As soon as it was noon on her watch, she washed her hands in the barn sink, then headed over to the house for lunch with Beverly. She was just about finished with the seeder. The dirt on her pants could attest to the difficulty of the job. Courtney eyed Darien up and down suspiciously when she walked inside. She was wearing her recon boots, jeans, a tight red t-shirt, and her sunglasses.
“She’ll be down in a minute,” Courtney said, setting the lunch plates on the table, before walking back to the counter to get the glasses for the pink lemonade.
Darien watched her moved around, trying hard to keep her eyes off the tan legs running from the bottom of Courtney’s cut-off shorts to the top of her cowgirl boots. She nearly fell out of her chair when Courtney stepped closer, reaching for her sunglasses.
“You have some dirt on your face,” Courtney explained, pointing to her cheek. She was slightly shocked when Darien snatched away from her so quickly, almost like Courtney’s touch would burn her or something.
All through lunch, Courtney watched the interaction between Darien and Beverly. It was like they’d known each other for years as they talked about topics from the weather to the upcoming town elections. Then, Beverly asked Darien to come up and tell her another story before heading to her room. Courtney shook her head as she watched them walk away. Then, she cleared the table and washed the lunch dishes before going back to work in the crop field.
***
“So, what would you like to hear about today?” Darien asked.
“Why don’t you pick up where you left off with the last one?”
Darien thought for a minute. “After I enlisted, I headed off to basic training at Parris Island in South Carolina.” She shook her head. “I thought I was going to die. I was in pretty good shape to start with and they still whipped my butt. I think I threw up more during those twelve weeks than I have in all of my life, especially during The Crucible. That’s a fifty-four hour training course where you’re sleep and food deprived. You cover about forty-five miles as you endure the worst hell imaginable while putting all of your training to the test.”
Beverly laughed. “That doesn’t sound like much fun.”
“Oh, it definitely wasn’t fun. I can assure you. But the day I put on that uniform and was addressed as ‘Marine’ for the first time was a very proud moment in my life. See, you’re not a Marine until you make it through boot camp. Until then, you’re simply a recruit.” She smiled, thinking back to that day. It seemed like a complete lifetime ago.
“What kind of job did you do?” Beverly asked.
“Well, at that point, you’re assigned your first rank, which is Private and first MOS. This is your Marine Occupation Specialty. It’s based on test scores, education, and so on. Remember, I have a two-year college degree in Criminal Justice. Well that, along with my test scores, made me a prime candidate for military police, but I asked for Ground Combat instead, which is more commonly known as infantry. From there, I went through the ITB at Camp Geiger in North Carolina, which is infantry training school. That was fifty-nine days of more hell, but it’s where I learned the skills that led me down an amazing and honorable career path.”
“You definitely didn’t have a desk job then.” Beverly smiled.
“No,” Darien laughed. “ I took the Light Armored Vehicle course after infantry training, and that’s where I became an LAV Crewman, which is basically someone inside of an armored vehicle. I was stuck on the east coast because the Marine Corps makes all female recruits go through basic training at Parris Island. So, because I did basic there, I was sent to Geiger for ITB. Once I’d finished LAV training, I was stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina and assigned to an LAV Reconnaissance Battalion. I spent a year there training with my new unit, running drills and learning everything I could. That year was one of the hardest. You’re basically a peon for the first nine months as you go from the rank of Private to Private First Class.” Darien felt proud of all she’d accomplished as she talked about the early days of her life as a Marine.
“Early into my second year,” she continued. “ I was moved up in rank to Lance Corporal and went on my first deployment to South America, where I spent eight months in Columbia aiding in anti-drug operations which were mostly border patrols. We drove all over creation doing those recon patrols.”
“That must have been interesting,” Beverly said.
“It was boring as hell,” Darien laughed. “We did have a couple of hair-raising moments while aiding in take-downs, but we were mostly there to train the local forces on how to stop the drugs coming across the border.” Darien watched as Beverly’s eyes began to close. “I’m going to leave you alone to take your nap. I need to get that seeder put back together before Ernie has a fit.”
Beverly smiled and closed her eyes as Darien left the room. Darien didn’t want to tell her story at first, but over the past few weeks, she’d starting feeling different. Talking to Beverly was helping her get everything off her chest that had built up for the past thirteen years. She’d never really talked to anyone about her time in the military and it was like a weight was slowing being lifted off of her. Her story was one she was proud of and should’ve been proud to tell, and Beverly was allowing her to finally see that.
Chapter 11
The next morning, Courtney sat down across from Beverly at the table with a cup of coffee and a bagel with cream cheese.
“Is that all you’re eating for breakfast?” Beverly asked.
“I ate some bacon too.”
Beverly shook her head. “No wonder you stay so skinny.”
Courtney laughed. “I’m skinny because I sweat my ass off working long hours on this farm.”
“I hired Darien so you wouldn’t have to do so much, but it seems like you’ve been working even harder in the past month. I know for a fact that having her here has helped out a lot.”
