Still feeling the calm from earlier, Hailey grew reflective. Her feelings about the Army came in waves. When she first got back from Iraq, she hated it. Then, for a long while, she blocked everything out. Now, she missed it, probably even more so since she couldn’t go back in. Her gaze grew distant as her thoughts drifted. “Sometimes I miss it too,” she admitted.
She imagined Max had seen a lot more than she had—that was the nature of being a Green Beret. Still, she was glad he had at least some 'rose-colored glasses' to look through, that it hadn’t been all bad. She wouldn’t pry into the darker parts; those were the things you kept hidden, buried deep. Instead, you talked about the lighter moments, the things that made you seem tougher than you felt inside. Like how the desert was a hellscape or the time a private left his rifle unattended, and she replaced it with a two-by-four he had to carry around.
Trying to keep her tone light, she asked, “Spend any time in the sandbox?”
She imagined Max had seen a lot more than she had—that was the nature of being a Green Beret. Still, she was glad he had at least some 'rose-colored glasses' to look through, that it hadn’t been all bad. She wouldn’t pry into the darker parts; those were the things you kept hidden, buried deep. Instead, you talked about the lighter moments, the things that made you seem tougher than you felt inside. Like how the desert was a hellscape or the time a private left his rifle unattended, and she replaced it with a two-by-four he had to carry around.
Trying to keep her tone light, she asked, “Spend any time in the sandbox?”