30 March 2020 – The United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado

“DAD!” Sabrina squawked before her fingers flew over her phone.

“Princess, I’m fine,” came her father’s calm voice when the call connected.

“Dad, what the hell?”

“Ruptured bicep tendon. Hurt like a bastard. I had reattachment surgery once the initial swelling went down and started PT a few weeks later.”

“‘A few weeks later?’ When did this happen?”

“January. A week after you headed back to the academy.”

“And I’m just hearing about this NOW?”

“Your mom and I signed non-disclosure agreements, remember?”

“That’s a BS answer, Dad ...”

“Maybe, but that’s what we agreed to, even in the event of injuries.”

“You better be healed before I get you on the mat again! I’m gonna beat you senseless!”

“You’ll have to get in line behind your mother, Princess,” Jeff laughed. “She’s got first dibs.”

Sabrina let out an angry growl.

“Now, my beloved only daughter and youngest child. Tommy filled us in on his devious plan for the not-wedding. Have you heard from the academy about graduation and commissioning yet?”

“What ‘wedding?’ You need a live son-in-law first …”

“I see you’re still as fond of surprises as your mother. Seriously, graduation?”

“No visitors at graduation or commissioning this year,” Sabrina replied. “We’ll have to do the traditional post-commissioning ceremonies some other way.”

Sabrina didn’t even bother to count the number of people who asked how her father was the next day. It was excessive. And nearly made her late for classes a couple of times.

Sean Doucette nearly lost his life, however, when Sabrina encountered him.

“I warned you not to jinx my dad, Sean …” Sabrina growled while stalking toward the two-dig.

‘Wow,’ Sabrina mused as the younger cadet receded from sight, ‘Sean’s sprint speed could earn him a spot on the Olympic team.’

“Hey, how’s your …” Dina started to ask at dinner that night.

“Get in line, sister,” Sabrina cut her off with a raised hand. “And Mom’s got dibs. Has for years.”

“Your dad’s a good-looking guy for an older gentleman …”

“We’ve had this discussion before, Dina … Don’t make me hurt you.”

“Seriously, Sabrina, what’s the diagnosis?”

“Ruptured left bicep tendon. Dad already had surgery on it, and he’s still coming out.”

“Is he wearing a sling?”

“No, he’ll be out of it by then he says, but his arm will still be weak.”

“So, he can’t swing me around too much when we dance?”

Sabrina glared at Dina and said, “And here I thought we were getting along so well …”

“Pffft. I’m more afraid of what your mom might do to me …”

April began with the onslaught of end-of-year exams. Of all of them, Sabrina thought her Astro Engineering Option 2 class – Advanced Astrodynamics – would hurt the most.

To her surprise, it was Astro Engr 437 – Small Spacecraft Engineering II. Trying to design a craft that could carry humans into space, keep their atmosphere inside while surrounded by vacuum, keep the heat inside, hold all the equipment necessary to run the spacecraft, oxygen, water reclamation, power generation, propulsion (thrusters), and, oh, still have room for housing the astronauts riding along … The class generated some quite spectacular headaches.

Sabrina tried to rub a frontal headache away as she plodded out of that final and back to her room. The bright sun that day did little but amplify it. She sighed and rotated her neck as she walked, her gaze sweeping across the T-zo. Sam Jensen’s joke about a yardarm being raised on the sweeping, open plain came rushing back into her memory. It would have been her punishment for mutiny. The thought intensified her headache and made her shiver. Her mind was empty of the rushing thoughts and building stress of studying for, then taking her exams. Once back in her room, Sabrina closed the door and collapsed onto her bed.

She woke with a loud snort sometime later. The sun was lower in the sky, the shadows longer. A glance at the clock told Sabrina it was nearly dinnertime. She gathered her shower things and some clean clothes before shuffling to the latrine. A long, hot shower followed by five seconds under a cold spray helped clear Sabrina’s head of the fog that had settled there. She dried off, dressed, and returned to her room.

On her desk, her phone vibrated to provide notice of a missed call and a waiting voicemail. Dina had called, presumably to ask about dinner, which Sabrina confirmed after seeing the voicemail’s transcript.

“Hey, Troublemaker!” Dina chirped as soon as she answered.

“Where do you wanna eat, Dina?” Sabrina asked.

