231103 Decisions Part Two

There was a time when Joyce decided to leave me.

I was stationed on Guam and had been away for 15 months. During that time I had saved for and finally bought her a diamond ring. I sent it to her. Not long after that, she sent it back with a letter saying she was leaving me. That was her decision, I thought it was not a good one for her or for me. I did not have the cash for a plane ticket home and I still had three months of duty before I would get home.

I had to make the most important decision of my life. It only took me one minute to decide, the next thing I had to do was figure out how to make it happen. I had to go to my division officer and explain why I needed emergency leave. From him, I had to go to the admiral’s office at what was called “The top of the mark.” It was a place where enlisted men did not normally go. I borrowed a car from a guy I knew and I got there and got permission to go on leave.

The first two steps were the easy ones. Next was the toughest thing in the puzzle, how to borrow enough money to get home? None of us were making much money, so they didn’t have much to lend. I was asking my friends and friends of friends for any dollars they could spare. I needed $600, which was a lot of money for sailors making about $100 a month. Back then, sailors were a generous group. I got $5, $10, even $15 from a few. These guys for the most part didn’t even know me, but they lent what they could. I also sold everything I had, my records, my record player, my cowboy boots, everything down to my uniforms. I had written down every name that I borrowed from, so I could pay them all back. I received my leave papers and headed home on a Pan Am flight.

I arrived home and went to see Joyce. She was surprised to see me. We went somewhere, I don’t remember where it was. I started asking what went wrong? She explained the issue after many tears. I told her not to worry; I only had three months to go and I would be home and we would be together.

Joyce was stressed and made a decision that would have changed our lives forever. I also made a decision. I could have said “Okay, leave me and go on your way.” I’ve made a lot of bad decisions in my life, before that happened and after that happened, but the best decision I ever made was to stay with Joyce and overcome a bad situation. Had I simply let her go, there would have been no daughter Annie, hence no granddaughter Hailey and no Joyce for the 58 years we lived and loved together.

You may be wondering why this happened. If you read my post “Secrets and Lies.” You know the answer; it’s a secret only she and I know. She has passed away, so only I know the secret and I do not tell secrets. If I did tell, it would no longer be a secret, one I’ll take to my grave.