Home to You

The Meeting

“Good morning, and congratulations to the graduating seniors. Just a couple of reminders. One last call for the Helping Hands trip over summer Break, we only have a few spots left and they need to be filled. They are first come first serve. Also, a reminder to anyone who has not gotten their dorm checks done, these need to be done by the weekend. Thanks, and have a wonderful summer” Elaine cringed at the pitchy whine of the PA system.

After the summer break, she would be entering the last leg of the journey she had undertaken a few years ago in getting her Doctorate in veterinary medicine. She has always wanted to work with animals and become a veterinarian. Wanting to make a difference in the world and work in animal conservation, she had an overload of support from her family and her longtime boyfriend Gregory Kilmore. She and Greg met at the end of high school and chose similar career paths. He just graduated with a master’s in marine biology with an offer of employment in the Florida Keys at a marine research facility.

“Hey baby wait up,” Greg called from behind her.

She turned to see him practically running down the long hallway towards her. The hall was cluttered with various boxes, bags and laundry baskets awaiting to be moved to the student’s cars. She smiled as he grabbed her in a warm loving embrace. Wrapping his arms around her waist and leaning his head against hers.

“You all packed and ready to go home for the summer?” he asked, releasing her enough so they could walk arm in arm down the hall.

“I have a few more things I need to get from my dorm and then I can meet you at the café in about two hours.” She gave him a small kiss on the lips and turned from him to open her door.

As she was packing, she started to daydream about her future life. She was coming back to school next year to finish her degree and Greg would be staying in Florida for his new job. Sure, it would be tough, but they could do it and it was only for few months. She was in an accelerated program and her last year of college was going to be shorter than usual. They had done it once before when Greg started college and she was still a senior in high school. Feeling the rush of her repressed emotions for the impending school year, she started to tear up. She pushed the thoughts aside, wiped the lone tear and grabbed the last of her belongings to pack away.

Elaine loaded her boxes and bags into the back of her dark green Prius. She got done about an hour before she was supposed to meet Greg at the café. With the future heavy on her mind and heart she decided to just go early.

The café was a small building on the corner of the street just down the road from campus. Across the street you could see a large open park, in the distance children played on a playground. Large trees framed the road and made it look so serene even in the busy area near the University. She ordered an iced tea and a blueberry muffin to graze on while she waited. Elaine was sitting stirring her iced tea absentmindedly in the corner of the café looking out at the bustle of cars and people walking by. She tried to text Greg to let him know she had gotten done early, but he was not answering her. No more than five minutes had passed before someone interrupted her torturous thoughts that had crept back from earlier.

“Excuse me miss, but May I sit and talk to you.” a deep voice said gently from behind her. Elaine turned suddenly to see a very handsome man in a blue uniform standing behind her. She quickly blinked away the moisture that was threatening to pour onto her cheeks and motioned for him to sit next to her. Hoping that he does not ask what was wrong, because it would surely break her already fractured composure.

“Hi, I am Lawrence Monroe.” he shook her hand and sat down in the chair next to her. He was a very handsome clean shaven, even with his uniform on she could see the muscles where the fabric was snug in just the right spots, and she could tell he was very fit. She could barely make out buzzed dirty blond hair under his navy hat and had the most vibrant green eyes she had ever seen.

“I’m Elaine Spencer.” she blushed at the electricity of the brief contact and that she lingered a little too long looking him over, this man had just taken her breath away. She pulled her hand back suddenly and felt a pang of guilt for feeling a sudden attraction to him.

“Are you leaving town?” he asked, seeing her bags he knew she was probably a student at the university.

“I’m leaving for the summer; but I have to come back for the school year in the fall. I’m going to be finishing my degree in veterinary medicine. I’m in an accelerated program, so I will be done in late March before everyone else.” She stated, thankful he was making small talk and hadn’t noticed her saddened demeanor moments ago. “You in the services? Awaiting the bus, I take it.”

“Oh,” He Smirked down at his uniform, “I have been in the Navy for the past eight years. I’m getting ready to leave for some special training in California. I have another seven years in service and then I’m hoping to settle down in Miami. But I never know what could happen in the meantime. I am just waiting for the Bus to take me to the airport. I had a two day wait before I had to be at the base, so I decided to take in this town for a bit” He smiled at her,

“Well first, thank you for serving our country. Miami huh? That’s where I am hoping to settle when I graduate. I have a small cabin there just on the river. But I want to be a veterinarian, and work in animal conservation so the job could take me anywhere.” she smiled while picking up her cup of tea.

They sat and talked for a while about their hopes and fears for the future. He told her that he was a little nervous about leaving. He was getting ready to go into special training to be sent overseas again. She had found out that he had been out of the country five times, and it never had gotten easier. She listened intently and enjoyed his company. He was different from Greg. Greg tended to not engage fully in conversation. When he did, he was constantly complaining about stuff. The change of company and conversation was nice, and she started to really enjoy his opinions and thoughts about the war. He was charming, funny and had a very gentle personality about him, some traits that Greg happened to lack.

