I met my wife, Vanessa, during our second year attending the Air Force Academy. I was the wannabe pilot and academic. She was a flourishing student-athlete, lettering in track and soccer.
We became friends, attending a few different classes together. I made her laugh a lot, and she liked how I could laugh at myself. She told me I was refreshing compared to most guys she knew. We studied together often. I was her biggest and loudest fan at all of her sporting events.
Venessa is five-ten with long muscular legs, a firm ass, and a flat stomach. I teased her about having more of a six-pack than me. She ran the 200 and 400-meter sprints. I was amazed just watching her run; her long, powerful strides took up so much track with so little effort.
During soccer season, the sweet girl I met in class was physical, dominating the other women on the field of play. Vanessa seemed like a red-haired Valkyrie from Viking lore hip checking opponents to steal the ball. Watching her intensity on the field was thrilling, and a little intimidating.
She was an absolute chameleon. She easily morphed from a shield-maiden warrior princess into a goddess when she wanted to. When she wasn't competing, she was naturally sensual, watching her just walk was intoxicating.
Graduation approached, and we had to make a decision. Move on with our careers separately or get married to stay together after graduating. I asked Vanessa to marry me. In hindsight, I shouldn't have ignored the short moment of doubt in her eyes. We were only twenty-two years old and about to go out into the real Air Force. I don't think either of us, was ready to be married while starting our new careers.
Venessa was a communications officer. She went on to our first duty station ahead of me. I went on to pilot training. Being apart was difficult so early in our marriage.
Disaster struck after a couple of months of training I was eliminated from training for an inner ear issue. I owed the Air Force for my free education, so I became a Civil Engineer.
I joined Vanessa at our first duty location. The area had both a large Air Force and Army presence. Venessa and I were at polar opposites of the "happy scale."
For the first few months, I was pretty depressed about washing out of pilot training. Vanessa was super excited about her job and being an officer.
I finally shook of the self-pity. In part because it was causing issues between Venessa and me. I convinced Venessa I would be happier if we bought a home together. We found a great place on a cul-de-sac in a neighborhood with a lot of current and prior military people.
Rick was a twice-divorced major in the Army and ten years our senior. His nineteen-year-old pretty blonde daughter Amy and her infant son lived with him. Rick greeted us with a big Texas howdy as we were moving in. He was slightly taller than me and broader in the shoulders. He had a wide smile on a square chiseled-jawed face.
The guy liked to hear himself talk, telling us most of his life story while standing in our driveway. "A big bullshitter," I thought. He didn't have any reservations about eyeing Venessa up and down right in front of me either. Later I mentioned he had a jae like Dudley Doright the cartoon Canadian Mounted Police character. "I don't know he looks ruggedly handsome to me,' Venessa replied. I think she said it to piss me off.
I was cutting the lawn a couple of days later. Rick's daughter pulled into his driveway. She was blonde and very pretty, with the body of a woman older than nineteen. Amy was short, maybe five-four, with big tits and a great ass.
I waved, turning off the mower. I walked over to introduce myself. She held her son who looked just like her with blonde hair and crystal blue eyes. She was coming from dental hygienist school. We talked for a short while. I found her to be charming and very mature for her age. "She may be raising her dad." I thought.
We had been in our house for about two weeks. We learned our other neighbor was also a divorcee and an old, retired Marine. The guy was always working on his front and back yards. I rarely saw him wearing anything but shorts and flip-flops. He was tall, maybe six-three with leathery tanned skin. You could see he used to be very fit. He was still muscular, but his muscles sagged a little. He had a beer belly that looked hard, not soft like jelly. He sported the same short haircut he probably wore as a private decades ago. When I did see him, he always had a cigarette hanging from his mouth and a beer or something stiffer in hand. The guy was clearly a functioning alcoholic.
I tried waving at him a few times. But he would look at me and walk off without waving back. "Grumpy old fart!" I thought. Venessa told me to ignore him. She thought he was just a vet with some unresolved issues.
Well finally he spoke one day, well he yelled to be more specific. He complained my grass clippings were getting into his backyard, some reaching his inground pool. I apologized, telling him I would attach my grass catcher. Rick told me to ignore the old bastard. If I wanted to make up to him, buy him a bottle of scotch.
After a few months, things seemed to be a lot better. I enjoyed my job and the military life. Rick would have folks over to his house a lot, us included. I still thought he was quite the braggart. But I found out from his friends a lot of what he boasted about was true. The guy was definitely a legend to his closest friends.
He was a member of the Golden Knights parachute team; he also had earned a Purple Heart and Silver Cross. According to a couple guys who served with him he was an adrenaline junkie. His pride and joy was his Harley motorcycle. Venessa was mesmerized when she saw him take off each day for work. It seemed like he was the master of so many things. He owned a water-ski boat, hunted with a crossbow and even scuba dived. The guy was up way too early every morning for his five-mile run rain or shine.
When he and his buddies told their war stories, Venessa sat at the edge of her seat, totally taken in by their tales. Her face lit up like a Christmas tree when Rick asked us if we wanted to do a tandem parachute jump with him and one of his buddies. I immediately passed thinking Venessa would as well. "Oh my God, can I?" she screamed excitedly.