The Hermes Endeavor

Chapter 3 - Ashley

As Ashley drove her car through the entry of the Army base, she fought back the urge to vomit. She had not set foot here in nearly eight years, and the memories were coming back to her in vivid detail, despite her best efforts to suppress them. Instinctively she glanced over at her son sitting in the passenger seat to see how he was taking it, and on the surface at least he did not seem phased. His facial expression was the barely contained excitement it had been for most of the drive here. Seeing his happiness helped her get her own emotions under control.

'This is his day – he should be happy,' she said to herself as she smiled at him. It was amazing to her how much Glenn had grown to look like his father. He was about the same age now as his dad was when he was born, but watching him grow up was getting more bittersweet to Ashley every year. 'He would be so proud of you if he could see you now,' she beamed as she studied her son. Glenn felt her staring at him, and laughed uncomfortably.

"Stop mom, you're creeping me out," he said smiling.

"I'm just happy for you. You've come so far since..." her words trailed off as she decided she did not want to finish that sentence.

"Thanks. I couldn't have done it without you," he replied, filling the void. "After I set the fastest time, you'll be the first person I thank in my interview."

"Don't get too far ahead of yourself, hun," Ashley laughed back at him. "Just make sure you finish it."

"Are you saying you don't think I will?" asked Glenn as he feigned being hurt. "Ouch, mom. Ouch"

"Oh shut up. You know as well as I do you have it in the bag. I'm just saying it's your first time, and you don't want to be one of those people that get this far just to do something stupid like trip on the first obstacle."

"Not a chance," Glenn replied. There was a tone of grim resolve in his voice now. "There is no way I'm going to make a mistake today. Not here."

Ashley saw it then. He was affected by coming back here after all. He was only nine when it happened – ten years ago now. November 5th, 2009. That was the day everything that Ashley knew and hoped for was taken away, and she still felt like she owned part of the blame.

She remembered the night before that terrible day, when she broke down in tears and begged her husband, Jason, not to go – even though she knew there wasn't anything he could do at that point. He was about to be deployed for a tour in Iran, and this was the last time she would see him for the next six months. It was not his first tour, or even his second or third. However, there was something about this one that affected her more than normal. As usual, Jason was sympathetic to her. He never acted upset or annoyed by her impossible requests, and instead just held her tight and whispered softly that everything was going to be ok. He kissed her forehead and reminded her he was almost done. They were only about two more years away from him leaving the military so they could move back to Oklahoma, where they could settle down and raise a family. For hours he patiently talked to her, doing his best to relieve her worries. Once they went to bed, she couldn't sleep though. Instead, she stayed up for another hour wishing and praying that something would happen to prevent him from leaving the next day.

Her memory shifted to the morning of November 5th. She remembered rolling over to squeeze her husband a little tighter than usual. She decided that there was not anything else she could do except try and make the most out of their last day together.

Once they got out of bed, she made breakfast and then they both walked their son to the school on base. Jason did not have to be at the Soldier Readiness Processing Center until 1:30 that afternoon, so they spent the rest of the morning together. Those few hours together were perfect. The autumn weather was cool but not cold, and the sun shined down through a cloudless sky. They made some light conversation, but mostly just sat together on their front porch peacefully enjoying each other's company. The rest of the world seemed to fade away for a time, leaving just the two of them in shared bliss.