Dear Aaron
Page 4
A shower out of a coffeemaker? Something is better than nothing. Do you have a shower trailer where you’re at now? I’m also not going to make a comment about changing your clothes every other week.
No, I’m not going with her to Moscow. It’s too expensive. She only travels with her coach to international qualifying events. If she moves on to a final, I’ll charge the trip onto my credit card. That’s what I usually do.
Now you have me curious. What do you guys read? I know you said some fantasy, but what else?
I hope I don’t regret asking, but are you close to your dad? Does he or your siblings write you while you’re gone?
Famous. Now you’re trying to make me laugh. I’ll send you a picture of the dress I made my sister for her short program (that’s one of her routines. It’s the shortest one if you can’t tell from the title.) I could do another internship. There’s always something more to learn, but I don’t know. Everyone cried last time I left, and that had only been to Philadelphia where my cousin lives. I’d been 19 back then. I have more responsibilities now. I’d be scared to quit my jobs.
Joining the military for that reason makes a lot of sense. Who knows what they want to do with their lives when they’re 18? Maybe a few people do, but most don’t. With my brother, he learned discipline and grew as a person. It gave him more stability and accountability than my mom gave him. She let him get away with everything when we were younger. She’d never admit it, but he’s her favorite.
I don’t blame anyone for putting up topless pictures of women on their walls. You might as well have something nice to look at while you’re over there. :)
Sorry to hear about your bad day. Like I’ve told you before, if you ever want to vent, I’m here. Just tell me you don’t want a response, and I won’t even say a word. I know sometimes you just have to talk and don’t necessarily want an opinion back.
I’m glad my ruined breakfast made at least one of us happy. :P This isn’t that funny, but last night I was trying to put pepper on my dinner and the entire cap came off. There was literally what looked like three tablespoons of pepper on my plate. My little sister and I play pranks on each other, so I know it was her doing. I purposely didn’t call to blame her. I don’t need her to know she got me. I’ll plan my revenge so she doesn’t expect it.
Hope you’re okay,
Ruby
From: Aaron.Tanner.Hall.mil@mail.mil
Date: October 13, 2008 1:22 p.m.
To: RubyMars@mail.com
Subject: Re: Jimmy Rigging
Ruby,
Crap show… are you trying to tell me something? Did you go with anyone else other than your friend? I want to ask if you got rained on, but that’s too obvious. Did you step in crap? Human crap if you want to be specific.
We do have showers. The water isn’t the best; they tell us not to open our eyes or get any in our mouths, but you deal. At one point on another deployment, they paid a water truck to spray us down because we were in the same situation with no shower facilities. You really grow to appreciate hot water over here.
If she makes it through the qualifying rounds, do you already know where the final is?
What do we read… there’s a lot of fantasy, thriller, mystery, court drama stuff… some romance books too. Halo is the most action a lot of us like to deal with. The rest gets our mind off things going on around us. We share books around here all the time. Do you read? I can’t remember if you told me you do or not.
Me and my dad get along all right. He isn’t a fan of me being in the army, but we talk and message at least once a week. I can’t complain much. My sister and brother both write, but not as often…. Maybe once a month.
That picture you sent me of your sister’s ice-skating costume looks like something that belongs in a museum. You made that? For real?
I’ll tell you why I was upset. You might have seen it on the news already, but two soldiers were killed while on patrol. I’ve known one of them for a few years. We’d been stationed in Germany together. Our Internet gets blacked out every time an incident like that happens, to give the military time to identify the bodies and contact families. This time, they blacked it out for two days. One of the guys’ sisters messaged me after she found out because he’d told her we were here together and he had given her my e-mail “just in case.” “Just in case” are the worst three words in the world, don’t let anybody tell you different. You can’t not expect the worst… that would be stupid, but… I don’t know…. What’s messed up is that a part of me wishes he hadn’t done that. How do you tell someone’s sister… somebody who doesn’t want to believe her little brother is gone… that it’s true? Not going to front, writing her back gave me stomach cramps.
Pranks are a big thing here, even though half of them go wrong with all the high emotions and the stress everyone is under all the time. A few days ago, someone got a care package and offered to share things he got and it almost caused a fight. He mixed bags of M&Ms and Skittles in a container. Separate, great. Together? Not so much.
Hope to hear from you soon.
-A
From: RubyMars@mail.com
Date: October 15, 2008 1:05 a.m.
To: Aaron.Tanner.Hall.mil@mail.mil
Subject: Poop water?
Aaron,
…how did you know I stepped in a pile of poop? Has it happened to you?
I’m scared to ask and sorry to bring up the “P” word again, but is there poop in the water? Is that why they don’t want you putting it in your mouth? What do you do about brushing your teeth? Bottled water?
If my little sister makes it through (and I think she will), the final will be in France in December. My mom and her husband told me they’re going to Russia with her. They had applied for a visa, but it hadn’t come through until now, so they’re scrambling for plane tickets. She’s the baby and everyone spoils her.
