August 26, 2021
Richard wiped off the sweat on his forehead as he waited for his childhood friend to pick him up from the airport. He had just arrived from China overseeing a real estate development project in Beijing.
As project manager, he was to be a point person to ensure the completion of the apartment complex and to stay within budget. What was originally supposed to be a six to eight month stay, turned into an extended stay with the unforeseen circumstances of the Covid-19 virus's impact on travel worldwide.
With health experts from different countries scrambling to produce their own set of regulations and protocols to put into place. Citizens were forced to take a wait-and-see approach to the health experts' plan to stop the spread of the easily contagious virus and long-lasting affects in people's health.
Economies were stifled and projects were reviewed with the new conditions in the market. The project Richard was overseeing was no different. His bosses asked for an extension of his stay and ensuring that the project stayed on track.
The original plan was to finish right around February, but with the cases of virus stopping working, his stay was prolonged.
Consequently, the life of people worldwide stagnated. Richard's return was delayed innumerable times with his job having taken him to what countries felt was the epicenter of this virus. The return the U.S. was complicated and uncertain.
He had reluctantly accepted this opportunity during an inopportune time during his relationship.
With plans to buy a home in Los Angeles with his girlfriend for a couple of years, his career gave him an opportunity that was difficult to decline. Despite his plans to decline in the end, his girlfriend convinced him otherwise.
"Don't worry about it…" Vanessa grabbed his hands strongly as she put a brave face with eyes that teared as she continued, "We'll make this work… It's only for six to eight months we can do that…"
He had interned at the company for about a year and gotten on well with his co-workers. There were just other candidates like him or better and the company had made it clear that they would only hire one to two interns full-time. It all felt so validating for all the effort he had put in, and his mother for his future. He smiled as he remembered the moment.
He sat on his suitcase as he waited for his best friend Gabriel to come and pick him up. Passing the time scrolling through Instagram as he went through his girlfriend's profile. She had created a separate account where she posted every time she went to IKEA for a new piece of furniture for their place in Torrance.
In the end, they ended up getting the place as both were in a financial position to do so and having dated for a couple of years it made sense. Vanessa had told him that she purposefully had forbidden anyone from photographing the inside of the home to make it a surprise.
His mother and his future-in-laws had visited the home and been delighted with the outcome. Never giving him a single peep about the home. Richard closed his eyes as he visualized his new home away from his mother for the first time.
He awoke from his daydreaming as he heard the honking of a car as it parked right next to him. He couldn't help himself to beam up as he saw his childhood friend get out of the car.
Gabriel was his normal six-nine self-full of life and well-built from his military career as a marine. It had been a couple of years since they had seen each other in person.
He walked up giddily as they gave each other a brother's type of hug, "Hahaha you're so tall man… It's so nice to see you again." Richard looked tiny compared with only being 5'11.
Gabriel laughed aloud as he took Richard's luggage, "Don't worry about it… Keep drinking that milk… HAHAHAHA."
Richard laughed along, urging Gabriel to hurry as other cars started honking for them to get a move on.
"So, Gabriel, how are you, man? It's been awhile since I last saw you. Are you staying in California for a bit or are you going back soon?"
"I'm all right. Civilian life is hard to get used to. This time I am staying for a bit." As he drove off the curb he continued, "The military is accessing which areas to send us next. Don't know where or when they'll ship us."
"At least, you're getting some rest now. If don't mind if I rant." Getting a wave to proceed, "My life is a mess right now. China was a lifesaver and deal breaker man. My career is soaring ever since my bosses have heard about my work in China, but my relationship is pitiful. The 16-hour difference and long distance is a killer."
Richard sighed as he thought of the hardships that his relationship had to endure due to his trip and the extension with Covid. The uncertainty had made his trip last even longer with an extra five months added and missing multiple important holidays with his family.
"Tsk… I get it. Just remember that through this tribulation, your relationship stayed the course." Seeing his depressed friend, he decided to switch topics to a happier topic, "Was Vanessa able to take the day off last minute or what?"
