War Stories

My War Story for Tonight:

Wow! It’s been busy here tonight! Just a few days before Halloween—so guess the parties are this weekend.

Lisa (my sister), Roy (my b-in-law) & Kayla (Aaron’s baby cousin—aka ”Little Pretty”) came by. See how cute they are (if you care to look at the photos). I’ll let you guess who or what they masquerade as. I’m not going there and Aaron would freak about you, Kayla De’on!

The Jewell’s were just here for a while…they were on their way to a costume party.

Tonight was football night for my dad, Greg & me. The Texas Tech Red Raiders matched up against the Texas Longhorns. Tech hosted and in the end, roasted. Since I lost Aaron, I’m pulled between the two teams. I’m Tech alumni and Aaron was a big time Longhorns’ fan. So usually, Greg will root for Tech (Greg stands firm, very, very firm, no matter what, who, where. I don’t like to think of him as rigid, or hard-headed).

Greg is simply Greg.

Dad, like the rest of the men in my family (save Greg) is a huge Dallas fan. College ball means something to him, but he doesn't do death threats.

Greg joined me in Lovington on December 26, 1992, three days after he ETS’d (remember, we’re both Army—I ETS’d on election day, November 1992—it’d be hard to forget that one. My mom is political—militant really, we couldn’t visit as we made the two-hour drive from Lubbock International Airport to Lovington, because we had to listen to the election results coming in on the radio—but my feelings weren’t bruised, after all, I’d just been home on leave in May, and now, I was home permanent, but oh, well, I am De’on—the eldest—not Gary—the babiest).

Anyway, back to my Greg story. He left Panama, went to his parent’s home in Indiana to pick up his two sons, and after maybe a two day visit, hit the road with Quin, who was four at the time, and Kaika, who was three. They drove a solid twenty-six hours. The boys couldn’t get very many drinks on the way (you know how you have to stop at the bathroom after pulling off the freeway, all those little time-killing covert actions that kids try to pull on you—who do they think they are, anyway? Chips to eat and not much water—come on boys, toughen up!).

The three reached my home in the middle of the night; Greg passed out in my bathtub in the wee hours of the morning and didn’t revive until three days later, so, I had time to get to know his kids. I tried the best tricks I could with the kids, even took them to the park to feed the ducks. Upon leaving, Kaika (his real name is Ikaika, which is Hawaiian for “the bold one,” or something like that). But anyway, it was the bold one who kicked me in the shin with his new pair of black-very-pointy-toe-cowboy-boots.

Nevertheless, I did raise Greg’s boys for several years.

But, back to my football story. Greg is a devout Tech fan. The only one who rivals him is my cousin, Tonya (Ya Ya). We call her the Princess. She calls her the Princess. But yes, a very devout Tech fan. She was once a cheerleader there. And now at age fifty-one, she is the one who still calls out, “I’m blind and I’m deaf, and I wanna be a ref!”

Greg just hollers, threatens. Shouts out at the refs, “You’re going to hate yourself in the morning!”

Yes, tonight we were in my living room, but it has not always been thus. I have set in a very crowded gym where this same ATTITUDE reared its ugly head in the most-rear-most-high-seat-in-the-United-Spirit-Arena in Lubbock, Texas.

I didn’t look up for three days.

Bobby Knight has nothing on my husband.

What is it about Indiana?

But yes, I brought Greg to Cowboy country. Remember, December is when he arrived. What happens in January?

Yes, it’s the Super Bowl ( Flashback to 1993) and the Cowboys are in the play-offs. The party is going, and out of maybe fifty people, my husband and one other are NON-cowboy people. But the other guy, he’d been around for twenty-years. Greg hadn’t been here a month.

I've been to better parties, although Greg did keep his mouth shut. I mean shut. Couldn’t say a word. He hasn’t got all right since Jerry Jones or Jimmy Johnson or one of the J words got rid of Tom Landry.

I don’t even know if that’s right. I mean, how long has it been since Tom Landry?

And besides, Greg is a Colts’ fan. That works now, but back in ’92—no one even knew who they were. I think they showed up for a couple of games. I can’t remember. Gary, my brother (the Baby, remember?), always the comic, bought Greg a hardhat for his birthday. (Greg was out on the oilrigs at that time). The hardhat was white with a crowning blue horseshoe on each side.

Greg loved it.

Anyway, Tech lost tonight. They made all of their 31 points in the first half—ooh, the excitement in my living room then…didn’t touch the last half.

Final score. Longhorns 35. Raiders 31.

Steve, another Longhorns’ fan—you won, buddy, whether you know it or not.

And Aaron, as usual, you win again, son.