(Even though we are no longer military, it doesn't really feel any different in the civie world when your man is a road warrior)
A military wife is mostly girl. But there are times, such as when her
husband is away and she is mowing the lawn or fixing a youngster's
bike, that she begins to suspect she is also boy. She usually comes
in three sizes: petite, plump and pregnant. During the early years of
her marriage it is often hard to determine which size is her normal
one. She has babies all over the world and measures time in terms of
places as other women do in years. "It was in England that the
children had the chicken pox...In was in Texas, Paul was promoted..."
At least one of her babies was born or a transfer was accomplished
while she was alone. This causes her to suspect a secret pact between
her husband and the military providing for a man to be overseas or on
temporary duty at times such as these.A military wife is
international. She may be a Kansas farm girl, a French mademoiselle,
a Japanese doll, or a German fraulein. When discussing service
problems, they all speak the same language.She can be a great
actress. To heartbroken children at transfer time, she gives an
Academy Award performance: "New Mexico is going to be such fun! I
hear they have Indian reservations...and tarantulas...and
rattlesnakes." But her heart is breaking with theirs. She wonders if
this is worth the sacrifice. An ideal military wife has the patience
of an angel, the flexibility of putty, the wisdom of a scholar and
the stamina of a horse. If she dislikes money, it helps. She is
sentimental, carrying her memories with her in an old footlocker. One
might say she is a bigamist, sharing her husband with a demanding
entity called "duty." When duty calls, she becomes No. 2 wife. Until
she accepts this fact, her life can be miserable. She is above all a
woman who married a man who offered her the permanency of a gypsy,
the miseries of loneliness, the frustration of conformity and the
security of love. Sitting among her packing boxes with squabbling
children nearby, she is sometimes willing to chuck it all in until
she hears the firm step and cheerful voice of the lug who gave her
all this. Then she is happy to be...his military wife
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
This sums up my life....