Richard stopped staring out the window for minute to put his seat back, "No, she has to do a killer thirty-six-hour shift and won't be able to make it back home until late today. That's why she asked me to stay with you Friday just so she can do the whole reveal "correctly". She is inviting over to the neighbors and my mom for the reveal. She did tell me to invite you as well. If you had the time…"
Gabriel smiled as he stopped at the light turning to Richard, "Of course, I'll be there. Thanks for the invite. I know this means a lot to you."
Richard closed his eyes as he tried to find the seemly impossible comfortable position to lie down on his seat, "Mind if I sleep on the way… I couldn't sleep too much on the plane. I was too anxious to sleep with Vanessa in my mind. Thankfully, my company gave me rest for two weeks to get myself acclimated back to California."
After about 45 minutes in LA hell traffic, Gabriel stopped the car softly as he entered the driveway of a house. Hearing the mumbling of his sleep talking friend as he babbled about all types of things.
He gently tapped Richard's shoulders as he tried waking the overly sharing sleep taking person in his car, "Wake up, Richard. We're here."
Richard rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand as he squinted his eyes from the intensity of the sun taking a moment for his eyes to get acclimated to the scenery. Richard crooked his eyebrows as he suspected something was off. This house seemed eerily familiar to the list of homes that he had gone over with Vanessa.
He stared down his friend as he felt a weird vibe, "What's going on here, Gabriel?"
Gabriel chuckled nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders, "Nothing, man."
Gabriel opened the trunk where Richard's suitcase was and blinked three times quickly at the neighbor's house direction. It was a signal for those inside to know that Richard suspected something was afoot.
Vanessa had not worked the day; she had begged the other residential surgeons and her boss for this day for weeks. She sat alone crying in her garage as she heard the voicemail from Richard that he was finally coming home confirmed. No last-minute cancelations or Covid type of delays.
They had arrived at a place he had paid for more than a year into which he had not stepped. Vanessa had been living in a beautiful home situated in Torrance close to Playa Verdes. It was 10 minutes to the beach and had his favorite restaurants in LA.
Vanessa picked with him in mind with his favorite destinations nearby and his work close by. He shook his head when he saw the beautiful violets and lilies that he suspected Vanessa had planted in front of the house.
His intuition was screaming this was his home; a home Vanessa had lived in over a year alone without him.
Immediately when he opened the door to his surprise there was no one that yelled surprise or no food.
He saw a big screen TV that covered the entire wall and his long-desired Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman in the end of the sofa. The place felt lived in and breathtaking with a bookcase that covered with his favorite novels of all time.
The "Grapes of Wrath", "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck, the game of thrones series, "1984", "Cien años de soledad" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and so on. The books that he had grown up with as he awaited with his dinner waiting for his mother to come home.
His companions and greatest mentors.
Gabriel smiled as he saw his friend gently caress the spines of the books and picking them up gently as he whispered the names softly. This was his present for him for the years he had missed.
They had grown up in a poor neighborhood, so their only recourse was to borrow the books and return them. For Richard who loved to reread the novels until he could resight full lines in the book; it pained Gabriel every time to watch his friend hold the book until it disappeared down the metal box.
Richard got up minutes later as he took his time carefully reading the titles without missing one. His suspicion turned into undeniable truth as he saw the books on the shelf.
Richard felt his eyes water as Gabriel signaled him to continue exploring the home. His curiosity was awakened as he walked around the house carefully inspecting the different things around the home.
On the refrigerator, there were multiple photos that held a deep meaning within his heart. One was a picture of his mother and him covered in flour as they baked a cake for Gabriel. A sneaking Gabriel caught them. Taking the opportunity to surprise them, he took a camera and took a picture of a surprised young Richard with big 'O' face as he threw the flour up and Selena his mother laughing aloud. This was his favorite photo of all time; the photo was timeless with the happy smile on his mother's face. This snapshot fully captured the beauty, the grace, and the greatest smile in his memory of his mother.
He didn't realize as the tears were coming out of his eyes as he looked towards the second photo which was him and Vanessa on a trip in Paris. They had just finished eating in a hole in the wall restaurant where they were the only patrons and having eaten the most delicious meal of their life.
They were about to ask the chef/owner/waiter to take a photo for them when they saw another person come in with sunglasses and a hat.
Richard kindly asked the stranger if she could please take their photo and to which the stranger was kind enough to respond, "I'm delighted to do so."
