EXcapades by Debra Kay

past, but to learn from it and grow.”
    “The way I see it, sometimes the things you want so badly don’t work out because there’s something better for you around the corner waiting to be discovered. It’s not until you look back that you realize this is true,” Blake said reflectively.
    I wanted to stand up and applaud his words, but instead I said, “You’re right on with that one. And sometimes things don’t work out because we were too young and inexperienced to realize a good thing when we had it.” We stopped to give each other a knowing, thoughtful look.
    Blake smiled. “That’s true.”
    “We didn’t get to talk much about your travels with the Marines at the coffee shop last week. I’d love to hear more about that.”
    He looked into the distance as if gathering his thoughts. In the silence that followed, I could hear the faint sound of the waves crashing. Was the tide was rolling in?
    “My life became focused on my career. Let me tell you about it after we try some of those chocolate truffles we bought today.”
    “Chocolate truffles—you’re introducing me to trouble. What else do you have planned? I remember how you can be persuasive. I caught occasional glimpses of that dark side when we were young.”
    Blake handed me the cellophane bag of chocolates. I reached in and pulled out a ball of dark chocolate with white sprinkles. I handed the bag back to him. He selected a dark chocolate ball with brown sprinkles. He bit into a gooey chocolate center and grinned.
    “Okay, sometimes I was the bad boy. But I can thank the military for straightening me out. It’s a demanding lifestyle. You’re given an assignment and then you have to focus on your job. And it took me on adventures around the world.” 
    Blake shared stories of his various assignments that had him stationed in Washington, D.C., Iraq, and Afghanistan, not to mention several locations in North Carolina. And then his voice trailed off, and he appeared lost in thought.
    “Right now, I’m involved with training at Camp Lejeune. I like working with the young recruits. Their enthusiasm is infectious. It’s a pleasure going to work every day. I didn’t feel that way about every assignment I had over the years. I’ve seen the world from many angles.”
    “Sadly, my view has been pretty straightforward from the suburbs. My life seems a little narrow compared to yours.”
    “I wish mine had been a little out of focus. I’ve seen more than I want to think about right now.”
    During our discussion, I thought there were hints of the young boy I knew years ago, but overall, he had, without a doubt, transformed into a confident and knowledgeable man. Listening to him made me feel so proud of his willingness to dedicate his life to the service and the honor he felt in defending our country. I admired everything I knew about him at this point, and I felt intrigued and wanted to know more details.
    And knowing that he was capable of handling so many challenges was such a turn-on. I started to look at him dreamily and wondered if he had any idea what a rush it was to be with such a confident and accomplished man. I knew I would lose myself completely if I saw him in uniform.
    “After serving in Iraq for a couple years,” he explained, “I was sent to Afghanistan.”
    I looked at him with respect and astonishment. Although I had traveled out of the country, I never spent years away. I leaned in closer. I wanted to know everything, to hear more about his assignments and adventures, but at the same time, I did not want to barrage him with questions.
    He hesitated and appeared to be cautious about sharing his past, especially what he said about his career. He gave sketchy details about his assignments. From his reluctance to share, I couldn’t help but assume that the military instilled a stoic nature to the demands of the assignments.
    He continued slowly. “Both were stressful assignments. I’d rather not weigh down our good time with