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out of the car and I checked my pockets to
make sure I had everything I needed.
    “What’d you
bring?” Sergeant Moore moved around the car to stand beside me.
    “My ID, Social
Security Card, and cash,” I answered.
    “No smokes?”
    I shook my head.
“No, I quit a few months ago.”
    “Man, when I was
leaving, I chain smoked like crazy right up until the last second. I even got
chewed out by my recruiter for asking if I could smoke in the car on the way.” Sergeant
Moore laughed at his memory and started walking toward the entrance. “Okay,
when you get in there, you’re gonna go into a room
with a bunch of other kids that are just as freaked out as you are and listen
to some guy try to motivate and scare you at the same time. They’re gonna ask you again how
many times you’ve smoked pot, so if you mess that up, you’re not going. Then
they’re gonna have you swear your oath again, and
you’ll all head to the airport to meet some DI’s and head out.”
    “The airport?
Isn’t boot camp right here in San Diego?” I asked, confused.
    “Yeah, but other
recruits are coming in from around the country and it’s just easier for you
local kids to get in line at the airport with the rest of the them. The DI’s
take you from the airport to the Depot on their busses. You ready for this?”
    My head swam with
all of the information. I forced a shaky smile and gave him the thumbs up,
hoping I looked sarcastic and not terrified.
    “Very convincing,”
Sergeant Moore held the door open for me to pass through. We wove through
hoards of other recruiters with their future Marines in tow and found the
reception desk in the lobby. Sergeant Moore told the clerk behind the desk that
he was checking me in, and we both signed the clipboard on the ledge. He shook
my hand.
    “Okay, kid. I’ll
see you when you’re a Marine.”
    ***
    Many chaotic and
terrifying hours later, I was beginning to understand what my dad had warned me
about. I stood in a line of recruits waiting to use the phone for my arrival
call. The DI’s were screaming from all directions. I looked to my left and
right and noted the sullen expressions on the guys beside me. By now, I was
sure we are all thinking the same thing: What
have I gotten myself into?
    I rushed forward
and white knuckled the receiver when it was my turn to use the phone. I felt
the body heat radiating off of a sweaty Drill Instructor who was yelling at the
kid on my left. I prayed that he didn’t turn his attention on me next. In a
brief moment of panic, I was afraid that I didn’t remember Ellie’s number. I
recovered quickly and dialed. She answered on the second ring.
    “Spencer?”
    “I have arrived
safely at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego,” I read from the script posted
on the wall in front of me. “Please do not send any food or bulky items. I will
contact you in three to five days via postcard with my new mailing address.
Thank you for your support, goodbye for now.”
    Before I hung up,
I waited a beat to see if she would say anything.
    “Ellie,” I
breathed into the phone without thinking. I wasn’t supposed to deviate from the
script at all. I didn’t know what I would have said to her, but I stilled when
I heard her melodic voice from the other end of the line.
    “Love you, Spence.
Be safe,” she said, her voice was so quiet compared to the melee around me that
I couldn’t be sure if I’d heard her correctly or if I’d heard what I’d wanted
to hear. The DI next to me started to turn around, so I quickly disconnected
the call and took off for the line of waiting recruits.

 
    Chapter Three
    Ellie

 
    I walked through
the door to the ladies room and wrinkled my nose. Public bathrooms were awful,
but even worse when you had to stand in line. I peered around the women in
front of me to gauge how long I’d be subjected to the foul air. Tim and I had
just seen the latest rom-com, and I now I felt a little down. When the couple
got their