Removing her sunglasses and hat, to their surprise it was Scarlet Johansson.
Richard blinked a couple of times to check he wasn't dreaming. In a wine induced conversation, Vanessa and Richard had revealed to each other their celebrities that they wouldn't mind having a date with and Scarlet was on his list.
Richard looked too dazed for Vanessa's comfort and kicked Richard in the shin. During that moment, Scarlet with a smile took the picture with a pained expression in Richard's face and that's what you get face on Vanessa.
Right after Scarlet apologized for chuckling and offering to take a "normal picture" to Richard cleared his throat as he politely declined her offer. He suddenly started laughing hysterically as he remembered the memory vividly.
The last photo was a picture of Richard with his mother Selena and Vanessa with her parents at a barbecue for fourth of July. He opened the fridge to find to mostly empty with only cold meats and vegetables.
He made a mental note to stock the fridge fully to cook all the best foods in his repertoire. He had left Vanessa with a recipe book where he wrote the different dishes that he had practiced and learned through cookbooks or YouTube.
He smiled when he saw it on a book stand with a page opened to the Korean Seafood Pajeon that he made on special occasions for his mother since she was a seafood lover. The pages were laminated, one could see the grease or various stains on the corners of the pages as if someone were rapidly turning the pages while cooking the recipe.
He closed the book running his fingers through the title of the book "Our in-Process Cookbook…" by a curious young kid, he had out a picture of himself on the back with his front teeth missing as a kid.
The incident in which he had went searching for his favorite pillow and tripped awhile running back to his bed where he hit the metal frame. Vanessa had always said it was her favorite picture of him so as birthday present, he had it made for her.
He felt his eyes water once again as he walked through the house and realized the efforts that Vanessa had gone through to make this house their home. Having lived his entire life with his mother he felt the love of the atmosphere welcomed him at all turns.
He sighed as he walked into the bedroom as he saw the Casper California king size bed in the middle with identical nightstands with lamps on both sides.
Richard caressed the covers gently as he went to the left side where Vanessa usually slept. Hugging the pillow where Vanessa would end the night and the fragrance of Vanessa's hair came through.
He sighed as he spoke his feelings aloud, "What I wouldn't do to have you here with me right now…"
*
Vanessa was currently hiding in the bathtub with the curtains closed in the bathroom as she couldn't leave in the house in time. When she heard Richard's message, she put her hand over her heart as she let herself lean deeper into the tub.
She jumped in fright as she scrambled to put her phone on silent as she received a text from her mother-in-law.
Vanessa's heart started beating frantically as she thought Richard had heard her phone, but the moments passed with no coming movement coming from the bedroom. She overheard the steps as he walked out of the room, and she sighed in relief.
She took her phone and read the text.
"Where are you?" The text message read.
She responded quickly, "Be there in a sec, I couldn't get out in time. In the bathtub of the bathroom…"
"Hey, there beautiful. May I have your name?" Vanessa jumped in shock as she saw Richard right in front of her without his shoes.
She composed herself and put her best disinterested face as she responded, "No, I don't think I'll do that. My parents told me to stay away from pretty boys that act too flirty."
Richard chuckled as he leaned forward to brush her hair, "Is that so?" he reached into his pocket pulling out a box that seemed to be a ring box.
Vanessa immediately yanked it away quickly as she yelled, "Oh, no. Not in a bathtub! That won't be our story!"
Richard laughed louder as he opened it showing that those were air pods, "Um, Vanessa, those are my air pods. You thought I was going to…"
Vanessa got red as she waved her hands frantically, "No no no no…"
Richard clutched his stomach as his prank had worked too well and turned serious as he caught his breath, "Vanessa you can tell my mom that I don't know anything right now… or we can perhaps… maybe…"
Vanessa cut him off as she pulled him closer to give him a deep kiss. After what felt like an eternity and too short to savor, she moaned as she pushed him away, "Later…"
Vanessa took her a deep breath as she ignored her instincts as his mother was waiting next door with the neighbor. The food was all in the neighbor's house as Richard was always observant so they figured that there was a good chance he would find out.
Every single person had practiced a single recipe in the book given to her for weeks for this party.
