Chapter 59

The first week in February went by before I could really think about it.

We had started one of the two projects I’d need to complete in Home EC before I could graduate legally. We were making throw pillows and I had to get the fabric and stuffing material.

Choosing fabric wasn’t really something that I wanted to do, so I chose the first pattern that appealed to me. It looked like the white cousins with the brown splotches, it was 100% heavy duty cotton. I got twice the amount of pillow filling that was called for as I wanted a bit of a stiffer pillow.

I was going through the motions at school except for NJROTC; 1^st Sgt Gibbs just wouldn’t allow it. I was getting the normal classwork plus handouts he put together on what to expect in boot camp. I figured our lunches would be something more on a personal level.

To make getting a first class PFT score a no brainer, I decided to push myself on my runs, doing 3 miles and go all out each day, hoping the times would slowly get better. This morning I managed just over 8 minutes per mile. Not quite pushing so hard that I made myself puke, but close.

Getting home from school, I opened the mailbox and was assaulted by a wave of perfume. When I sorted through the mail it was obvious where the perfume came from.

There was a letter from Kiku and as I looked at the envelope, it seemed that it had been really wet at some point. My only guess was that it had been soaked in perfume, the rest of the mail smelled as well.

This had me a little worried. I liked Kiku, but this seemed to be bordering on obsession, kind of. Now I understood when I heard why guys said they wouldn’t pop a girl’s cherry. There could be too much read into it from the girl’s perspective and then the drama would begin. Then again, it could be guys saying whatever they needed to get in the girls’ pants that led to the misunderstanding.

As I sat down and cracked open the envelope, there was almost a sickly-sweet smell that actually had me sneezing. Pulling out the actual letter, I could see a set of lipstick, lip prints where the fold was. It was a pretty deep brown color which surprised me. I figured it would have been red. Unfolding it, I began reading.

Dearest Barnim,

I know it’s been a while since I’ve written to you. School ramped up and finals were pretty grueling. I was actually staying up most nights until 2AM studying. It took more work than I actually thought it would. I did as well on my finals as I thought I would, so my scholarship is still safe.

How is school going for you? Have you gotten any acceptance letters from colleges yet? If you were able to get accepted to one near Stanford, we could do all kinds of dirty things together.

This brings me to something that I need to tell you. What worries me the most is how you’re going to react to it. I was invited to a party after finals by one of the study groups I’m in. By how stressful finals were, I decided to go blow off a little steam. There was lots of alcohol there. I’ve never really drank more than a glass of wine on holidays and got pretty drunk, not falling down, but I was stumbling a lot. I know that I’m rambling a lot at this point, so I’m just going to get it out. I had sex with a guy at the party and I’m just worried about how you’ll think of me going forward. I enjoyed everything with you and really want to do it again. That you would think less of me because of what happened at the party is disconcerting. I had to muster up the courage to write this to you.

I only remember bits and pieces of it. The guy, though kind of cute, didn’t make it enjoyable at all though the alcohol could have affected that as well. It was like I wasn’t really there. After putting his penis in my mouth for a minute or so, he got on top of me and put it in. He didn’t do anything to get me turned on and it hurt a bit. That surprised me since he was nowhere near as big as you are. After a couple of minutes, it was over, and he left.

It was such a disappointing experience. I just hope that this doesn’t cause you to think any less of me. The experience made me realize a few things. Alcohol isn’t my thing; I would never have sex with him had I not been drunk. The alcohol made me lose all shreds of common sense. I didn’t even think to make him wear a condom; I’ve beaten myself up over that decision ever since. I have made two trips to the campus clinic since that night. All the tests come back negative, and I think I’ll make a few more visits just to be completely sure. It’s so I can have peace of mind that I’m clean of negative effects from the encounter.

I hope that you don’t view me negatively because of my lapse in judgment as I still believe that you and I would be a great match. I think I’m going to go back to having a singular focus on my schoolwork. I want to hear about everything that’s going on with you. Please write back soon.

