Avalune is standing by for the Wednesday discussion of this week’s military life post. (Leto, too.)
I could tell you my adventures – beginning from this morning, but it’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then. – Alice in Wonderland
We’re making our way to the back of a nondescript beige/brownish rectangular building that could be picked up wholesale and dropped into any military base in any state without anyone batting an eye. The interior is just as vague as the exterior, with endless airplanes, pictures of smiling airmen in uniform forming a pyramid of chain of command, and flyers for base services. One such service is the reason we’re winding our way towards the light in the back of the building – a Hearts Apart Meeting.
Hearts Apart was formed to keep families connected while the military members are serving abroad. Services include things like video teleconference “morale calls” in a time before everyone carried a multitude of video chat services in their pockets. They also provide a four hour babysitting service called “Give Parents a Break,” a free oil change and safety check for your car, and a monthly support group.
Dinner and a chance for the children to play are the primary selling points and the reason I can feel the stink eye being directed at me by “The Boy.” Dinner is cow beef burgers and cheese pizzas, neither being things The Boy can eat due to dietary restrictions – restrictions explained to the group leader prior to the meeting which were met with the polite equivalent of “too bad, so sad.” [As dietary concerns have increased over the years, these groups do a much better job of addressing this now]. He doesn’t care about being able to eat but he very much cares that the children he’s expected to play with are significantly younger and he was perfectly happy playing video games at home before I dragged him here. I tell him sorry dude with my eyes and turn to the women gathering in a frazzled half-circle on the other side of the inedible food.