“He’s got Ches with him,” said Shirley softly. “He’ll be ok: he’s used to it.”
My heart lurched painfully. I desperately wanted to wrap my arms around Sebastian to comfort and protect him, but I couldn’t. It hurt so much. And then a more painful thought crossed my mind: maybe he wasn’t running to me; maybe he was just running away from that. And if he was, I couldn’t blame him. Besides, couldn’t he say the same thing about me and David?
I didn’t want to believe it, but once the thought was there, it seemed more plausible than to believe that Sebastian would want to be with me.
He had opened my eyes to a world of possibilities, to a world where I could be loved for myself, but would my new life be with him? I was afraid to hope.
After a moment, Shirley stood up. “I’ll just go check on the boys.”
Donna exhaled deeply and looked at me. “Are you okay, Caroline?”
I nodded, still feeling shaken. Did Estelle know?
“That wasn’t really about you,” Donna continued, “she’s just jealous.”
“Jealous? Of what?”
Donna smiled sadly. “Never mind, it doesn’t matter. Now, what were those questions you had?”
I shook my head. “They seem rather insignificant now.” I stared at the sodden sheets of newsprint that some helpful children were fishing out of the pool.
“Please ask me,” said Donna. “I need something to get my mind off that awful scene.”
We chatted about our shared experiences of living on different bases for several minutes, before Shirley reappeared.
“How’s Sebastian?” said Donna, her concern evident. “Did you see Estelle?”
“Ches and Sebastian got her into the car; he’s driving her home.”
She shook her head. “If there are any more incidents like that, Estelle will have her membership suspended.”
“I’ll speak to Johan,” said Donna. “Maybe he’ll be able to persuade her to… seek some help. She won’t be the first Navy wife to... well, she won’t be the first.”
A subdued Ches returned with some orange juices. Shirley rubbed his arm and they swapped brief smiles. It was refreshing to see the close relationship they had – especially after the unpleasant scene that had played out between Estelle and Sebastian.
I bit my tongue as Ches went back to work: I wanted to ask him if Sebastian was ok, but I couldn’t.
I turned my attention to finishing my article, as Donna had suggested.
Shirley was incredibly helpful, offering fascinating insights into the world of the military wife.
“Of course, it’s hard leaving friends behind, and hard for Chester starting new schools every couple of years, but it’s made us closer as a family, too. And the Marine Corps is a second family; we’re all pretty tight. It’s made Chester good at making friends and he’s a very resourceful boy, very self-sufficient. But we did make sure that his last four years of high school were consistent – we felt that was important for his education. I like traveling and the challenge of new places – new countries. To be honest, I’m dreading the day when Mitch retires: I don’t know what he’ll do with himself. He’s so used to the structure and routine of the Marines, I’m not sure how well either of us will adapt to civilian life.
“But what about you, Caroline? If David decided to quit the Navy, what would you do?”
I twitched uncomfortably, not wanting to have the spotlight turned on me.
“I don’t think his routine would change that much: he’d still work in a hospital; still work his clinics. It wouldn’t make that much difference. Just a different sort of uniform.”
Donna smiled. “Yes, you’re right. Medicine imposes its own set of regulations and routines. Being the wife of a doctor isn’t such a huge leap.”
I’d enjoyed talking to Donna and Shirley – it had been a lot like having friends – but I realized the sun had shifted in the sky and I leapt up.