16 years ago in the fall, I walked my little boy down to the bus stop for his first day of kindergarten.
He had his backpack filled with all the things the school said he should have. He had his lunch box packed with goodies (all nutritious). His double crown had been tamed, at least for the time being, his clothes were clean and tidy and his shoes were tied.
I will never forget the catch in my throat as he tried to get on the bus and he couldn't quite get his foot on that first step. He's gotten on many buses since that day and he can certainly reach the first step now.
Today, he got on another bus. I didn't walk him to the bus stop, didn't pack his lunch and didn't tame his double crown. He is more than capable of doing all of those things even if he doesn't do them.
Today, he got on the bus that will take him to Lejeune and then he'll go to another base for more training. He'll get about a week of leave after that and then yet another bus will take him to an airplane that will take him to the sandbox.
I just realized how much I hate buses.