“They still won’t let us off campus, remember? Our choices are limited, and I don’t want to eat at Subway tonight. Meet you at Mitch’s in ten minutes?”

“That’ll work. See ya in ten!” Sabrina disconnected and grabbed her sneakers.

“So glad that’s over!” Dina sighed as she hugged Sabrina outside the entrance to Mitch’s, not caring about ‘social distancing guidelines.’

“You’re not kidding. Just over two weeks to graduation! Can you believe it?”

“It’s more like I can’t believe they’re gonna let you graduate!”

“Shaddap, kid!”

Sabrina was surprised herself, honestly.

The pandemic prompted numerous changes to USAFA’s 2020 graduation ceremony, notably the date. The Class of 2020 would graduate a month before most other classes had: April 18th. None of the firsties had seen their assignments yet, either. They’d get those orders in about a week, but that remained to be seen. Sabrina kept her fingers crossed for pilot training like many of her classmates.

Graduation would be held on the Terrazzo in the Cadet Area, which still haunted many cadets’ memories, instead of at Falcon Stadium. Cadets would sit in widely-spaced chairs far apart from each other, as opposed to tightly-packed chairs on the field at Falcon, and would have to wear masks. The lack of guests would be another big difference.

They would, however, still get a high-ranking speaker at the ceremony. The President, Vice President, and Secretary of Defense rotate through the country’s four service academies each year to give the commencement address. It was the Vice President’s turn to speak at USAFA. The Superintendent would introduce the Vice President, and this would be his final graduation before he retired from the Air Force in September.

Sabrina shook her head at the thought of a 35-year career like the Superintendent had. With any luck, she would reach that milestone while, hopefully, piloting the Mars colonization spacecraft or something like it.

The former roommates were happy with the meal choices Mitchell Hall’s staff offered tonight. The kitchen staff knew today had been the last day of exams, and this was their way of helping cadets celebrate that. The variety Mitch’s offered impressed Sabrina and her friends four years after their arrival. Vegetarian options, personalized dietary planning, and color-coded visual guides to the healthiest choices available … not what one would expect of a regimented by-the-book place like USAFA.

“Your dad all healed up?”

“Yes, Dina, Dad’s still coming out,” Sabrina replied in a sing-song voice while she rolled her eyes. “Good thing they aren’t allowing visitors at graduation because you’d probably try to use me as a shield between yourself and Mom. You’d be on your own!”

“Some friend you are!” Dina groused. “What about your first salute?”

“All planned out, kid, don’t you worry.”

“Well, with this virus crap going on, I can’t be there to watch. Is someone going to take pictures?”

“See my previous statement, Cadet …”

“This place definitely killed your sense of humor!”

“You’re still surprised? After what I’ve been through?”

“Well, no … I guess not.”

“‘A little suffering is good for the soul,’ Dina.”

“I think you suffered enough to account for everyone in Cadet Wing, Sabrina.”

‘These dress uniforms are pretty sharp …’ Sabrina thought as she looked over her USAFA cadet parade uniform while she dressed for graduation. ‘Of course, having Cecil B. DeMille design them helped, too.’

The dark blue, Eisenhower-length, double-breasted jacket paired well with the contrasting silver-threaded shoulder rank boards and white dress trousers. The yellow-gold waist sash complemented the two. Black, high-gloss dress shoes covered Sabrina’s feet, and the white cover with a thick, dark blue band above a glossy black bill with a bold, silver edge completed the uniform. She confirmed the dark blue mask that matched her jacket’s color was in her pocket for later.

Sabrina tucked her cover under her left arm and headed out of her room, locking the door behind her. She joined her classmates as they silently filed out of their squadron’s area, down the stairs, and to the lobby space set aside for them to gather. Once ready, they stepped outside, put on their covers, and marched along the edge of the Terrazzo. They met the rest of their class at a corner on Fairchild Drive, at the base of the ramp that signaled the actual start of their time as cadets. The ramp brought them to the T-zo for the first time during I-Day, four years before.

Sabrina couldn’t help but feel emotion over the end of her time as a cadet. She arrived in Colorado Springs hoping for much and not knowing what to expect. She read stories about life here, but living through the past four years made the stories pale by comparison.

