Chapter 6
Chapter Six
RIGEL
It’s been ten years since I’ve been home.
Ten long years of duty, service, sacrifice, and countless missions that took me to the far corners of the world. Now, as my childhood home comes into view, framed by the setting sun, the contrast between my past life and this moment is stark.
Breathtaking.
My truck’s engine purrs beneath me, its low rumble resonating through my chest as I navigate the familiar, winding road to my family’s vineyard in Paso Robles, California. The sun hangs low in the sky, and its golden rays filter through the canopy of leaves to cast dappled shadows across the asphalt.
The air rushing through the open windows carries the sweet aroma of ripening grapes mixed with the earthy scent of freshly turned soil. I drum my fingers against the steering wheel, the leather smooth beneath my fingertips, as excitement and anticipation build in my chest.
The vineyards, the rolling hills, the simple peace of rural California—it’s worlds away from the chaos and camaraderie of my life as a SEAL .
It feels—foreign.
Yet, here I am, crossing this familiar threshold, where the echoes of my former life blend with the whispers of my childhood.
Neither of those hints at what the future might hold.
My gaze drifts to the passenger seat, where my seven-year-old girl sits patiently, her bright eyes fixed on the road ahead. Since she’s meeting my sister for the first time, she got a bath this morning. The faint scent of baby shampoo mingles with the other aromas in the car.
“You ready to meet Aunty Sarah, sweetie?”
Stormy grins the way she always does when she’s excited. A half-eaten biscuit hangs precariously from her mouth. Biscuits are her favorite snack for long rides, and she never seems to tire of them.
“Looks like you’re all set with those snacks,” I chuckle, noting the way she hoards her last biscuit, refusing to eat it, a feat that’s both endearing and slightly comical.
Stormy’s not big on words. Not much of a talker, but her expressions crack me up.
“Aunty Sarah appreciates a tidy car, you know.”
Stormy seems unfazed by the mention of cleanliness, more captivated by the passing scenery and the promise of new adventures. Her bright eyes never stray far from the window, soaking in every detail as if memorizing the route for future reference.
“Your Uncle Mark’s a great guy too. You’re going to have the time of your life.”
Stormy lifts a brow and looks at me. She knows something’s up, that I’m not sharing the whole truth. It’s best to come clean and tell her.
“They really are amazing. Have a huge house and tons of land to explore. Mark makes wine, and you can help him during the harvest. You’re going to love it.”
Her brow furrows as she processes what I say.
“I know you want to come with me, but not this time.”
My heart sinks at leaving her behind. We’ve been best buddies since the day she was born .
Inseparable.
The words feel heavy on my tongue as I explain. “I know. Trust me, I wish you could come with me, but this trip is different. I’m going on a dive adventure from Manila to the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia. I’ll be living on a liveaboard dive yacht for a while, and it’s not the best place for you.”
Stormy shifts in her seat and pouts.
She gets it.
Disappointment fills her eyes, and a tiny whine escapes her.
“We’re still a team, sweetie. You and me, against the world.”
I reach over and rub her neck, feeling the warmth of her skin under my hand. “But sometimes, even the best teams have to spend time apart. It doesn’t mean we’re not still together. It just means we have different adventures to go on for a little while.”
I take a deep breath, the air filling my lungs, as I try to find the right words to explain.
“It’s not that I don’t want you there. I wish more than anything that you could come with me, but the flight to the Philippines is long, and the journey from there to Australia is even longer. The waters can be rough. I know how you get seasick.”
She hates it when I make her get in the water. Stormy fixes me with a stare. It’s slowly sinking in.
“I know you won’t be.” A smile tugs at the corners of my mouth. “But this trip, it’s not like our usual adventures. The diving gear is complicated, and it could be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. I need to focus on the dive, and I can’t do that if I’m worried about you.”
Instead of responding, Stormy gives me the cold shoulder. She turns from me, her attention captured by the world rushing by outside. She leans into the open window, the wind whipping through her hair, transforming it into a wild dance. Each gust carries the scent of adventure, and she breathes it in deeply, a look of pure bliss on her face.
When she looks back at me, sadness fills her eyes.
She gets it .
A lump forms in my throat, the tightness making it hard to swallow.
