by Nicole Casey
Sometimes, we’d write her individual letters, but mostly we’d penned them together, occasionally going off on tangents and addressing each other in the letters.
‘Axel, we get it: Gwen’s not ‘our property’. It was just a figure of speech. It was just a game. No one is taking it literally.’
or
‘Manny, how is it possible that your clothes are always neatly pressed, your personal effects are always in their place and orderly arranged but yet your penmanship is so sloppy? Does that say ‘your smile is with me’ or ‘turnstile and whistle me’?
Besides those occasional tangents, our letters might have been overly sentimental:
‘Our Dearest Gwen’ or ‘we hold your loving embrace close to our hearts’ or ‘we long to take you in our arms and quench this yearning with the gentle kiss of your tender lips’
But what was undeniable, as sappy as our prose were, was that they were genuine and sincere.
Our letters were long on sentiment and short on news. There was no news, really—nothing important—other than ‘we are thinking about you and can’t wait to see you again.’
Gwen’s responses had a similar tone. Though we did ask for news about what was going on back in San Diego, she kept it rather vague: ‘business at the cafe is doing really well; the weather’s been great, obviously; Holly’s off on another adventure, to Chile this time.’ However she did keep us in suspense:
‘I know you’ve asked about what’s been happening here. Believe me, a lot’s been happening here. We will have a lot to catch up on. And I will have a very big surprise for you. I hate to be such a tease; you know that’s not my style. But when you find out, I think you’ll agree that it was well worth the wait, and well worth the surprise. Don’t worry, it’s good news. Great news, actually. That’s all I can tell you right now. You’ll just have to stay safe and come back to me soon!’
It wasn’t easy being separated from Gwen. I knew how much she meant to me, but I hadn’t realized just how much it would hurt to be far away from her. On the plus side, I wasn’t alone. I was with my squad. And that was by no means a minor consolation. The squad was my family; they were my brothers and my best friends. We shared a camaraderie that was unparalleled. We were connected in mind and spirit in a way that other squads could only hope to achieve, in a way that couldn’t be explained by a year of living, working and training together.
We could explain it, though. We were well aware of the trials and the joys that had brought us closer. But we kept those explanations to ourselves. With the amount of bragging, the tall tales told by the other Marines we worked with and exaggeration being so commonplace in our work environment, who would believe us if we shared what we had gone through?
That fact, also, brought us closer. When we’d talk late at night, reminiscing about our girl and our adventures back in San Diego, we knew we were the only ones who could appreciate or even understand our stories. We knew we were the only ones who could empathize with or even understand the feelings we had.
“You hear stories about twins, and I guess, about triplets.” said Staff Sergeant Cooper, who was stationed with us, “You know, how they know what the other is thinking, even if they’re not in the same room.” Even though he had a fresh bag of tobacco, and tobacco was easy to come upon where we were, he rolled his cigarette with care and attention as if it was the last tobacco on Earth, picking up each flake that would fall from the rolling paper and meticulously placing it back with the cigarette he was making.
“I’ve heard tales that if one twin gets a stomach ache,” he continued, “the other twin feels a pain in his stomach, too. That sort of thing.” He took a dramatic pause to lick his cigarette shut.
“They say twins can read each other’s minds, that if one twin picks up a habit, the other twin—maybe he’s far away, hasn’t had any contact with his twin in years, but he picks up the habit, too.” He stared at his creation, inspecting it for any imperfections then, satisfied, he lit it up.
“But I do say,”—he shook his head—“I’ve never heard of that kind of connection in a whole squad. Sure Squads are tight. But you guys”—with his cigarette he pointed to us sitting in a semicircle around him—“you guys, I’ve never seen a squad like you before.”
“Thank you, Sergeant,” said Elijah.
“It wasn’t a compliment,” said the sergeant. He eyed us each individually with mistrust. “It’s uncanny. Even spooky, I say.”
I chuckled.
“I mean it,” he said to me.
I put up my hands to concede. “Do you exaggerate much, Sergeant?”
He exhaled a puff of smoke and watched it disappear into the air. “Never,” he said. “I speak God's honest truth. Always.”
“I’ve never believed those stories about twins,” said Tristan.
Sergeant Cooper eyed him suspiciously. “No?”
Tristan shrugged. “At least not all of them.”
“I’ve known Tristan my whole life,” said Travis. “We’ve always lived in the same city. I don’t know what he’s thinking about half the time.”
Sergeant Cooper frowned at Travis then he looked at Taylor.
“I think that’s mostly superstition,” said Taylor.
Sergeant Cooper spat out a laugh. “You boys are messing with me.”
“Never, Sergeant,” I said.
He got out of his chair, pointed at me then left his index finger in the air to sweep across his view at all of us as he stepped away from the group. “I’ve been in the Marines twenty-six years. I’ve seen a hell of a lot of squad’s. I ain’t never seen a squad like you guys.”
He took another drag, exhaled and stared up at the sky. Then he turned to us and said, “I’ve been watching you. I’ve seen the way you boys work together out in the field. It’s like you’re operating with one body and one mind. That’s the kind of thing we say in the Marines, and it’s true, in a kind of way. But with you boys, it’s different.” He shook his head. “I don’t know why or how, but you boys got something special going on.” He paused a long moment looking at us then he walked away.