Vanessa took Richard's hand to get up from the tub and saw Richard's clothes which was full business class as his colleagues in China had seen him off. He was wearing a grey suit with his hair a little longer than usual with a tight combover and fade on the sides.
He looked clean and ready to go to work even though he had been on a plane for the last 16 hours.
She got her phone out of her pocket and texted Selena, "He knows… Bring the food… Sorry…"
"Don't worry about it. I could never keep anything from that kid." Followed by a emoji of person, shaking their head.
Vanessa with her light blue summer dress with white scandals that complimented her wavy ginger hair, green eyes and a bit of freckles that poked through her light make-up. She wore small diamond shaped earrings and a small heart gold neckless that was given to her by Richard.
Richard whistled when at her when he saw her full ensemble when she stepped out of the tub. It really was too long for both.
She walked out the back door to let in the others to come in. As she was coming out, she saw the adorable girl that lived next door with her cute white dress with sunflowers and pigtails.
The neighbors had two children one was ten which was the boy who was always protective of his little sister that was seven. Through her time living at the house, she would get invited over to eat dinner at times or join movie night.
She appreciated the invitation every time as it filled void of not having Richard at home.
She waved at May as she walked to Elena to thank them, "Thank you so much for allowing us to put the food next door. Sorry for the inconvenience."
Elena quickly waved her off, "It's okay. I understand." She got closer nudging Vanessa, "So when do we get to meet the guy? After hearing all the stories I'm curious who was lucky enough to end up with you."
Vanessa blushed as she was teased, "He's changing into something more comfortable; he just had a 16-hour flight. Oh, there he comes…" She pointed at Richard who had changed into a plain white t-shirt and sweatpants that hugged his thighs.
Elena blushed fanning herself a bit, "Oh, I didn't know you were the lucky one… He's so… well-built…"
Vanessa laughed awkwardly as didn't know if to be offended or not, "He had lenient hours back in China, so he got into working out with some work buddies."
She signaled Richard to come after he had given his greetings to her parents and Selena. Richard smiled as he saw the person that had given Vanessa a sense of home while he was away.
"Thank you so much for taking care of her for me. I need to repay the favor." He bowed as he was accustomed from his trip, "Please join us. We'll have great food as I'm being told and some wine." Turning to see the shy adorable girl hugging her leg, "Your gorgeous children can come of course. They resemble the parents."
Elena blushed at the compliment getting redder by the second, "I… Let me ask Tim…" She started to frantically search for her husband, she scouted him with her son eating from Selena's tray full of seafood pajeon.
She face palmed as she called him, "Tim, Richard has invited us to his welcome party with the children. What do you say?"
Tim smiled as he thought of the food drooling a bit, "Wha… Of course, sweetie. Sorry just thinking about the food…"
Richard laughed signaling them to enter with their children holding Vanessa back, "Thank you for this…"
Vanessa replied with a radiant smile as she held his hand and as they walked in together.
The party was remarkable success with Richard savoring each bite of food that he tasted and getting to see his family once again. The children were shy when they first saw Richard, but it didn't take long for bribes to take effect.
Timothy worked in finance as well like Richard just in the DoD industry working at Raytheon Technologies. His wife Elena worked as a psychologist with her office that was minutes away from her home.
They married right around Richard's age of 25 and built a wonderful family. Elena was German while Timothy was two second generation British living in the US.
The more Richard learned about them ignoring the children's film in the background, the more he saw the similarities between Vanessa and himself.
The party lasted until around midnight with the Elena and Timothy heading back with two sleepy children in their hands.
"Mijo, te veo el domino. ¿Recuerda llamarme antes que vengas por la casa, okay?" She wrapped her arms around his neck kissing him on cheek.
Nodding Richard accompanied her to the Uber door, "Keep her safe. Thank you,"
Gabriel lived nearby deciding to sleep over with Richard's permission in the guest bedroom.
Vanessa was a bit tipsier with having enjoyed the party with the company. She laid back on the Eames lounge chair as she watched Richard wear an apron as he wrapped up the food into a multiple Tupperware and washing the dishes.
She stared at Richard wanting to wrap him up and chain him up so he couldn't leave her anymore. The months were hard personally even with the extra attention from her friends and the neighbors.
Having built a wonderful relationship with a man and then him leaving for his career. She couldn't tell him no and have him miss a wonderful opportunity for his career.
