Chapter 2: Off to Basic Training
418 Words
Josh's POV:
The day was finally here, it was time to leave for basic training. I was both nervous and excited for this next step. I had been chatting regularly with Jane since our lunch a few days ago. She had actually followed up about getting my address in order to write me, I was thrilled as that meant it wasn't just empty words.
As I arrived at boot camp I was issued my clothing and given a haircut. They walked us through folding our clothing and making our beds, all of which was already standard practice in my house. Growing up with a father and grandfather in the Navy I didn't have much of a choice, those things were ingrained from a young age. They completed the standard medical exams needed before conditioning and that is when the grueling work started.
Each morning we would wake to a long day of marching, drilling, swimming, and conditioning. It was physically exhausting, even worse when someone in the team would back talk or fail to follow proper procedure for their bunk or drills. I felt good despite the manual labor each day. It felt good to be active, I had always been active in sports growing up, soccer and track being the favorites. I could see my body getting more muscle tone as each day passed, I had always been thin so it felt great to finally have some tone to my body. I would be lying if I said it didn't add to my confidence just a little.
About three weeks into my training, we received our first mail delivery. My stack of mail was larger than expected, as I flipped through the letters I saw I had the obligatory letter from my folks and one from my grandparents too, but I was surprised to see one from Jane already, that would mean she had written it and sent it almost immediately after my departure. As I flipped through the last 3 letters, I saw they were also from Jane. That is when I noticed that they all had numbers on them, that must mean she was planning to write several and wanted to make sure they were opened in order. I wanted to tear them open immediately and soak up whatever stories she might have to tell me, but I resisted. I didn't have time right now, I would save it for tonight when I was in bed before lights out, where I could focus and savor every word.
Ugh, the anticipation.
- Writer
