Back to the course

John felt the sweat running down her neck. She could feel her shirt clinging to her back. The cool breeze blowing in the new front was welcomed by her skin. Her heart was pounding that healthy thump-thump of a good work out and her mind was running as she observed every man in the platoon moving thru the course. It was the last heat. They were behind only because they were sticking together and not running off like over sugar-ingested little tykes. She was certain they would win. The other teams over had been too spaced at times. Men left on the last wall while their team leader was two obstacles ahead. Ridiculous. But she could remember the impatience of waiting on the others and knowing that the penalties would be worse than the wait was not always enough to halt her either.

Everyone had to exercise the mind and the will power though. She regularly exercised her will to deny herself things or to wait. Except with food… unless it was a rare treat in which she would simply make herself not eat it all in one sitting. She liked to savor a lot of things in this life. But there were still times you just had to give it all you had and go for it. She had failed to realize the shower was coming up on them.

The rain started to fall in steady sheets, turning the dust and dirt to mud infested with sand grains. She wanted to have some fun. Get lost in the moment before having to snap back to reality and see that her friend was not there. She glanced up at the top of the road, still no transport. She turned back to her men and ran thru the last heat right behind them. It was exhilarating to slide down the logs and vault over the next one with the rain water trickling down her body. She liked her boots sounding like suction cups in the mud and the squish of the mud around the soles when they hit the earth again. She was in her element. Encouraging the last man that was in front of her.

“Move corporal! This is the last one. Keep pushing. Don’t make me wait on you! Get that rump over the hump!” The kid laughed at this and kept moving thru the water. “You may think that’s funny now but take those two words and make them about me on your pillow later… Oorah, soldier. This lady is going to have a good time. Did I mention the launder is closed today? You can hand wash the case in the sink. My man friend is a big load to bear for this tiny body. What do you say to that?” She huffed along behind him.

“Sergeant, I say that everybody has their needs!” he retorted.

“OORAH, Corporal! Keep moving.”

At the end of the last heat she went to her men and smiled. Her hands behind her back. “Which one of you is the least muddy?”

The platoon called back, “All of us, Sergeant!”

“Why are we not muddy, Platoon A?”

“This won’t do, Sergeant!”

“What if our enemy was looking thru the rain and thought he saw a tree walking his way in all this green?”

“That won’t do, Sergeant!”

“I think we need to alter our camouflage just a smidgeon, boys. The enemy is expecting there to be mud around here. But you don’t look like mud, Platoon A!”

“This won’t do, Sergeant!”

“Platoon A, you will lay in this mud, roll in this mud, grab fist fulls of this mud and proceed to congratulate Platoon B and Platoon C for their hard work. Or you may pretend they are our comrades in which we need to cover them for proper discretion from the enemy. Either way. Drop!”

The platoon of men ran and dived into the mud, covering themselves as much as possible. John herself joined them and then skirted around the back walls of the courses to the other platoons. She signaled the charge and they ran, tackling the other soldiers into the mud and water. She ran up to Sergeant Balin and jumped on his back, pulling his cover off and running her muddy hands thru his high and tight cut. The entire company was enjoying the cool mud after a strenuous day.

Finally, she took one last look at the hill. Still no sign of them. Her mood darkened slightly. She turned around and scanned the course, pleased with the morning’s outcome. Then she saw a beard. Of all the things. She saw his beard. His smile. A laughter smile. She ran across the course, not caring that all these men would see her next move. Up the slope and she jumped onto him, he caught her in his arms, mud and all. She looked from her held up position down into his eyes, not able to control her smile.

“Corporal. Look to your 3,” she commanded so that she could kiss him deeply and hold his face in her hands and run her hands thru his hair and pulled him harder into the moment. He had come for her.