Chapter two
I reached out to Sheila and she stared at me with disbelieving eyes. She probably thought that it would be a weakness to ask for help, but this showed either she was ready to work with someone, or was too damn pigheaded to realize that this was part of the exercise.
“Don’t you dare give her any kind of help, soldier.” Major Tompkins was getting on my last nerve. He had a way of pushing my buttons and eventually I felt like it was going to become necessary to put him in his place. I wasn’t going to do that. Calling attention to myself by raising the red flag was not going to endear me to anybody. “If she can’t do this, then she won’t be able to take the rest of the training.” I had my hand out, but she was shaking her head like she wasn’t going to give into her shortcomings.
“There is no shame in asking for help. These guys might think that it shows weakness, but it doesn’t have to be that way. As women, we need to look out after each other, but as soldiers we are the extension of each other. If one of us falls, the rest will follow.” She didn’t look happy about doing it, but she did at least find the humility to reach out and take my hand. I pulled her up to the top and we could both see that the other men in the group were watching us very closely.
I’d heard stories of women in the military and how they had become nothing, but a source of pleasure for the men. They wouldn’t see their loved ones for many weeks and we were basically the only game in town. I had no interest in a late night escapade and Sheila and I were going to have to stand with each other. If we could do that, then the idea of strength in numbers would come into play.
We both landed down onto the ground, out of breath, but uniquely satisfied that we had conquered the wall. We were the only ones doing the obstacle course at this time. The rest were either cheering us on or begging us with their eyes to give in to the humiliation. We ran over to where the guns were lying with the camouflage netting over top of it.
This was where I was going to excel. I fired that gun with the rain obscuring my vision and still managed to hit the target. I shredded that piece of paper from 50 yards away. Sheila was a little off her mark, but not by much. At the very least, she most likely would have wounded anybody in her targeting sights.
After we had finished unloading the entire magazine, we both stood at attention with our hands behind our backs and our chest thrust out. The major didn’t say anything. He did circle around us. He wanted to get some kind of reaction to the putrid stench of his garlic breath hitting us in the face like a steam engine. “I want everybody in full gear and ready for a twenty mile hike in next 5 minutes. Move it, maggots.” Instead of praising us for what we did, he decided to sweep it underneath the rug like it meant nothing. To me and Sheila, it was an accomplishment and one that we did not take lightly.
Our boots splashed back at a steady pace. We made it back to the barracks. We didn’t have the time to clean up. We grabbed our packs and loaded them to bear. The guys were looking at us out of the corner of their eyes. They probably thought that this was some kind of wet T shirt contest. I saw a couple of young punks licking their lips. They were obviously up to no good. When they stomped towards us, I knew exactly what one of them was going to do before he did it.
The one with the name of Anthony written on his shirt tried to take a hold of me. What he got instead was his wrist being turned in such a way that made him fall to his knees with a tear in his eye. “I don’t think that I gave you permission to touch me soldier. Keep your hands where I can see them and we may not have a problem.” He was trying to put on a brave face, but this move was meant to do the maximum amount of pain.
“Get your hand off of me, bitch.” He tried to move, but I made another more deliberate turn of my hand on his wrist. “Fuck you… Fuck you.” It wasn’t much of a comeback, but it was enough to have his friends try to come to his rescue.
Sheila was the one that stepped in with her hand out “I really don’t think that you want to help him. What does it say about him that he can be taken down by a woman? He’s twice her size and maybe you should think of yourselves and not the one that you call friend. You would think that he would be able to take care of himself.” She was making them see that Anthony was acting like an ass. He had just had his ass handed to me and they didn’t want any part of that.
“I don’t expect you to like me, but I do expect you to give me the same courtesy, as all the others. Respect is a two way street and one that is earned and not expected. You have one strike and I would really suggest that you don’t try for a second.” I was taking a risk by standing up for myself, but it was the only way to let him know that these kinds of actions were not going to be tolerated.
“You’ve just made a dangerous enemy.” He was saying those words through clenched teeth. “I’m going to do everything in my power to get you sent home. You don’t belong here. If you aren’t spreading your legs for me, then you are no use to me.” I figured that I would come across this kind of attitude, but it was nice to know that I had Sheila. We both came from a strong background. This fire in our belly made us want to do our gender proud. We were going to make our mark.
The Special Forces was a rare breed. They were ingrained with that survival instinct. They were the last resort where others feared to tread.
I looked him square in the eye “Your attitude needs adjusting. Women can do the same thing that men can. We are not fragile little girls that need a big strong man to hold our hand. We have a mind of our own and it would be good for you to learn that lesson quickly.” I saw two of the other guys nodding their head. This was an indication that Major Tompkins was about to make his presence known.