Sharing books makes a lot of sense. That’s nice to hear you all aren’t greedy. You could start a book swap for money. Not saying that you need it, but you could make it work. I think I’ve heard of people doing that in jail, setting up a bartering system type thing. Romance and fantasy novels floating around base doesn’t sound crazy at all. Everyone needs a happily ever after. Now tell me the truth. I’m not judging. How many of them have you read?
I like reading anything and everything. :)
You’re flattering me to death. Yes, I made that dress. It took me almost a hundred hours to make it.
You have a heart and a conscience, losing someone you know is going to be hard. I doubt it’s ever supposed to be easy. I’m really sorry about your friend and the other soldiers. I don’t really know what to say besides I’m sorry, and even that sounds lame, but I hope you understand where I’m coming from.
Mixing M&Ms and Skittles? That’s mean. I would never do something like that. I’m lying. My sister and I rigged up an airbag once for my brother who isn’t a marine. That was the best $100 I’ve ever spent.
Hope you’re doing all right.
-Ruby
From: Aaron.Tanner.Hall.mil@mail.mil
Date: October 19, 2008 1:44 p.m.
To: RubyMars@mail.com
Subject: RE: Poop Water
Ruby,
The server has been down for the last few days. Sorry for not writing back sooner.
I’ve never admitted to anyone except to my friends who were with me, but yeah, I’ve stepped in a warm pile of crap once. Appreciate you joining the club.
There’s all kinds of things in the water, not limited to the brown stuff. You’re supposed to rinse out your mouth with bottled water. They purify it so fast to meet demand it isn’t really filtered at all, but it’s gotten better than it was years ago. Some of us have gotten kidney stones from how many minerals there were in it at one point. Add that up with getting constipation from the MREs and it’s a party on your intestines.
Why do I have a feeling you’re a hustler? Trying to get me to start a bartering system… It made me s
mile. This stays between us, right? I’ve read four romances. Two of them were pretty cheesy, but the others weren’t bad. I get why the shelves at the grocery store back home are stocked. Sometimes it’s nice to deal with things that aren’t all about life and death.
What do you like reading?
A hundred hours to make one dress? Is that normal?
What did your brother do to deserve getting the airbag trick?
Sorry this is short. Everyone wants to check their e-mails.
Hope you had a good week.
-Aaron
From: RubyMars@mail.com
Date: October 22, 2008 3:05 a.m.
To: Aaron.Tanner.Hall.mil@mail.mil
Subject: The Poop Club
Aaron,
Don’t even worry about. I’m glad you’re fine.
Thank you for inviting me to this exclusive club I regret admitting being a member of. :) When and why did you step in it? It = poop.
Kidney stones from the water. Whoa. You guys drink a ton of it too to stay hydrated, don’t you? I had a friend who passed stones once. She said it was almost as bad as giving birth, and she doesn’t have your… parts… genitals… you know what I mean.
Me? A hustler? Busted. After my parents split up, money was tight (remember I mentioned making my own Halloween costumes?). I made lemonade and babysat every weekend. When I was old enough to get a job, I didn’t have a car so I couldn’t get a normal job, and we lived too far away to walk anywhere (don’t get me started on my mom thinking if I took the bus I would end up on a milk carton—keep in mind people haven’t been putting kids’ faces on milk cartons since the 80s). What I made during the weekends helping my aunt do patch-ups jobs and making random ice-skating outfits for my sister and other girls in her classes was enough to make up for not working after school.
If you want, you can tell me which two romances you read that you enjoyed. I’m curious, and by curious, what I’m trying to tell you is that I want to read them.
No judging, right? I’ve read Twilight more times than I can count, The Alchemist, Pride and Prejudice, and The Chronicles of Narnia over and over and over again.
The fabric I used for her dress is really hard to work with, but the adorning (the beads and crystals) were a giant pain in the butt. If anyone else had asked for it, I would’ve charged them an arm and a leg or said no, but I couldn’t say no to my sister. I didn’t want her to skate in front of hundreds of people looking raggedy.
My brother switched the salt with the sugar the day before Thanksgiving. Every dessert was ruined and the turkey… no. No. He deserved what he got. We ended up having to go to KFC to buy food. I have the video on my phone of him and the airbag if you want to see it. It’s just about my favorite thing in the world.
My dumb story of the week: I walked into a glass patio door yesterday. There’s still a red mark on my forehead. Enjoy that.
Take care,
Ruby
From: Aaron.Tanner.Hall.mil@mail.mil
Date: October 26, 2008 1:41 p.m.
To: RubyMars@mail.com
Subject: RE: The Poop Club
Ruby,
Did you pee in a dark corner at Mardi Gras too? I stepped in crap at a music festival once. Pissed me off for days, and I had to throw away my shoes.
