ONE
I t’s not so common for me to get exhausted easily after training, but my legs were so sore after yesterday’s intense military workout at The Delta Training Grounds that I felt like complaining about it to my best friend Martin Cruz, which is something I rarely do.
– God dammit! My legs feel like gelatin after what we went through yesterday!
– Am I hearin’ what I think I’m hearin’? – Martin replied in disbelief while slowly turning his head to face me. – The best military recruit in the entire camp, the one and only Jeremy Davis who gets praised by all Colonels because of his great performance, is complainin’ about his trainin’ being difficult?
I rolled my eyes back into it’s sockets and let out a deep breath.
– Am I not allowed to complain anymore or what? – I replied with resentment.
– I never said that, brotha’! It’s just simply odd to hear it comin’ from your mouth. Yer literally invincible!
– No, I’m not!
– Then did ya skip leg day that it managed to take a toll on ya?
– Oh, come on! Don’t act like it was nothing! I know it is the same reason why your legs trembled like a little girl’s when you carried me through the trenches earlier this morning! Just admit it, it was hard!
– Say what?! I never trembled! Maybe ya need to take a visit to the doctors office cuz’ I think yer goin’ blind!
– Nonsense! – I replied in denial, but his response was nothing more than a generous laugh that I managed to join into.
These are the moments I cherish the most during my time serving and training here at The Pennsylvania Employment and Military Facility, or PEAMF for short. This is the place where I got to meet Martin and we’ve been inseparable ever since. We even managed to get neighbouring dorm rooms just to be able to hang out more in our free time, although one could think we’re not the most stereotypical-looking best friends at all.
We don’t have much in common. Most of the time I’m calm and collected, and he tends to be very loud and acts on his own terms. I consider myself an introvert who has gained huge unwanted popularity because of his looks, while he seeks attention more than anyone I know and constantly needs people to talk to. In a way we do complete each other, but there are often times when we want to strangle each other in a spoonful of water.
Our friendship started on the day of my arrival because he was the one who showed me the ropes and taught me how to be a great soldier. He has been serving here for over a year at that point, so naturally he knew his way around the place more than I did. We shared a lunch or two together and after talking about our pasts and why we came here, we found common ground and the rest is history.
Everybody comes here because of different reasons and everyone has a story of their own. This is sort of a safe place for the rejected, the underpaid, the racially abused and even for people who simply didn’t get a chance in life. Even though I applied to the military training course, there are a couple of different working opportunities provided within the facility—such as construction work, general cleaning and kitchen staff memberships, therapists, nurses, doctors and even teaching classes you can take.
It really resembles a gated community in a way, because everyone that works here is secluded from the outside world for a certain period of time. We have scheduled vacations, but we do get to spend some of our free time outside of the facility too. Although everything is regulated and tied to a schedule of course. This might sound intimidating at first, but there are people—including me who need that routine in their life to be able to function properly. And this place provides it all.
This will be my second year serving here and let me tell you, a lot can change in such a short period of time, especially in the military. We saw all kinds of people come and go. Squad members, friends, captains and even staff colleagues who we knew and loved, but one thing never changed. I was just as popular amongst women as I was on my first day. Everywhere I go people recognise me and I generally try to maintain a good relationship, but having to face all the cheerleaders constantly staring at me and trying to force a relationship out of me is getting more and more difficult to deal with.
I never liked being the centre of attention but because I was blessed with a sharp jawline and I’m tall and well-built I get stares and compliments from women—and even from men all the time. It is true that I work hard to look fit and to be the best performing member of the squad I’m in, but I’m not doing it for clout. I’m doing it for myself and I genuinely like being rewarded for my efforts by my higher-ups, but that applies to everyone who tries to be on top of their game.
