Chapter 17 - A Quiet Celebration
That evening, I didn't hold a massive celebration at an officer’s club or invite a crowd of high-ranking brass.
Instead, I sat alone on the quiet patio of my base-adjacent quarters, nursing a warm cup of coffee and watching the stars flicker across the southern sky.
My phone buzzed against the table. It was a video call request from Ohio.
I swiped to accept, and immediately the bright, smiling faces of my mother, father, and Gwen filled the screen. They were gathered around the kitchen table on Linwood Avenue, a small, homemade cake sitting right in the center with a single sparkler burning brightly.
“Attention on deck!” Gwen shouted playfully into the camera, snapping a mock military salute that made my father burst into laughter.
“Congratulations, Captain,” my mother said, her eyes welling up with proud tears as she leaned into the frame. “We saw the news from your commanding officer. We are so, so proud of you, Corinne.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I smiled softly, feeling a warmth in my chest that had nothing to do with the Florida weather. “And thank you, Dad... and Gwen.”
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“You earned every single star on those shoulders, kiddo,” my father said, raising his mug of coffee toward the screen. “Make sure you show the Navy how it’s done.”
We spent the next hour talking about ordinary things—Gwen’s progress at the logistics depot, my parents' upcoming weekend gardening plans, and how much things had changed over the last two months. For the first time in my life, the chasm between my military world and my family had vanished entirely.
