Four years in high school did nothing for Ron Griggs popularity. While his classmates were protesting the war, climate change and other causes he was busy learning camp craft and outdoorsmanship in Boy Scouts, then got involved in the cadets. He was a contrarian even in his early development. He dated a few girls but they always dumped him after a month or so, just too clinging and possessive. In short, too weird.
After graduation he moved on to the Military Academy. Finally in his element he excelled at his studies. While his brothers in arms would hit the bars at night Griggs would hit the gym or the pool. He soon altered his very slight yet tall frame into a well muscled, lean fighting machine.
He was not popular among his peers in the Academy either. Once again his enthusiasms were out of touch with his cohort.
Ron Griggs finished four years of study in 3 years. He committed to additional training for special assignment duty but was granted leave to spend most of his fourth year in his home town.
It was really exciting to be back in the old home town. So little had changed over the past three years. Kids still fished in the river and built rafts from cast off construction debris. Wildflowers still bloomed in the fields left fallow.
It was a sleepy little town. In winter the sport was hockey, in spring and summer it was baseball. As he arrived back in town baseball season was just starting. Ron had played baseball as a youth, his old team was scheduled to play their first game of the season. Attending was just too hard to resist.
The bleachers in the park were anything but comfortable. Hard wooden benches did not make for a soft seat however years of use had given them bum contours the lessened the discomfort. He sat and watched the first couple of innings drinking in the nostalgia when he happened to notice someone that he thought he recognized. She was at the far side of the bleachers and sitting alone. He got up and casually walked closer. Ron was right, it was a high school classmate, Anna Fowler.
Never a confident ladies man he feared rejection as he approached her. Screwing up his courage he approached her and she looked up at him.
"Anna? Anna Fowler, is that you? He croaked.
"Yes, and you are?" She asked.
"I guess I have changed since you last saw me, I am Ron Griggs."
"Ron Griggs, the skinny little loser from high school? You have uh...filled out a bit haven't you? I mean wow, you have muscles and shoulders and everything!"
"Thanks Anna, you have filled out a little bit yourself, in a good way I mean." Ron blushed.
To be sure Ron was right. When Ron was a skinny little nerd she was a stick figured ugly duckling. They went on dates for a month or so but broke up. The past three years had seen her go from ugly duckling to an amazingly beautiful swan, no longer stick figured but buxom, with a narrow waist and lovely hips. Raven hair worn shoulder length. She wore a plain white t-shirt and a pair of cut off jean shorts, hardly high fashion but she wore it well.
"Are you back in town for long? What have you been up to?" she asked.
"I am taking the better part of a year off here in town. Then I am back for more training and then assignment."
"That's right you went to the Military Academy. You always were really into that kind of thing weren't you?"
"What have you been up to Anna?"
"Well, I went to university after school with a business major. Unfortunately my parents passed away in an automobile accident six months ago and I had to come back home to run the store."
"I am so sorry to hear that, your parents were great. So the family furniture store is doing well?"
"It is ok for a small town store. I will never be rich but I can make ends meet. I just wish I could have finished my degree."
They watched the ball game in silence for a bit. The home team was down two runs. Ron wanted to ask her to go out for a drink or coffee after the game but his shyness kept him quiet.
"Ron, do you keep in touch with anyone from school? she asked.
"No, I wasn't really close to anyone."
"Yeah, a remember you as a lone wolf. I didn't stay in touch either."
"Anna, would you like to do something after the game?" he asked with a shake in his voice.
"I'd love a coffee. These spring evenings are a little chilly."
Ron removed his jacket and laid it over her lap to keep her legs warm. She smiled and thanked him. Cut off shorts might have been an optimistic choice for this early Spring.
The home team turned it around in the ninth inning and won by a single run.
Anna and Ron talked about their after high school experiences over coffee. She had dated a guy but it didn't work out. Ron of course had no experience. Working out or studying filled his downtime. They also touched on their dating each other in high school.
"I really liked you Anna. One of my faults back then was that I expected any relationship to be long lasting. I really pictured us as a married couple sometime down the road. It was a shock to me that we didn't work out. Then again I had a lot to learn."
"I liked you too. I think that dating at that age really prepares us for future relationships. It teaches us how to react with another person who we really care about."
"It teaches how to deal with heartbreak. At least that is what I learned." said Ron.
"It does that doesn't it. But here we are older and wiser.
Anna nervously stared down at her coffee cup as she asked, "The chamber of commerce is sponsoring a dance this Saturday night. Would you like to come as my date Ron?"
"Absolutely!"
For the next few days Ron toured the old town on foot or on a bike, the way he experienced it as a kid. The old school, the armoury where the cadets drilled, the church, the playgrounds. It brought back a lot of memories, some good, mostly not. Small towns tend not to be kind to misfits and Ron had no illusions, he was definitely a misfit.
The dance was a splendid affair at the community centre, probably the most modern building in the town. There was a live band and they weren't half bad in Ron's opinion.
Anna wore a mid-length dark blue dress that complemented her shapely form. The dress accentuated her breasts. Ron had no idea what type of bra she might have been wearing but it certainly wasn't hiding her nipples.
Anna had been looking forward to this event for a while. She was so happy and relieved that Ron would be there for her. It was so much better than going alone. She was impressed with how Ron had changed from a terribly insecure boy to a fit and ready for action soldier. She remembered the saying, "Mighty oaks from little acorns grow."
Ron couldn't believe his luck. Anna, his high school sweetheart was dancing with him! Oh the joy of holding her close and smelling the fresh scent of her hair. The warmth of her body held against him and the gentle rocking motion as they danced was exciting him in a rather embarrassing way. Anna noticed it but held him even closer pressing her breasts into his chest as they swayed to the music. They both hoped that the song would never end.
Ron and Anna held hands as they walked home. Ron told her how much he enjoyed the evening and Anna said that he had made the event a wonderful experience for her. She then stood on her tiptoes and kissed his lips.
Ron nearly floated home!
The two of them became inseparable and they grew closer each day. Ron would drop by the store to help her out often. The walked the trails, they strolled hand in hand along the riverfront. They enjoyed life together until it was time for Ron to return for his special training and eventual deployment.
Ron had lost his nervousness around her but saying goodbye was really hard for him. He realized that he was in love with Anna but he was so uncertain of the future given his status in the military.
Anna felt the impending loss of this man she had come to love.
Just before boarding the train Ron surprised her.
"Anna, meeting you again was a God send. You mean so much to me and it is so hard to imagine that we won't see each other as often as we have been. I will miss you so much. I promise I will write to you as often as I can. Anna, I have something for you."
He reached into his pocket and took out a ring box and opened it in front of her.
"I am just a poor soldier but I did have some money saved up. I would like to give you this ring as a promise that I will return before deployment. I love you Anna."
"Ron it is beautiful, a sapphire! I love you too Ron and I can't wait till you are back."
They hugged and kissed goodbye.
Special training was a tough nine months of physical training and for Ron it included tradecraft in espionage for lack of a better term. It turns out Ron was especially good at it.
Ron kept his promise and wrote as often as he could. He had to avoid any information regarding training so most of the conversations tended towards how things were back in town. They missed each other and promised they would meet up again.
Once the training was completed he was given a month to go home and set things up to be looked after prior to deployment. All he could think about was Anna.