I was just a normal guy until I started to gain more attention with my successful performance. It has it’s pros and cons, but overall I’m starting to enjoy it less and less because it has started to affect my personal relationships with friends or potential partners. Not to mention the constant pressure of keeping my title of being at the top and trying to meet others expectations by constantly challenging myself to be better than the day before. I assume it’s something that only maximalists deal with on the daily—not so much to this extent, but regardless. People don’t hear me complain about it too much. That’s why Martin was so surprised to hear me vent about it for over an hour after today’s training. He is a good listener, I gotta give it to him.
We eventually arrived home, took a quick shower and then headed down to have lunch at the cafeteria.
– Wow, somethin’ smells delicious! – he yelled it out loud as we grabbed our trays and got in line to get served. – Do ya smell that? – he turned to me in awe.
– Yes Martin, I do have a sense of smell too. – I replied sarcastically. – I’m starving! What’s on the menu today?
– Check this out! – he grabbed the printed paper off the pinboard and held it up in his hand to show it to me. – It’s gonna be a special pork stew with green beans and rice. That’s probably what smells this good! Did ya hear that there’s a new chef in the facility?
– No, actually. What happened to the previous one? Did I miss out on something?
– Nah man. He just quit because he prolly’ got a better offer on the other side of town. Simple as that.
– Oh, well... Good for him I guess. – I shrugged a shoulder. – Now that you mention it. Did we ever see him at work? I can’t recall.
– Ya got a point! Me neither. The man never showed his face. Guess he had too much work back at the kitchen. After all we only see them ladies givin’ us food, not the ones who actually cook it.
– Well, If this stew tastes just as good as it smells I’d be delighted to meet this new chef! What do you know about them?
– Not much at all to be honest. I simply overheard the boys talkin’ about it a few days back. They were sayin’ it’s a lady this time but that’s all I know.
– Guess we’ll find out sooner or later.
For a few days we only saw the same old faces we always do at the cafeteria and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. After a week or so we we started all to experience that the food we were given was much more abundant, and the portions became copious as well. It didn’t seem like we ate more than the usual, but the quality of the food became so much more nutritious that it felt like we did. We would always be stuffed to the brim and get an energy boost after every meal we had, and as a result it made training easier for us. Not only was the food extremely savoury, but it felt so much healthier than what we previously had. We just got used to the previous chef’s cooking and never questioned or noticed it because we didn’t have anything else to compare it to. There was no denying that the new chef had a natural talent for cooking and new very well what to cook for a plethora of exhausted and starving soldiers.
Being tied to a strict schedule where you don’t get to spend too much time alone, it is not easy to make plans for detours around the facility if you want to stay on time. But after we begun having to look forward to every meal, me and Martin became very curious as to who this secret chef could be.
Or, I should say I was the one who was extremely eager to meet her, because our entire squad became visibly happier and healthier by her cooking. I was always such a foodie anyway, but my metabolism is so quick that I rarely gain any weight anymore. So, naturally I was considering going out of my way to meet her, I just haven’t had the chance to do so. Little did I know I wouldn’t have to do at all, because that chance came to me willingly one Thursday afternoon.
When we entered the cafeteria with Martin, the whole place was visibly more lively than usual. People were talking and laughing loudly and the line to the window was surprisingly long as well. We glanced at each other briefly after grabbing a tray and getting in line, because none of us seemed to understand what was happening.
– Excuse me! – I turned politely to the guy waiting in front of me. – Do you know what’s going on? This place is noisier than usual.
– There’s an unfamiliar woman serving food at one of the windows and that’s probably why the line is slower than usual. I don’t know what’s taking her so long, but apparently she’s the new chef that works here.
– Is that so? – I replied with sparks lighting up in my eyes.
– Yeah. One of the ladies who usually serve the portions must be ill or something.
– I see. Thanks a lot!
– No problem.
– Did you hear that Martin? – I turned to him with an excited smile on my face.
– I’m not deaf brotha’! I’m excited too! Makes sense that there’s this clutter goin’ on. Wonder what her name is. Are ya gonna ask her?
– You bet your ass I am! – I replied confidently.