“It’s only one month, and I promise that as soon as I get back, we’ll go on our own adventure—just the two of us. We’ll explore every inch of that farm, and I’ll tell you all about the fish and coral reefs, the colors so bright and vibrant it’s like swimming in a rainbow. How does that sound?”
I picture Stormy’s smile spreading across her face, her eyes lighting up at the thought of our future adventure. I scratch her back and ruffle her hair, the silky strands slipping between my fingers.
As we pull up to the farmhouse, I’m greeted by the scent of freshly cut grass, which mingles with the fragrant blooms of the nearby flower beds. The familiar crunch of gravel under the tires marks our arrival.
The soft chirping of birds in the trees fills my ears as I step out of the truck, stretch my legs, and breathe in the fresh country air.
Sarah and her husband, Mark, emerge from the house, their welcoming smiles warm and inviting. When Sarah heard I was getting out of the Navy, she opened her home to me.
Our home.
We grew up here.
But the vineyard is hers and Mark’s now. They took over operations of the vineyard after our parents’ tragic deaths well over ten years past.
The important thing is that she didn’t hesitate to offer me a place to stay. Not only did she not hesitate, but she invited me to stay for as long as I need until I figure out what I want to do with my life.
As for Stormy, she’s out of the truck in a flash, her body a blur of energy and purpose. She makes a beeline for Sarah and Mark, her excitement palpable in every stride.
Her training as a SEAL team ammunition dog, along with her recent retirement, hasn’t dulled her zest for life one bit; in fact, it’s heightened it .
She approaches them, her tail wagging like a flag of victory. Without pause, she sniffs and circles them, her bark ringing out not as a command but as an invitation to play.
It’s a greeting that speaks of countless missions and unwavering loyalty, now transformed into an expression of pure, unfiltered happiness.
As Sarah bends down to greet Stormy, the lines around her eyes tell stories of wisdom and care, a subtle testament to the decade she has on me. Her laughter, rich with memories, echoes the protective role she embraced in our childhood when she used to bandage my scraped knees and soothe my troubled dreams. My sister is a saint, stepping in as my legal guardian after the accident that took our parents from this world.
Even as she interacts with Stormy, there’s a nurturing depth in her touch, a reflection of the many years she watched over me. She now extends that loving touch to my closest companion, Stormy.
“I can’t believe Stormy’s finally here. It’s like she’s always been meant to be part of the family.” She crouches to meet Stormy at her level, her hands gently exploring Stormy’s coat. She pauses at the scars that whisper of Stormy’s past life.
“She’s got quite the spirit.” Mark, ever the stoic, cracks a smile that fills his eyes with light. “You’ve told us so much about her, but seeing her in action—well, it’s something else.”
Stormy’s antics draw us away from the heavy conversations about the future, about my leaving the Navy, about what’s next.
I left the Navy without a plan. There’s no job lined up and no thoughts toward the future. Which goes against everything I’ve done so far in my life. I’m an obsessive planner. I have—had—five, seven, and ten-year plans for my future penned in my planners since the age of seven.
I always knew I’d be in the Navy.
Always knew I’d be a U.S. Navy SEAL, like my father before me.
I thought I would make it a career—like my father—until those boots no longer fit. I feel like I let him down, but this world and these wars are—different. Different enough to make me question my choices.
For now—in this moment, it’s just me reunited with my sister, with Stormy by my side, trying to figure out what comes after life in the Navy.
Getting permission to adopt a working dog after her retirement isn’t an easy feat, but I jumped the hoops, scaled the walls, and fought tooth and nail to bring Stormy home with me.
After meeting, greeting, and getting slobbered on by Stormy, Sarah turns to me, arms open wide, ready to engulf me in a warm embrace. As she wraps me in her arms, the blessing of a loving and supportive family envelops me.
“It’s so good to see you,” Sarah exclaims, pulling back to look at me, her hands resting on my shoulders. “My baby brother is finally home. Although, you don’t look like a baby anymore. The Navy has certainly done wonders for you.”
Her laughter fills the air, a familiar sound that eases the tightness in my chest. Yet, within that moment of levity, a pang of regret sharpens inside me.
“I should’ve come home more.” The weight of missed birthdays, holidays, and countless family moments weigh down on me. “The tempo of operations, it just… It never seemed to let up. I’m sorry. I wish I’d been here more.”
But Sarah, ever understanding, shakes her head, her hands firm on my shoulders as she meets my gaze with unwavering love.
