Chapter Ten
Stone
On a Monday at four a.m., about two weeks before graduation, our drill instructors bellowed us from our beds, ordering us to get dressed and march outside to the courtyard. After a mad rush to obey commands, we lined up in the pitch-black courtyard.
“Welcome to field week, recruits,” Mendez bellowed. “You’re about to climb a mountain.”
My mouth went dry.
Old Smokey was a steep mountain every recruit had to climb before they could graduate. It was well known as being the most demanding thing we’d ever have to overcome, hence its unofficial name, Mount Motherfucker.
“We’re going to Camp Pendleton for a little vacation,” Morley yelled. “You’ll be tested on the firing range. If you don’t make the grade, you’ll stay back for the weekend and keep shooting until you do. We’ll also conduct your final fitness assessments. This week determines if you’ll be a Marine. Do you understand?”
“Sir. Yes, Sir!” we bellowed.
A slow grin spread across Morley’s face. “Welcome to hell week, recruits.”
“You gonna give up, recruit?” Mendez screamed in my face. “You gonna quit and go home to your boring little life ‘cause you couldn’t cut it?” He fell back, still glaring at me.
“No, Sir!” I yelled, my voice almost breaking with exhaustion as the rain pelted into my mouth. “I ain’t quittin’, Sir.”
“One foot in front of the other one, Stone,” Morley roared. “It ain’t that difficult. You put one foot in front of the other, and you climb this goddamned mountain!”
“Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir!” I shouted, digging deep for every ounce of energy I could muster.
I hadn’t slept for around thirty-six hours due to Morley putting me on guard duty. Straight after my shift, we’d been dropped at the bottom of Mount Motherfucker and ordered to march up it.
We could only see about thirty to forty yards ahead of us. In some places, the ascent was so steep that we could reach out and touch the ground we were about to walk on. Climbing this fucking hill was the scariest thing I’d ever done. If the recruit ahead of us slipped and fell, he’d take every man behind him out. Me included.
The muscles in my arms and legs screamed with pain, which was a bitch, seeing as I was one of the fittest men in the platoon. Isaiah seemed to be keeping up okay, though he’d stumbled a couple of times, and I’d had to grab hold of him to avoid a wipeout.
My eyes slid to Morley, who climbed beside me with determination etched across his face. He made it look so easy, but then he hadn’t been awake for goddamned days.
Calling it hell week was an understatement. We’d been PTd to death for two full days before climbing this bitch. Even men who’d gotten rest struggled; three had already dropped out from fear and exhaustion, and it wouldn’t have surprised me if we lost more recruits before we reached the summit.
I lowered my head against the onslaught of rain and battled on. God only knew how long we’d been climbing. It could’ve been one hour, or it could’ve been five. I’d lost all sense of time amongst the pain and exhaustion setting in my bones.
My body jerked as Isaiah stumbled again. My arm shot out to steady him. “You okay, brother?”
Covering his mouth with his arm, he coughed loudly. “A bit lightheaded, but I’ll be okay.”
With a nod, I pulled him up, holding him until he became sure-footed again, and we continued to climb.
The rain continued to pour down mercilessly, soaking us to the bone as we trudged up the unforgiving mountain. Each step felt like its own battle, my muscles burning and my mind struggling to stay focused. Our DI’s harsh bellows echoed through my ears, driving me forward even though my body begged for rest.
Murmurs began to run through the line. My ears pricked up as a shout sounded from the recruits leading the way.
Isaiah peered over up the mountain and grabbed my arm. “We’re nearly there, brother. We’ve made it.”
I looked at the heavens, silently thanking whoever was up there, keeping me safe.
The knowledge that we’d almost made it filled me with a final burst of energy. One after the other, we climbed the last shelf leading up to the mountaintop. The summit was closer than I dared hope, and my heart soared with a sense of achievement I’d never felt before. As we pushed through the final stretch, the rain seemed to ease up as if the skies were welcoming us.
As if emerging from a haze, we finally reached the top. The clouds parted, and I drew a sharp intake of breath as I turned my head and watched the sun burst over the horizon. The sun raced over the landscape, casting a warm, golden light, warming us with its embrace.
And as my chest filled with emotion. One thought filled my mind.
I wish Elise was here.
Mutters and soft laughter filled the air around me. I sank to my ass, shoulders slumping with relief as the pain in my legs eased slightly.
My eyes lifted and caught sight of Mendez, who seemed to be having a silent conversation with Morley. I watched in awe as all tension left him, and he beamed a smile, nodding proudly as his stare went over us men. “Good job,” he called out, for once, his tone at a normal level. “You beat Mount Motherfucker, Marines. You should be proud.”
Silence fell over the group, every stare slashing toward Mendez.
He’d always called us recruits. This was the first time he’d ever referred to us as Marines, and it spoke volumes.
As the DI’s words hung in the crisp mountain air, another wave of emotion swept through me. His acknowledgment lifted the weight I’d been carrying since the day I rode away from my sweet girl. I glanced around at my fellow Marines, their faces etched with exhaustion but eyes shining with pride.
We’d conquered Mount Motherfucker together, as a team, as a unit, and our bond was forged in sweat and determination. A wide smile spread slowly across my face, and a feeling of camaraderie washed through me. At that moment, my connection with these men was unbreakable.
I turned my face to Isaiah, who swiped a sleeve across his moisture-filled eyes. “We made it,” I whispered.
My darling John,
I hope this letter finds you well and your drill instructors aren’t giving you too hard a time anymore.
Things here are okay. The weather’s turning cooler now, and fall is starting to grip the town. Though, I guess you don’t get a change of seasons in San Diego.