I fought back my laughter until Sergeant Copper was well out of sight then I let it out. The rest of the squad, like in one body and one mind, let out their laughter, too.
Later that night, Nolan entertained us with a near-perfect Sergeant Cooper impersonation. “You boys got something strange going on between you.” He sucked on his pen in place of a cigarette. “I’ve been in the Marines twenty-six years. And I ain't never seen anything like it.” He pointed at us. “I got my eye on you boys.”
Sergeant Cooper wasn’t the only one to notice how different we were from the other squads. I noticed it, too. We were all aware of how special our bond was. And there was nothing strange or uncanny about it. No. It was beautiful.
I was lying on the bottom bunk, J.P. on the top. I kicked his bed. “Put your phone away,” I said. “You need to get some sleep.”
“I am sleeping,” said J.P.
“OK. My mistake.”
“Hey,” Taylor called out from his bunk on the other side of the room. “Can you guys keep it down, I’m trying to think.”
“You’re trying to Fantasize,” I said. “It’s not the same thing.” I stared at the photo Gwen had sent me. She was in front of her cafe, doing a mock body-building pose with flexed biceps and a cheesy smile.
“Hey, Santiago,” Elijah called out from the other bunk.
“Hey what?”
“We were both right.”
“About what?” I asked.
“My girl is the hottest; and it’s not a competition.”
I touched the photo of Gwen, enlarged it so I could better see her smile and I smiled back.
Epilogue
Gwen
A lot can happen in ten months. And in the ten months my Marines were away from me, that’s exactly what happened: a lot!
First, I decided I wasn’t going to mope around feeling sad, missing my men. I was proactive. I fel
t the best way to stave off any eventual frustrations or anxieties was to stay busy. So I took my new-found energy and poured it into my business, doing regular promotional events, both at the cafe and even venturing into catering exterior events. This ended up paying huge dividends—and quite quickly, too.
The timing couldn’t have been better because after a few months of increased business I was able to take on more staff, which meant I could take a much-needed break…
… to deliver my baby!
My Marines had asked me for news in their letters, and boy were they going to get some.
For their arrival, I closed the cafe to outside customers and invited their friends and mine for a welcome back party at the cafe. The party was going to be a surprise, but it wouldn’t be the biggest one of the evening!
I paced back and forth outside the cafe, continuously glancing at my watch then up the street at the passing traffic. Holly stood behind me encouraging me, less and less convincingly so, to relax, that they’d be here, that there was no need to keep staring at my watch.
“You’ve waited ten months,” said Holly. “I’d think you should be able to wait a few more minutes.”
“A few more minutes!” I protested. “It’s exactly sixteen past six. Ten months of waiting I can do, but sixteen minutes is too late.”
Holly put her hand on my shoulder and tried to guide me back into the cafe. “Let’s go inside, take your mind off their arrival. We can check on the tables and worry about if we’ve prepared enough food or not.”
I looked at her with wide eyes. “Why? Do you think there might not be enough?” I started for the door. “You’re right. I should have made more tabbouleh.” I stopped at the threshold and turned to Holly. She had her hand over her mouth, but I could still see her grin.
“Ha, ha,” I said. “You’re making fun of me.”
She laughed. “Of course I’m not.” She put an arm around me and led me inside. “I’m just having fun. After all, it’s a celebration.”
I looked over my shoulder—still no SUV pulling up—then I let Holly lead me inside.
Alexa must have seen the worry on my face, because she came straight up to me. “Gwen, these cookies are amazing! You don’t mind if I ask you like forty questions about baking, do you?”
I chuckled. Fair play on her. If there was one way to keep me distracted—and there was more than one way—it was to get me talking about baking.
“I’ve got a better idea,” I said. “Why don’t you and I go back into the kitchen? We’ll make up a fresh batch. No better way to learn than by doing.”
“Really? OK I’d like that. Thanks. If it’s not too much of a bother.”
“No bother at all,” I said. “Plus, that will help get my mind off the fact that your brother and the squad are”—I glanced at my watch—“nineteen minutes late. But who’s counting?”
“They’ve probably come into some traffic,” she said. “Let’s go bake some cookies.”
As luck would have it, as soon as we put the cookies in the oven, the Marines arrived. I had to laugh to myself at the symmetry of it. They’d put ‘one in the oven’ and left; and then I put one in the oven, and they came back.
We came out of the kitchen just as the Marines entered the cafe to a chorus of cheers. Axel greeted his sister with a big hug while Santiago took me in his arms, gave me a big kiss, spun me around then dropped me into Nolan’s arms. I tried to say ‘Welcome back’, but Nolan interrupted my greeting with a kiss then he lifted me high in the air, kissed my belly—for a moment, there, I thought he had already got wind of the big surprise—then he handed me to Elijah who gave me a greeting no less enthusiastic.
I was dizzy with delight, spinning in the arms of a hunky Marine then being kissed by another then held by another still. And with a trio of identical triplets in the mix, my disorientation was euphoric.
