Chapter 2

It was like 2:30AM when I went back to the tent so most everyone was gone. We slept in the midnight to 8AM tent because we normally deployed at night, so we bunked down with all the night shifters. I didn't even hear anyone moving around until I glanced at my watch and noticed 10:15. Since I noticed the lighter colored tent wall, I gathered it was daytime now. Even going with a double wall tent, during daylight over here the tents weren't really all that dark, but it did help. Once I stirred, Tony was by my side and asking how I felt now. I had slept eight hours and I felt ok, but mighty hungry. I said, "Let me drain the lizard and we can see about early chow, how about it?"

"Boyd, you slept through all day yesterday. Today's Thursday, we met with Colonel Lane late Tuesday evening or more properly, early Wednesday morning. It's now Thursday the 15^th of March, so I would have to say you needed that shutdown. You and I have an appointment with the Colonel tonight at 24:30 so let's go and get some grub."

"I slept the clock around and then some? Wow, I really must have been strung tight to sleep that long. I didn't even sleep that long when we came in from Mission 27 and we had been up what a hundred and twenty hours, wasn't it?"

"We were awake, one hundred twenty-two hours, and about seventeen minutes until we dragged ourselves into our bunks and slept for eighteen hours straight. You just slept a little over thirty-four hours straight. So yeah I think tapping a kidney and eating are definitely in order."

"Even some of our tent mates were a little worried after a whole day, dead to the world. I'll tell you about some phone calls you got while you were out of it. Makes for interesting reading, believe me. I had time to type up the conversations while you got your beauty sleep. I think that is why the Colonel wants to talk to us tonight. I understand he's been burning up the wires between here and Florida."

We left the tent and hit the latrine after I had put a clean uniform on. As we were walking to the chow hall several of my tent mates said hi and made a little joke about sleeping beauty. When we got to the chow hall we ran into Sgt. Lillian Rester, the cute one from the JAG office.

"Well, well, welcome back to the land of the living. Are you feeling better now Sgt. Cummings? We were all a little worried about you crashing for so long. I guess it was a healthy reboot for your systems, 'cause you look a whole lot better now than you did when you came in the other night. I'm sure glad you came back to us. Maybe you can start living again. Hey I know that look, no I don't know all the circumstances, but I would guess a 'Dear John' over the Skype. We get a few every month and boy some of the guys and gals don't take as well as you seemed to at first. I guess you were still in shock until you got to talk with the Colonel. He is a great guy and he understands what happens better than some of the other JAG's we have here. I think that is why he takes the later shifts, what with the time difference and all. It seems most crashes occur in the wee hours of the morning here which is afternoon back home."

"Thank you for your concern Sgt. Rester. I think the reboot analogy was about right. My body and my mind needed a reboot and now I am much better. Would you care to eat lunch with us?"

"Normally I really would, but I think Tony here has some important info to give you and I'm sure you would rather keep that private. I know some stuff because I have to transcribe a lot of documents and I monitor e-mails and stuff. But don't worry most of all that stuff goes in one ear and out the other. Otherwise I would be a mental wreck and out of a good job too. Maybe dinner this evening we could meet here at six. I'll even bring my friend Amy too."

"Why would you bring a friend." asked Tony.

"Well, who would you have to talk to if I came alone?"

"Boyd dude, I think you found a fan."

"Well maybe so. I just figure any man that can take a blow like his must have been and come back two days later acting normal, has got to be interesting to talk to. Besides what two super secret fly boys are doing on an Army post like this one has got to be a good story. See you tonight, fly boys."

Sgt. Rester left them there standing just inside the entrance of the chow hall. I shook my head and said, "Was she flirting with me or am I reading more into her banter?"

"Boyd buddy she is definitely flirting with you. I think I'm going to check out this Amy chick. I don't think I have run across a chick named Amy here before. But I think you were saying that you were starved, right? Well let's see if we can fill that bottomless pit you have there and maybe get back to rest up for tonight."

