Hot Summer Pavement (a working title)

It was hot. Bent over, eating a popsicle, trying to keep it from running down your arm hot. But apparently, Elizabeth Sparling wasn’t leaning far enough, she could feel the purple juice splashing on her toes. Catching her reflection in a storefront window, she saw that she resembled what her best friend would call “a hot mess.” Her bangs were matted to her forehead, and the rest of her long, dark brown hair was falling out of a sloppy ponytail.

This wasn’t working, she needed to find some relief. Some real relief. Taking her cell phone out of her purse, Elizabeth started dialing. There had to be someone that would want to go to the beach with her. Some ocean breezes and cool salt water were just what she needed.

As Elizabeth rounded the corner toward the parking lot where her car was, she stopped cold in her tracks. Lying on the pavement behind her vehicle was a body. She dropped everything she was holding, and started screaming. She didn’t know how long she screamed for, she felt as though she couldn’t stop.

After what must have been an eternity, someone came up and touched her shoulder from behind. She jumped, turned, and instinctively swung a punch in their direction. But the man had great reflexes. He ducked without missing a beat. When Elizabeth noticed who it was, she saw that it was a police officer. But not just any officer, he happened to also be her ex-boyfriend, James Caffrey.

Elizabeth was stunned into silence when his eyes met hers. Those familiar butterflies started flitting around in her stomach again. It had been more than two years since they had broken up, but all those feelings were still there. She was beginning to get lost in memories when Elizabeth realized why he was probably there.

Elizabeth glanced around and realized that, while she was blindly screaming, a small crowd had formed around the parking lot. In the middle of the crowd were more officers and three people whose jackets told her they were from the Coroner’s office. They were huddled over the body, deep in conversation. Her little Toyota had never seen so much action.

Elizabeth turned back to James, “What’s going on? What happened? Who is that?” The questions spewing out one after the other.

“I guess I’m supposed to ask you the same thing, Lizzie,” he answered.

“What? What are you talking about? I’m confused.” He was the only person that had ever called her Lizzie. Hearing his deep voice say it again made her heart flop.

“Well, when I showed up, you were screaming. Why don’t you tell me what all the screaming was about.”

“Um, I was shocked. All I did was turn the corner around the building, and I saw a body behind my car. The screaming just kind of happened.” Elizabeth put a hand to her forehead, and felt her sweaty bangs. Her mind rushed to how awful she must look, and she became suddenly aware of her toes starting to stick together in her sandals.

She winced, and of course, James saw it. An amused look flashed across his eyes before he started questioning her again.

“Okay, do you know who that is behind your car?” he asked her.

“Honestly, I couldn’t tell you,” Elizabeth answered. “I didn’t really get a good look. I mean, there was a person laying behind my vehicle. In the middle of the parking lot. I just remember seeing hair and limbs. Limbs bent in all sorts of unnatural directions.” She shuddered at the memory. “I remember it was a woman?” Elizabeth offered.

“Yes, it is a woman. Now, do you remember seeing anything else as you were coming around the corner?”

“No,” she told him, “I was actually pulling my cell phone out to make a call. I was getting ready to go to the beach, and was looking for someone to go with me. I didn’t see anything unusual. Is that bad?”

“No, it’s not bad,” James said, “but it doesn’t really help us, either. How about people? Did you see anyone that looked out of place? Did you see anyone at all?” He ran a hand through his short, dark hair in frustration.

“James, I’m really sorry. I must be the worst witness. I was completely involved in my phone. Even if I had seen someone, I wasn’t paying any attention to them.” Being questioned by her ex was starting to unnerve Elizabeth. The stickiness from her popsicle was starting to get irritating, too. She leaned to one side, and attempted to wiggle her toes apart.

James spied what Elizabeth was doing, and the amused look returned to his eyes. She started to blush, as a smile spread across his face.

“Lizzie, what are you doing?” There was that name again. The butterflies started to flutter.

“I’d rather not say,” She said, turning bright red now. “But, um, actually, I was eating a popsicle earlier. It’s really hot out, and, well, it started to drip, and now my toes are extremely sticky. And uncomfortable.”

James grabbed his stomach, and burst out laughing. “Only you, Elizabeth Sparling, would dribble sticky juice on your feet, and then happen upon a body in a parking lot. Let me guess, was it purple?”

“Wow, you remember?” Elizabeth was pleasantly surprised.

