I woke at 4:30 and lay in bed until 4:45. It was pointless to continue in the farce of attempting to sleep and I was ready to sip some coffee, so I got up and puttered quietly about the house. I chose to forgo mascara, seriously...why even??
7a.m. we hit the road to head into downtown Houston, thankful for the HOV lane to get us through the bulk of traffic. Except at that point in time where it was almost to a standstill. It actually made me giggle heartily when we came to the reason.
There were two cops standing in the middle of the road, enforcing the high occupancy thing. One was a large stern man, practically halting people with his disappointed stare. He made me feel bad and we weren't even guilty of anything. He would peer into each car, give a look of frank disgust then signal the perpetrator to head over to see his equally disappointed cohort, who was at the ready with his ticket pad. They were quite a team.
This delay did make us nervous that we would not arrive by 8:30, which is when our son's recruiter suggested we be there.
Thankfully we eased into a parking garage just across the street from MEPS at 8:24, and hoofed it to the building in haste. There were 3 guards working the front entry, and our cute parental selves, camera in tow, made the question "Are you here to see a child swear in?" the obvious one to ask. The fella working the metal detector gave us his likely ever ready speech...which basically said, you are here way to early, nothing of interest even happens until 10a.m. He invited us to come back closer to 9:30 and set back to the business at hand for people who did belong there.
Well, what were we to do?? We stepped out onto the front steps and spoke with an adorable red headed gal who had just gotten the same basic speech, except she was there to see her fiance off. She was so young, and I was proud of how composed she seemed to be.
She was kind enough to snap a photo of us, with the old government issue grey building in the background with my cell, then we were off to try to find a comfortable place to kill an hours worth of time.
We walked a few blocks of downtown Houston, it was clean but noisy and hectic as cities are want to be. The air was thick and there was a deep heavy fog that was slowly climbing the walls of the taller buildings, though no sunshine was allowed in. In the distance we spotted what looked to be a diner, but much to our chagrin was in fact a bar, not yet open for the day. Luckily, right next door was Ben's Beans a kitschy tall ceiling-ed place with the smell of coffee wafting out. A friendly gal greeted us behind the counter and insisted that yes she could in fact whip up a flat white for me. She was great at her job, making people feel comfortable when they came in to be served. She wondered why we were about, and we told her. She recalled how she remembered very vividly the day her brother joined the Army, it still gave her chills to recall it.
Floor to ceiling, deep red were the walls, covered with art work that looked like it had been donated from the local college discard pile. My husband and I sipped our coffee, trying to enjoy the time but there was an uneasiness about us, that was undeniable. Not with each other, no we have known too many trying moments together to have them come between us, no it was knowing what was to come for our son.
We carried our cups back to the counter and the gal wished us well, walking away to clean off a table. She stopped turned around and called out, "What is your son's name, I will pray for him tonight. I will pray for him and for you." My husband replied "Joshua, and we thank you.", and I choked back tears again for the hundredth time, unable to reply.
The guards back at MEPS recognized us and hustled us through the metal detector and checking in process, and let us know to go to the third floor where we could be checked into security. I found out that this building was finished in 1911. Built to be a courthouse and post office in the classic Renaissance Revival style it still had the broad beams of warm oak around the doorways, grey marble floors and plaster work above each window. It was dreary, in a way that old government buildings are want to be, but it had character and beauty because of its age and the style we are no longer accustomed to.
We signed into the official log book, and entered the long chair lined hallway in search of our son. We found him tucked in a corner of one of the USO rooms designated for gaming. Young men sprawled low in chairs fully focused on whatever military shooting game happened to be in the box at the time. I did not take it in very carefully, because there he was, hunched over a book....intent on escape of reality.
He joined us in that long hallway and we took to a few of those chairs lining those walls.
I wish I had to words to clearly describe the atmosphere. Young men and women, a parent or loved one on either side of them up and down that hall. Men in different uniforms back and forth, looking stern and walking with purpose. Sweet little old ladies there for the USO, decorating doorways for fall and delivering danishes for the recruits.
There was an energy, a contained energy that seemed to hang at a low hum. There was a sense of trepidation, a stillness... even though there was movement all about. Each kid seemed to be both highly focused, and yet not focused at all....it was tiring just to be there in the same space.
I waited as long as I could, but knew that I was going to have to give up a few moments of being in his presence so that I could take a bathroom break. Oh yes, classic me. I set my camera and bag in my selected black chair and took off, knowing I had at least 10 minutes until the oath taking ceremony before I would need to be back and at attention.
When I returned, his chair was empty. My husband quickly explained that he had simply been called back for some sort of briefing. Y'all....I am sad to say that in that very moment I had a melt down. I came around the corner and he was supposed to be there. He was not. He was supposed to be sitting in that chair, slumped over holding his bible and his book, uncomfortable in his own skin but there for me to sit next to, and he was not. I just could not bear it, this simple thing of a chair being empty, and the quiet sobs began. My poor husband assured me that he was not gone forever, he just was gone for a few moments, not to be upset... it was ok. I knew all of that, but still the tears came and I was ashamed at not being able to control myself at something so trivial as a temporarily empty chair.
The next thing I heard was the loud strong voice of a military man giving instructions on what was to come, then calling out for the families of specific boys. Ours was the second name called, so we rose and followed the hallway and around the corner to the doorway of the room where the oath taking would take place.
This has gotten long, so it will be a part 1 and part 2 kind of story.
I leave you with this gal, Lady. She was none too happy that we had just taken her best buddy from the pasture and was running about with her ears pinned back and calling out desperately.
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