Love,

Kiku

I sat back in my chair and exhaled. There was a lot in that letter that worried me. I was getting the vibe that she was going to start pushing for us to be together and I just didn’t know if there was an “Us” and moreover, how I exactly felt about that. Then there was the fact she fucked some random dude without a condom. That she had sex wasn’t any of my business, I’d be a hypocrite if I held that against her. It was the fact that no condom was used that got me. This all was a bit much for me at this point, and I just hoped that however it turned out that Kiku wasn’t the stalker type. Pulling out a legal pad I settled in to write her back.

I tried to keep it fairly simple as I didn’t want her to be able to read too deep into anything. The first thing was to inform her that I’d be graduating early and enlisting. I relayed that her having sex wasn’t really any of my concern as I was doing the same, so it would have been hypocritical of me to look down on her. My issue was the whole “no condom” thing, especially with someone you just met. I hoped that she reflected on it, and it sank in. I wasn’t really worried about it for my benefit.

Kiku was a sweet girl, and I didn’t want to see her set her life back due to a stupid mistake. What her parents would do is a whole different issue. They would shit a brick if she showed up pregnant. If me saying something helped her avoid the issue, then I did a good thing.

I truly hoped she succeeded in life, whether I was involved in any way or not. In my estimation, being good friends is where I saw us headed. I got the envelope addressed and ready to go.

I got dressed and went to meet 1^st Sgt Gibbs for lunch and put the letter in the mailbox at the Post Office on my way there. The meeting was at a small Mexican restaurant that had recently opened. We sat in a booth all the way in the back and as soon as we got seated, he started with the zingers.

“I’d tell you to order what you want, but your big ass would probably eat me into the poorhouse.”

“You should take up being a stand-up comic. Your material could make at least a couple people laugh.”

The waiter brought out chips and salsa along with our drinks. We both declined on appetizers, free chips and salsa would suffice. They’d bring out more if necessary, so it was good.

“So, is there anything you want to know about being in the Marines?”

“I figured that I’d just absorb whatever knowledge you want to impart and enjoy the ride.”

“OK, so let me start off by saying this. I wasn’t some badass super grunt. I know that’s what you’re pretty much aiming for.”

“Kinda, I guess.”

“Look, there’s nothing wrong with that. It just wasn’t my goal. I was a 1433, an aircraft Electrical/Instrument/ Flight Control Technician. I fixed the stuff in aircraft cockpits.”

“My brother does something similar, he’s an Apache helicopter mechanic.”

“Similar, we just worked on different parts of the air frame.”

We talked about those differences for a few minutes and then ordered. We both got fajitas, steak and shrimp for me with extra sour cream while 1^st Sgt Gibbs got a steak with no sour cream or cheese anywhere. It was a surprise to me when he told me that he was lactose intolerant. I personally didn’t know what I’d do if I had to give up cheese and dairy.

“I wanted a skill when I got out, though somehow I ended up reaching NJROTC. I’m enjoying working with the students for now and I’ll go back to wrenching on planes in a few years.” There was a brief break as they brought out more chips and salsa. This gave me an opportunity to hit the bathroom.

I figured we’d be getting into the more serious advice as time went on. When I got back to the table the food was being dropped off. The break lasted a bit longer as we started eating.

“So, what are you looking for out of the Marine Corps?”

“Well, I looking to do 20 years, retire and then go from there. Getting paid to blow shit up is a bonus. Traveling places is also a pretty good benefit as well.”

“You’ll visit places that you wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to go. Blowing stuff up is pretty cool. Having a skill when those 20 years is up doesn’t interest you?”

“I get it, I really do. I think with a pension and what I’m doing to prepare financially that I’ll be OK. At that point I’ll take a little time to assess where I’m at and what I want to do moving forward.”

“It sounds like a plan, and I hope it works out the way you hope. Doing 20 years takes planning and work. There are professional classes offered that you’ll want to start taking as soon as possible. Taking a college class or two available on post is also advisable.”

“So basically, even though I’m going into the infantry, college is advisable. I thought I’d be getting away from school.”

“Don’t kid yourself. The professional classes are for your job, and leadership courses and college classes look good. Let’s talk about your method of getting assigned to a duty station.”

I should have figured that this was going to come up eventually. How he found out I have no clue. I think being upfront and honest will be the best policy. I owed 1st Sgt Gibbs that for all the help he’s given me. This was going to be an interesting portion of our conversation.

