jeremy from michigan
i was eating dinner alone, as usual, but unlike usual this attractive tall blond dude came up and asked, 'mind if i sit here?'
i said no, no, no, although i enjoy my lonely silence, it is the holiday season after all, cheery cheery.
so he sits across from me, places his plate on the side, and starts moving all the condiments i was hiding behind over and moves his plate in front of him.
very methodical, very slow and steady.
i kinda smirked, nervous, i was sure this guy was going for the kill, and i was the prey. i didn't feel like being smooth talked by some cocky bastard.
but, i figured i'd beat him to it, and once he got settled, i put my hand out for him to shake and said, "hi, i'm cristina, and you are?"
he looked flustered, but didn't hurry a response, "jeremy." and smiled.
he then asked me where i am from, i said los angeles, he said he didn't meet too many people from the west coast, we talked about deployments, what he studied in college, what i studied in college, why i joined the military, what i studied, what my parents did, why my dad is in kosovo, on and on.
nice guy, we talked for about an hour and he didn't make any moves, just a friendly conversation.
you rarely get that in the military, so i was glad for it.
then my boss sat next to us, and i got a little nervous, and told jeremy that i had to go back to work before my boss got mad.
then we got outside, jeremy headed towards the MWR and we said goodbyes, and i think that was definitely the highlight of my december. never meet him again, which is kinda of how the military goes. but it was nice.
it's good to meet someone you can talk to, someone who is from a different place and world, who can make you realize, "yes, i am real, i am here, and i am thinking."