The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday

Enlisted Navy Family Housing      

Everett, WA

Luckily the duty section had changed over; one of the security guys she knew well was checking ID. He waved her through without even checking her, her Jeep was well known on Everett. The house was dark and quiet except for Moose stumbling around like always. Kellie reached down to fuss over the dog, getting licked in greeting.

“Matt are you here?” Kellie called into the darkness, without an answer. Kellie turned on the kitchen light, reheating leftover beef and noodles from the night before. She toed off her boots by the patio door, as Moose whimpered by the door. Kellie opened the patio door, turning her loose in the rain to play. As she looked out the door watching the dog frolic, Kellie realized how bad she felt about being an ass over Matt’s news.

It was good news, but it was also bad news. SEALs were the Navy’s elite; the best of the best that did things only legends were made of. He could be deployed anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice, without Kellie even knowing where he was going or what he was doing. She only wished he’d discussed it with her first, but in her gut she knew the orders were signed and approved. It was only a matter of time before he shipped to Coronado.

Kellie let the dog back in, sitting at the kitchen table eating her dinner. She couldn’t remember if Matt had duty tonight or not, but she did know she wanted to apologize and congratulate him. She wanted him to know she would stand beside him no matter what, that’s what a wife did, especially a military wife. She grabbed a pen and paper from the counter, writing Matt a short note. She left it on the kitchen table, knowing he would find it when he got home. Kellie set her plate in the sink, then retired to the living room. She turned on the History Channel, half watching a program about the Holocaust as she lay on the sofa.

Kellie woke to her alarm beeping from the bedroom upstairs. She cracked open an eye, looking straight into the wet nose of the Moose. Kellie got up, letting the dog outside for her morning run, as she refilled her bowls before heading off to the shower. There was a note stuck to the bathroom mirror from Matt. Kellie didn’t know if he came in during night or left it sometime between their lunch meeting and her getting home.

‘Kell, we’re not deploying as planned, some of our generators are burnt. It will take weeks to fix, so the Ford is emergency deploying in our place tomorrow morning. I love you and wish you the best of luck on your investigation. Get that bastard. I’ll see you on Friday. Love, Matt.’

Well at least he wasn’t mad at her, which was a plus. She quickly took a shower, got dressed and headed downstairs. The Moose was staring in the door, Kellie let her back in, noticing the note she left Matt was untouched. He hadn’t come home during the night. Kellie pulled her boots on, loved the Moose one last time and headed out the door.