“I won’t deny she’s been a big help.” Courtney bit into her bagel to end the sentence. She wasn’t ready to talk about Darien. She couldn’t seem to get away from the good-looking farmhand, no matter how hard she tried. “What do you talk about when she comes up to your room?”
“She tells me stories about her military days. Did you know she was a Marine?”
“Yes.” Courtney set her bagel down. “She’s not talking about being in the war, is she?”
“We haven’t gotten to that yet.”
“I need to get to work. I have a couple of bushels of carrots to harvest today.” Courtney grabbed the half-eaten bagel from her paper plate and shoved it in her mouth as she tossed the plate into the trash.
Darien was coming down the steps from the apartment when Courtney walked out the front door of the house.
“Good morning,” Darien said loudly, giving her a slight wave as she rounded the corner.
Courtney watched her open the large bay door of the barn and chided herself for ogling the woman before walking the opposite direction towards the field.
***
A few days later, Darien spent another two hours in Beverly’s room, telling her about how she had spent the next year as a Lance Corporal, honing her skills as a marksman, while also moving through each job of her MOS, from being an LAV driver, to a scout, and a gunner. She’d also proven her leadership skills by leading a small group of Private and Private First Class ranked Marines through various training drills.
At the end of the year, she’d put in for a transfer to Camp Pendleton and after six months, it had been approved. As soon as she’d moved back across the country, she deployed for another six-month stint with her new recon battalion, this time in Kaneohe, Hawaii, where she worked with her unit doing combat readiness drills. At the end of the six months, she’d proven herself and her leadership abilities enough to be promoted to Corporal, which was a junior non-commissioned officer. She’d also finished her third year as a Marine.
As soon as Darien had finished the next section of her story, she headed to her apartment since the sun was going down soon.
She was barely inside when she heard a knock on the door. She quickly grabbed her sunglasses and walked over to the door.
“Can we talk?” Courtney asked, when Darien pulled the door open.
“Sure, come in.” Darien stepped back, waving her arm for Courtney to enter the apartment. “Can I get you anything?”
“No. I came up here to ask you to stop with the stories.”
“Why? Did Beverly say something?”
“No, but she doesn’t have to. I think she’s getting too attached to you.”
“What?” Darien furled her brow. “That doesn’t make any sense. She asked about life in the military, so I started telling her. She seems to enjoy our time and to be honest, it’s done a hell of a lot for me. So, unless she’s asked you to tell me to stop, I don’t plan on it,” she growled.
“Wow, are you really that self-absorbed? I knew you were bigheaded, but—”
“Why do you dislike me so much?” Darien asked, cutting her off. “You’ve treated me like the hired help since day one.”
“You are the hired help!” Courtney snapped. “Which means you need to keep your ass outside working and not up in Beverly’s room telling her stories to make yourself feel better!”
“Wow! Tell me how you really feel!” Darien snarled. “You’re an arrogant bitch. Has anyone ever told you that?” She shook her head, stepping closer. “You think I’m self-centered? Have you even wondered why that woman is so interested in my life, or are you just too damn jealous that she’s spending time talking with me to care?”
“How dare you!” Courtney shouted, moving closer. “You know nothing about any of us or our lives!”
“If you want me to know about you, then stop ignoring me,” Darien murmured, closing the distance between them as her lips met Courtney’s in a heated kiss, taking her breath away.
Courtney welcomed the taste of another woman’s mouth on hers as she thread her arms around Darien’s waist. She’d forgotten what is was like to be intimate and was starting to lose herself in the passionate kiss, until she remembered it was Darien touching her. She pulled away, backing up to put space between them as she stared at the dark sunglasses hiding Darien’s eyes. She abruptly turned away, bolting from the apartment before Darien could say anything.
“That went well,” Darien huffed as she removed the glasses and flopped down on the couch. “Manual labor, shit pay, kissing straight, married women. What the hell am I doing here?” she whispered. As therapeutic as talking to Beverly had been for her, she was starting to think coming to Iowa had been one huge mistake.
***
The next day was Saturday so Darien decided to stay as far away as she could get from anyone in the Hoffman family. She left a little after ten that morning, heading into town to look for new jeans since hers were starting to look raggedy with paint stains and grease spots. She also needed to put some gas in her truck and pick up a few groceries. She stayed in town long enough to have the chicken pot pie special at the diner by the motel where she’d stayed when she first came to town.
When she arrived home later in the day, Courtney walked out of the house.
“Valerie Sherwin sent you something,” she said curiously as she held the envelope out.
“Great,” Darien smiled, taking it from her. “Thanks,” she added before collecting her bags and heading up the stairs.
***
Courtney wondered who this Valerie person was as she watched her walk away. She neither had the time nor the patience to deal with her feelings. Kissing the stranger had been a huge mistake no matter how damn good it had felt. The fact that Darien had kissed her while getting strange letters from another woman was enough to make Courtney want to smack her. The last thing she needed was feelings for someone who was involved with someone else, and she didn’t want the feelings to begin with.
