M.I.C.: Family Day

Family day came before I even realized it. Family Day is the day the family of the Marine gets to experience what they have been doing for the past thirteen weeks. They get to see where they were living, where they were eating, meet the drill instructors, etc.

Family day was so stressful. I was so worried about everyone getting to where we needed to be on time. I was so worried about not recognizing Clark. I was just... worried.

Driving over to the stadium, we had to sit and listen to a few people talk about their training. What they went through, what we should expect, and what they could and could not do for family day/graduation/their ten days of leave. It was so obnoxious.

Then they marched in the recruits. We were sitting in the section that we thought was Clark's batallion. I was so flighty that day that I just couldn't even remember. I was staring at all the faces, searching for Clark's eyes. I caught a pair that I thought, perhaps, it was him. How could I not recognize my own husband?

Then they started naming the drill instrcutors... and I realized that we were in the wrong section. Clark wasn't in 1050, he was in 1056. All the way at the other end. They were about to be dismissed. Clark would be wandering around thinking I wasn't there. I couldn't let that happen. I leaned over to Clark's dad, who had already realized that we were in the wrong place. We had elderly grandparents. There was no way we were all going to make it over there in time. He waived me away, telling me I better hurry.

I scurried out of the bleachers and went around the outside, making my way to the very end.

It was like in a movie. I stood at the top of the bleachers, and as they were being dismissed ran down the bleachers and saw Clark immediately, and just ran into his arms.

It. Was. Perfect.

I was so thankful that we had been sitting in the wrong section. So thankful I was the first to see my husband, to hold him, to love him. We had some wonderful minutes to ourselves before the rest of his family appeared. I couldn't have planned it better if I had seated us in the wrong section on purpose.

After Clark's family finally arrived where we were, we truly began family day. I was especially excited to meet Staff Sergeant. The man wouldn't even look me in the eye. He shook my head, called me "ma'am", and went on to talk to Clark's parents. Imagine that. The man didn't have the cahones to face me. It made me beam with pride.

As the day came to a close, I was rather devastated that I had to say good-bye when I had Clark for a mere few hours. I couldn't stand that we had to be seperated, again, before I finally got him to myself for a full ten days. It was a long night of tossing and turning before graduation day.