“That only brings up one question in my mind. How do you know about it?”

“That’s an easy one. Though I’m not the only one who knows about it.”

“Excuse me?”

“Well, Mr. Pope knows about your using undue influence on the bureaucracy of the Marine Corps.”

“That’s not what’s going on.”

1^st Sgt Gibbs just started laughing at me. He stuffed the remnants of a fajita into his mouth. I could see he was still chuckling while shaking his head as he finished the food.

“Good to see I can get your goat. That’s the kind of thing that you’ll get from some Marines if they find out. You’ll be perceived as being a silver spoon kid. Officers won’t really care too much, just like senior NCOs. They see and do this kind of thing all the time, so it’s no big thing to them. Junior NCOs and junior enlisted will be where the majority of your problems will come from. In my opinion, it’ll be because they couldn’t do it more than any real sense of being offended at what you did.”

That was a bit of a more nuanced take, similar to what SGM Okorie told me. Though it was more targeted to what I’d actually experience.

“So that doesn’t tell you how I found out. On that subject your grandfather called me. He wanted to see what my take on the idea would be, he also called Mr. Pope to get his thoughts. This was all done before he brought the idea up to you.”

That sure sounded like something Grandfather would do. Never make a decision that could affect someone else without getting expert information. If it wasn’t a matter that required an immediate action, then you’re an idiot for not doing your due diligence.

“That sounds like his standard procedure. So, what did you tell him?”

“Well, I told him that there were pros and cons to it. I think that as a whole, the pros and cons are a wash. Though one pro is worth the extra baggage that comes with the decision. I wish I’d had a relative, close to me during my first year or two. It’s just the fact that someone familiar can ground you and you’ll be in unfamiliar surroundings a long way from everything you knew. All kinds of things will be thrown your way and that familiar face can help you from doing a lot of stupid shit.”

“Sounds logical.”

The conversation continued on in that vein for a few minutes. We were done eating by that point. When they came and cleared the table, he asked if we would like dessert. 1st Sgt Gibbs decided that we needed dessert and ordered the same thing for both of us. It was a two-layer Tres Leche cake with tons of a whipped meringue topping. I don’t know why but that seemed like an odd choice for some reason.

“Ever had a Tres Leche cake?”

“Nope.”

“They’re to die for almost. Even though it’s filled with dairy products I still always order it if I see it on the menu. All the farting and time spent in the bathroom is worth it. Though my wife will probably be yelling at me the whole time about how stupid I am.”

Well, that was a bit more than I wanted to know. Then I think he tried to scare or at least warn me of the possible fallout from the decision that had been made.

“So, there are probably going to be a myriad of reactions from people who find out you got preferential treatment. My advice, own it; denying it will only make you look bad. In the end all you’ll be able to do is show them what kind of person and Marine you are and will be. You’ll need to outwork everybody to prove yourself. One thing you can do is take duty shifts for guys. Though make them earn it, don’t present yourself as a sucker.”

“So basically, bust my ass and be a good unit mate.”

“Yeah, pretty much. Once they see you’re a regular guy who caught a break everything will work out. Talk to your grandfather about things to help advance, he may know some things I don’t. Just remember this one thing. Officers think they know everything and shit rainbows. So that’s it for this session, go forth and don’t be an idiot.”

“I’ll try.”

I left and rested for the rest of the day.

The next few days were pretty decent. Jules called and set up a get together on the 22^nd. It occurred to me that I needed to let her know that our getting together is going to come to an end soon.

I let Master Boripat know that I had a meeting to go to on Thursday and I’d be late.

After school I went over to the Recruiter’s office before kick boxing. I figured that I’d touch base with them, so they knew I was still interested.

Cpl Russo greeted me when I came in the door. It seemed the area commanding officer was in. This would cause a little drama.

“It’s Mr. Badzuski right if I remember?”

“It’s actually Badzinski, but close enough, I guess.”

“Sorry about that. So, what can I do for you tonight?”

“I just wanted to check in and make sure everything was still good for next month.”

“Yeah, I don’t see there being any problems. The day you turn 18, come in and we’ll get the contract drawn up and signed. You will have a leave date by the end of the day.”