My Dearest Becky Pt. 01

This is the follow up to Becky's Marine. I've received much feedback concerning the series and many requests for it to continue. This is the beginning of that continuation. Thank you all for your support.

This is a series mainly centered on Marines on deployment. There might be some not so PC things said here (and definitely in part 2). Please do not take offense to this, I'm just trying for an accurate portrayal.

*******

It had been a long night, taking my turn as Sergeant of the Guard. Though I didn't have to do much of anything, I still had to be awake and available through the night. The benefit was that I got the following day, today, off. It had been a quiet night, as they all were, with me watching movies from someone's hard drive and catching a nap when I could.

I had just finished showering and was climbing into my tiny excuse for a bed when Tyler came over, throwing the curtains aside and giving me several soft jabs in the ribs.

"Wake up you lazy fuck," Tyler said as he hit me. "We're almost there, aren't you excited?"

"Ecstatic," I said gruffly. "What are you rambling about?"

"Our first port bro. Pearl harbor!"

I had forgotten that today was the day we pulled into Pearl harbor, mooring close to where the doomed Pacific Fleet had been on that fateful Sunday morning. It was tradition to man the rails when we entered Pearl, a sign of respect to those who had paid the ultimate price.

"Wake me when we can go out then," I said.

"You don't wanna join us peons on the flight deck?" He asked with mock surprise. "You cut me deep Drew, real deep."

"You poor thing, do you need to cuddle?"

"God no, not with your ugly ass." We both laughed, enjoying the harassment we gave each other.

"Where's Ryan?" I asked.

"Don't know, I think sergeant Ruiz has him doing something stupid again."

"That motherfucker, always fucking with my Marines. I'll have to have a talk with him."

"He really needs to lighten up, maybe get laid once in a while," Tyler said, his mischievous grin showing.

"Could you imagine that, Sergeant Serious getting laid," I said, laughing at the thought. "He would keep his stone faced expression the whole time."

Tyler started laughing, picturing Ruiz, whose expression was always cold, unfeeling and serious, having a good time. Soon both of us were in stitches, me almost rolling out of my rack.

There was a short silence, both of our bodies recovering from the laughter. I reached in my pillowcase for my earplugs, putting one in my right ear.

"I'm serious, wake me when it's almost time for us to get off this floating prison."

"Alright, I'll wake you then," Tyler said, sliding one curtain closed.

"And tell Ryan that I wanna see him before we go. If Ruiz gives you any shit, tell him to see me as well."

"Will do, goodnight honey."

"Goodnight darling."

He chuckled as he closed the other curtain and walked away. I laid there for a few minutes, eyes closed, thinking of Becky. I wondered what she was doing, how she had been these first nine days. My thoughts drifted to Carl and Jeanna, their engagement and what their plans for the future were.

Lauren's words rang in my head again, clear as the morning she had said them. "You keep those boys safe over there," she had said. I hoped I could remain true to that. With all the unknowns of war, I could only do my best to try.

----

"Rise and shine pumpkin, Gunny's liberty brief starts in fifteen, enough time for you to get dressed and join me for a smoke," Tyler said as he flung the curtains open, light flooding the cramped space between me and the bunk above me.

"Alright, I'm up. Just please, for the love of the gods, stop you infernal howling," I groaned, rolling out of the rack.

"Not gonna happen bitch. We're in Hawaii!"

"I'm aware of where Pearl harbor is, asshat."

"Me too, that's why I'm so excited!"

"Did you see Ryan?"

"Yeah, he'll get with you after the libo brief."

"Thanks. Let's go have that smoke."

We had a quick smoke, returning just in time for the briefing. Gunnery Sergeant Ernesto Sanchez was a short, stocky man of about 30, what little was left of his hair had begun to turn grey. He was originally from Juarez, Mexico, having gotten his citizenship while serving in the Corps. Though not very imposing, his personality was more akin to a starved doberman than a man.

"Listen up," Gunny Sanchez said in his thick Mexican accent. "This is our first port, don't fuck this up. Hawaii may seem like a whole different country, but it's still a state. If you're under 21, no drinking. Those of you who can drink, be smart and have a plan to get back to the ship.

"Those of you that surf, this isn't California, the waves here are much bigger. Know your limitations. If you've never surfed, now is not the time to learn."

