TROUBLE ON THE HORIZON

WELL, CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEARS CAME AND WENT. WE HAD THE NEW YEAR TO LOOK FORWARD TO, AND THEN, WHAM, A PROBLEM OUT OF THE BLUE. MARTIN RECEIVED ORDERS TO GO TO KOREA. HE WAS DUE TO LEAVE AT THE END OF FEBRUARY. THAT WOULD LEAVE ME ALL ALONE AND 7 MONTHS PREGNANT. AT FIRST, I WAS TERRIFIED, BUT THEN, I REMEMBERED THAT THERE SHOULD BE A SOLUTION TO ANY PROBLEM, AND SO, I SAT DOWN, PRAYED ABOUT IT AND WAITED FOR AN ANSWER. I KNEW THEY WOULD NOT ALLOW ME TO GO WITH HIM AND HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE GONE FOR 18 MONTHS. I DIDNT' WANT TO HAVE THE BABY ALONE, AND SO I CAME UP WITH A SOLUTION, (OR SO I THOUGHT). I HAD MARTIN ASK THE ARMY FOR A DEFERRMENT OF HIS ORDERS UNTIL THE BABY ARRIVED. I DIDN'T THINK THIS WOULD BE A PROBLEM, BECAUSE I HAD NO HOME OR ANYONE TO HELP ME WITH THE BABY. WE PUT IN THE REQUEST, AND WAITED. TWO WEEKS WENT BY. THREE WEEKS, FOUR WEEKS. IT WAS NOW THE MIDDLE OF FEBRUARY. I BEGAN TO WORRY. MARTIN WENT TO HE SARGENT TO FIND OUT IF HE HAD HEARD ANYTHING. HE TOLD US NO, HE HADN'T AND IF HE DID HE WOULD LET US KNOW. ANOTHER WEEK WENT BY. NOW, WE HAVE TO MAKE PLANS TO GO SOMEWHERE, BUT WHERE? MARTIN WAS DUE TO GO OVERSEAS IN A WEEK, AND I DID NOT KNOW WHERE I WAS GOING TO GO. WE ASKED AGAIN IF THE SARGENT HAD HEARD ANYTHING. HE SAID NOT TO WORRY, IF WE GOT THE DEFERRMENT AFTER MARTIN WAS OVERSEAS, THEY WOULD SEND HIM HOME UNTIL THE BABY WAS BORN. WHEN MARTIN TOLD ME THIS, I KNEW THIS MAN WAS LYING! I COULD NOT IMAGINE WHY, BUT I KNEW HE WAS. THE NEXT DAY, I WENT TO THE ADJUTENT GENERAL'S OFFICE. AFTER ASKING FOR AN APPOINTMENT, WE WERE TOLD TO COME BACK THE NEXT DAY. BY NOW, I HAD STARTED PACKING OUR FEW THINGS. I WEPT ALL DAY, I WAS SO FRIGHTENED. I DIDN'T WANT TO BE ALONE WITHOUT MARTIN FOR SO LONG. THE NEXT DAY, WE HAD THE APPOINTMENT WITH THE AG. AFTER HEARING OUR STORY, HE TOLD US THAT HE WOULD LOOK INTO IT. WE TOLD HIM MARTIN WAS DUE TO LEAVE IN A FEW DAYS, HE SAID HE WOULD INVESTIGATE RIGHT AWAY. HE FOUND THAT MARTIN'S SARGENT HAD RECEIVED THE ORDERS GRANTING THE DEFERRMENT AT THE FIRST OF FEBRUARY! HE HAD BEEN HIDING THEM! ALL THAT WORRY FOR NOTHING! THE AG WAS SO ANGRY, HE HAD THE SARGENT IMMEDIATLEY SHIPPED OVERSEAS. WE WERE SAFE FOR AWHILE. I CRIED WITH RELIEF- MARTIN COULD STAY WITH ME UNTIL THE BABY WAS BORN. THEN, THE ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT NEXT DOOR CAME