“I’ve always known your path wasn’t meant to be an easy one. My baby brother went off to save the world.” Her voice is soft but filled with conviction. “We missed you, of course, every single day, but there was never any doubt in my mind that you were doing exactly what you needed to be doing. You’re a hero by nature. A protector by choice. Just like Dad. Your duty, your service—it’s bigger than us. I couldn’t be prouder.”
Her words, meant to console me, do more than assuage my guilt. They remind me of the unbreakable bond we share, one that neither distance nor time can weaken. In her eyes, I see not just forgiveness for not coming home more often but an unwavering belief in the choices I’ve made, a belief that carries the weight of home with it.
I stand still while she gets a long look at me.
“Look at you, all filled out. Standing several inches taller. You packed on muscles where I remember scrawny arms, and you carry yourself with a confidence that’s… Well, it’s devastating, really.” Her smile widens, teasing yet sincere. “You left a kid and returned a man. I bet you have women swooning left and right, weak in the knees whenever you’re around. How many hearts have you left fluttering in your wake?”
“Well…” I can’t lie.
Women love a man in uniform, but they crave the mystique surrounding a U.S. Navy SEAL even more. I can walk into a bar, snap my fingers, and five women will drop their panties before I have time to blink.
How’s that going to change now that I’m separated from the Navy and no longer carry the mystique of being a team guy?
“I don’t know what I said, but the look on your face is priceless.”
Her laughter rings out, light and joyful, yet there’s a trace of awe in her voice, a sister’s pride in witnessing the transformation from the boy she once knew to the man standing before her now. Sarah pulls me into another hug.
“I’ve missed you so much.”
“Welcome home, Rigel,” Mark chimes in, clapping me on the back, the force of it reverberating through my body. “It’s been too long.”
That lump in my throat grows larger as I look at their smiling faces. The warmth of their love and acceptance washes over me. Then it hits me just how much I’ve missed them, how much I’ve missed this place, and the sense of peace it brings.
“It’s good to be home,” I manage to say, my voice thick with emotion. The words feel inadequate to express the depth of my feelings. “I’ve missed you both so much.”
Sarah’s eyes fill with tears, and she pulls me in for a fourth or fifth hug—honestly, I’ve lost track—her arms tighten around me again .
“We’re so proud of you.” Her breath is warm against my ear. “For everything you’ve done, for everything you’ve sacrificed. But I’m even more proud of you for knowing it was time to call it and focus on yourself.”
“It wasn’t an easy decision—leaving the Navy.” The words feel heavy on my tongue. “But it was time; time to figure out what comes next.”
“And you too.” Sarah crouches down to pull Stormy into a hug. “You’re a retired team dog now. No more bullets. No more jumping out of planes or riding those dingy things…”
“RIBs,” I interrupt, but I do so with a smile. “We call them RIBs: rigid inflatable boats.”
“Well, no more of that scary war stuff. Nobody’s going to be shooting at you here. You’ve got the whole place to explore and be the dog you were meant to be. You can chase butterflies, run through the vineyard, and fetch all the balls you want. Whatever you want.”
“You know, team dogs are really happy doing what they do.” Her comments make me feel bad about the last seven years as Stormy’s handler.
“Don’t listen to her.” Mark smiles, his eyes crinkling at the corners, the lines etched into his skin a testament to the years of laughter and love he’s shared with my sister. “We’re proud of you and thankful for your service. Stay as long as you need. We’ll keep the coffee hot and the wine flowing.”
“Thanks, guys. I appreciate it more than you know.” A sense of contentment settles over me, and the tension in my muscles eases.
As we make our way inside, Stormy follows close behind. Nose twitching, tail wagging, she’s soaking up all the new sights and smells. Over the past seven years, her presence has been a constant comfort.
I can’t help but feel excited for the journey ahead, but I wish Stormy could come with me. I may be leaving behind the familiar routines of the Navy and the teams, but I’m heading toward something new, something incredible.
I don’t know what that might be, but it’s going to be great .
Until I figure it out, however, I’m taking a sabbatical from life, and Stormy is going to stay with my sister and her husband.
The moment I step into the house, the aroma of freshly baked bread fills the air, and I’m transported back to my childhood.
After ten years, I’m finally home, yet I’ll be leaving it first thing in the morning.