Before she knew it Richard had finished the dishes and cleaning the kitchen. He picked her up and took her to bed. She curled up into him like a kitten.
"Late in the night, Richard's phone lit up, interrupting the peaceful silence of the dark bedroom. He quickly checked the time - it was around three. Vanessa stirred beside him, and he gently slid his hand away from her neck before reaching for the phone. The text was from Gabriel, his longtime friend and gaming buddy: 'Zombies?'
Richard grinned, knowing exactly what Gabriel was referring to. He tiptoed out of the room and found Gabriel in the living room, surrounded by empty snack bags and soda cans. The PS5 was on, the TV flickering with the menu screen of Call of Duty's zombie mode.
'You found the controllers?' Richard whispered, grabbing a bag of chips.
'Yeah, man. And look at all these unlocked guns!' Gabriel replied, pointing excitedly at the screen.
Richard chuckled. 'I know, right? Even Vanessa got into COD.'
Gabriel raised an eyebrow. 'Really? I can't picture her playing this.'
Richard nodded, popping a chip into his mouth. 'She's surprisingly good at it, too.'
The two friends settled onto the couch, picking their favorite characters and gearing up for another round of zombie-slaying. As the sound of gunfire and zombie groans filled the room, Richard couldn't help but feel grateful for these small moments of friendship and fun amidst the chaos of his demanding job and long-distance relationship."
The hours flew by in a blur of adrenaline and laughter as they battled wave after wave of zombies, each one more ferocious than the last. Richard felt his body tense with each new challenge, but the thrill of the game kept him going.
As Gabriel said his goodbyes and left for his double date with Amy, Richard stretched out his sore muscles with a loud groan. He rummaged through the fridge, looking for a quick pick-me-up, unaware that he was being watched.
Suddenly, Vanessa leapt out from behind the fridge door, making Richard jump in surprise. She doubled over in laughter at his reaction, relishing her little prank.
Recovering from his shock, Richard gave her a playful glare. "You got me good," he said, grinning.
Vanessa shrugged nonchalantly. "I try my best."
Richard took a moment to appreciate the sight of Vanessa, her hair mussed up from just waking up and pranking him, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "So, what's the plan for later?" he asked, trying to ignore the sudden surge of emotion in his chest.
Vanessa poured herself a cup of coffee, her movements slow and deliberate. "Well, it depends on what you're in the mood for. There's a great sushi place if you're in the mood for seafood."
Richard nodded, his mind already drifting back to the game they had just played. He had missed these little moments, the easy banter and playful teasing. They had lost so much time, but he was determined to make up for it.
As Vanessa walked up to him, her hand trailing lightly along his ear, Richard felt his heart skip a beat. "We didn't have our reunion as we were supposed to," she whispered, her lips hovering just inches from his.
Without a second thought, Richard pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss, his arms wrapping tightly around her. This was where he belonged, he realized. With Vanessa, sharing intimate moments like this. Nothing else mattered.
Hours later…
Amy sat in the passenger seat of Gabriel's car, using the car mirror to put on the final touches of her makeup. Gabriel, her boyfriend, was tapping on the steering wheel rhythmically as they waited for Richard and Vanessa to arrive at the sushi spot they had chosen for brunch.
"You know Richard isn't going to care about any of that," Gabriel remarked as Amy put the mirror back in place.
"First impressions leave a lasting impression," she replied, turning to him. "Plus, what if he's cuter than you?"
Gabriel shrugged, "Don't worry, Vanessa is good enough for me too. I guess we'll become swingers."
Amy laughed and playfully hit his shoulder. "I would never leave my Superman," she said, giving him a small peck on the cheek.
As Richard's Tesla pulled up, Gabriel pointed at the car and said, "They're here. Let's go."
Gabriel and Amy got out of the car and walked over to greet Richard and Vanessa. "You're late longer than fifteen minutes," Gabriel said, sounding slightly irritated.
Vanessa apologized, "I'm sorry about that. I called ahead, though, so they should have our table ready for us."
"Beautiful and sensible. Good pair. You found yourself a nice girlfriend," Richard said, extending his arm to introduce himself.
"I'm Richard. I hope he has told you some good things," he said to Amy.
