Kyle stared at the outgoing message to Erin. He couldn't believe he had sent a stranger a message and just hoped for an answer.
He waited for a response, but after a short while, he reminded himself it wasn't an instant message like with AOL Instant Messenger. She probably had to log in after receiving a notification to even read the message.
It was either that or she flat out ignored him. Or wasn't even active on the site. Either way the possibility of rejection—just the thought of it—began to make Kyle a little anxious. He snapped himself out of it.
Dude, you're not desperate thought Kyle.
Kyle logged out of the computer and headed back to his dorm room. Life was just happening to him. He'd already spent some time at the Phase Dock and was accustomed to how life was at Beale. He was promoted to Airman First Class as his six-year contract stipulated and had acquainted himself with people in the dorms—even sold the Camry and bought his first car, a Mazda6. He convinced his father to co-sign for him. At first, Garrett declined Kyle's request. Then, Garrett changed his mind and co-signed for Kyle. Kyle was unsure why, but he took the win.
Life was rolling through pretty quickly. It was like Kyle was in the fast lane. Christmas was rounding the corner. He had to figure out what he'd do for the holidays. The squadron had a Christmas party coming up and then he was given a choice: Christmas week or New Year's week off.
Kyle thought he'd opt for New Year's week. He figured Christmas was more for the Airman that had families they wanted to spend time with, and New Year's was for singles like him who could just party it up.
Jor opted for Christmas and flew back home to Alabama so Kyle didn't have his buddy to keep him company at the Chow Hall.
So, Kyle grabbed food and decided to head back to the dorms instead of eating in the Chow Hall. As he was approaching the dorms, he noticed Stein with a six-pack of Guinness just lounging on the bench in the courtyard.
"Sup, Stein."
"What's up, My?"
"Nada… what are you doing?"
"Just watching these dudes slide in mud."
Odd thought Kyle.
Just then, he looked over to see two Airman covered in mud. Kyle was shocked and at a loss for words. One of the Airman looked like he was trying to get the mud out of his ears.
"Having fun?" yelled Stein.
"Oh, yeah," said the first Airman.
The other Airman looked elated. Like the mud was the most fun he had ever had, and it was as if he was free of his military shackles.
"This is My," said Stein as he pointed at Kyle.
"Sup," said the first Airman. "I'm Ashley."
"Jones," said the second.
"Having fun yet?" asked Kyle.
"Dude, I dared Ash. Said he wouldn't dive into the mud," Jones said. "Next thing I know. This dude puts down his food, sprints toward the mud… and well, you're looking at the result."
"Can't back down from dare!" Ashley responded.
"Remind me not to say anything too crazy," said Kyle. "Anyway, nice meeting y'all."
Kyle just wanted to get back to his room and eat. If they lived in the dorms, he was sure they'd meet, again.
Kyle ate his food quickly and decided to head over to the computer lab. He logged into Asian Avenue, and to his surprise, he had a new message. He clicked on his inbox.
"If you'd like to turn on notifications…"
Spam mail. It was crazy, though. Kyle had gotten really excited for a second. He thought maybe there was something to the "Meet People Near You" part of the website after all.
"Oh, well."
Kyle logged off and made his way back to the dorm.
The next day, Kyle was prepping his car and bag to drive down to his parent's house. He wanted to spend as much time as possible home. He thought if he made himself more visible and frequented his home, maybe the "home" feel would return, and he wouldn't feel like a stranger like last time.
From where Kyle was on base, it took roughly 8-hours—almost a straight shot down the 99 Freeway. Once he got to the Los Angeles area, he was familiar enough with the area that he didn't need a printout to find his parent's place.
Kyle decided to phone Heath as he got closer to home.
"Yo!"
"Sup, Heath."
"Whatcha up to?"
"Nothin', man. At the house. Come through."
"Cool."
Heath would only call one place "the house." Kyle drove to the house and knocked on the door.
"Kyle!!!" yelled Pat.
"Yo!"
"Oh my gosh!!!" Tina ran over to give Kyle a hug.
"How y'all doin?"
"Parrrrrrrrrrrrtay!!" slurred Tina.