Academy staff guided the Class of 2020 onto the ramp and into well-ordered and -spaced files. The graduating cadets stood there for only a few minutes before the graduation staff motioned for them to begin marching.

The Terrazzo looked empty. It stretched in front of Sabrina like a deserted football field until Cadet Chapel dominated the view at its edge, with the mountains in the background. Sabrina could hear classmates sigh in disappointment at the lack of family and friends filling nearby stands … or maybe that was her? Nobody was around except the dignitaries on the low riser near the chapel. They also sat widely spaced apart and stood as the cadets appeared.

The graduating class of 2020 marched to the chairs perched on the grass facing Cadet Chapel and the riser. Chairs were spaced to give cadets six feet between each other, unlike the shoulder-to-shoulder seating of previous years. Like years past, the speeches were long and became tiresome even though the speakers wanted them to be inspiring. Finally, the moment when previous classes rose and walked across the stage came.

In their case, the Superintendent congratulated them and pronounced them graduates. He had had most of the Americans stand and raise their right hands. The Sup recited the Oath of Office for the cadets, and they became commissioned second lieutenants in the US Air Force. The Chief of Space Operations, the head of the new Space Force, then asked those wearing silver waist sashes to do the same. Those eighty-six USAFA cadets became the first directly commissioned into the young USSF from the academy.

Sabrina pulled the second lieutenant’s dress shoulder boards from her pocket. She switched out the cadet shoulder boards while looking around blankly. Her parents should be doing this. They were the ones who pushed her, sacrificed, fought, and backed her in numerous other ways for her to reach this milestone. The stupid virus had stolen so much from her and her class. At least she still had her fiancé for a while longer.

“Lieutenant Knox?” came the question from Sabrina’s left.

Sabrina turned. Even with masks on, she recognized Dina Metzger and Linda Stockley, both now former roommates.

“Ladies,” she replied. “My felicitations to you both on your commissioning.”

“We are both most thankful, Lieutenant,” Dina replied while Linda laughed next to her. “May we also convey our congratulations to you as well?”

The three dissolved in laughter as they shared a barely acceptable thing these days – a hug.

“Are you two coming tomorrow?” Sabrina asked.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Linda answered. Dina nodded in agreement. “You all packed up?”

“Just gotta load the truck.”

“We’ll help you if you can return the favor?”

“Let’s go.”

Sabrina drove her truck down I-25 toward the Gallardos’ house and her family. As suspected, her parents, Alex and Anna, Sobo and Sofu, Grandma Jane, and Aunt Heather and her family all waited for her there with her sponsor family. Her personal items from her room at Sijan Hall rode in the truck’s bed, covered by the tonneau cover. Sabrina garnered some curious looks as others passed her. A few recognized what she wore and gave her a thumbs-up or a salute. She made sure she thanked those folks for their congratulations. When Sabrina rolled into Helen and Joe’s driveway just before three in the afternoon, a small crowd stood near the front porch.

She stepped out of her pickup, straightened her uniform jacket, and covered herself. She walked up to Jane Donnelly while pulling her white gloves back on.

“Ma’am! Cadet First Class Sabrina Knox reports!” Sabrina snapped a salute up as she spoke. Jane returned it, and the two tried to beat each other’s hands back to their sides.

“Cadet Knox, please raise your right hand and repeat after me,” Jane ordered.

Jane then recited the Oath of Office to Sabrina once more. Sabrina repeated the words back to her.

“Congratulations, Lieutenant Knox.”

“Thank you, Colonel!” Sabrina answered while wearing a smile. She threw Jane another salute. Her adopted grandmother then gathered her in an unofficer-like hug.

“I’m so proud of you, Sabrina,” Jane sniffled. “We all are. There’s someone else waiting on you, though, before the rest of these folks can congratulate you.” Jane nodded behind herself and to her left.

Sabrina sidestepped and stood in front of the man waiting for her.

“Ma’am! Staff Sergeant Knox reports!” Her father threw her a parade ground salute she recognized after seeing it so often.

Jeff’s Army Dress Blue uniform still fit, even fifteen years after his second enlistment ended. Sabrina wasn’t surprised. The dark blue uniform blouse was a shade or two darker than hers and was covered in the decorations earned during eight years of active service. A Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Combat Medical Badge below that, eighteen ribbons – six complete rows of three each above the left pocket flap, Jumpmaster paratrooper wings with a combat star on the flap, an enameled Ranger tab above that button, and his Expert Marksman badge on the other side of that flap.

