Morucchio, but the dummy sitting there at the desk wrote down Joseph Moore. Can you believe it? We always asked my grandfather why he didn’t change it back to Morucchio after he got settled. He said it would be better for his new American life to have a more American-sounding name.”
“Wow.” I breathed, enjoying the history of her family and Vince’s great grandparents. I didn’t know much about my great grandparents. I made a mental note to ask my parents for some stories. “When did you move from New York to California?”
“Ah, my brother came out first. Thirty years ago, I think now. He met this girl, his now wife, and decided to move here. I was still living with my mother; my father had died young. We decided to come out for a change of scenery and never went back. I hated the winters back east.”
“Ma, easy.” Vince came up behind us and took the plate she was loading with appetizers out of her hand. “She’s not going to eat dinner.”
“Vinny, what? I want to feed the poor girl, look at her, she’s so thin.”
I blushed and Vince winked at me. “She’s perfect. Come on, Sara, I’ll share this with you.”
“Nice talking to you,” I said to Sylvia as Vince led me away and onto the expansive patio out back. “Your mom is amazing.”
He held a chair for me at a table in the grass, then sat in the one next to mine, putting the plate between us on the table. “She thinks you’re pretty amazing, too. You made a great impression on her last night. Everyone keeps telling me how much they like you.”
I caught the look of pride in his eyes and it warmed me. After a couple of relaxing days away from the office, he was the happiest I’d ever seen him.
12
Vince
“Moore, get in here.”
I made a sarcastic motion of shooting myself on my way to my boss’s office. Cooper chuckled and shook his head. “Welcome back from vacation, bro.”
“No kidding,” I said under my breath. I popped my head into the office. “Yes, Staff Sergeant?”
“Come in, close the door.”
I did as I was told. Things were a lot more casual on recruiting duty than in a normal squadron, so I didn’t wait for permission to sit in the chair across from him. “What’s going on?”
“Why hasn’t Billings been to the last two PT sessions?” He asked, referring to Erika by her last name.
“First it was because she had a job interview, then it was because she forgot.”
Staff Sergeant Allen blinked at me. “Really?”
I shrugged. “She’s a winner.”
“Clearly. Well, get her on the phone. We’ve got PT in an hour, and if she doesn’t show up, I’m dropping her. That’d be three strikes.”
Surprised, I sat forward in the chair. “Are you serious?”
“Her fitness scores need to be improved. If she’s not willing to improve, I’m not going to let her in my Marine Corps. She’s a Bravo, anyway.”
When potential applicants got low-but-passing scores on their ASVAB, we referred to them as Bravos. Someone like Spencer Hawkins was an Alpha. High scores on everything and eager to be successful. An Alpha was worth way more of our time than a Bravo, as harsh as it was. Even though I knew it to be true, I still wondered why something as simple as missing PT was worth a discharge on the recruiter’s record. That wouldn’t look good on me, and I resented Allen for putting me that in position.
“I’ll call her.” I rose from the chair, steaming mad but holding my composure.
“Hey,” Staff Sergeant called after me. “If you can’t get her on the phone, go HV her.”
“Check,” I replied, acknowledging that I’d do so. I rolled my eyes when I was out of sight, annoyed that I’d have to stay in my dress uniform to do a home visit and then have no time to change into PT gear before the rest of my pool showed up for the workout.
After trying for twenty minutes to get Erika on the phone, I headed out to my car, furious. The last thing I wanted to do was drive to Erika’s house and demand that she show up for PT or we’d have to drop her. The girl was flirty, at best, whenever we were together. I didn’t like the idea of going to her house. The last time I’d been there, I’d been spending the night with her. I shook off the memory as I got in my car, then felt my phone buzz in my pocket, signaling I had a text.
Sara: Wanna do dinner tonight?
I typed out a quick reply letting her know I had PT and we’d try for tomorrow, then took off toward Erika’s apartment. As I turned onto her street, I saw the flashing lights of an ambulance, a police car, and a fire truck surrounding several cars that had been involved in a serious collision. I hated San Diego’s huge population of rubberneckers who held up traffic when they saw a car accident, but something told me to slow down and take a closer look. Almost as if I’d expected to see it, Erika’s old red Dodge Neon was right in the center of the incident. I pulled over and jumped out of the car.
The officer on scene approached me, confused at why I’d be running toward the accident. “Sir, can I help you?”
The government vehicle I’d parked at the scene and the Marine Corps dress uniform made him nicer than he would have been to a regular civilian, I was sure. “I need to see if one of my applicants was involved in this crash.”