I let go of Anthony’s wrist and then I reached out my hand to see that he was not going to make any effort to meet me halfway. I shrugged my shoulders and then he stood rubbing his wrist and looking around at the others for some kind of support. This time, he wasn’t going to get it. He had shown his true colors.
“Let’s go…this ain’t Sunday school. We have a lot of terrain to cover and when we get back we have a meeting with the Air Force. This team works hand in hand with those that keep us safe in the sky. They may not be boots on the ground, but they do come in handy from time to time.” I could hear the disgust in his voice. He had no love lost for those monkeys in blue suits that stayed safely strapped into their cockpit. He was most likely ordered to make these introductions. I actually had respect for all members of the military. Their duty to their country and to themselves was stronger than just about anything.
We were the representation of the United States in their fight against tyranny domestic and abroad. We were the last line of defense when it came to keeping our streets and freedoms safe.
I had a feeling that it was going to take a lot more than running that obstacle course in the driving rain to get the respect of Major Tompkins.
I did see a man in full uniform standing at the window with his hat in his hand. I knew that it was Colonel Briggs. He had sat me down earlier and told me that there was no way that he could protect me. He knew of my grandfather and of my father and even their bravery was not going to make me any friends. He said that he was afraid for my safety and that I should seriously reconsider my stance on becoming part of the military.
I remember telling him that he was not my father and that I had every right to conduct my life the way that I wanted to. I didn’t need his permission and all that I needed was a chance. He listened to me speak and I think I saw a glint of respect, but there was no way that he was going to say anything of the sort. I saw Colonel Briggs almost as much as I saw my father. They were mostly joined at the hip. Whatever mission my father would go on, it was relatively known that Colonel Briggs was going into the thick of things. He wasn’t a Colonel back when I was younger, but he had risen in the ranks to a more authoritative role.
My father was injured in the line of duty. He lost part of his foot due to a mine in the middle of the road in Afghanistan. For a man that had a permanent limp, he was remarkably strong. He didn’t show even an ounce of weakness. He told me several times that if it doesn’t kill you it makes you stronger. I lived by that motto to this day. I wanted to give him something to be proud of.
For the next hour, we put ourselves through a backbreaking exercise. We were all exhausted by the time that we returned. Even Anthony didn’t have the strength to try to touch me again. I could see in his eyes that he really didn’t have any desire to go toe to toe with me again.
“Get cleaned up and those Air Force pilots are not going to wait around forever. I want them to see you at your best and not looking like drowned rats.” The major turned on his heels and then he walked out without saying anything more. Sheila and I had our own private time to use the bathroom. I would’ve been just as happy to shower with the boys, but that kind of gender equality was only asking for problems. Parading our naked and glistening bodies in front of them wasn’t a very good idea. That was the kind of temptation that had to be avoided. It would be like dangling a raw piece of meat in front of a dog’s eyes and not expect him to chomp your arm off.
“I don’t know about the rest of you, but those flyboys are nothing compared to us. We may have to work with them, but we don’t have to like them.” I would say that Anthony had found another bone to pick. Instead of coming after me, he was turning his ire towards the men and women of the Air Force.
I was going to say something. I had my mouth open, but Sheila touching my shoulder told me that we had to pick our battles. I had already alienated him and some of his friends. This was the early stage of training and maybe it would be a better idea to keep my head down. There was no point in making waves, except for when it came to any of them trying to put their hands on me. I think that I made my point clear. Those that tried were in for a rude awakening. I would make sure that a piece of their anatomy would come with me during any type of attack.
We marched right by the window of the man in charge. He was still standing there with his cup of coffee in his hand and his secretary behind him telling him what his itinerary for the day was going to be. I casually glanced in his direction and found that he was winking at me. It made me blush, but then I realized that I had nothing to be embarrassed for.
We arrived and the soldiers of the Air Force were standing there in their prerequisite blue jumpsuits. We made idle chitchat. I was in a little bit of awe by how easily they could fly something like those tomcats. I found myself drawn to one with a pair of snake eyes painted on the front in the old red white and blue. The plane had seen its fair share of battle and the scars on the hull were badges of honor.
“I see that my baby has an admirer.” I was about to turn and take a switch off the condescending attitude from this man’s tone of voice. It sickened me to thing that he was undressing me with his eyes.
My blood was boiling and then I turned to see the most magnificent blue piercing eyes that I had seen in my life. It was like he was looking right through me into my very soul. His name was Mark Kilburn and there was no way that I could take my eyes off him.
For the next 3 hours, we talked like we had been acquainted with each other for longer than just one day. It felt like I had found the man of my dreams. He wasn’t callous or chauvinistic. He told me that he had great respect for me. That came from having a woman come to his rescue. She actually dragged him out of a war torn area, until she succumbed to her injuries. By the time that we left there, I knew that I was never going to be able to stay away from him.