This is a true story, though I've changed the names and other details for obvious reasons. I admit that I am a horrible, untrustworthy person. I confess this. I share this story not to cleanse and absolve myself, but because I enjoyed it so much I want to relive it. If you enjoy reading it, then I'm happy to oblige. If you didn't enjoy it and think I'm an asshole, please tell me. I appreciate your honesty. I'm untrustworthy but I am honest.
~
"Holy shit, Heather looks great." I wasn't expecting anything but ya gotta understand: Heather usually doesn't look like this.
I was looking at one of my fellow soldiers: Heather Denneson, as she was walking up the steps to the bar. She was in tight jeans, a tight fitting black long-sleeve shirt, and her straight long blonde hair was down on her shoulders. This was the first time I'd seen her in civilian clothes. And it was the first time I'd seen her hair down.
Her small round face was graced with dimples, a few freckles, green eyes, and a dented chin. Her lips were a little thin and her curved nose was a little big for the rest of her face. In fact, in her duty uniform, with her hair up in a bun, she was as average looking as it got. The uniform doesn't exactly flatter the body. But tonight those jeans and that shirt were her best friends.
Heather was a country girl from southern Georgia, complete with the accent. She was country, but she was sharp. She'd joined the unit a couple years before so we knew each other quite well. But since it was just a reserve unit, we rarely saw each other. We didn't interact much outside of the Military. But she was just one of the guys. One of the belching, cussing, spitting, smoking, beer drinking guys. She was fun.
My reserve unit is about an hour from my house. I could go home each night, and some times do. But when there's an early morning work call, that extra hour of sleep matters. So on those nights I'll get a hotel in the area. On that particular night Sarah, my girlfriend, was giving me shit. So I was only too happy to stay in the Country Inn there in town. By not so much of a coincidence, Heather was staying there too. This was the hotel being sponsored by the reserves for us.
After a particularly rough day of working on HMV's, a few of us who were staying at the hotel agreed to meet at the Tipsy Pig, a bar within stumbling distance of the hotel. Again, this is no coincidence. We agreed on a place and time at which myself, Heather, and 3 other guys would lick our wounds over a few pitchers of beer. That was literally all I expected.
After formation was dismissed, we shot the shit for a few minutes and reestablished our next meeting place and time. Beer-thirty we called it. While driving to the hotel I called Sarah to tell her my plans for the evening. I half expected her to be a little boo-hooy and try to change my mind. (We live together) Instead she did the opposite. She went off on me over simple, stupid shit.
I'd done a few domestic chores around our house before I left for drill, and now she was going to let me know in meticulous detail how wrong I'd done them. I can take criticism but I don't do attitude. So after her third stark reprimand of my performances, I conjectured that her demeanor was likely the result of a monthly biological process. I'd honestly intended that as a joke to lighten her up a bit. That being said, I'm sure you can imagine how it actually went. I couldn't get the phone away from my head fast enough.
"Look, Sarah," I said, deciding to cut the crap. "There's no right way or wrong way to fold fucking shirts and towels. There's your way and my way. And if you don't like my way, I won't inconvenience you with it anymore."
"If you don't fold them the RIGHT way," she shot back, "they don't fit in the closet just right."
"They fit fine." I said. "It's a big closet.
"No they don't. The stacks are all crooked."
"Who cares? It's a closet. No one sees a damned closet."
That was as rational as I could make it but the conversation went into an irreversible tailspin from there. It finally ended when I was pulling into the hotel parking lot.
"I'm at the hotel, Sarah. I'm gonna go get checked in. I'll talk with you later. Have a good night." Her response was a "Humph" and a barely audible "fuck you, too." as she hung up. I was feeling a headache coming on.
I know what you're thinking: Hell. I ask myself the same question all the time. The answer is; I don't know, it's complicated. Some days are just the happiest. We get each other on a level most people don't even comprehend. But there are days when I'm reaching for a bottle or a suitcase, whichever I find first. Since I'm still there that must tell you how far away the suitcases are kept. Anyway, where was I?
I pitched the phone into the passenger seat and went inside to get my room. By the time I was checked in and changed out of my uniform I'd all but forgotten about Sarah's tirade. It was almost beer-thirty.
At around 10 or so that morning I was laying on a creeper under a truck working a ratchet when someone kicked my foot.
"Hey dickhead, come smoke with me." Denneson said in her standard country drawl.
"Gimme a sec'." I said tightening up the last couple of bolts.
"Hurry up."
"Just go on out. I'll be there in just a second. What's your rush?"
"I don't have any." She said glumly. She wanted to bum a cigarette.
Out by the smoking curb we BS'd about the day, other soldiers, and our respective partners. Sarah and I, as some of the guys knew, had our great days and our not-so-great days. Denneson and her husband, as most of us knew, had their okay days, and their really fucked up days.
"He cleaned me out again." She said through a puff of Marlboro. "That's why I don't have any fucking smokes."
"You shitting me?" I said.
"Nope. Still hadn't found another job, and still thinks he can keep a fridge full of beer. Asshole tried claiming me on his tax return a couple weeks ago, along with my return."
"Wow. What a dick."
"I know, tell me about it."
"I've told you: you two need separate accounts."
"I know, but every time I start to mention it, he blows the fuck up. It's just not worth the headache."
"Is it worth it being out of money? Out of smokes?"
"Nah. Alright, I'll see." She said.
"Okay. Hey, some of us are going to the pig tonight after work. You wanna come?" I asked.
"Nah. Thanks though." She said.
"C'mon. You of all people need it tonight. Plus, you never go out with us."
She responded by making the empty pockets gesture.
"Pfft. I've got you covered. Now you're coming out for beer-thirty, or I'm dragging you by the hair."
"Threaten me with a good time, will ya? Alright fine." She relented. With that we flicked our butts and went back to work.
At the Tipsy Pig, over beer, wings and fries, the guys and I were bitching about the truck we were collectively working on all day. We enjoyed a laugh at the expense of Smith who'd smashed his hand (not bad). And we collectively groaned and cussed at the mention of the slave driving motor sergeant who made us all the victims of his short temper and high expectations. Denneson, however, had apparently stood us up. Then Copland looked past me and said, "Hey. Look who decided to join us." I turned to see her walking in.
"What took you so long, Dennison?" Aikerson said.
"It's Heather tonight, fuckfaces." She said, then she looked at me, "I sent you a text. I said I was gonna be a little late." It was only then that I remembered that my phone was still in the car where I'd tossed it after Sarah's meltdown.
"I was on the phone with Luke." (Her husband)
"Oh?" I said. "How'd that go?" She just rolled her eyes as she sat and reached for a glass and the pitcher of beer. And just like that, we were all laughing, joking, smoking, and cussing again. To Denneson - Heather, we were either dickhead or fuckface. Smith was called a pussy for bitching about his hand. Seeing her like this; genuinely laughing, and happy, and relaxed, she took on a whole different image than just one of the guys in the Motorpool. She was actually kind of cute. I found myself checking her out.
As the evening progressed, one by one the guys headed out. Heather was again calling them pussies, but that's because she was barely tipsy whereas we all had a head start on her, and were pretty good and drunk. But since I'd invited her, I stayed to keep her company. We continued to joke with each other until the rest of beer was finished off. As we made our way up the sidewalk to the hotel, her mood shifted a bit.
"Thanks." She said to me. "I really needed this."
"That bad?" I replied.
She rolled her eyes again and made an exasperated sound.