It was a house party. Kyle had to be a little wary. He was subject to drug tests and drinking underage could cost him quite a bit being in the armed forces. It was understood that when you join you're technically government property. One of the Sergeants had told him once: you could be charged with destruction of government property if you harm yourself or do something detrimental whether it be physical or mental.
The thought was always on Kyle's mind if only in the background.
"Let me get you a drink, bro." said Pat.
"I'm good, actually. There's a lot of things I can't do…"
"Womp, womp…" chimed in Tina.
"Where's Heath?"
"Oh, he's in the back room," said Pat.
"Thanks."
Despite it being a house party, it wasn't crowded so Kyle didn't have to force his way through. It was hazy and dark in the house, though. As he approached the backroom Heath was supposed to be in, he smelled weed in the air.
"I might have to duck out if he's smoking…"
Kyle lightly knocked on the door and turned the knob. He entered the room and saw Heath along with a few other friends from high school.
"Kyyyyllllllllle!"
"Sup, Heath!"
They went in for their usual handshake.
"Take a hit, bro."
"You know I can't."
"I know," chuckled Heath. "Just messin' with you, bro."
"Y'all eat, yet?"
"Yeah, man, we had Jack-in-the Crack."
Jack-in-the-Crack was the play on the name for the fast-food place they frequented.
"How long you gonna chill?" asked Heath.
"I'm actually pretty hungry. Probably grab a bite then head to my parents."
"Cool."
"Hit me up. I'm here for a week."
Heath saluted Kyle. Kyle shot back an "OK" hand gesture and walked back out.
"Can I still keep coming back and saying no over and over..?"
Kyle walked toward the entrance. Pat and Tina caught him heading that way and approached.
"You're leaving, dude?" asked Pat.
"Yeah, I thought y'all hadn't eaten. Gonna grab a bite and head to my parents."
"Boooo!" yelled Tina. "No fun for Kyle."
"I'll be here a week. Hit me up."
Tina winked at Kyle. Pat and Kyle did their handshake and Kyle left.
He still felt strange. Ever since he left, things had become strange. It was his usual hangout. Maybe he had really changed because they all seemed exactly the same so it must be him.
Kyle grabbed food and headed to his parents' house. When he arrived, his mom greeted him and he opened his Christmas gifts. He hadn't been able to come down the week prior for Christmas so the gifts were put aside for him to open. The usual gifts were found: clothing. He was grateful. He didn't really spend much money on clothing. He had a few outfits that were fashionable, and he hung onto the fashion sense he had before joining.
The week flew by. Kyle was able to hang out with Heath and his friends. Tina showed up. She seemed a lot more open to Kyle than ever before. He thought he had only known her in passing, but she seemed like she wanted to talk.
"How are things, Tina?"
"I'm depressed."
The openness shocked Kyle. He just expected her to say "good." Depressed is a whole 'nother type of conversation he wasn't ready for. Still, he tried to be an ear. He did this with all his friends.
"Maybe I'm more annoyed than depressed," admitted Tina.
"What's up?"
"Well, Gina broke up with Brad," recounted Tina. "So, I thought I'd shoot my shot with Brad. Gina said it was OK so I was like cool."
Oh, great… drama. As Tina recounted her story, Kyle just nodded and confirmed the things she was saying. He wasn't agreeing just making sure she knew he was tracking.
"Anyway, she knows I like Brad but she won't stop fucking him!"
"Wow…"
"I know, right??! Anyway, that's why I'm annoyed."
Where's popcorn when you need it thought Kyle.
"Tina, it's not my place, but if she keeps sleeping with him, then you know where they both stand."
"I KNOW!" shouted Tina. "Girls are always like this. When they know another girl is interested in someone—even if they have no interest—they'll still fuck 'em to mark their territory."
Geez Louise thought Kyle. Were all girls like this?
"Thanks for listening, Kyle."
Tina suddenly hugged Kyle firmly.
"When do you leave?" asked Tina—still hugging Kyle.
"Tomorrow. It's an 8-hour drive up."
"That sucks. I wish we could talk more."
"If only I had a twin," Kyle said facetiously.
"A twin isn't you, Kyle."
Was she flirting with Kyle? He wasn't sure, but he knew long distance wouldn't work. He tried that once a few years ago, and it only caused him to spiral. It wasn't worth the emotional exhaustion to him.
"Well, you have my number, Tina. Call if you ever need to."
