First Class-Forever

I got my first letter from Pete today. It was just in the nick of time. I just got back home from collecting all of our personal items from his car, that the insurance company, today, determined totaled. I was sobbing the whole way home. As I was gathering all of the things from his car i was flooded with my husband. His smells, his receipts, his random things he collected from the beach, his empty water bottles and energy drink cans. This was his car. He picked me up for our first date in this car. We listened to music for hours, while parked in the parking lot of my old apartment building, just talking and kissing. Listening to each other ramble about stories, and music. I felt as though I was putting to rest a part of our past that I, at times, thrived on. Now I dont have a car. I dont have the money they are going to give me for the car, because I dont have the title with Pete's signature on it. Fuck, I dont even have money for rent because I missed work due to the accident and I have no idea when I will start getting money from the Army. So, never the less my drive home for the collision shop was filled with sobbing for what was, and the longing for my best friend.

The first thing I noticed when I saw the letter was that the return address was MY home address, not the address to write him back at Ft. Lenordwood. I opened the letter, and breathed a sigh of relief. "Hello honey" I said out loud. The letter was wonderful. He started off by saying how much he misses me and Charlie. How he wakes up at night expecting to be in bed with us, and instead he is greeted with a drill Sergeant yelling at him. When he wrote the letter he was still at Reception, so he didnt have and address for me to send my letters too yet. I read the letter about 4 times. Then, I took a big breath in, and I felt better. This car crap will pass, we will get another one.

I found a stamp on the floor of Pete's car when I was cleaning it out. It had the liberty bell on it and it read "First class Forever". The same stamp was on the first letter I got from my soldier today.