AVAILABLE. FOR AND EXTRA 10 DOLLARS A MONTH, WE COULD ACTUALLY HAVE A BEDROOM! SO, WITH GREAT RELIEF, WE MOVED INTO THE NEW APARTMENT TO AWAIT THE ARRIVAL OF THE BABY. BUT, MORE TROUBLE. ON MARCH 1ST, I AWOKE TO A PUDDLE IN MY BED. MY WATER HAD BROKEN, AND I WAS ONLY 7 MONTHS ALONG! I WENT TO THE HOSPITAL, AND THEY TOLD ME THAT I WOULD HAVE TO DELIVER IF I STARTED TO RUN A FEVER. THEY KEPT ME FOR 10 DAYS AND NOTHING HAPPENED, SO I WENT HOME, WAITING TO SEE IF I WOULD GO INTO LABOR. I WAS TOLD TO TAKE IT EASY, BUT ONE DAY, NOT MUCH LONGER AFTER THIS, I SAW IN THE PAPER THAT TURKEY WINGS WERE .10 CENTS A POUND. NOW, THIS WAS SOMETHING WE COULD AFFORD! SO, MARTIN AND I WALKED INTO TOWN TO GET SOME WINGS TO HELP WITH THE GROCERY BILL. WE DAWDLED AROUND ENJOYING OUR TIME IN TOWN, AND THEN WE REALIZED THAT IT WAS GETTING LATE AND BEGINNING TO SNOW. THERE WAS A SHORT CUT BACK, BUT IT TOOK GOING OVER A RUNNING CREEK. WHEN WE GOT TO THE CREEK, BOTH OF US WITH A LARGE BAG OF TURKEY WINGS, WE SAW THAT THERE WAS A BOARD CROSSING THE CREEK. IT LOOKED VERY NARROW TO ME, BUT MARTIN CROSSED IT WITH NO TROUBLE. IT WAS SNOWING AND THE BOARD WAS SLICK. I GOT ABOUT HALF WAY ACROSS, AND SURE ENOUGH, MY FEET FLEW OUT FROM UNDER ME AND I FELL INTO THE CREEK! IT WAS FREEZING! I LANDED ON MY BACKSIDE, UP TO MY WAIST IN THE FRIGID WATER. MY BAG OF TURKEY WINGS BROKE OPEN AND THEPACKAGES STARTED FLOATING DOWN THE CREEK. UPON HEARING MY SCREAM FOR HELP, MARTIN CAME DANCING BACK ACROSS THE BOARD TO HELP ME. HE YELLED AT ME TO SEE IF I WAS HURT, AND TRIED TO HELP ME GET UP. "LEAVE ME ALONE! FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE, SAVE THE TURKEY WINGS!" I CRIED. HE WENT SLOSHING THROUGH THE CREEK, COLLECTING PACKAGES OF TURKEY WINGS, ALL THE TIME LOOKING BACK TO SEE IF I WAS GETTING UP. WELL, I DID GET UP, AND LET ME TELL YOU THAT WAS THE COLDEST WALK HOME I CAN EVERY REMEMBER. BUT, THE TURKEY WAS SAVED, AND THAT'S ALL I WAS WORRIED ABOUT. IT DIDN'T OCCUR TO ME THAT A DIP IN A FREEZING CREEK COULD HAVE HURT THE BABY-FORTUNATELY IT DIDN'T. WE HAD TURKEY FOR QUITE SOME TIME AND I LEARNED THAT YOU CANNOT JUST FRY TURKEY WINGS, I THINK MARTIN ALMOST LOST A TOOTH TRYING TO EAT THE WINGS I FRIED LIKE CHICKEN. TURNS OUT, IF A TURKEY WING IS PRICED CHEAPLY, THERE IS A REASON FOR IT. THAT WAS ONE TOUGH BUNCH OF BIRDS! I HAD TO BOIL THAT MEAT FOR HOURS BEFORE WE COULD EAT IT. TOMORROW, I WILL TELL YOU OF OUR PRECIOUS ARRIVAL! LOVE, NANASEE