"Amy. I've only heard the truth as Gabriel tells it. And you must be Vanessa, right?" Amy replied.
"Yes, I'm Vanessa," Vanessa answered with a smile.
Over the course of the meal, the conversation flowed easily, ranging from stories about their work to discussing their shared interests. After thirty minutes of laughter and good food, Amy asked, "So, when do you return to work?"
"Probably in two weeks. They're giving me time to rest and acclimate myself back to the time zone. You? Tell me how you are doing?" Richard replied.
"It's been tough. With travel restrictions ongoing and military infection rates going up, we're in hiatus. We have a temporary base that I'm taking you for the shooting lesson tomorrow. The colonel there just has us waiting," Gabriel said.
Vanessa chimed in, "I go back to work on Monday. I'm going to be on graveyard shifts for a while for this. Taking these three days off. But let's not talk about so depressing things like work. How did you two meet?"
Gabriel shared the story of how they met during training for a field operation. "We needed a gunner and drone specialist, and Amy was perfect for the job. She approached me saying, 'Hey, Superman have a girlfriend?' I replied, 'Nope.' She said, 'You're mine then.'"
Richard and Vanessa applauded, and Richard asked, "What did you do then?"
"What could I do? The most beautiful woman I've seen before told me I was hers. Hell, if she wanted me to use me as a dummy, I'll let her. Then I heard her voice and that marvelous personality… and I fell stupidly in love…" Gabriel said, turning to Amy with a smile.
The people in the restaurant joined in with the applause, thinking that a proposal had just happened. After the commotion died down, the conversation turned to scheduling tomorrow's gun range shooting.
As they finished their meal and said their goodbyes, Gabriel and Amy couldn't help but feel grateful for the time they spent with Richard and Vanessa. It had been a long time since they had seen each other, and the reunion was exactly what they needed to lift their spirits.
"Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh…" Richard let himself sink into the couch he was going on over 36 hours without sleep.
Vanessa, equally exhausted, joined him on the couch and picked up the remote. "Anything you want to watch?"
Richard yawned and covered his mouth with his hand. "About Time."
Vanessa smiled reminiscently as she pulled up Netflix. "Our love story movie. Every couple has one."
Richard chuckled. "Yeah, the way Tim and Mary meet in the party is remarkably like how our relationship started."
The way Tim and Mary meet in the party was remarkably like the way their relationship started.
Richard had been forced to go out to a party that his co-worker had invited him spending the party in the corner reading a book.
He knew he looked like douche, but his coworker Mark had guilt-tripped him into the party citing that one time he took a fall for him.
"Come on, man! If I didn't take the fall for that liquidity ratio being off on the project. I've would definitely gotten the offer…"
Sighing as he was right, he agreed. It wasn't a big incident since Charles ended up getting a great offer with another Big 4 company.
Minding his own business, Richard was reading, 'Children of Dune' the third book in the series. This was how had originally planned to spend his Saturday night anyway. With a cold ice Corona and pretzels, perfect day. What a waste.
"I always thought Star Wars ripped off Dune. Guess it goes to show you a young Mark Hamill and slave Leia can make something widely popular."
Richard felt discombobulated for a second as never heard truer words before. This was something he often preached religiously when given a forum.
Turning to see who had spoken the crux of his argument he found himself staring longer than appropriate.
Vanessa was wearing tight blue jeans with plain white shirt, wavy ginger hair and green eyes. He was dumbstruck.
Letting out a laugh she saw Richard had left her hanging just staring.
"…"
Brushing her hair to side she got closer sitting next to him, "So, I'm Vanessa. You are?"
"Uh huh…"
"So, your name?" this time she had a concerned look as she was getting nothing from him. She could tell he was interested.
It was combination of her personality that excluded from her and her comment that directly aligned with his. He was speechless.
Stumbling as he closed his book, "R-richard."
"So, Richard why would you read a book in the middle of a party? Kind of douchy don't you think?"
Taking a deep breath to find his composure, "I got guilt tripped into this party. I had the perfect evening planned. Celtics games at four-thirty, beer, and a beautiful steak. After the game, relax with a nice playlist and read this book. Unfortunately, the guilt-trip extended into helping setup the party, so it wasn't the perfect day."