It’s tough staying hydrated in the desert. I drink gallons a day and pee all the time. You sweat nonstop for hours, but on some days, even if you think you’re drinking enough water, you might only go twice. Those are the days you have to worry.
I can’t remember the titles of those books I read. Not lying, I’m being for real. The names were familiar though. I’m sure they carry them at the grocery store.
The only one of those you mentioned that I’ve read has been Chronicles of Narnia, but the rest I haven’t. Sparkly vampires aren’t my thing. :] The only book I’ve reread in my life was Ender’s Game. Have you read that one?
The thing about your mom thinking you were going to get kidnapped made me laugh. If she didn’t love you, she wouldn’t worry. Did you use your lemonade money to buy a sewing machine? My sister used to have one of those things that puts beads on clothes. Did you have one of those? I just realized you’ve mentioned being close to your brothers and sisters but not your parents. Do they live close by? Did they remarry?
You stitched each bead on your sister’s dress? It looks like there’s a thousand on there.
All right, the thing with your brother makes sense. You don’t ruin Thanksgiving dinner. Did he learn his lesson? My family was never into pranks. If I would’ve done that, they all would’ve lost it, and not in the same way.
Send a picture of your forehead.
-A
From: Aaron.Tanner.Hall.mil@mail.mil
Date: October 30, 2008 12:17 p.m.
To: RubyMars@mail.com
Subject: Thank you
Ruby,
I got your package in the mail today. Thank you for my pizza kit. Freeze dried cheese? I read your instructions step by step twice. How’d you figure out melting it would work? I’ve already had people trying to buy it off me… the movies, pictures and snacks too. The salt and vinegar chips will be gone in two days max. Thanks a lot.
Hope you’re okay.
-Aaron
Chapter 6
November
From: RubyMars@mail.com
Date: November 1, 2008 2:01 a.m.
To: Aaron.Tanner.Hall.mil@mail.mil
Subject: Surprise!
Aaron,
I’m glad you got the package! I wasn’t sure how long it would take to get there. Besides sending my brother things (and he’d never tell me he got them or say thank you), I’ve only sent one other person care packages (not the “tick lick” guy). I dragged my brother with me to Target and made him help me choose things for you. I put my thinking cap on to figure out how I could send you cheese that wasn’t perishable (there aren’t that many options) and then experimented a lot. I ruined a pound of the freeze-dried stuff before I got the measurements for the water to cheese ratio correct to rehydrate it. It isn’t the best tasting pizza in the world, and if you hate it, my feelings won’t be hurt. :)
I bought and sent you a few books yesterday. Only books, nothing else, don’t get too excited. Hope you don’t care about surprises. I don’t.
Me? Find a dark spot to pee in? Busted. I’m crying laughing. I made my friend keep an eye out for me while I did it. Now I need to text her and remind her about it so she can laugh too. Did someone you know tell you they had to do that? There’s nowhere to pee!
Worrying about how much you pee in a day is something I never even thought about. Do they give you bottles of water or do you reuse them?
You “don’t remember the titles.” Okay. Right. I pinky swear I won’t judge whatever your read. Hint, hint, hint.
I read Twilight right after it came out. I was 19. This is a judgment-free zone, remember? Have I read Ender’s Game? Is there a moon in the sky? I’m kidding. Yes, I did, and I enjoyed it a lot.
I know my mom loves me. You can’t be that overprotective if you didn’t love someone, and there’s no one more protective than my mom. If she could have given me everything I ever wanted, she would have. After my parents separated, we all stayed with her. My dad moved back to San Francisco. That’s where most of his family lives. He has a sister who lives here in Houston. The only reason my parents moved here (Texas) was because of my mom’s family. My dad hated living here. He says the humidity reminded him too much of the Philippines when he was a kid.
I still see my dad at least once a year. He comes down to visit, and I try to go see him sometimes in Cali. He got remarried a few years ago to a nice woman with three kids who are cool. My mom on the other hand… she’s been remarried three times since him. Husband #4 is five years older than me.
There’s one thousand two hundred and four beads/sequins on the dress I made her. Good guess.
My brother didn’t learn his lesson. On Christmas that year, he brought a pan
of brownies. Pot brownies. Everyone except my little sister ended up high as a kite. It was probably the best Christmas I’ve ever had since I was a kid. It was a lot of fun even though my mom got really mad afterward.
Why weren’t your parents into pranking? Are they really serious? Not that there’s anything wrong with it, just curious.
No picture or video of running into the door, but it happened. Ben, husband #4, was on the floor laughing. My mom walked out of the kitchen. Luckily it was only them who saw it, otherwise it would take two lifetimes to live it down instead of one. My mom texted everyone to tell them what happened. That’s my family for you.
I just got home from a concert. I left my earplugs at home and don’t think my ears will ever be the same. I’m about to pass out. Hope you’re okay.
-Ruby
From: Aaron.Tanner.Hall.mil@mail.mil
Date: November 3, 2008 3:27 p.m.