The right side was no less impressive. Honduran paratrooper wings rested above the 1st Special Forces’ crest, his nameplate sat below it on the right pocket flap, and on the pocket two Combat Service Identification Badges – one for the 82nd Airborne, one for the 2nd Ranger Battalion. The almost royal blue dress trousers with the gold NCO stripe on the outside seam were bloused – tucked into – highly polished jump boots. A tan beret with a Special Forces green flash and crest topped it all off.

Her father was a stud, and not just in the way her friends thought from watching him on TV. Sabrina returned her father’s salute.

“At ease, Sergeant. I’ll be in the area all day.” She flipped him a coin.

Jeff dropped the salute and swung his daughter in the way he had for years after catching the coin. Sabrina laughed joyfully as happy tears tracked down her face.

“Congratulations, Lieutenant Princess! I’m so proud of you!”

“Thanks, Dad,” she replied while she wiped her face. “You better let Mom in here before she hurts you.”

Keiko was almost out of control – for her – when she gave Sabrina her hug. A rapid string of Japanese streamed into Sabrina’s ear during the hug. Keiko stepped back and held out her hand.

“I believe your father and Grandma Jane would say you are out of uniform, Sabrina.”

Sabrina handed over her other shoulder boards, one to each parent. Helen took pictures while Keiko and Jeff replaced Sabrina’s current shoulder boards. Joe continued to take video; he had begun filming the minute Sabrina pulled into the driveway. Helen took many more photos as Sabrina posed in uniform with everyone there to congratulate her. Sabrina saved the best for last.

“Hi, TJ,” she whispered after their long, deep kiss ended.

“You look so damn good, Sabrina. Congratulations.”

“Thanks for driving down here. Tough ride?”

“It’s Saturday, Sabrina, so not bad. I had a leisurely cruise down here, got coffee and a sandwich on the way, and listened to my music at a reasonable volume.”

“Which means your car windows were rattling … Are your ears still ringing, too?”

“You’re cruel. Remind me why I keep hanging out with you?” Sabrina whispered something no one else could hear into Tommy’s ear. He had a minor coughing fit. “Maybe we don’t discuss that where others can hear? Save it for later?”

“Probably a good idea. I need to grab the bag from the front of my truck and change outta this monkey suit.”

“It is kinda impressive like I said.”

“Hollywood directors have good eyes for detail. Kind of a job requirement.” Tommy looked a question at her. “They asked Cecil B. DeMille, a director whose career spanned from 1914 to 1956 and is considered ‘the founder of Hollywood,’ to help design our uniforms. One original concept became this.” Tommy leaned closer.

“What does it look like hanging in a closet?” He wagged his eyebrows.

Sabrina smacked him in the chest.

“I thought you were going to save it for later?”

“What was the coin you tossed your dad, sprout?” Sabrina heard as she stepped back into the Gallardos’ living room.

“Hey, Uncle TC!” Sabrina gave Aunt Heather’s husband a firm hug. “That was a 1969 Eisenhower-head silver dollar.” TC Pelley nodded.

“Good choice, LT. You might actually have your head in the game …”

“I know, I know … ‘unlike some of your contemporaries’ … Gotta stop picking up Dad’s jokes there, Unc.”

“You’re probably right. Your dad’s jokes can be kinda putrid.” TC looked out to the Gallardos’ side yard. “How many others are coming over tomorrow? Your sponsors don’t need someone freaking out and calling the cops because you’ve ‘violated the laws, regulations, and civil directives of the State of Colorado.’”

“Only two others, Unc. Both were roommates at the academy, so we’ve been in quarantine all spring semester.”

“They’ll probably be at more risk from others than the other way around.”

“Very likely … I’m gonna thank everyone again for coming out.”

“Sounds good, you tomboy. Catch up with you later.”

Sabrina continued to the kitchen, where most of the females had gathered.

“Well, now, if this isn’t reinforcing a stereotype?”

“You mean the one where the shavetail new officer doesn’t know when to hold her tongue?” Jane clapped back immediately. And then came over for another hug. Sabrina hugged all the other adult women before the questions started.

