Lt. Benjamin is well known, and for good reason. Not only was her grandfather a respected admiral himself but she's proven herself to be one of the best fighter pilots of her time.
When she entered the Navy she had one rule. No fighter pilots! She...
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Tucker pulled up to the familiar home she had grown up in. It was located just a couple blocks away from the ocean. The small cottage was something her mother always took pride in, just like her children.
Tucker parked her Jeep which she had transported from the base in Virginia all the way to California.
Still dressed in her uniform she walked up to the front door, nervously knocking on the front door.
She could hear footsteps approach before the door was slightly cracked opened. "Sorry, we aren't interested" Amelia sassed about to close it when Tucker stopped her.
"Amelia? It's me" Tucker said, surprised her sister didn't recognize her. The young girl quickly opened the door.
Tucker then was able to get a good look at her. Amelia had turned out to be gorgeous girl. Her younger sister who had become a teenager since she last saw her pushed the screen door open and grabbed Tucker in a hug.
Amelia engulfed herself into Tucker, wrapping her arms tightly around her waist. Tucker put a hand on her back. "Mom's gonna be so happy to see you" Amelia stated as she pulled away from Tucker. "Are you home?"
"Possibly for a while. I'm back on orders" Tucker explained. Amelia's face slightly dropped at the sound of Tucker not returning to see them.
"I heard about Dennis. Look if you need anything-"
"Don't ruin this moment talking about Dad. Okay? Plus he moved to Hawaii. Has a new wife" Amelia asked making Tucker smile. She grabbed Amelia into another hug before walking back into the house with her.
"So where's mom?" Tucker asked looking around. The house hadn't changed much, if at all, since she left.
"She's at work. She won't be home until later" Amelia explained.
"And where is this place of work exactly?" Tucker asked confused.
"The Hard Deck" Amelia continued. She sat down at the dining room table munching on the peanut butter and jelly sandwich she had made for herself.
"The bar? She's a barmaid?" Tucker asked confused. She couldn't imagine her mom working at the bar.
"Yep. She's pretty good at it" Amelia explained before taking another bite.
"Well, I'll be back soon. I need to go see mom" Tucker said, wishing her sister goodbye before she got back into her Jeep. She drove down the scenic route to the bar just outside of the North Island. It was populated by mostly military personnel.
She parked the Jeep, stepping out onto the sandy parking lot, looking up at the sign. Amelia is sitting me up. Surely that was all that Tucker could think of. There was no explanation as to why her mom had settled on this as a career. Nonetheless, Tucker wouldn't know the truth unless she saw it for herself.
She walked into the bar, finding it was unexpectedly lively for only being five o'clock. She slowly approached the bar, standing, waiting for her mother to come help her.
"I'll be with you in a-" her mother muttered to Tucker before realizing who she was. She placed the mug full of beer down on the bar before rushing to the swinging door, running around to grab her daughter in a hug. "Oh my god. Look at you. You're still the same. How have you been? I've been so worried about you" she rambled on.
"I'm fine"
"I was going to call you when that accident happened in Afghanistan a few months ago. I had a feeling in the pit of my stomach but I kept telling myself they would call if it was you" Penny explained, her nervousness was showing through the speed of her talking.
"Mom, I was fine. I just had a collapsed lung and an abdominal tear. I didn't think you needed to be called. I knew you were going through the stuff"
"Nothing is more important that you and Amelia. Why wouldn't you call me? Have the military inform us? Damnit Tucker. I knew it" her mother cursed, pushing the girl out of anger. Though, Tucker didn't budge.
"You know, you're stepfather was right. The Navy wasn't a good choice for you. It's just clouded your judgement even more" Penny lectured.
"And where is admiral ass?" she joked.
Her mother gave her a scolding look. "Your stepfather"
"-ehh. He's an ass. He divorced you and left Amelia high and dry. He's what? Living in Hawaii with this new wife? That's an ass if you ask me"
"Well, I wasn't asking" Penny snapped back.
"So when did you start working here?" Tucker asked, looking around at the bar.
"I bought it. A few years back. I was shocked too but I couldn't pass it up" Penny explained, looking at her daughter. She hadn't seen her in years and she honestly didn't want to let her go.
"Mom-" Tucker began but a disturbance stopped her from completing her sentence. Her mother's head snapped around, holding up her finger for them to wait a moment.
The man, however, from across the bar couldn't wait anymore as he called for a few more drinks.
"I'll be right there" she kindly responded back. Penny knew she had to get back to work as the bar was only picking up as they went into the evening hours.
"Why are you back?" Penny asked, dreading to here the answer. She held on tightly to her daughter's arms.
"Orders. It's not deployment. A detachment" Tucker explained but her mother didn't look happy regardless. "I don't think they would deploy me again for a third time. Not for a while" she tried reassuring her mom.
"We will talk. Come by tomorrow?" she asked as the man called out again.
"Yeah. I'll be back" Tucker promised. She watched as her mom jumped back into serving the people at the bar.
She then headed for the exit and left on her way for the base.