Elaine got a message on her phone from Greg. She gave a loud sigh and rolled her eyes as she placed her phone on the table harder than she intended making a loud bang.

“Everything okay?” Law asked cautiously, not knowing if he was being too intrusive.

“Yeah... No, my boyfriend was supposed....” she looked at her phone quickly for the time, noticing it was already half an hour past their meet time she raised her brows in frustration. “...to meet me half an hour ago so we could head south. Looks like I’ve got another hour of wait ahead of me.” Shifting uncomfortably in her chair she leaned back and suddenly felt less guilty about enjoying her conversation with this gorgeous man next to her.

“I wish I could stay and enjoy talking for the next hour, but I think I may need to catch the next bus to the airport.” He slowly rose in from his chair, hesitation in his movement, not really wanting to leave her. Elaine sat up straight and watched him as he gathered his bag.

“Lawrence...” She hesitated, not knowing if it would be appropriate, when suddenly another ding crossed her phone, and it was Greg again extending the wait to an hour and a half. Fuck it she thought to herself. Smiling up at him through her lashes a little bashful she said just above a whisper “... Do you want a ride?

A little too eagerly Lawrence shook his head, then calmed himself down. ‘Don’t get too excited’ he thought to himself, she has a boyfriend. “If you have the time... I would prefer your wonderful company to a noisy crowded bus.”

Elaine Smiled at him as she grabbed her shoulder bag from the chair and led him outside. The lunch rush of the city was settling down and she crossed the road to the small lot where her car was parked. She opened the backseat and had Lawrence place his oversized duffle in the car and climbed in as he did the same.

The ride to the airport was only a half an hour, they continued talking and getting to know one another on a deeper level and Elaine started to feel comfortable with Lawrence. There was this natural feeling of calm and peace that he brought when he talked. It was like they had been friends forever. She pulled up to the unloading and unbuckled her seat to face him more directly.

“Thank you, you don’t know how much I needed someone like you today. I’m usually pretty good about keeping my emotions in check but I had a lot of feelings and trepidations about my future and talking with you calmed my heart, and I know that might scare you off as a friend, but I mean it. I really wish we can keep in touch.” Giving him a grin, she knew what he was thinking too.

“Well, I’m going to be lonely at the base and.... I don’t know if maybe... You want...I wanted to maybe have a pen pal. We could text each other too. But I would like to do something a little old fashioned. I could write to my family, but you seem like a wonderful person, and there could be things I would not want to tell my family. They haven’t always been the most loving of people. And I want someone I can share my fears with and that can give me something to think about other than what’s going on in the family while I’m away. I would want to hear all about what is going on in your life too.” He suddenly got a very scared expression on his face.

“I think that would be fine. I can understand the feeling of talking to the same person repeatedly. Especially when they are not good conversationalists or seem to lack a certain set of emotions. My boyfriend is kind of like that, I know he loves me.... He just doesn’t always know how to express it the way I maybe would like. I like talking to someone different occasionally, too. And I think that writing letters back and forth could be kind of cool. What is the address?” she smiled as she took out her phone.

“I’m not sure of the exact address right off the top of my head but I can give you my number and I can text you for the time being and I will text you the address when I get there. And you can text me yours as well.” He pulled out his phone and they exchanged phone numbers.

“Thank you very much Miss. Spencer I am going to like talking to someone outside of the base. I hope that we can become good friends.” He said trying to delay getting out of the car as long as possible.

“Oh please, call me Elaine. You can spare the formalities at this point.” she giggled.“Do you know where you are going yet, after your training?” she asked, trying to keep him in her presence longer.

“I will be in San Francisco, California at the training base first and then I have a month break. After that I will be sent overseas. But you never know they tend to change our schedules a lot.” he told her all the places he has been and is still hoping to go. It is one of the reasons he decided to join, is that he will be able to travel and see different places and experience different cultures. Great experience for a future job in criminal justice.

They talked for only a little while longer before he had to leave the car and get through airport security for his flight. She got out of her car to wish him goodbye and Goodluck. She awkwardly went to shake his hand and they stood close together, so close she could smell his aftershave, He leaned in closer, and she willingly wrapped her arms around him and he her as well. Giving into the embrace she inhaled more of him, stilling in his strong embrace felt so right so much like that is where she belonged. Suddenly, they pulled back quickly when she got a text notification from Greg. She ignored the text and looked at Lawrence who didn’t want to end this, it was the first time in his years of service that something, someone made him want to miss his flight to base.

Elaine was something special and he could feel his heart beat a little faster the longer he was talking and getting to know this woman. He loved his work and what he was doing with the Navy, and never once has he regretted signing on for 15 years of service until this very moment, when he felt like he could be walking away and leaving behind the possibility of a future. He would be sure to keep in touch with Elaine, he knew there was more than friendship between them, even in the few hours they had been together. He had felt something and surely, she had too.

Elaine had doubts that he would even write to her, so she brushed him off as a sweet guy who needed someone to calm his nerves, and he had done the same for her. She was hopeful that he would keep in touch. There was an undeniable attraction between them, and she wasn’t sure if she could keep away from him for long...