She Moves for Him

This is my story. Not some made-up story, but what happened to me when I was a young woman. I have chosen to write this in third person...because it feels like a lifetime ago and another person that it happened to. If you would like to get caught up on any of it, you can click the label "my story" at the bottom of this post.


Time seemed to pass very quickly.


Though they spent as much time together as they could, she started to worry.


Because in a few short months, he was getting out of the military. And he wasn't from here. And "here" wasn't where she could see him spending the rest of his life. What on earth would he do here?


He talked often of his hometown.


Would they just be over when he got out? Would that be it?


It didn't seem possible because of how much they loved each other.


One night, after they had gone to dinner, they were driving back to her place when she started to cry.


"What is it, Peanut?" he asked, slowing the car.


"You keep counting down until you are done with the Marines. It feels like you are counting down until you are done with me."


He assured her that this wasn't true, that he would stay there with her if that was what she wanted. He'd find something to do. Or she would go with him. But, that wherever they were, they would be together.


The time that they spent together seemed to reinforce this. They hated being apart, so his words seemed true.


As the school year was coming to an end, he got news that he would be spending 6 weeks or so in Greece.


They tried to figure out what they were going to do after he was done. Because he was leaving at the beginning of May, school would be over mid-May, he would get back from Greece in mid-June and would be out of the military in mid-July.


Plans needed to be made. Was she going to keep her job and he'd stay in town with her? Or would they go together to his hometown? Or would she stay and he go? That last option seemed unbearable.


Because it seemed to be what he really wanted and she only wanted to be with him, she decided that she would move with him.  In fact, to help with expenses, she would move back to her hometown and live with her brother for the summer, after the school year was over. And then they would move together to his hometown in August.


The last few days before he left for Greece were bittersweet.  When she pictures them now, she remembers that they were always in each other's arms, that he was always reassuring her that the time would go quickly, that they would be together soon and that they wouldn't have to be separated again after this.


She cried every night afer he left. He was so far away. And she was quitting her job and moving, with only the promise that they would be together. No idea of exactly where they would live or if she would find a job. The only thing she had was his promise that it would all work out.


As May came to a close, she began to regret saying that she would move in with her brother for the summer. Because this meant she wouldn't be there when he got back. She would be 600+ miles away.  She wanted to be there waiting for him. Wanted to be able to see him as soon as he got back.


But, she realized that it would make their move to his hometown easier if she did this. And she had faith that they would be moving together.


And so, she left town, her car packed. Crying as she passed the places they had spent time together, still unsure of what would happen.