I was having a hard time keeping my excitement at bay, and waiting in line felt like an eternity, but as we got closer I eventually got a glimpse at her. I knew the ladies who usually serve us food, so it wasn’t hard to spot her. She wore white clothes just like all the other people did, but her complexion seemed much paler than everybody else’s. Some of her dark brown unruly hair strands managed to slip from under her cap and framed her beautiful round face perfectly. I swear I never knew those kitchen caps could look sexy, but she made them look sexy. And that bright smile she had on her face as she was loudly greeting everyone at the window immediately mesmerized me.
After I gazed my eyes upon her for a full moment, Martin made my feet touch the ground by poking his elbow into my side to push me further down the line. I looked at him literally left speechless and he looked back with a concerned and confused expression.
– Jerry! You good, man? – he asked but I couldn’t reply. – Yo, Jerry? What’s up?
– She’s beautiful. – that’s all I was able to say as I felt like my mind was fried.
He peeked forward to be able to see her better and took on a sympathetic smile as he agreed to what I said.
– Yeah, she looks nice.
– No, Martin. I mean... She looks absolutely gorgeous! – I replied while looking at him in awe.
He raised his eyebrows so high up in response that it made his forehead wrinkly as he leaned away from me for a moment. In that state of shock he replied slowly and intermittently.
– Ooo—kay. Hold yer horses, Romeo! I didn’t know chubby women were your type.
– You still don’t know a lot about me, my friend.
I’m gonna be honest, in that moment the fact that she had a chubby figure didn’t even occur to me until Martin pointed it out. Her beauty was literally oozing out of every cell of her being—so much so that it captivated me to the point where I forgot we were here to eat. As we were just a few people apart I begin to get butterflies in my stomach and immediately forgot what I wanted to say.
She treated me like all the other men and women that came before me. She grabbed a styrofoam food tray, put the rice with the pork stew to one side and green beans to the other before handing it to me with a big, bright smile on her face.
– Good afternoon! Enjoy your meal!
I hesitated a little, but took the styrofoam food tray from her hand and replied with the only thing that was on my mind the entire time.
– You’re so beautiful!
She was so shocked at my compliment that she stared and blinked at me for a brief second and let out an embarrassed laugh.
– Thank you, Sir.
I realized how awkward the situation was and how foolish I must have sounded, but I put the food down onto my own tray and still decided to push my luck further.
– Can I ask you a question real quick?
– Sure. Go ahead. – she replied hesitantly and a bit surprised.
– Are you the new chef who started working here a few weeks ago?
– Yes. Yes I am. – she replied stammered as her cheeks visibly changed to a rosy colour.
– I know this might come across weird but I absolutely adore your cooking, Miss! Believe me when I say you are such a blessing to us soldiers!
– Aww, that’s very sweet of you! – she replied in a giggly, flattered tone as she prepared the food for Martin as well. – Thank you so much!
– No problem. It was a pleasure meeting you Miss!
– Likewise! Enjoy your meal! – she replied still smiling, which made me feel a certain type of way. She treated my friend similarly to me and after we said goodbye I managed to make eye contact with her once more and smiled.
– What the hell was that, man? – Martin asked me laughing as we sat down at a table.
– I don’t know! The words just came out! She is beautiful!
– Okay, but couldn’t ya have made it sound like yer not a creep? It was so out of place she didn’t even know what to say!
– I know! But look at her now! She’s smiling so much wider than before! It was totally worth it!
Martin let out a short breath and nodded his head as a reply, but seemingly put more attention towards his food and started shovelling it in. After a few moments or so he noticed that I didn’t take my eyes off of her the whole time and called me out on it, as he should.
– Hey, man! Stop staring! Yer gonna burn a hole in her! Eat yer food while it’s still warm!
– Ah, you’re right. Sorry-sorry.
– Unbelievable! – he giggled shaking his head and we continued eating one of the most delicious meals we had that week.