“I remember a lot, Lizzie,” he answered, his voice suddenly lower and huskier. His bedroom voice. The day just got about a hundred degrees hotter.

One of the other officers chose that moment to come and update them on what they had discovered about the body.

“Hey Caffrey,” the officer began, “this is what we know so far. The victim’s name is Genevieve Anderson. She’s got an apartment a few blocks down from here. Coroner says from internal body temp that she’s been dead at least eight hours. And from the lack of blood on the scene, this isn’t our initial crime scene. She was dumped here.”

A lump had formed in Elizabeth’s throat. “Did you say her name was Genevieve? Is it really Genni? Oh God!” Her knees suddenly felt like rubber. Elizabeth was having trouble standing. James sensed it, and caught her before she could fall.

Genevieve and Elizabeth had been friends since grade school. She was actually who Elizabeth was getting ready to call and invite to the beach. They had spent weekends and summers together. Had graduated high school together, and had even attended the same university. Genevieve Anderson was her dearest, closest friend.

December 28, 2010

Okay, so Christmas was a few days ago, but I always seem to be fashionably late. So, I won’t hold this tardiness against myself. We had a nice, quaint Christmas this December, to reserve ourselves for a much larger celebration in February after we move back to Iowa.

We had several gift exchanges with our closest friends, and a small dinner at the Flowers’s house. We baked cookies for Santa Claus, and opened the few gifts we bought in the morning. Luckily for us parents, our children are still too young to get so excited they wake up at six in the morning. We didn’t unwrap our presents until almost nine o’clock. It was wonderful!

The coming and going of Christmas brings us closer to the close of the current year, and the start of the next. Like most people, our family is excited at the promise the new year will bring. We’ll be closing the book on Jesse’s Active Duty enlistment, and moving back to a place that we’ve only visited a handful of times in the last four years.

It’s exciting to wonder how much the places and faces may have changed in our hometowns. But there are also trepidations. We have no clue what the employment outlook is there, although Jesse does have a job lined up at the warehouse where he used to work. We aren’t sure where we’ll settle, but we do have temporary housing set for us. And since we’ve moved, many of our family and friends have also grown and moved on. I’m not sure how strong my support system will be.

I’m going to miss a lot of the people that I met here at Camp Lejeune, and throughout Jesse’s entire enlistment. I’ve made many friends along the way, and thankfully I keep in contact with almost all of them. They saw me through days and nights when I was bored, lonely, nervous, and even at times on the verge of a breakdown.

I couldn’t have done what I did, survived what I experienced, and become the woman that I am without everyone’s support. I didn’t attend college, so these ladies (and a few men) are my sorority sisters. Sisters in silent arms. I wish that I could just package all of them up and take them along with me.

The Next Chapter

It’s almost time to turn the page, and begin the next chapter in our lives. My husband has decided not to re-enlist, but to separate from the Marine Corps. The thing about starting new chapters is, all the thrilling action in the preceding pages that makes us both look forward to and dread our next steps. Everything that could possibly happen in the last six weeks, seems to have happened.

I’m not going to bore you with details, but, long story short, Mama’s so stressed the dogs are shedding, and have stopped eating. The kids are acting out, and not sleeping. And my husband is complaining that I don’t like him (which is a polite way to say that I won’t let him touch me). Whoever wrote, “When Mama aint’ happy, ain’t nobody happy,” knew what they were talking about. Because my whole house is walking around on pins and needles.

There is still a month left before we hook up the trailer and drive off into the noontime. Which means we are in moving limbo. “To pack or not to pack,” seems to be our motto. What do we need, and what can we live without for the next month? We want to get a head start on the packing, but also don’t want to go without or feel like we’re living in an empty house. The result so far has been a lot of half-packed boxes. Our house is definitely in the “mess before progress” stage.

Oh wait! Did I forget it’s the holidays? Thanksgiving out of town, Christmas with friends, the Battalion Christmas, Family Christmas, New Year’s. My head just started spinning again. There are meals, and baked treats, and presents. Blah, and blah, and blah!

Oh! Oh! Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh! O-H! Guess what my brilliant husband did! He scheduled a pre-move inspection for December 27th. Yup, that’s right. December 27th. Two days after Christmas! So, on top of the holiday, and family back home stress, we have to add cleaning stress!

Let the nervous breakdown commence ...

