We met at a funeral.
I had been deployed at the time of my mother's death. My unit was in charge of training reservists prior to being shipped overseas. I ran the ranges. You want to shoot, I was the man to teach you. Great job, great mission. It was something I like to do and as a side benefit I had to go shooting once a month just to stay qualified. Like I said, great benefits. The only negative was the fact that I'm fairly large - 6'4", 245 lbs. In pretty good shape but that does not translate well to the world of firing ranges. I know, everyone thinks that guys in the military should all be huge 6'6" monsters with lasers shooting out of their eyes and hair wafting in the breeze in slow motion, but ninety percent of the time your laying on your stomach trying to be as small as possible (makes it harder for the other guys to shoot you) so size is not a great benefit. Anyway, I digress. We were down in the Southwest in the middle of nowhere running lines to get reservists ready to be able to defend themselves.
I watched a Humvee come driving to the range. It was strange; we were not scheduled to complete instruction for another three hours. Odd. My Command Master Sergeant dismounted to vehicle and started towards me in the middle of the line. I started to become alarmed as this was well outside of the safety protocols we had established. Even more alarming to me was the fact that there were two other soldiers with him, a Lieutenant and another Sergeant. "Crap, what did I do this time?" I wondered.
"Sergeant Green, please remove and hand over your sidearm" the CSM said to me. My heart started racing as I started to remove my holster. This is bad. You never disarm a range instructor while the range is active.
As I handed over the holster I said "Gary, what have I done? What did I do that you want to arrest me?"
Gary Coleburne handed over my pistol to the Sergeant that had come with him. The look on his face was grave. I'd known Gary for three years. He'd been ideal as a leader; praise in public, always taking you to the side to explain what you did wrong, asking questions to get you to think of the better way to accomplish your mission, a magnificent instructor. If he was going down this route, I was in big ass trouble and I didn't even known what I had done wrong.
I was concentrating so much on Gary, trying to read what I had done by his expression on his face that I had forgotten about the Lieutenant until he spoke to me for the first time.
"Sergeant Green, we are here to relieve you of your duties. We have received word that your mother has passed away".
I swear it was a Hollywood moment; I heard the words come out of his mouth and then all there was just a low buzzing sound. I must have stood there for a minute just staring at the officer.
"We're here to take you to the airfield and put you on a plane. I had the duty corporal pack your belongings and he will meet us there".
"I'm sorry sir. Where are we going?"
I did not understand. Why was I going to a plane, I had a range to run; people to train. I guess I just sorta blacked out. Next thing I know I'm at the airfield being walked to a cargo plane by my CSM.
The next few days were a complete blur. I, to this day, cannot remember much of them. I see snapshots; flying into Travis AFB. Getting into my sisters car to drive across the bay. Walking into my parents' house in San Carlos seeing my father just sitting in the kitchen staring out the back window at the bay. Ironing my dress blues for the funeral. Telling stories at my mother's eulogy of her love of baseball and the Giants.
I finally broke out of the fog by someone touching my arm. I was at my oldest sister's house during the wake. The courtyard patio was full of people, most of them I did not know. Friends of my parents I guess. A woman was lightly touching my arm asking if I was okay.
This was the first time my eyes saw Fran.
"I'm sorry, did you ask me something?" was all I could say.
Fran was not a supermodel. She did not have the face that could launch a thousand ships. She was though the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in person. She was short. Of course, everyone is short to me (I'm 6'4" barefoot). She was 5'3". Her eyes were an amber brown, like gold mixed into your coffee. Her brown hair was worn just down to her shoulders in very light curls. Her face, the shape of a heart. My brain just shutdown looking at her. She was perfect.
A slight smile played across her face fighting a look of concern.