“Just remember. September is never that far away.”

“Yea. If you’re in the same time zone.” She turned her cry into a laugh while walking away at the same time. She thinks to her if he only knew what it was like when he went away. Maybe then he wouldn’t go away so often.

“Hey,” he says, bringing her back to reality, “it’s only for little while this time. And then I’m yours. The United States Marine Corps will own me no more. I will be utterly and completely.. yours.”

Tears form in his eyes before she has a chance to say anything. He grabs her up in a swoop and twirls her around in the air. Lightly kissing her goodbye, for one last time, as he disappears into the crowd of passerby.

She stands there until he is well out of sight, and then a little while longer. Placing a hand on the little bulge in her belly she thinks out loud “Oh my precious little one, there is a lot for you to learn.”

As a smile creeps across her face, the tears no longer coming down like clock work, she says goodbye one last time.