“What’s his name?” The officer asked, opening his notepad and turning to the page where he must have written down the vehicle owners’ information.
“Her name is Erika Billings.”
He nodded grimly. “I’m sorry sir, yes, she was in the red car. She’s in that ambulance right over there and was stable last I heard.”
Relief flooded through me after fearing the worst. I thanked the officer and took off for the ambulance to see if I could get an update from the paramedics.
“Excuse me?” I called as I approached the young woman who was about to hop in the passenger side of the vehicle. “Can I get an update on the woman in there? Erika Billings?”
The paramedic looked over my head at the officer, who nodded permission, so she turned to me. “She’s stable but we’re about to take her to Keiser. She’s got some serious lacerations on her chest and shoulder from the seatbelt, a broken collarbone, some burns on her face from the airbag, and what appears to be a broken femur.”
I flinched. “Did she get T-boned?”
The paramedic nodded. “Yeah, the other car ran a red light and hit her directly, then pushed her into the other lane and into another car. You can follow us to the hospital.”
“Thank you,” I said, jogging back to my car and waving to the officer to thank him again for his help. As I got behind the wheel and struggled to stay on the tail of the ambulance, I called Staff Sergeant Allen and explained the situation. He said he’d cover PT with the rest of my pool and he’d alert the command. I was tasked with going to the hospital and staying there until we had an update on her condition.
Hours later, I realized Sara would be closing the store soon and would expect me to come over after. I pulled out my phone and shot her a text.
Me: Hey, Erika got in an accident and I’ve been at the hospital with her. I’m still waiting for her to come out of surgery. It’s pretty bad. I’ll let you know what happens but don’t wait for me after closing tonight.
As soon as I’d sent the text, the doctor came back and told me Erika was in recovery and awake. He said I could go back and see her. I hesitated in the doorway of her room, my stomach flipping when I saw the massive cast on her leg and the extensive burns on her face. She looked like she was in so much pain, and I felt terrible for being so mad about having to do the home visit.
I stepped closer and she attempted to smile, but I could tell it hurt.
“Don’t try to talk,” I said. “I won’t stay long, we just wanted to make sure you were okay. Staff Sergeant has been trying to reach your family, I’m sure they’ll be here soon.”
She gave me a small nod. “Thank you. Sorry I missed PT again.”
I choked out a laugh. “Don’t worry about it. In fact, when you check your voicemail you can ignore the ones where I chewed you out for ditching. Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay. Will I still be able to join?”
I smiled sadly, thinking it was amazing that through all of this she still wanted to. Maybe I’d been right that day when I’d run into her. Maybe it was fate that her struggles had brought her to the Marine Corps.
“I’m not sure,” I answered honestly. “But the important thing is that you’re okay. Let’s take it one step at a time.”
On my way out of the hospital, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I fished it out and saw that it was Cooper. “What’s up, man?”
“Hey, are you still at the hospital?” he asked.
“I’m leaving now, I just have to come back to the office to get my stuff. Why, what’s up?”
Cooper sighed heavily. “I think I might have messed something up with your girl.”
I stopped walking. “What do you mean?”
“She came in here and asked where you were, and last I knew you’d gone to do a home visit at Erika’s, so that’s what I told her. I’d just gotten back from an appointment, so I didn’t k
now anything about the car wreck, man. I just found out. I think she thinks you’ve been there all night. She was really mad when she left.”
I groaned, then remembered the text I’d sent her. “Wait, no, I texted her about the accident. She should have known. What time did you talk to her?”
“I don’t know, right after you left, maybe? I’m not sure. Better make sure she actually got your text.”
“All right, thanks, man.” I got off the phone with him and immediately went to my messaging app. Sure enough, the red exclamation mark displayed next to the message, confirming that it wasn’t delivered. My service must have been bad in the hospital and I didn’t realize it hadn’t sent. I suppressed the urge to throw my phone, since I needed it to call her.
I walked the rest of the way to my car while the phone rang and then went to voicemail after the second ring, as if she’d silenced the call. I kept trying to call her the entire way home, each time getting silenced. After about the tenth call, she must have turned her phone off because the calls went straight to voicemail.
Anger stirred inside of me as I flashed back to the day when she’d first thought I was cheating on her with Erika. She’d jumped to conclusions then, and was doing it again now. Fine. If she wanted to constantly question my character when there was a reasonable explanation, so be it. But I wouldn’t let her keep tossing me away every time she had an inkling of doubt. You don’t get to forever by walking away all the time. If she didn’t know by now that I wouldn’t cheat on her, there was nothing more I could do to prove it to her.
13
Sara
Forever With You Page 7
