“You’re going to do real well there. I’ve got full confidence in you.”
“Well, I’ve got a head’s start, thanks to you. And the staff sergeant, of course.”
“Eh, no big deal. We’re always looking out for good Marines. Everyone wants to be a grunt, but someone’s got to pull their asses out of the fire, dontcha-know.”
“I’m looking forward to it. Something new.”
“How’s your girlfriend taking it?” she asked. “Nine months at school’s a long time, and I doubt you’re coming back to the station here.”
Jeez! Is that all anyone wants to know?
Noah had already told the Princess, Sampson, and Pad-Man, and the first thing anyone wanted to know was about Miriam. But now even Sergeant Phong? Was his personal life common knowledge in the battalion?
“I haven’t told her yet,” he admitted.
“Don’t put it off, Marine. And don’t lead her on.
“But hell, I know you won’t. You’re one of the good guys, right? You know what you have to do,” she said, clapping him on the shoulder—and leaving a smudge of black on his utility blouse.
I guess I’m going to have to get used to that, he mused.
“I’m on my way to the exchange now, Sergeant. She’s on her shift.”
“Well, then, I’m not going to keep you. Anyway, congrats. You’ll do well, I know.”
“And thank you, Sergeant. You were a big help.”
“My pleasure.”
Noah left the maintenance bay, took the elevator to AB, and headed down the passage to the exchange. His heart-rate started to rise and she tried, for the hundredth time, to formulate what he was going to say.
He’d only just now received his orders, but both Noah and Miriam had known that he was approaching the end of his tour. Once, they’d even discussed Noah getting out and staying on Wayfarer, but that was really a non-starter. It had taken Noah some time to find his way within the Corps, but now it felt like home. With his parents and Ben gone, and now with Esther not speaking to him, Turtle, Princess, Pad-Man, Sampson—they were his family now.
Noah paused in front of the hatch, took a deep breath, then waved it open. Miriam was with a new private, patiently explaining to him how to hack his rack with Springtime Air.
“But won’t that make the blanket, like, uncomfortable, ma’am?”
“What do you want, Private? Hospital corners that the gunny will love or a baby soft blankie?” she asked, catching Noah’s eye and winking.
“I guess the hospital corners, ma’am.”
“You guessed right. Let me ring you up.”
Noah watched her, the girl without a direction in life, now Mz. Marine, knowing all the tricks on how to get by in the Corps. She finished up with the boot, then waved Noah over.
“And how’re you today? I didn’t expect to see you until this evening.”
“I know, but I wanted to, well, I mean. . .uh. . .I’ve got something to tell you. I, uh, I got my orders to today. To Camp Ceasare. Forty-two-days-and-a-wake-up.”
He stopped, waiting for a reaction, just staring into her big brown eyes. Miriam said nothing, he said nothing.
Finally, she asked, “And?”
“Well, uh, we’ve been, you know, we’ve been together for almost two years. But Camp Ceasare’s a long ways from here, and tank school’s nine months long. I don’t even know where my next duty station’s going to be yet,” he managed to get out.
“And?” she asked, no emotion showing on her face.
“I know you’ve had a hard life, and I know you’ve found yourself, sort of, ending up here. This is your home now. You fit in here.”
“And?” she asked for the third time.
“And, and, I don’t want to lose you. I want you to come with me to Camp Ceasare. I’m not a sergeant yet, so we can’t get housing or anything like that, but we can figure out something. I know we can,” he spit out in a rush.
“What are you asking, me, Noah Lysander?”
“I want you to marry me!”
Miriam looked at him as Noah had a sudden need to hit the head as a spasm wrenched his gut.
Why isn’t she saying anything? Shit, I knew this was going to happen.
“Noah, I already turned in my notice. Forty-two days and a wake-up.”
“What? Whu. . .why?”
“Why? Because I found out about your orders, of course.”
“How?” he asked, totally confused as to what was going on.
“How do you think? Who’s the camp gossip? Pokky, of course. She told me an hour ago.”
And it dawned on him what she’d just said.
“So you quit? To be with me.”
“Yes, to be with you, Noah. And yes, I will marry you,” she said, jumping up on the counter and sliding her legs around to straddle him.
She gave him a big kiss.
“Uh, PDA,[10] young lady,” Noah gasped as he came up for air.
He didn’t’ let go of her waist, though.
“What’re they going to do, Noah Lysander? Fire me? I already gave them my notice.”
“So, you resigned your job. How did you know I was going to ask you?”
“Really? You have to ask me? I’ve known you for two years. I know you couldn’t survive without me. Besides, you really had no choice. If you hadn’t asked, I would have come anyway. Like it or not, you’re mine.”
She leaned in for one more kiss. And she was right, Noah knew. He didn’t have a choice in the matter.
Not that he wanted one.
Thank you for reading Legacy Marines. If you liked it, please feel free to leave a review of the book in Amazon.
This is the first book of a planned series detailing the life and times of Esther and Noah. Please stand by for the next book of the series, Esther’s Story.
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Other Books by Jonathan Brazee
The United Federation Marine Corps’ Lysander Twins
Legacy Marines
Esther’s Story (Coming Soon)
Noah’s Story (Coming)
Women of the United Federation Marines
Gladiator
Sniper
Corpsman
High Value Target (A Gracie Medicine Crow Short Story)
The United Federation Marine Corps
Recruit
Sergeant
Lieutenant
Captain
Major
Lieutenant Colonel
Colonel
Commandant
Rebel
The Return of the Marines Trilogy
The Few
The Proud
The Marines
The Al Anbar Chronicles: First Marine Expeditionary Force--Iraq
Prisoner of Fallujah
Combat Corpsman
Sniper
Werewolf of Marines
Werewolf of Marines: Semper Lycanus
Werewolf of Marines: Patria Lycanus
Werewolf of Marines: Pax Lycanus
To The Shores of Tripoli
Wererat
Darwin’s Quest: The Search for the Ultimate Survivor
Venus: A Paleolithic Short Story
Non-Fiction
Exercise for a Longer Life
Author Website
http://www.jonathanbrazee.com
* * *
[1] OIC: Officer Indoctrination Course
[2] POD: Plan of the Day
[3] FCDC: The Federal Civil Defense Corps: and all-purpose federal police-slash-army force.
[4] DOR: Drop on Request—a recruit asking to quit.
[5] Realistic Combat Environment Trainer
[6] T/E: Table of Equipment
[7] T/O: Table of Organization
[8
]STF: Shear-Thickening Fluid, a liquid-based armor that thickened to a solid when subjected to a shock.
[9] Loggy: Slang for logistics.
[10] PDA: Public Display of Affection
Legacy Marines (The United Federation Marine Corps' Lysander Twins Book 1) Page 24