"I might take you up on that…"
Kyle and his high school crew hung out for another hour or so and then he made his way back to his parents' house. He spent the rest of the evening with his parents and siblings.
The next day, Kyle travelled back up to Beale. He immediately fell right back into routine. Jor was back, and he hung out with his regular people. He even hung out with Ash and Jones. They had similar music interests like Jurassic 5 and Incubus among other eclectic music types. Life was normal. This was his new normal.
Kyle checked his phone to see the time. The computer lab was still open so he made his way there. He was thinking of messaging other people to possibly try to meet locals. As he logged into Asian Avenue, he noticed he had a new message alert. He clicked on his inbox.
It was from Erin.
Kyle was surprised. She was real after all. Kyle read the message:
Hi! Sorry for the late reply. I forgot all about this site, and all of a sudden, I had a message. Thanks for reaching out. I'm in Sacramento. Not too far from you. I'd love to meet up. How about bowling? Let me know! I'll check this more often now so you can message me here or just text me.
She left her cell at the bottom of the message. Kyle pulled out his phone and sent her a text message.
Instead of messaging back, she called him.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Kyle?"
"Erin?"
"Yeah. Sorry, I don't have unlimited texts so I decided to call. I hope you don't mind."
At the time, people paid for a limited amount of minutes and text messages from the plans offered by cell phone companies.
"Not at all," said Kyle.
"Ok, cool. So, you got my message?"
"Yeah, you really wanna challenge me in bowling?"
"You any good?"
"I can't be held responsible… for the murder that's gonna take place if we bowl."
Kyle was bluffing. He wasn't a good bowler. He could break 100 regularly, but that wasn't good especially in a game where 300 is a perfect score.
"I'll take that challenge."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa… what's the wager?"
"How 'bout we decide once we meet up?"
"Sounds fine to me."
The two hashed out the detail, and just like that, Kyle had a first date with Erin planned.
The following evening, Kyle left for the bowling alley. He spotted Erin by the automatic doors and walked up to her.
"Hi."
"Hi~!"
She immediately hugged him. She was short and petite with raven hair—exactly like her picture. Kyle was glad because there was only one picture of her, and it was basically a headshot.
The two entered the bowling alley and paid for the shoe rental and the lane. Their bowling skills were comparable to one another. Kyle was enjoying the game. He ordered food from the bar and a pitcher of Coca-Cola. They paid for an hour of bowling so he was trying to bowl faster and faster as the hour inched on.
This caused him to gutter quite a bit.
"I thought you were gonna murder me…"
"Talkin' smack?"
"Just sayin'…"
Kyle hit a turkey. Erin was shocked.
"What was the wager, again?" asked Kyle.
"…we said the loser has to bowl using the handicap."
"Oh, because it was the double embarrassment: losing and being handicapped."
"…"
Erin tried her best, but that turkey put Kyle over-the-top. He ended up winning, but there wasn't really time left on the clock to bowl another full game.
"All right. Handicap time."
Erin pulled over the handicap bowling assist tool. It was just a ramp to make sure the ball rolled straight. She placed it up against the foul line and bowled her first turn.
This was quite amusing to Kyle.
"All right. All right… you've been a good sport," said Kyle. "That should be enough."
"Thank, God…"
"I wasn't gonna make you bowl an entire game. Plus, we don't have enough time.
They wrapped up and returned their rental shoes.
Kyle walked Erin back to her car.
"I had a lot of fun tonight," said Erin. "Do it again?"
"Yeah."
Kyle and Erin gave each other a hug. He could lift her off the ground if he stood up straight.
"Cool," said Erin.
"Call me when you get home safe."
"Ok."
The two of them parted ways, and Kyle drove back to Beale. Before he got to the base, his phone rang.
"I'm home."
"Oh, good," said Kyle. "I'm still driving."
"Oh, it's that far?"
"The base is close to Sac, but not that close."
"Maybe we'll go somewhere closer to you next time."
"Next time?"
"Yeah, we agreed so…"
"I'm messing with you," said Kyle. "Yeah, next time, for sure. Have a good night. I'm still about ten minutes away."
"Ok. Good night."
Erin hung up the phone.
That was a great first date Kyle thought.
He couldn't wait to see her, again.
End of Chapter 8