Where’s Home?

Jake perched on a barstool at the NCO club, surrounded by fellow sergeants and their friends. The chief topic of conversation this evening was familiar to them all—Where’s Home? The subject usually came up when several were taking a leave and heading home for a visit. Descriptions of childhood places, brothers and sisters, or longtime friends inevitably followed. Home was always some place that anchored them, and drew them back from the far corners of the world. It was never a subject Jake enjoyed taking part in.

Eventually, someone would ask Jake where he was from. His answer was always Boston. Actually, he was born in a small town 40 miles west of Boston that wasn’t recognizable to most people. Jake didn’t feel it was worth the time or effort to pinpoint its location, so Boston worked just fine. Since he attended college there, Jake could talk about the city in great detail to any true Bostonian he might run into.

Jake’s dilemma was simple: he had no home to return to, no brothers or sisters, no long-term friends, and no living parents. He was an only child, and so were both of his parents, so there were no aunts, uncles, or cousins. Jake’s father held a high-level position with the government. His Dad’s job required the family to change residences and countries every three or four years. The upside was Jake became fluent in seven languages. The downside was, that home became a string of temporary addresses and, instead of lifelong friends, he had acquaintances.

His language skills and college degree were not something he shared with his fellow soldiers. If they learned about his background, he would have to answer the usual questions: Why did he choose not to be an officer, or what was it like to live in so many countries? The truth was simple. All he wanted was to be just another grunt, no more, no less. Of course, who would believe that?

The gathering was winding down. People were heading back to their homes or barrack rooms when he heard a gentle female voice from behind him say, “You don’t say much, do you?” Jake turned to see a woman with a captivating smile staring up at him.

“I say a lot when I have something worth saying. Tonight isn’t one of those times. I don’t recall you joining in the conversation because if you had, I would have remembered.”

This is how Jackie and Jake met. Over time, they found they had much in common. Both were only children with no extended family, although Jackie’s mother was still alive. Both of them had traveled a great deal when they were young and, although Jackie had been born in L.A., she left that city at 3-years old and never returned. The similarities in their lives drew them closer until an unbreakable bond formed. Jake and Jackie were no longer solo vessels in search of a safe harbor. Now, when Jake gets asked, “Where’s home?” His answer’s always the same, “Wherever she is.”