Looking at her watch it was about five, "If we leave now, we can still catch the second half."
His look was priceless. It was combination of flustered and delighted.
Sighing as he saw people were starting to come in, "I don't think that's right. Mark would get pissed."
"Aww, come on now. Did you work with Mark at an internship? Are you that Richard?"
"Ya, that's me."
Shaking her head in disappointment, "Mark was never going to accept the job. His uncle had a position lined up at Deloitte since the start of that internship. He was just doing that internship to get people off his uncle about the clear nepotism. Clearly it didn't matter in the end."
Pulling him up as she excused people out of the way, "He mentioned that he would tell you. What an asshole. Did he say anything that 'error' you made?"
Shaking his head as struggled to make sense on what was going on, "The last-minute inputs he was supposed to put in were totally wrong. He was on the phone the entire day and knew you would get the blame for the file. To appease his self-conscious, he decided to take the fall for it."
Before he knew it, they were standing outside, "So which is your car?"
Still confused and pissed he was still wrapping his head around everything, "Over there. That green one."
"Didn't you just get hired?" The car he pointed at was a brand-new Model S Tesla.
"Oh, I stock traded while in school and made some good money."
Smiling happily as they walked towards his car, "Let's go!"
The rest was history. Richard found himself a beautiful woman that loved basketball and reading. That was enough for him.
As the relationship grew, they found commonality in important topics children, marriage, and career importance. The real arguments began in talking about books, which country to travel to, and which culture had better food.
Vanessa was Korean and Richard Mexican. The discussions were spicy.
Vanessa brushed Richard's hair as he slept on her lap. He accustomed to sleep talking his worries when he was particularly stressed.
At times, Vanessa wanted nothing more than to put her foot down and talk about the lack of communication that went on while he was away.
Clearly their jobs were demanding and being on the other side of the world didn't help. It wasn't irregular for them to work over twelve hours days most of the week. The odds were stacked against them.
"I'm…. sorry…. Vanessa…."
She squeezed a little harder as she brushed his hair watching the movie that was halfway done.
"You always knew what to say…" Her tears fell onto to his hair sinking in.
Wiping her eyes, questioning herself why she would cry out of nowhere.
"It's definitely the movie. It's too sad."
The sleep was getting to her as well. To make up the favor, she covered for her coworkers to give her these three days.
Including doing a 24-shift on Thursday to conclude her week.
Laying parallel to him she continued to brush his hair as she saw his eyes fluster in his sleep. Even shedding a tear as if he were getting reprimanded.
"So, dream me is giving it to you. I guess that's good enough." Putting the TV lower she sank into a deep sleep with her partner.
Knock Knock
"Ma, it's me. We gotta get going soon if we're going to make in time." Richard was picking up his mom for the shooting range.
"Ya, voy. Este nino." Scrambling as she put on her cap, she put an annoyed face as she was hurried.
"Hola, Vanessa. Making me hurry when you were the late one…" Making herself comfortable, "Is this a shooting range or a base? I'm confused."
Vanessa was driving so Richard answered, "Officially you call it a temporary base. Gabriel got permission to have us and go over the exercises his team does."
Selena was worried, "Isn't Gabriel a marine?"
"Mom, it's going to be beginner stuff. Promise. At least that's what he told us over lunch yesterday."
"Ok ok."
"So where is the base?"
"San Pedro near the ocean at least that's what it tells us on map. He only gave us the coordinates. Technically it isn't supposed to appear on the map. When I searched last night, nothing popped up." Looking back over his shoulder, "Oh yea, I forgot to mention. The neighbors said they would come if their children behaved. So maybe you'll get to see them there."
Thirty-eight minutes later in LA traffic
"Hello, ids and we'll be doing a quick search of the vehicle if you don't mind." Before Vanessa could even agree two additional guards came to check the car with mirror to check underneath and inspecting inside.
Five minutes later in uncomfortable silence.
"Good to go. Go ahead and go straight. There will be a building with officer Amy and Lieutenant Gabriel outside awaiting your arrival."
Waving them goodbye with a wide smile, Vanessa followed his instructions and found Amy.
"Glad you were able to make it on time. Head in that bungalow and leave your electronics in there please. This place isn't meant to be photographed."