“Have you heard about your first assignment yet, Sabrina?” Jane asked.

“Still waiting, Grandma. Still hoping for enjept.”

‘Enjept’ is the pronunciation of the acronym ENJJPT – which stands for ‘Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training.’ This course at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas is hosted by Americans, but the NATO countries all help run the operations side of things. It generates fighter pilots for the NATO nations, and is the only multinational-staffed training unit in the world. A West German pilot might have a Canadian instructor overseen by a Spanish squadron commander. Positions changed hands, and countries, regularly.

“Shouldn’t you have your assignment by now?” Aunt Heather asked.

“Any other year, yes, but we graduated a full month before most classes do, Auntie,” Sabrina answered. “I should hear in the next few weeks. My classmates and I are on leave until we get our orders and see our report dates.”

“At least you’ll have some time off,” Helen chirped.

“Yeah, I’ll be busy until then.”

“I wonder why?” muttered Sobo with a wry grin.

“Be nice, Takahashi-sama …” Jane replied.

“‘No respect, I tell ya …’” Sabrina said while shaking her head. “I’m going to go hang out with the guys.”

“Make sure your fiancé keeps his hands off you until tomorrow!” Helen called out as Sabrina left the kitchen. “My girls don’t need to see that!”

Eyes turned to the new graduate as she descended into the basement.

“What can we beat Joe at this afternoon?”

“Take your pick,” Felicity snorted.

“Why do I let you people into my house?” Joe asked the room as he gazed skyward.

“Because we’re cuddly?” Mia asked in reply.

“Well, some of you are … some …” Joe left the rest unsaid but looked at Sabrina. She flounced over to the couch and snuggled up to him.

“You love me like a daughter, old man!” Joe smiled and draped his arm around her shoulders.

“I do indeed, Sabrina.” He kissed her forehead.

Sabrina pressed herself closer to Joe before she stood and walked to Tommy’s seat. She sat on his lap and placed her head on his shoulder.

“Gettin’ kinda cozy with your neighbor from home there, Sabrina …” TC Pelley quipped as he entered and took in the scene.

“Gonna need to be after today, Uncle Tommy …”

“True dat!” Mia’s comment filled the room.

“This lobby and staircase are impressive,” Tommy Jones muttered to Sabrina.

“Let’s reserve judgment until we see how things go at the clerk’s office, huh?” she answered. Tommy just nodded.

Tommy looked handsome in his navy blue suit. He shaved carefully this morning, and his week-old haircut had grown enough to lay gently and naturally across his head. Tommy thought that Sabrina looked beautiful in her simple white dress. The dress reminded him of her prom dress, though it looked looser and more comfortable. They checked the seat of their masks and turned into the City Clerk’s office.

“Last chance …”

“You’re not getting away from me that easily, Thomas Alan Jones!”

“Good morning!” the woman at the desk smiled. Even with her mask, you could tell. “You must be our 10:30 wedding!”

“Well, we’re the people for the wedding,” Tommy rejoined. “Hard for people to be a ceremony …”

The clerk looked at Sabrina.

“He’s hopeless,” Sabrina admitted, “but we’re here, so we might as well go through with things.”

“Your funeral, darlin’.”

The woman waved to her coworkers. A man and a pair of women rose from their desks and approached.

“Why don’t we step over here?” the slightly older woman asked.

She was well-dressed and looked comfortable in her role. The man and the other woman each wore slightly more than office attire. They guided Sabrina and Tommy to an area where cameras had been set up around a podium and small platform. Once the other four people were in the proper position, the city clerk began the proceedings.

“Sabrina Marie Knox, are you here today of your own volition to marry Thomas Alan Jones?”

“I am.”

“And Thomas Alan Jones, are you also here, of your own accord, to marry Sabrina Marie Knox?”

“Yes, Ma’am. Absolutely.”

“Then, by the power vested in me by the State of Colorado, I declare you to be husband and wife.” Sabrina and Tommy kissed when the clerk nodded to them. Their witnesses clapped softly. “If you would please step over here and sign the paperwork?”

As they did, the younger woman spoke up.

“Did you also do the ‘something old, something new’ thing?”