At this point, First Lieutenant Brad Price joined the meeting, standing behind Gunny Sanchez. Where Gunny wasn't very imposing, Lieutenant Price more than made up for it. At 6'6 and 285 pounds of muscle, the man was built like a brick shithouse, easily the largest man in the battery. His ebony skin was covered in tattoos and he spoke with a thick southern accent.

"Gunny, if I may?" LT Price asked.

"Of course sir, go ahead."

"I've been surfing for the past 10 years, I know my limitations. I'm not confident enough to go surf the North shore, that means I shouldn't see anyone else there either. If you can't swim, don't go out further than you can stand, especially Gunny."

We all laughed at his jibe. It always made me feel good to hear the senior men act like the rest of us, makes them feel human.

"Hahaha," Gunny said in mocking. "Everyone surfs on a surfboard and Gunny surfs on a boogie board." We all laughed harder, I knew where this was going, but it was funny as hell.

"Shut up!" Gunny yelled. The room went deathly quiet, until Gunny started laughing.

They gave us the number for the local taxi service, assigned men to shore patrol and dismissed us. Tyler and I ran to get changed into civilian clothes, with Ryan coming to talk to me.

"Sergeant Anderson, you wanted to see me?" Ryan asked, keeping it professional.

"Yes, get changed. We're going out."

"But, aren't you not supposed to hang around junior enlisted?" Ryan asked fearfully.

"Listen, I told Lauren I'd watch over you guys, now how can I do that if I'm not with you?"

He thought for a minute, standing there as we got changed. "Good point," he said finally.

"Good, now go get changed, we got a town to burn down."

----

Nine days, nine days without a phone call or a letter. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't stressed out, and his deployment has only begun. Carl and Jeanna had been helpful, listening when I need an ear, talking when I needed it and holding down the fort when I wasn't around.

Before he left, Andrew had given me his parents email address and phone number. "If you need anything at all, feel free to call or write them," he had said. "You'll need a strong support network, and I can't think of anyone better than the two people who have been through two deployments."

At 4 pm the phone rang, I was in the middle of dinner and quickly dropped what I was doing and raced to pick it up.

"Hello," I said excitedly.

"It sure is nice to hear your voice baby," Andrew said.

"Baby! How are you?"

"I'm good, just got off the ship. How are you?"

"Much better now that you've called. Where are you?"

"Scenic Pearl harbor, Tyler, Ryan and I are having lunch by the visitor center."

"I wish I were there." The sadness in my voice was coming through, though I wished it wouldn't.

"I wish you were here too babe. I miss you," he said sadly.

"We all miss you too. What time is it there?"

"11 AM."

"How are the boys?"

"Better now that we can get out of that iron crate. Things have been going pretty smooth, except for this asshole who keeps fucking with Ryan."

"That's too bad. Hope it turns out better for him."

"Don't worry, I'm gonna fix it."

"Good."

"Listen babe, I gotta go for now. The food is walking out of the kitchen and we're starving. I'll call you later and I'll send you more letters."

"You better," I said with probably more anger than I should have.

"I love you Becky," he said softly, just like be used to before we fell asleep.

"I love you too Andrew," I said as tears welled up.

He hung up the phone, leaving me to carry on with my evening. It would be much harder now that I had heard his voice. He had said more letters though, that must mean that at least one was coming.

Jeanna came home a little while later, saying hi to me as she passed the kitchen. She hadn't heard my soft sobbing, otherwise she would have stopped to talk. Oh well, she will find out sooner or later.

Lauren came home just as dinner was put on the table, with Carl drifting in soon after. I couldn't help but notice she was much happier than she had been the past few days. Ryan must have called her.

"So, how was everyone's day?" Jeanna asked.

"Long," Carl said. "Had a small upset in the plant, took most of the day to get it stable."

"I got a call from Andrew," I said.

"What! That's great, where are they?" Carl said, the news brightening his mood.

"Hawaii, just got in this morning."

"That's awesome, I wish we were in Hawaii," Jeanna said.

"Me too. Then I'd get to be with my man."

"Ryan called too," Lauren said. "They miss us all and have assured me that letters are on the way."

"That's great, I'm glad they're doing well," Carl said.

Dinner was filled with thoughts of our boys, traveling around the world in service to their country. I missed most of the conversation, my mind unable to shut up. My phone buzzed, shaking me from my thoughts.

"Who is it?" Carl asked.

