Duty Section

Michael and I live and breathe for the weekends. We never get to see each other week days, just daily phone calls and an occasional text message, so when the weekend finally rolls around we both can hardly contain our excitement. Michael more than me if you can believe it. The poor guy has to stay on base Monday through Friday, where the only things to do are sit in your room, walk to the convenient store which is two blocks away, or sit in the DVD lounge, which is really just some couches, a TV and a DVD player- excitement! So even the thought of being able to leave base is like Christmas. Every weekend he can leave base with me and we can be together for about 54 hours straight, and after not seeing each other for five days, those 54 hours mean the world.

But there is something that ruins everything- duty section. This is when a group lucky guys have to stay on base, stay in their uniform all day and all night (literally), cant laugh, smile, joke, high five, share stickers, eat candy or show any form of happiness (not literally). Michael was that lucky guy last weekend. The one good thing about duty section is that it rotates weekends so Michael only has to do it once every five weeks. You can imagine how excited we were to have this weekend together. Everything was planned. We would go to San Diego, go to the zoo, go to the beach, watch movies, and be together for 54 hours straight! Then one stupid phone call messed it all up. Michael called me on Wednesday and told me that our plans for going to San Diego would have to wait. Apparently a couple Marines didn’t clean their rooms, left them completely trashed, I mean seriously heinous work- in the real world that translates to a cup in the trashcan and a bed that was made but wrinkled. And if one Marine screws up then everyone gets punished. I was devastated. But then he gave me a glimmer of hope.

“If everyone in my class gets outstanding marks on our rooms than we can all be relieved of duty section.”

Yipee! There’s that light at the end of the tunnel I have grown to know and love! But then the light gets squashed, again. Two guys failed room inspection. So here I am, sitting alone in a hotel room in Oceanside, waiting for morning when I can go on base and be with him. Spending time in the DVD lounge or walking to the store. I’m not allowed in his room.