“I did,” Sabrina confirmed. “Something old …” She turned the neckline of her dress inside out to reveal Grampy Tom’s CIB. “Something new …” A USAF second lieutenant’s Velcro uniform rank patch on the other side. “Something borrowed …” Heather Pelley’s diamond tennis bracelet on her right wrist. And with a smile: “Something blue …” Sabrina pulled the slit in her skirt open and up her thigh to reveal a powder-blue garter.

The clerk and her staff all smiled.

“We hope you’re happy for many years to come,” the man said in his deep voice. He handed over a thumb drive. “This has photos and video from the brief ceremony.”

“Thank you all very much,” Tommy said. Everyone bid each other goodbye before Tommy led Sabrina out on his arm.

“They did a really nice job,” Sabrina said with a smile as they walked out of City Hall.

“They sure did. They’ve already adjusted well to the problems this virus causes. Hopefully, it won’t stick around long.”

“Here’s hoping.”

A Colorado Springs police officer tipped her cap at the newly married couple as they returned to the parking garage. Sabrina and Tommy acknowledged her by pulling their masks down to smile their thanks back. When the PO wagged a finger at them, they put them back on.

Sabrina held her husband’s hand – her husband! – during the trip back to the Gallardos’. You couldn’t have wiped the smiles off either of their faces. They pulled into the driveway thirty minutes after leaving City Hall’s garage.

“You ready to greet your adoring fans, Mrs. Knox-Jones?”

“I am ready if you are, Mr. Jones.”

“Let’s go then …”

Linda Stockley and Dina Metzger met them at the front porch, accompanied by the guests who met them here yesterday, plus one other. Linda and Dina were the only true friends Sabrina had made at the academy. Archie Murray, Tommy’s Australian roommate at the University of Denver, stood with them. Sabrina and Tommy would celebrate with Tommy’s family back in Lancaster before she reported to her first assignment, so they hadn’t come with hers. The guests tossed bird seeds at the newlyweds before taking turns gathering them into hugs.

“Your bloke still owes me a Sheila,” Archie whispered to Sabrina during their hug. Sabrina giggled.

“He’s hopeless, Arch. I’m sure you attract them all by yourself, anyway!”

“If he snagged ya, Sabrina, he’s got at least a few functioning cells upstairs!”

For Archie to call her ‘Sabrina’ was unusual and conveyed his feelings. He’d seen Tommy’s response to her in all facets of life. Archie appreciated how Sabrina’s presence helped his friend. She kissed him on the cheek and gave him a warm smile. Tommy herded everyone down to the basement. There he plugged the thumb drive into a port on the television.

Keiko’s eyes leaked tears as the wedding videos played. Sobo’s, Aunt Heather’s, and Helen’s looked the same. Felicity and Mia looked on in rapt attention. Linda and Dina’s eyes misted over but held short of openly crying.

“Whoever designed and set up their video system knew what they were doing,” Jeff muttered as he watched. He felt the videos were well-framed, and the cameras and microphones had been set up in the correct positions to capture the parts of the ceremony. Colorado Springs wanted to ensure people could share their milestones with family.

Tommy smiled, knowing his family would be able to enjoy these videos. They wouldn’t feel as bad about not being here. Plus, there would be a wedding celebration at some point, so everyone from both sides could share the joy.

“So, what’s on tap for the ‘reception’ dinner?” Joe asked before being assaulted with multiple pillows.

“Always thinking with your stomach, Joe,” Helen sighed. The girls giggled.

“It’s a valid question,” Tommy chimed in. All eyes shifted to him. “Hey, it’s been hours since I ate …”

“Ugh …” Sabrina groaned. “Someone get this Neanderthal a sandwich or something while I change out of this dress.”

“You are not remaining in your wedding dress this afternoon?”

“No, Mom. I thought we had talked about that? Today was ‘simply’ Tommy and me getting married. That happened at City Hall. I’ll stay dressed like this all day when we can have a wedding ceremony and reception. Right now, I’m going to change, Tommy’s going to change, then we’re all just going to hang out like we’ve been unable to since the virus came around.”

Sabrina left the room. She returned minutes later in a simple, comfortable blouse and skirt combination her mother hadn’t seen before.

“That outfit looks lovely on you, Sabrina.”