"It's from Andrew," I said as I opened it. It was a picture of the three of them standing by the statue of King Kamehameha in Honolulu. I had to laugh. They seemed so happy, you would think they were on vacation, not going to a war zone. I passed it around, sending it to Carl and Lauren when the phone made its way back to me.

I resolved to email his parents. I needed to know how to distract myself from the constant thoughts of him. It seems wrong to want to shut him out like that, but I had to be able to function. Life can't stop while he's away.

----

My mood had been a bit sour since I had called Becky. It was good to hear her voice, but the pain was evident. I had tried calling Carl at work, but nobody answered in the shelter. Ryan had been in a similar mood, having called Lauren and talked to her for over an hour. Tyler was still his cheery, brash self, ready for anything as long as alcohol was involved.

We had hit downtown, wandering around the streets and hitting up an ABC store for some smokes and drinks. We had dinner at an amazing steak place called Atlantis Steak and Seafood. The food was amazing, so good that I made a note to bring Becky here later.

We found a local dive bar, our never ending quest for alcohol bringing us to the first place we found that wasn't packed. The place was nice, decorated with paintings of palm groves and pineapple fields obviously some by some local artist. The crude images covering three of the four walls.

"Aloha, what'll it be?" The bartender asked. He was an older man, probably in his 50's, with greying hair and a large pot belly. It was evident that he was a native, his accent and his tanned skin giving it away.

"Scotch on the rocks," I said.

"Jack and coke," Tyler said.

"Same," Ryan added.

We paid for our drinks, tipping the bartender well before heading for a table. We drank for a few hours, talking about what to expect and our plans when we return home. Becky dominated my thoughts, mostly of our life after my return.

"You OK Drew," Tyler asked. "You seem distant."

"Sorry," I said as I was brought back to reality. "Just thinking of home."

"Bullshit," Ryan said. "You're thinking about Becky."

"Guilty as charged."

"I'm right there with you," Ryan admitted. "I can't stop thinking about Lauren."

"Did you and her ever...?"

"A gentleman never tells."

"Well, fortunately there aren't any gentlemen here, so spill." Tyler's tone was rather forceful, with just a hint of mirth.

"It didn't go as I planned OK," Ryan said, obviously annoyed.

"She didn't tell you did she?" I asked.

"No, not until it was too late." Ryan hung his head.

"Tell you what?" Tyler asked. "What did I miss?"

"Lauren is, or was, however the case may be now, a virgin. She had told me, and I assumed she would tell you. I guess I should've passed that along. I'm sorry," I said at length.

"And you went to town like she had been previously deflowered, then when she screamed and you saw blood, you thought you really fucked her up," Tyler said, piecing it together.

"Yup." It was all Ryan could get out, his expression changing to one of sadness.

I placed my hand on his shoulder. "Look, if she didn't tell you then you couldn't have known. Even I assumed a girl that pretty had made a least one round with someone."

"Was she mad?" Tyler asked.

"No, she was more upset that she hadn't told me. She thought our first time would be more special if I didn't know," Ryan explained, fighting back tears.

"Well, the damage is done," Tyler said. "No point in crying now."

"Dude," I said as I glared at him. "Way too harsh."

"No, its fine," Ryan said. "He's right. Nothing I can do to change it now."

"So we know Ryan has some plans for when he gets back, what about you?" Tyler asked me.

"After I get a large pizza in me and wake up from the food coma, I'm going to fuck Becky to death," I told them, getting laughs from more than just our table.

The night passed without incident, mostly because Ryan and I controlled the amount of liquor that Tyler had. We made sure he got drunk, but not sloppy drunk. Two days, a tour of the Arizona memorial and a trip around the island later, we were back underway. I picked up a prepaid phone card so I could call Becky from the ships phones when we weren't busy.

Sunday rolled around and, out of old habits and to escape from having to do menial tasks, I went to church. Over the past several years, I have had quite the falling out with my faith, but now something had come over me. I figured it was the fact that within a few months, we would be somewhere in either Syria or Iraq and, more than likely, in harms way.

After church I gathered my guys for some history on Syria and its people. Cultures don't really change, especially when their base philosophy is as barbaric as terrorism, and I feel that it helps to know their past. It makes us more effective fighters. I went to the berthing to gather my seven Marines.

