Michael had been a little apprehensive about going into the Navy. After all, what if
another war broke out in the Gulf? Or for that matter, things could heat up again in eastern Europe, Africa, South America, Korea, or just about any other place in this crazy mixed up world. In any case, Michael had decided to go ahead and go into the military. He picked the Navy in the hope that if things did break out, he would be on a ship somewhere instead of actually being in the middle of things.
The first thing Michael wanted was to establish himself. He needed to have some kind of dependable income if he was going to go ahead and marry Jamie. They had been going together since the tenth grade and planned to marry. They went to the same church, and had helped each other to follow the Lord, instead of getting mixed up in all the things a lot of their friends had gotten involved in.
In the Navy Michael could get training in security. This would give him the background to work for a police or sheriffs department. This is something he had wanted to do since he was very young. It would also give him access to funds to go on to college. Even if he decided that a law enforcement career was not for him, it would still help him to head into the future with some kind of plan.
Now having completed boot camp and being just about done with his specialized training in security, Michael was getting ready to head out to his first duty station. He didn’t understand why the Navy needed security police at Edward’s Air Force Base, but it would be a lot easier to see Jamie than being stationed on a ship. He sure didn’t have to worry about getting stuck in some kind of uprising in some far part of the world.
Michael's father Jim was coming to see him and be at his graduation ceremony. It was kind of nice to get to know his real father after all of those years, even though Michael still blamed his dad for a lot of the problems that he had grown up with. He and his mom had been by themselves until Michael was nine years old. They had not been able to afford many of the things that other kids had. His mom had never come out and said that it was all his Dad’s fault, but what father would leave his wife and baby like that?
Michael's mom Jesse had gotten remarried to Mark about a year after they met. Mark had been a pretty good step-father, playing ball with him and even coaching the little league team that Michael had been on in the sixth grade.
Now Michael was a little nervous as he waited for the end of the graduation ceremony. He still felt like a kid in a lot of ways, but in a few minutes he would be through with all the classes and be responsible to make sure that other people were behaving correctly. The U.S. Government was even entrusting him with a gun to enforce the rules and regulations. On the other hand, it made him feel like a real man to be up here, with his real Dad in the audience.
Michael was looking forward to what would come. Now as the last official finished his speech, the group was dismissed and allowed to go on leave. He would have two weeks before he had to report to his new duty station. This would give him plenty of time to get back to Colorado and see Jamie. First he needed to find his Dad and have dinner. Then he could get on the airplane and go home for a while.
Jim was beaming with pride as he and Michael walked into the restaurant down by the bay. Michael looked very formidable in his uniform, and had turned out to be quite a good looking young man. As they sat down at the table Jim asked, “ What do you plan to do next now that you are all through with the schooling?”
“Well, I want to go and spend some time with Jamie before I go on to Edwards.” answered Michael. “I really miss her, now that I’ve been spending time away from her.”
Jim asked, “Are you thinking about marrying her? From what you’ve told us about her she sounds like a pretty nice girl.”
Michael hesitated for just a minute, and then answered, “I really want to marry her, I’m just not sure when I should do it. I mean, I”m going to be living on E-three pay for a little while and I don’t know how well I can take care of her yet. While she’s at home with her parents she lives awfully well. Her dad’s an airline pilot, they have a big house in Boulder, plus a nice cabin up at Aspen. I don’t know if she would want to give all that up.”
“I think that if she is really in love with you, she’s not going to care where you live.” said Jim. “ Does Jamie work?”
“She does volunteer work at the hospital.” answered Michael. “She gets an allowance from her dad, and he bought her a new car last year when she graduated.”
“Well she could stay with us down in San Diego,” said Jim. “I’m not trying to talk you into anything, but it might just make things work for you. We’re only a few hours away from Edward’s, and we have the room in the basement. There's a bathroom, and even a separate entrance. It probably wouldn’t work to go back and forth every day, but you could come home on weekends.”
“What do you think Sara would say about this?” asked Michael. “
“I don’t think she would mind too much.” answered Jim. “In fact, she would probably enjoy the company. I’m gone from seven A.M. till about five thirty or six at least five days a week, sometimes on Saturdays. Sara loves spending her days with Sam, but she would appreciate more adult companionship at times. This might just work out well for everyone.”
At this point they had finished their meal and were enjoying a cup of coffee. Michael looked at his watch and decided it was time to get headed for the airport. On the way, Michael promised to consider the idea and talk to Jamie about what she wanted to do. Michael's flight left for Denver about a half an hour later. Jim saw the plane off, then drove back home.
Michael was excited about the idea of getting married to Jamie. After all, this would give him the chance to have a full relationship with her. At the same time, he could live at the base during the week and do what he wanted to do.
As he came up the ramp from the airplane, Jamie and his mom were jumping up and down and waving at Michael. His step dad Mark was there too. He gave Jessie a quick hug, and then threw his arms around Jamie.
“I’ve got something to talk to you about.” whispered Michael as he lifted Jamie off of her feet. “Let’s get the baggage and get out of here. We can talk in the car on the way home.”
It didn’t take long to get the bags and be on their way. Mark drove with Jessie beside him in the front. Michael and Jamie sat in the back. Michael spent little time in getting to the news.
“What do you think about getting married right away?” asked Michael in a low tone so that Mark and Jessie couldn’t hear. “I mean, I know we’ve talked about it being down the road aways and I know it’s kind of sudden. I just don’t want to go that long without being with you again, and I think we could make it work.”
“I don’t know what to say.” squeaked Jamie. She was really taken by surprise with this change in plans. The last time they had talked about this Michael didn’t seem to want to rush into anything. He had made it sound like he would rather wait a couple of years before they get married. She had tried to tell him that the money didn’t matter, and that she would live in a shack if that is what it took for them to be together.
Finally she looked at him and said, “ I’ll go anywhere you want me to. I told you last year that I would marry you. I’ve just been waiting for you to figure out what you really want.”
“I still think it would be a problem for us to try and live off of my pay in California.” said Michael. “ But my dad, uh you know, Jim, my real dad said that we could live with them in San Diego. I could come there on weekends, and well, it’s not perfect, but at least we could be together.”
Jamie was not very happy about not having a place of their own. They talked about it back and forth for the next few days. Jamie tried to convince Michael that they could make it work at Edwards. This was an argument that she had made many times in the past. At last she conceded that this way Michael would agree to get married right away. Maybe later on she could convince him about the rest. Besides, Sara and Jim sounded like nice people and marrying Michael is what she had really wanted for a long time.