“Thanks, Mom. Now tell me what dealing with the injured klutz next to you was like?”

Sabrina’s friends and family spent time together that afternoon, mainly inside. Some men gathered around the grill out back to cook dinner later in another stereotypical scene.

“Ugh. Me man. Me use fire to cook dead animal …”

Dina grunted when handed the serving of pork ribs and barbecued chicken she asked for.

“Ya weren’t too shy when you asked for it,” Archie pointed out.

“Nope. I’m not gonna be too shy when I ask you what you’ll be up to later, either.”

Archie nearly dropped his plate of food.

“Dina just zinged Archie …” Linda commented across the room.

“Yup,” Sabrina replied. “Gotta watch out for that one’s tongue.” Felicity and Mia giggled next to their big sister. “Oh, yeah. Geez. Left myself wide open, didn’t I?” The girls laughed again.

“Archie will probably be up for whatever Dina’s thinking about.”

“Get your mind out of the gutter, Tom.”

“Just following my wife’s example, Sabrina.”

Tommy’s right shoulder became reacquainted with his wife’s strong right jab.

Sabrina still had access to the academy grounds after graduation, especially while waiting for orders. She told people she would live with the Gallardos until reporting to her first duty station.

It was another week before someone at the academy offices let Sabrina know her orders had arrived. Tommy was back in Denver preparing for exams. Joe was busy the day Sabrina was notified, running the girls to school and going to home improvement stores for project supplies. Helen would be tied up at a women’s shelter where she volunteered. It was with some trepidation that Sabrina pointed her truck at the academy. An hour later, Sabrina walked into the admin offices.

“Well, if it isn’t Second Lieutenant Knox!” Connie Nichols exclaimed as Sabrina appeared in front of her.

“Hi, Mrs. Nichols. It’ll be Lieutenant Knox-Jones as soon as I file some paperwork. How have you been?”

“You’re married? Who’s the lucky ma … um, person?”

“A neighbor from back home, Tommy Jones. We met when I was three and were in classes together through high school. I didn’t know how much I cared about him until my two-dig year, though.”

“Well, I hope he knows how lucky he is!”

“I’m lucky that he waited for me to get a clue! He transferred from a school back home to U-Denver to be closer to me. He was going to reach out to me after New Year’s 2019, but fate made us run into each other at Breckenridge over Thanksgiving 2018.”

“And here I thought I had gotten rid of you, Lieutenant …” came a new voice from Sabrina’s right. Her eyes widened when she recognized the speaker.

“Good morning, Sir!” Sabrina rapped from rigid attention and threw a salute to the Superintendent. “Came to pick up my orders, Sir!”

“Yes, well, they’re on my desk. At ease, and come with me. Connie, please hold all calls until I finish with the Lieutenant.”

Sabrina swallowed the lump in her throat and followed the General into his office, closing the door behind herself. He waved her to a chair when he noticed her still standing. The General handed her a sheaf of papers from his desk and watched as she read. Sabrina’s eyes widened in shock and began misting.

“I got it?” she whispered. “I really got it?”

“That you did, Lieutenant. You have been one of the best pilots here for years, the best instructor, and a damn good administrative leader. You earned this and showed your backbone during your three-dig year. You’re not afraid to stand up for yourself and others when necessary. You’ll enjoy the Wichita Falls area.”

Sabrina was closer to realizing her ultimate goal. She held orders to ENJJPT with a report-no-later date of 07 June 2020. Only one in ten cadets hoping for ENJJPT received orders. At Sheppard Air Force Base, she would also go through Undergraduate Pilot Training as part of ENJJPT and receive her Air Force pilot wings. With the orders were lists of things she would be issued, would need to bring, and possibly buy. Housing options were listed, along with a phone number to call for more help. She looked up at the Superintendent.

“I’m almost sorry I retire in September, Lieutenant. Having you on my staff in some capacity would have been interesting, but you belong in the sky, and it’s time for me to step aside.” Sabrina rose in a daze. The Superintendent held out his hand. “Best of luck, Lieutenant.” Sabrina shook his hand and saluted again.

“Everything okay?” Mrs. Nichols asked Sabrina. Sabrina had been motionless in front of Connie’s desk for two minutes. She looked up from her orders.

“I’m going to ENJJPT …”