“Has Darien ever mentioned Valerie in the stories she tells you?” Courtney asked, walking back into the house.
“No. Who is that?” Beverly questioned.
Courtney shrugged. “A letter arrived from her today for Darien.”
“What was the address?”
“California, I think.”
“She’s single, if that’s what you’re getting at,” Beverly said over the top of her reading glasses as she went through their mail.
“I…no. I don’t care.” Courtney huffed. “I was simply asking if you knew who it was. You two seem to spend a lot of time talking. I figured maybe she’d told you.”
“Courtney, if you want to know, then ask her.”
“It’s none of my business.” She got up and walked towards the kitchen. “What do you want for lunch?”
***
Darien put away her groceries and tore the tags off her new pants before hanging them in the closet. Then, she sat down on the couch and opened the letter from her cousin.
Darien,
How’s life in the country? Have you told the family yet? Your parents keep asking me if I’ve talked to you. I’m assuming you’re calling or at least emailing them when you get into to town and have cell service. Have you spoken to Dr. Norton? How is your vision? How much longer do you plan to stay out there? I’m sorry for all of the questions. It’s been a month and your parents are worried about you. Hell, I’m worried about you. We all love and miss you. Write back soon.
Val
Darien wanted to write her back, but she didn’t have anything remotely close to stationary, much less a stamp. She made a mental note to pick up both the next time she was in town and decided to walk over to the house to see if Beverly had any.
Courtney pulled the door open as soon as she knocked.
“Do you happen to have any stationary and stamps? I forgot to pick some up at the store,” Darien asked.
Courtney was about to say no, but Beverly stepped up behind her.
“Hey, Darien. Come on in.”
Courtney pushed the door wider and rolled her eyes as Darien walked inside.
“I’m sorry to bother you. I was hoping I could borrow some paper, an envelope, and maybe a stamp.”
“Sure. It sounds like you’re writing a letter.” Beverly smiled and walked into the office, which was a room off the side of the living room.
“Replying to one, actually. My cell phone gets horrible service here, so I gave my family your address. I hope you don’t mind.”
“No, not at all,” Beverly replied, handing her some paper, envelopes, and half a book of stamps.”
“Oh, I won’t need all of this.”
“Sure you will. If not this time, then keep it to respond to the next letter you get.” Beverly smiled. “Oh, how I miss the old days of getting a real letter in the mail.”
“I’m kind of used to it from deployment. I didn’t like talking to my family on the computer, so I always made them write to me.”
“See, Courtney, some people are still old-fashioned.”
Courtney nodded as she walked out of the room.
“Darien, I’d love to hear some more of the story later today. If you have time, of course.”
“Sure. I need to get this letter done, then I’ll be back.”
Darien headed back to her apartment, where she sat on the couch and pulled the table close enough to lean over and use it as a writing surface.
Val,
Country life isn’t what it’s cracked up to be, that’s for sure. My job involves a lot of manual labor: painting, fixing things, and so on. I haven’t had much time to do much else, not that there is really a lot to do here anyway. I’m in kind of a rural area and the town itself isn’t very big. They have two traffic lights and about 3500 people max.
As for the family, no, I haven’t told them. Beverly, who is my donor’s mother, is older, maybe 65-68 years old and ill. I’m not sure what it is. I don’t have the heart to ask. I guess maybe I don’t want to know if she’s dying. That would be too much to handle. She’s as sweet as can be. She likes to talk, or in my case, listen. She wanted me to tell her about m
y military life, which I wasn’t willing to do at first, but it’s been really therapeutic for me. I guess those therapists who kept telling me PTSD was real and talking about everything would help me get over the depression, must’ve been right after all.
I know I need to tell them the truth and why I’m here, but I’m being a little selfish because I know when I do, this will all be over, and I’m enjoying the connection, for now at least.
I need you to do me a favor and go to my place. (You should still have your key.) Send me any important mail and toss out the junk. I wasn’t sure how long I’d be here, so I didn’t set up a forwarding address. If you could check maybe once a week, that would be great. Also, I email my parents when I go to town, which isn’t often, but I did send them one this morning. I know you’re all worried about me, but I’m okay. I survived a living hell in Afghanistan. I think a little time on an Iowa farm will be fine. It’s no cake walk though! Talk to you soon. My love to all of you. Miss you too, by the way!
Darien
She folded the paper and stuffed it into the envelope before addressing it and adding the stamp. Then, she walked down to the mailbox at the end of the road before heading up to the house.
Chapter 12
When Darien knocked on the door, Courtney let her in and pointed upstairs before closing the door. Darien shrugged, watching her walk away before she made her way up to Beverly’s room.
“Knock knock,” Darien said, standing outside of the door.
“Come in,” Beverly said. She was already sitting up in her bed with the throw blanket pulled up over her legs. “Did you get your letter mailed?”
Second Chance Page 6
