It's My Life

It's My Life

I starred at my computer screen, eyes burning, as I forced myself from falling asleep. I did that quite often.

Cards were displayed on the screen. I was playing my favorite game, spider solitaire.

I was nodding off quite frequently now, and was about to fall into a deep sleep when I was jolted back to reality by my sister's cat who had jumped on my lap, begging for attention.

I stood up and looked outside. It was dry, dusty, and 105 degrees. There wasn't a soul in site. It was as if life no longer existed. The entire human population had been wiped out by some strange super natural force.

"What am I doing?" I asked myself.

Here I was, living in my parent's home doing nothing. Every day was just like the one before it.

I was beginning to wonder if this was all life had for me.

"Look at me," I mumbled to myself. "I have a degree in health, physical education, and a minor in English, and NO job."

What was wrong with me? Why wouldn't anybody hire me?

OK, to be honest, I hadn't really tried all that hard. My interviews were dull and uninspiring. I wouldn't hire me either.

To be truthful, I didn't want to work...just yet.

But living here wasn't the answer either.

Living with my Mom, Dad, and little sister...oh yes, and let's not forget her cat, Fluffy, and maybe a chicken or two outside. I think they had names too. C**k and Doodle. My sister named them. My sister was pretty goofy at times, but I liked her pretty much.

Suddenly it occurred to me, I had to leave. But where?

I didn't have a job, I had no substantial monetary income, nothing to keep me afloat until I was gainfully employed. There was only one thing left, I had to find a job, a serious job. At 23 you might think it was time to be out on my own.

Gees, all my buddies from college were now married, or about to be, and all had jobs making loads of green.

I had no one. Well... there was that girl next door, but she was weird. Her only ambition in life was to get away from her mother. To do that, she would marry the first guy to come along and ride off into the sunset. I feared at one time she had her mind set on me.

So, why was I still alone?

I wasn't unattractive, so I was told. I had a wonderful personality, so I was told. I had beautiful, sparkling, blue eyes, so I was told.

And any girl would be lucky to have me...SO I WAS TOLD.

Those, "so I was told," things always bothered me. I often wondered if people just said those things to be nice.

I had girlfriends before, several, in fact. But this past year had been so hectic trying to get my grade points up in order to graduate, girls just didn't fit into the equation just yet.

I sat and thought about my sad situation for awhile. I jumped up, got myself cleaned up, and was out the door in search of employment.

"Bye Mom", I yelled, as I slammed the door behind me.

I left with such confidence and flair, but, well, let's just say my day didn't go quite the way I had hoped.

I pushed my way in, unannounced, to several irate athletic directors and arrogantly made my case why I should be their next cross country coach.

My enthusiasm did not impress them, and they had me tossed out on my rear, ordering me never to return.

It was late, and I was depressed. I drove my old beat up Kia slowly down Main Avenue when

I looked up and saw a sign that read, "Join the Navy and See The World."

Hmm, now that was something. I could join and not even be qualified for anything. And here's the kicker, THEY wanted me.

I walked in, spoke to the recruiter, took some sort of goofy test, and discovered I would be perfect as a corpsman.

"What's a corpsman?" I asked.

The recruiter told me it was something like a medic in the Army, only corpsmen get to do more...and. "See The World", too.

My Mom cried for two weeks after I told her the news. My Dad simply patted me on the back and told me how proud he was. My sister just made jokes about it. She was fun that way.

The girl next door came over and asked if I would take her with me.

I told her no, that it was against government rules and stuff, "and besides," I said, "you aren't exactly my type."

She hit me for that comment, but I thought it was important to be truthful. I didn't need her sitting around pining over some boy who was never going to be interested in her anyway.

Maybe that was mean, and perhaps a bit presumptuous, but things are what they are.

Unexpected

Chapter Two

San Diego, California, what a place. It was late May, 1973.

I was dressed in a short sleeved sports shirt, and a pair of old blue jeans. I was freezing to death. Something wasn't right here.

In Texas the temperature had already hit near 100.

I accidentally bumped into a group of Hare Krishna guys. I politely apologized.

One member walked up to me with a flower and handed it to me and told me Jesus was coming soon, in fact, he claimed, he was here already.

I looked at him curiously wondering how to respond to such an odd statement. I had never seen a member of this sect.

I said the first thing that came to mind.

"Really?" I quizzed, "I didn't know that."

I looked him squarely in the eye and as seriously as I could said,

"Did you know Peggy Sue got married a few months ago?"

The man had no response for my sudden departure from the topic.

My traveling compadres broke out in boisterous laughter.

I looked at them and said, "Boys, we ain't in Texas anymore."

At that, we took off to meet our shuttle bus that would transport us to our new home, Balboa Naval Training Center.

Standing by the curb, freezing to death, the four of us waited.

We were learning our first military lesson, the hurry up and wait philosophy adopted by all branches of the military.

Someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned and looked. It was a young lady barely five feet tall, long blond hair, and sparkly blue eyes.

Suddenly the Beach Boys tune California Girls popped into my head.

"You boys signing in for the Navy are ya?"

I smiled. She was cute, I mean, really, really cute.

"Yes ma'am." I replied. 'It was either this or the Marines."

"Aha, a this or that kinda' thing, aye?"

Still smiling, I nodded my head, "Yep."

"I'm Sandra," she announced, "Sandra Burk, but please, call me Sandy."

I introduced myself and then asked her if she made it a habit to go up to complete strangers and introduce herself.

She assured me she had never done this sort of thing before. There was some odd feeling she had, she explained, that compelled her to act so irrationally. She couldn't explain it, but there it was.

We sat down on a nearby bench, two strangers, worlds apart, talking to each other for the next hour, as if we had known each other all our lives. Something special was going on here, but I knew not what it was.

Finally, an hour and twenty minutes later, our shuttle appeared. The doors opened and the driver commanded,

"Come on boys, we don't have all night."

"Sure" I thought, "now he's in a hurry."

Sandy grabbed my hand and placed a piece of paper in it. On it was her address and phone number.

"If you write, I promise to write back...if you wanna."

I promised her I would as soon as I got the chance. I leaned over and kissed on her cheek.

My traveling compadres chided me afterwards.

As the shuttled moved away, I watched as she disappeared into the darkness.

"California," I thought, "what a crazy place."

Author's Note

San Diego...what a place.