Eli on deployment, letter to Bea
He didn't want to write this letter at all, but he had to. He had to let her know what was going on and why he wouldn't be able to be online for a while.
Dear Bea-utiful,
Can I start of saying that I love you to pieces, entirely and fully without questions or doubt. I also want you to know and remember that I have every intention of returning home to you, safe and sound, and haven't re-upped my term while I'm here.
Now for the hard part. Our little temporary base here took some fire and they think we need to move. So we're packing things up and heading farther into the country. Same as before, I can't tell you where I'm going, just that I'll be home soon. We're staying safe as we can over here, all of us. But if I'm not online to chat with you it's not that I did it on purpose. Well, kinda. I'd rather not stay here since I had the choice, which means it is on purpose, but hopefully a purpose you can understand. And I'm rambling... Mostly because there's a lot to do and I want to talk to you but can't.
One of my buddies is staying behind. He said he wanted me to stay and cover his six, but I told him I couldn't. I tried to get him to come along with me but he said he didn't want to. Something about more hazard pay for his daughter. He has an ex wife and a little girl so I don't fully understand his reasons for staying.
He'd asked what it was like though, to leave them behind and been told leaving a child behind to come to this shit is like tearing your heart out with a spoon, sewing it back in with wire and having it ripped back out when you get home. Crazy ow the simplest little things like missed field trips and having no choice but to pass up birthdays affected everybody here. He didn't want to go through that all again but he knew he would have to. It was just his job.
Anyway, we talked about a lot of things for a good damn while and when we get home, I want you to meet him. Just remind me after our tree days in bed reunion. I'm definitely looking forward to that one. Or three, five, seven... Whatever it turns out to be.