Privates Jones and Wirth were easy to find, the movie they were watching at an unnecessarily high volume giving them away. Private Jim Jones was from Iowa, the only son of corn farmers, standing 6'2 and weighing close to 200 pounds with pale skin and dark green eyes that made him look perpetually miserable.

Scott Wirth was from Miami Florida, living every day as if it were spring break. His family owned several prominent night clubs in the city, and Scott had never wanted for anything in his life. We would give him shit when he would complain about the military, telling him to have daddy buy his way out.

"Farmhand, Moneybags," I said to get their attention. "Well deck in 15, knowledge class."

With a huff, they paused their movie and set it aside, grumbling about their Sunday being ruined by classes. I told them that it was just our gun doing it and that it would be informative.

"Tyler," I called as I saw him come back from a smoke. "I need you to find Simmons and Drake. Class in the well deck in 10."

"You got it boss," he said as he went to track them down.

"Oh, Tyler," I called after him.

"Yeah?"

"Seen Ryan?"

"Ask Sergeant Ruiz," he said, turning to leave.

---

"Ryan," I called, seeing him. "Let's go, class in the well deck."

"Coming Sergeant," he said, dropping his task and coming with me.

"Anderson, what the fuck?" Ruiz yelled as we were leaving. "Where're you taking my Marine?"

I stopped, taking a deep breath. I had really come to dislike Ruiz, his manners as a person and his leadership style. He inspired fear, and used it as motivation. Fear is a bad motivator, because once you're not the scariest thing, you have no power.

"Go on Ryan, I'll catch up." I turned to Ruiz, anger threatening to overtake me.

"I asked what the fuck you think you're doing?" Ruiz said forcefully.

"Listen Cody," I started, using his first name. "First, he's not your Marine, he's mine. Second, you're gonna back the fuck up right now."

"Or what?"

"Or you'll find yourself sinking to the bottom of the Pacific with chains wrapped around your neck."

"Yeah right, you couldn't get them on me if you tried."

"Oh really, we both know I'm far superior in martial skill, much stronger and have absolutely no desire to be on this float."

The expression on his face changed to one of concern, realizing that I have nothing to lose. He took a few steps back.

"Good, now that we got that settled," I began. "Ryan isn't your Marine to make into your bitch. He's my Marine to train and teach and meld into something far better than either of us. You need him for something that doesn't involve training, you ask me first, clear?"

"You realize he's dumb as fuck right?"

"Doesn't matter. I can fix that."

"I've been trying for quite awhile, he can't be fixed."

"Listen, dumb I can work with, hell, borderline retarded I can work with. He has a quality that can't be fixed."

"And what's that?"

"Work ethic. He's a hard worker and isn't scared of having to get dirty. I can teach him, I can mold him like clay, but I can't fix lazy."

"Whatever, keep him then. He won't improve."

"Yes he will, I promise you that."

"If you say so."

"Look man, I want things to be civil between us. It doesn't do anyone any good for us to be fighting."

"But its so much fun."

"Agreed, now if you'll excuse me, I have a class to give."

I left Ruiz with his working party, heading for the hanger deck and descending the ramp to the well deck. As I expected, Tyler had used the short time I was gone to educate the men. I walked up to them, crowded together in the well deck smoking post listening to Tyler tell them of one of his past sexual exploits.

"Is this the part where you got herpes?" I added as I walked up.

Tyler laughed as I lit myself a cigarette. "It wasn't herpes, it was crabs, and yes, that would be the part."

I looked around for anyone else, the well deck pretty deserted since the seas were rough and the large cargo doors were closed. I passed my smoke to Ryan, grabbing several crates and boxes for everyone to sit on.

"Have a seat guys, get comfy," I said as I retrieved my smoke. "Smoke em if ya got em, bum em if you need em."

Simmons and Wirth lit smokes, the rest declining. I sat on a crate and began the class. "So, for those of you who don't know, my personal classes are kept very relaxed. This is basically an open discussion about Syria and their culture."

"Why are we learning this Sergeant?" Jones asked.

"Glad you asked, I believe if we know about our enemy, understand their background and how they have waged war in the past, it will make us better at predicting their methods when we get there."

We talked for a while about their colorful history, beginning in the 1920's when French mandate made them basically a protectorate, and continuing until recently with the formation of ISIS. Most of the men were uninterested until we came to more recent events, then they saw that things hadn't really changed in close to 100 years.

"Alright, that concludes this class. You may go about your business," I said.