By the way, if you know of someone in the Cherokee, Iowa, area that has a three bedroom, two bath rental that doesn’t mind dogs, please, let me know. We might need a place to live when we get there. Ugh.

Stop the Ride, I Wanna Get Off!

Ugh. Things have been what seems like a nonstop party for this entire month. The problem is, a lot of work goes into hosting parties. Every weekend there is an event for something or someone. Throughout the week, there are babysitting kids, house cleaning, volunteer commitments, and commitments to my husband.

I feel as though I have been trying to keep a lot of people happy, but not one of them is me. Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing everyone. I love having a house full of people. I love the energy of all those people having a great time. But, at some point in time everyone has to go home. This month is seems like there hasn’t been any point in time when we haven’t had a visitor, or I haven’t had a meeting. Or both.

My girlfriend decided to sell Pampered Chef. So there was an open house at her place, and, of course, I hosted a party at my house. And for some crazy reason, on the day I hosted her PC party I decided to have a garage sale! Oh, not just any garage sale, but a multi-family garage sale. Yes, I brought other people’s junk over to sit among my gathered crap.

I’ve had Family Readiness meetings and training on base on a few separate occasions. Those are fun, but we only have one vehicle. I have to get up extra early in the morning to get myself ready and to take my husband in to work, before I can get where I need to be. That means the kids are all at the secondary babysitter’s house about an hour longer than necessary.

For some mixed up reason, I decided now would be a good time for me to start a new business venture. Yeah, what was I thinking, right? I am now a Tastefully Simple Independent Consultant. I love the product. It’s food, it practically sells itself! But as with any direct sales, I have to put myself out there to succeed. That means more parties! Now I’m not just having them at my house, but I’m messing up other people’s houses, too. Yay! Did I mention we already had a business meeting?

As the month draws to a close, my husband and I are going out of town on a weekend retreat. Just the two of us. No kids, no dogs, no guests. What are we going to do without distractions? I’m not sure we’ll be able to sustain conversation! When we return to civilization, I’ve booked family photos. It’ll be Halloween, and we’ll be attending (not hosting!) a party and then taking the girls trick or treating.

But the holiday season is just starting! There is the Marine Corps Birthday. Veteran’s Day. A girlfriend’s 21st birthday soiree. Battalion events. Thanksgiving. Christmas parties.

Did I say Christmas? You know what that means? Oh, the Christmas present shopping! The Christmas cards and newsletters. Post office shipping deadlines. Ugh, my head is spinning. Stop this ride, I’m getting off!

Back to Work, Please?

It’s been two months since my husband stepped off that bus. I’m ready for him to go back to working a full day. I spent six and a half months pining after this man. Now after eight weeks, I can’t wait to get rid of him again!

Why is it we miss them when they’re gone, but all it takes is the pressing of that power button on the Playstation for us to become annoyed again? There are some days when I want to throw another hairbrush at the television. (That’s another long story.)

In all honesty, my husband does ask first when he wants to play Call of Duty. And, yes, I tell him that it’s okay. But that’s only because he’s been around the house day in and day out for weeks now, and I don’t know what else to do with the man!

The “Honeymoon Phase” did not happen for us until after he returned from a visit back to our home state. When he first returned from overseas, our alone time was cut short by the fact that we have young children, and dogs, and I have a job as a babysitter. So, as I was running nonstop, wiping noses and behinds, my husband was playing video games, smoking, and playing with the dogs. Not to mention napping on the couch in the middle of the day. Yes, I did start to resent him.

He went back to Iowa for a week, to visit family and get away from the Marine Corps for awhile. I suddenly wanted him back again. Ah, how distance makes our hearts grow fonder. Late night phone calls, flirty text messages, he even had flowers delivered. Who was this new husband of mine?

He returned to North Carolina, the flirting (and such) continued, and then his leave was over. Something about clocking in from 0730-0930 (tough, tough schedule those first few weeks back) made him restless. He has rearranged the living room with me. We’ve bought new furniture. My husband even became so bored as to sand and repaint a couple end tables for me.

Now what? He’s reached Prestige three times. He shuts off the Playstation, because he gets “sick of playing.” I don’t have any more Kilz for him to repaint more furniture. I’ve even got him unloading the dishwasher, but there’s not enough room for both of us in my kitchen. Someone take my husband, please!

But don’t forget to return him, because I will miss him. Then, you can take him again.