I did manage to eat two meatloaf slices, three slices of roast beef, a double helping of mashed potatoes and gravy, four vegetable bowls and two slices of apple pie and one cup of ice cream. During all this eating, Tony told me that Don had called twice and then the lawyer had called and Tony had him call the Colonel. Don got some more pictures of a captain we did some cleaning for and another guy that worked for us every so often. Well that made it better for me getting Sean, but it also pissed me off some more, but I didn't explode or even implode like before. It just proved to me just what a whore I married.

Tony and I left the chow hall and went to the gym and worked out for a while then we went back to our tent and I took a nap. I wanted to be fresh and awake for our supper. I figured we could make the late breakfast before our meeting with the Colonel at half past midnight. I took a shower and dressed up again and Tony and I headed for the chow hall. We had only been hanging out at the entrance about five minutes when Sgt. Rester and a young Marine Corporal joined us. We went in and got our meal and sat at a table out of the way. Actually the same one I ate lunch at today with Tony. We were introduced to Lillian again and then Marine Corporal Amy Stevens. It was kind of funny that Tony took to Amy right off. Both were from upstate New York: Tony from Rochester, and Amy from Geneva near the Finger Lakes. They were born and raised about fifty miles apart as the crows fly.

Lillian and I just talked about ourselves, our upbringing, what we wanted out of life just about everything. Lillian was from just outside Lexington, Kentucky and I was born at Beale AFB, near Marysville, California and raised in Texas outside Austin. My dad had bought ten acres outside Round Rock and build a house and three outbuildings for his hobbies. I didn't say anything about my current troubles, but I did talk about Vickie and Sean and our life up until my deployment. I couldn't believe it when I looked at my watch and it read 9:15. We had talked for over three hours.

We said our goodbyes and promises of meeting again for meals or maybe a movie or working out.

Tony and I went over to the communications tent to see if I could maybe call Vickie on Skype to give her my normal call. It was mid morning at home, about 10:30AM so she should be home working on the books for Friday's payday for last week.

There was a free computer and I signed in and got on and called Vickie. She picked up and got on the computer right away. She was dressed in a nice blouse and her hair was alright except for a small patch sticking up in back. I wondered about that but we talked the same loving conversations we normally had. I had Tony say hi too, and we watched the background real carefully to see if there were any more stray people moving around. Right toward the end of the call Tony noticed a shadow on the wall behind Vickie of some naked male rubbing his long cock. The image was very faint like the light from in front of Vickie was not strong, but the image was there. I got a sudden frown on my face and Vickie noticed it.

"Boyd, what's wrong Baby? You got a funny look on your face, is there something wrong there?"

"No Honey, I thought I saw something behind you on the wall but it must have been an image from a passing car or something. No, I'm fine here, I hope you aren't missing me too much Vic."

"Oh Boyd, you have no idea how much I miss you darling. I miss your strong arms around me and your loving kisses. I especially miss your body next to me all night long. I really can't get into that more or I'll start crying about how much I miss you honey. I love you, talk to you soon." And the picture cut off. Since I had called her, the picture might have gone, but the audio was still on and I heard Vickie and some man laughing and then the connections went dead.

Tony and I were about to laugh out loud ourselves as when Vickie was describing what she was missing about me the shadow in the background was mimicking her speech. Now more than before I really knew just what a conniving horrible bitch my wife was. I made a decision right then that Vickie would never see her son again. I immediately called my parents.

"Mom, I need you and Dad to go to Florida and get Sean. Say that you really need to spend some time with him. Vickie is cheating on me and if Sean stays at the Shelling's, Vickie is going to try to see him and once she is served she will try to take him away from me."

My mother put her hand across her mouth and said, "She's doing what? What happened? Of course we'll do it but why so sudden?"

"Mom, I just found out Tuesday that she was cheating on me. A friend, Don Sterling called me. You might remember him from when you and Dad came down to Florida. He and Marie were the couple you met that lived around the corner from us. Well anyway, he walked in on her and some guy doing it in the kitchen. He called me after he took a picture of them. A divorce is in the works and right now Sean is with Sam and Misty this week and I think Vickie is going to get him this weekend, so you two need to go down quick. I don't want Sean around that back-stabbing whore. I would like to think she would hold off on bringing men into our home when our son was there, but I don't know for sure."