Finally, I caught my breath in the arms of Axel.
“Gwen,” he said, “you have no idea how happy I am to see you.”
With his body pressed against mine, I could feel his hard cock against my belly. I rubbed up against him even more, raised my eyebrows and said, “I have some idea.”
It turned out, despite my earlier doubts, despite my nine Marines doing their best to prove otherwise, we had, in fact, prepared more than enough food. Everyone finished their plates; the buffet table was cleaned out as if a tornado had passed through it, but then Jenny and Christy brought out more plates and more bowls of food, and the buffet table was full once again.
“Mmm, mmm, mmm,” said Axel. “These cookies are delicious.”
“Actually,” I said, “your sister made them.”
Axel chuckled. “My sister doesn’t know how to bake.”
“A lot has changed since you went away.”
“And now we’re back,” said J.P., joining our conversation.
“And you’re going to tell us about everything we missed out on,” said Axel.
“Yes I am,” I said. A big smile stretched across my face. I didn’t try to fight it back.
“Well?” said Nolan. “We’re all ears.”
“How about we just enjoy the party tonight,” I said. “I’ll tell you the big news tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” said Axel. He looked disappointed. “Will you at least give us a hint?”
I shook my head. “Let’s just enjoy the party. Tomorrow, we’ll all drive out to my mother’s house, and I won’t tell you the big news; I’ll show you.”
“Your mother?” Axel looked worried.
“Yes. The surprise is at my mother’s house. Now, come on. Dance with me.”
The party ended shortly past ten. Early for a welcome home party, but it was a work night. And I also had work that night planned for my Marines. We crammed into the SUV to go back to my place.
I didn’t live far away, but I said to Santiago, “Why don’t we take the long way home? Like, along the sea or maybe down the highway? For old time’s sake.”
“OK,” he said. “But no funny stuff this time.”
He started the car; we drove off; our clothes came off; my legs were spread, and I welcomed my Marines back home.
The detour Santiago took us on, it might have been long, but given the speed he drove at, we were back at my place much sooner than any of us wanted—any of us, except Santiago, of course. Poor guy. He had been relegated to chauffeur while his colleagues took turns drilling me on the folded out seats of his car.
When we entered my apartment, I feigned fatigue and fell into his arms. “Driver, my motor is humming. Take me to my bedroom and drive. I want you to fire your pistons.”
Santiago gently pulled off my clothes. He kissed me on my shoulder. “Hello shoulder,” he said. “I’ve missed you.”
He must have been worried that the other parts of my body would get jealous, because he kissed and caressed every inch of me. “Hello belly button. It’s nice to see you again. I’m going to go down and say hello to our friend, Juicy Snatch. I’ll be back later.”
I got up late in the morning to find nine Marines sprawled out in my bed, on my couch, on the floor. It was a comical sight, but also a very beautiful one.
I phoned my mother. “How’s Mary Anne doing?”
“She’s sleeping,” my mother replied. “You could say that she’s sleeping like a baby.”
“Thanks for looking after her. I’m going to come by in a bit with some friends to pick her up.”
I brewed a pot of coffee. The aroma must have woken my Marines. One by one they staggered into the kitchen for a good morning kiss and a good morning cup of joe.
“My mother’s expecting us,” I said. “We’ll head out in about a half an hour?”
“Do you mind if I take a shower?” J.P. asked.
“No. Of course not.”
“Yeah, I’d like to take a quick shower, too,” said Axel.
“Sure.”
“Me too,” said Elijah.
“Me too.” “Me too.” “Me too.”
/> “OK,” I said. “Maybe we won’t be heading out in half an hour.”
“We’ll be quick,” said Taylor.
They tried to coax a clue out of me on the drive over.
“Let’s just say that sometimes big surprises come in small packages.”
“So, it’s a package,” said Axel.
My poor mother was a bit overwhelmed when I showed up at her doorstep with nine Marines. I had told her that I was throwing a party for them, but she must not have been expecting them all to show up at her house.
“Oh, my,” she said. “There’s so many of you. Please, come in. Come in. I’ll put the kettle on.”
“Don’t trouble yourself, Mom. We can’t stay long, actually.”
We crowded into the living room, and my mother brought out Mary Anne, sleeping in her carriage.
My Marines didn’t dare crowd her, but they all leaned over, trying to get a peek. Finally, in a whisper, Taylor said, “Is she..” But he didn’t finish his thought. Instead, he went back to staring at the baby.
“Is that?” Travis started, but he too couldn’t put a whole sentence together.
“I’m going to put the kettle on,” said my mother, “maybe you gentlemen can stay for a cup of tea.”
Once my mother had left the room, all heads turned to me; all mouths hung open.
I beamed with excitement, looking from one astonished face to the other. “So?” I said, “what do you think?”
In unison they turned to Mary Anne and blabbered sounds they’d probably hoped would come out as words.
“I.. she.. you…” Tristan stammered.
“She’s got Axel’s nose,” said Elijah.
“And his forehead,” said Manny.
“But she’s got your eyes,” Taylor said to me with a smile. He reached for me and gave me a big hug. “Congratulations. She’s beautiful. I’m so happy for you.”
