Kyle’s Homecoming by Aaron Powell
It’s been an excruciatingly long and boring trip back to the states, but it’s great to be home. The damp North Carolina air is refreshing after a long year in the Middle East. Everything is so green here. I’ve been away for too long, and I’m thankful I’ve completed my last deployment. Now it’s time to hang up my uniform and focus on being a husband and a father.
My unit is formed up on the flight line facing the hangar. Our commanding officer is congratulating us on a successful deployment, but it’s difficult to pay much attention to his words. On the other side of a sealed hangar door, my young son and beautiful bride await. I miss them. My heart aches for our reunion. It’s been months since I last heard my wife’s voice.
Our commanding officer calls us to attention. The sound of hundreds of Marine Corps issue boots snapping together in unison echoes across the flight line. There’s nothing but silence now…and anticipation. It feels like an eternity, and the lieutenant in front of me begins to waver. “Bend your knees,” I whisper, and he quickly corrects himself in time to avoid an embarrassing face plant.
Suddenly the hanger door comes to life. It slowly creeps upward, exposing an assemblage of sneakers and flip-flops. As the door continues to elevate, more and more of the impatient families’ bodies are revealed. My heartbeat quickens as I scan the audience for my wife and son. It looks as though our formation is moments away from being overrun by anxious women and children.
My commanding officer speaks firmly, “Marines!” He cleverly allows an inappropriately drawn out amount of time to pass. My heart is pounding so hard that my vision is pulsating. “DISMISSED!”
Our platoon has no time to react. The families eagerly pour out of the hangar and storm the formation. The sounds of laughter and the emotional sputtering of “I love you” by teary women with mascara running down their faces overcomes the lost silence. Marines are being dragged away from the flight line by their families. I close my eyes and patiently wait to be found, reminding myself that this is the last time I will ever experience a homecoming.
Thank God.
“Daddy!”
I open my eyes and Danny is running toward me at full speed. I drop to my knees and open my arms, and he impacts me with such force that we nearly topple backward.
“I love you, son! I’ve missed you so much!”
“I love you too, daddy! This is the last time, right?”
We’re both crying. “That was the last time, bud. I’m staying home with you and mom from now on. I promise.”
I hear a soft and familiar voice. “Hey stranger.”
I give Danny one more squeeze and begin to stand. I search the dissipating crowd, and finally, I find Brittney’s beautiful blue eyes staring back at me.
My eyes are filling with tears. I won’t be able to hold them back for much longer. “Hi Honey,” I utter in a strained and emotional voice. “I’m home.”
Brittney bats her eyes and reveals a gorgeous pair of dimples. “Welcome home, marine.”
*****
Sugar Baby – A young man or woman who receives financial compensation and/or gifts in exchange for companionship, often including favors of the sexual nature.
Sugar Daddy/Sugar Mommy – A wealthy, often older man or women, who provides financial compensation and/or gifts to a Sugar Baby in exchange for companionship.
“Sugar Baby is told in quick, sizzling scenes that can be savored chapter by chapter or in one delightful sitting. Powell engages the reader with a bouquet of sensory inputs; Marissa with her vanilla scent that “tastes like peaches,” Brittney’s satisfied grunts and moans, and a plethora of psychedelic colors, and sensations at the hotel. Powell also creates layered characters who aren’t just there for great sex but who also have dreams of their own.” –Clarion Review
Available from: Amazon | BN | iTunes
*****
Aaron Powell served as a marine during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in 2003 with a bachelor of arts in criminal justice and a psychology minor. He also completed a second bachelor of arts in business administration at Ashford University, where he graduated with distinction in 2011. Aaron Powell is the author of the Doomsday Diaries series, C-Town, Benjamin, Hurry Up and Wait, Sugar Baby, and Scream, “Aye, Sir!” He enjoys reading—particularly military history and nonfiction—and writing, and is an active marksman. Aaron and his wife and sons live near Austin, Texas.
Author site: http://www.aaronbpowell.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Aaron-Powell/193757694084209
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6450080.Aaron_B_Powell