8: flight day

            I'm at Midway Airport. Waiting. Not in security, not a line, not on the plane. But waiting for the plane to crash. I'm freaking out. Last time we flew into Colorado, the turbulence was so bad, we fell about half way down when we were landing. Do you know what its like to litterly FALL in an airplane? Your heart is in your neck. And you are clutching your mom to keep from vomiting or passing out (well, thats just in my case) then, seconds later, you hit (not land, hit) the ground. Our piloet did not do a gradual landing, he LANDED. As in he did a controlled drop to the ground. Fun right? So, as you can tell, I did not want to be on this plane, flying into denver.

          About two hours later, we were infront of the United States Air Force Academy base's chapel. It was so beautiful and surreal even though it was my 4th time seeing it. My moms anxious words interupted my thoughts. "wheres Bookie? OH MY GOSH, there he is!!!" When I turned I saw Bookie walking towards us. I simpally could not beleive my eyes. His hair, was gone, his clothes, gone. WEll, he had clothes but not his normal ones. These, were Camo. With out thinking I ran towards him. He actually had a smile on his face. I was running as fast as I could toward my unknown best friend, tears falling down my face. My shoe hit a rock and I tripped, but he was there to catch me, finally. I  was embraced in his muscular arms wrapped tightly around me. That part of me that was missing and hollow those terrible four months, I finally had that part of me back. I looked at his face finally fresh in my brain, and I was happy. I had never been a true happy over that sad and longing time. A fake happy, yes. True happy? no.  I was finally complete. I had a best friend and a brother back. But only untill parents weekend was over.

         Ever sense first grade, I have been afraid that this would happen, Bookie being in the Military. Almost every day I hoped that this wouldnt happen. Just the thought would bring me to tears. And then, the day he CHOSE to do this, I suddenly realized that this brother that I always "hated", was my best friend. With a blink of an eye, he was gone. For those four months, he was training in dirt, grit, and sicknesses. With no communication what so ever. Four months of me being, lonely, sad, not being able to sleep. Worring if he was alright, heak, why does my mom think I could behave perfectly? I was suffering too. She thought she was the only one. She thought she COULD be the only one that was sad and afraid. So I had to hide my emotions on top of that. She complained how she was "soo desperate, and sad. oh yeah, yeah, livs fine. whater about her back to talking about me."  Why did my family have to suffer those four months? Becuase MY brother, was serving YOUR country

~OJ