Everybody here is okay. I saw your mom again last Sunday at your house, and we had a lovely time. Iris joined us, too, and it was nice to chat with another ol’ lady. She’s only four years older than me—can you believe it? She seems so much more confident and mature. The way she feels about Abe reminds me of how I feel about you, like she’d fade away if she couldn’t hold him close. Sometimes, I wake up and feel like I’m slowly dying without you, but then I remember what it’s all for, and I’m proud to be yours, even though being without you feels like I’m drowning.
It”s just a few weeks until I hold you again. I’m marking every day off my calendar and dreaming about the moment we’ll finally be together.
Guess what? I’ve got fantastic news.
It took some doing, but Dad finally gave me his blessing to fly to San Diego with your mom. I’ll be there for Visitor’s Sunday up until when you graduate. I get to see you and be proud of you all over again, just like I am every day whenever I witness you being kind or helping somebody in town. I get to be there at your proudest moment and say, that’s my ol’ man.
Good luck in your final weeks, honey. I know you’ll do it because you’re John Stone, and you can do anything you put your mind to. Write soon and tell me what you’re doing.
Love you all the world.
Elise.
I flopped back on my bunk, a slow grin spreading across my face and my heart bouncing inside my chest.
“What’s got you mooning around like a lovesick puppy.” Isaiah laughed. “You look like a big old tom cat who got the cream.”
I smirked. “My tom cat days were over the day my duchess agreed to give me a shot.” I held my letter in the air before banding it together with all my others. “She’s coming to Visitor’s Sunday with my mom and staying until we graduate.”
Isaiah grinned. “That’s awesome. My woman’s coming by herself. Can Bianca sit with your gang?”
I waved a nonchalant hand. “No problem. I’ll write Elise and my mom tonight and tell ‘em to look out for her.”
“Much obliged.” His dark eyes took on a dreamy look. “Can’t wait to get a hold of my woman. Anca’s beautiful. Tall, exotic, polished skin. She’s a Broadway dancer. Moves like a dream.”
My eyes slashed to my friend. “A dancer? Really?”
He nodded, waggling his eyebrows. “Wait until you see her. She’s fuckin’ incredible.” Isaiah cocked his head slightly, studying me. “You don’t really talk about your girl. What’s she like?”
It was suddenly my turn to go all dreamy. “Elise is beautiful. A blonde-haired, green-eyed pageant princess. Sweet as candy and so fuckin’ innocent. She’s the town’s sweetheart who’s never been touched by the bad shit in the world. Gonna make it my mission to keep it that way.”
One corner of Isaiah’s mouth hitched. “Sounds as if you’ve fallen hook, line, and sinker.”
I lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I grew up in a biker club full of groupies, had more than my fair share of women, and even played the field with some of the girls in town. When my Leesy turned sixteen, she looked at me with her big, green eyes, and I got struck by lightning. I’ve never looked at another girl since. I never wanted to. I’m going to marry that girl one day.”
“I may put a ring on it after we graduate,” Isaiah murmured, looking into space.
“Lucky,” I muttered. “My girl’s only eighteen. I don’t wanna wed her and then leave. I’m gonna wait until I’ve done my three years, and she’s twenty-one. I don’t wanna make my wife live at a biker club when she’s not even legal to drink without me even being there to support her. It doesn’t sit well with me.”
“You’re right,” my bud agreed. “Bianca’s on her own. She’s got no family left, just me. If we were married and something happened to me, at least she’d get my pension. It puts my mind at ease to know she’ll be looked after if I don’t make it home.”
I reached out and clapped Isaiah’s shoulder. “It”s a good thing we’re signing up in peacetime, then, right?”
“There’s always a war going on somewhere in the world, Stone,” he retorted. “Don’t jinx yourself. Things are looking dire in the Middle East. I wouldn’t be shocked if we were eventually sent in—”
“It’s very chatty in here!” a voice bellowed from the door.
I looked up to see Sergeant Mendez glaring around the dorm. He had his hat pulled forward and his cane pointing at us from under his arm. “You’re in phase three of your training now, Marines. We should be way past the point where I have to come in here to shut you up!”
Sarge marched down the dorm, and we all jumped up, standing to attention. “This is a time for you to reflect on the day and what you’ve learned, write to your loved ones, and ensure your uniform is clean and polished. What it’s not is a time for gossip!” He eyeballed me as he walked past, his stern stare lingering on my face for a moment longer than the others before he walked to the exit and disappeared from the dorm.
We breathed a collective sigh of relief and went back to what we were doing before the sarge interrupted. Mendez wasn’t stupid. He knew me and Isaiah were chatting when we shouldn’t have been, but he’d relaxed a little lately, probably because we were just a week away from graduation.
My eyes stayed glued to the empty doorway as a wave of nostalgia washed over me. The dimly lit room seemed to echo with the creaking of beds and the shuffling of boots—sounds that were alien to me a couple of months ago but now were as familiar as breathing.
Morley stomped into the room, clutching a wedge of envelopes. “Letters from home, Marines,” he bellowed. “Who’s going to get lucky today?”
A small smile played around my mouth when I thought back to the beginning of training when a letter from home represented a lifeline to the world outside the barracks.
I sat down on my mattress and shuffled up the bed until my back hit the hard, worn wood of the headboard and reached for a sheet of blank paper. Memories flooded my mind—Elise’s smile. The way she looked up at me wide-eyed and bursting with love. I could almost smell the sweet scent of jasmine that clung to me when she hugged me goodbye, and my heart ached from missing her so much.
With a hand trembling with emotion, I grabbed my pen and began to write. I poured my innermost thoughts and feelings onto the page, baring my soul to the girl I loved with everything I had.
My sweet Leesy, I began…