Nodding they went to drop off their electronics and followed Amy to a hangar that had multiple equipment everywhere.
Constructed rooms with dummies with bullet holes in them and military trucks on the other side.
Gabriel inspecting the weapons they would use for today's instruction class making sure they were cleaned and wouldn't jam on the beginners.
"Glad you were able to make it! Don't get intimated by the courses here. We'll only be learning how to load, posture, and trigger discipline."
Demonstrating his personal handgun, "This is a Sig Saucer P320 M18, a steel-framed, single-action slash double-action hammer-fired pistol. This means it is a heavier, metal gun with two different trigger pulls for single- and double-action."
"Here is where you push to bring out your magazine and this your switch will allow the firearm to fire. Red means hot ready to go and shoot. Cover it and the gun will not shoot. When overseeing a weapon only switch it when ready to fire. Handing it to others make sure to lower the gun to the ground away from your feet. All guns have a recoil and I'll teach you the stance."
Taking out the magazine and clocking the gun to ensure no bullets were inside, he handed it others, "Feel the weight and familiarize yourself with it."
The colonel walked in on the training part. Gabriel and Amy went into an immediate salute on his entrance.
"At ease." Walking up to Amy giving her a hug he looked at his guests in the base.
"Welcome to base leopard! I am Colonel Marcus Briggs. My niece Amy told me of your arrival today. Was there not supposed to be four more of you?"
"Sir, they let me know that their children were a little rowdy so there was a delay but will be arriving soon."
"No worries. Richard I was told that you were active in working out in your overseas trip. Think you can manage to complete one of our daily exercise courses?" The colonel had a mischievous side as he personally was challenged Richard to one of their training exercises.
Richard looked at one of the courses that some soldiers were doing this morning. It consists of running a quarter of mile with heavy tire tied around your waist, into thirty burpees, carrying your partner another quarter of mile, another set of burpees, into pull-ups and sit-ups.
In summary, tiring as fuck. Richard was confident he could take the challenge, but he had seen how the same of soldiers had run the course multiple times and with little rest.
Nodding as he felt he could, "I think I could…"
Smiling widely at Richard taking the obvious bait, "I'll let Officer Amy and Lieutenant Gabriel finish your training. I'll come later to retrieve you."
Since the colonel walking away, Gabriel walked to his side putting his hand on his shoulder, "Richard, I think you've making a huge mistake. You're going to suffer today. If I were you, I'll just say you were feeling cocky and you were scared off by the description."
Continuing the lesson not letting the arrival of the Colonel mess with class.
The class finally went through all the safety part of the course and were ready to begin shooting.
In that part, the neighbors' arrived Tim was carrying his daughter in his arms and Elena was holding her boy back as he was excited with the environment. With training courses that copied his favorite video games, his wishes were coming true.
"Hey, there. Sorry about arriving late. We got caught up doing other things. Hope we're not too late…" Elena struggled as she was pushed forward by her boy to the different made environment sets for training.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, May patted her dad's chest asking, "Where are we daddy?"
Brushing her soft hair, "We've arrived at the base I've told you about during breakfast."
Squirming in his arms to be put down she obediently grabbed her daddy's hand as they went to the group that was conversing.
"Can I touch your badge!?" Oscar was pointing out the badges that Amy and Gabriel had on their uniform.
Smiling as his innocent attitude, he took off his pin and putting on him, "Take care of it. It's important to me. To us. Listen to your parents. Got me?"
Nodding as if his hero were still telling him, "Alright Amy if you could take care of going over the basics. I'll take Richard and others to begin their training."
The training was fun for the group. The most accurate shooter of the newbies was Elena who had hid she had experience with hunting and practice shooting in the past. Having grown up in the Midwest, hunting was part of her life.
"Well, that was a lot of adrenaline and excitement." Vanessa made sure to unload the weapon and put it back on the table.
The Colonel came back as promised. Carrying his usual upright, but casual approach.
"At ease." Turning to Richard, "So, Richard ready to have some fun?"
Some people laughed as Richard looked nervous.
The people kept their expressions as they were frozen in time. Their physical bodies were here, but their spirits were transported in a realm beyond their understanding. It would be start of a long war that in the end there were no real winners. Just people who lost less than others.