Link: Every Day Is Your Last Title Page and Description

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Jack told me a story once about things that he said happened later that night, but Rich insisted that he was exaggerating, so I don't know what happened after that, really. Jack says Anne made a scene, trying to tell Jack to leave and quit embarrassing himself by taking his mother to the Prom, but Rich says she only wanted to make peace now that school was ending. I don't know what the truth is, but I suspect Rich was just defending her out of his sense of loyalty. He could be like that sometimes. Besides, he still put almost all the blame on Wendy and his mom. He never said so, but I think he always believed that Wendy broke up he and Anne, not vice versa.

Their graduation was apparently as uneventful as they usually are. There was apparently a party afterwards, but both of them said it was boring and not worthy of a story. Just things that happened, but then I think a lot of life is that way... just things that happen.

In the weeks that followed, Jack was working at his physical therapy. He said he was concerned that the Corps wouldn't take him due to his injury, but in the end, with Rich's help, he passed MEPS and, with his mother's signature, headed off to Paris Island in July while he was still seventeen.

Boot is Boot, so telling you what it would have been like for them isn't really telling you about them. It wasn't until they came home after MCRD and before heading out for SOI that things got interesting.

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Jack walked in the front door of his mother's home, shuddering from the cold October morning. He was in his uniform and wanted Mary to see him since she couldn't be there for his graduation from Boot Camp. "Mom! I'm home!"

Mary walked out from her bedroom in a state of confusion. "Danny? Is that you?"

His smile disappeared in a heartbeat. "Mom? It's me. Jack."

She looked at him as though he were a stranger, then realization came to her. "Oh... Oh, Jack! My, you look handsome! Are... are you staying long? You... you went into the military, didn't you? At least, I think I remember you doing that." She looked at him with terrified eyes. "I... I don't remember!"

"It's alright, Mom." Jack hugged her comfortingly. "I... I was looking for a place that can take care of you while I'm deployed. I'd like to take you there to see it, if that's alright."

She looked at him with terror. "I don't want to go anywhere else, Jack! I... I want to stay here at home!"

"Tell you what, Mom. I'll take you to see it and if you don't like it you don't have to stay. Is that fair?"

"Well, I suppose that's only fair, but... why bother? Why can't we just stay here?" she asked confusedly.

"You have Alzheimer's, Mom. Pretty soon you won't be able to remember if you ate a few minutes ago. You're going to need people to help you."

"Can't... can't you help me, Jack?"

"I'm going in the service. I won't be back for a few years at least. Who'll take care of you until then?"

"I don't need anyone to take care of me, Jack! I've taken care of the both of us for years!"

Resignedly, Jack finally accepted that she just couldn't understand. "I know, Mom. Say, I was thinking. You need a nicer place to live! Now that I can afford it, I want us to move into a nice apartment! Someplace where you don't have to cook and clean all the time! No yard to weed, no bad plumbing to fix! How does that sound?"

Mary smiled. "That sounds wonderful, Jack! Where is it?"

He barely was able to hold back the tears as he lied to her. "Not far, just east of here. I think we'll love it! Come on, let's pack a bag and I'll show it to you! It's fully furnished! If you want, we can even stay there tonight to try it out!"

She patted him on the cheek. "You're such a good boy, Jack! I'll go pack an overnight bag!" She started down the hall and Jack followed.

"Let me give you a hand, Mom." he said, wiping a tear away.

That night, as Jack drove Richard's borrowed station wagon back home, he felt like he'd betrayed his mother; abandoning her in a strange place with people she didn't know. Intellectually, he knew it was what she needed. He'd talked with the staff for a good long time and liked them. This was his third trip out there, the first two just to see if he could trust them with Mary.

Pulling up out in front of the Hargrave's home, he sighed and walked up the few steps, beating himself up inside for the tenth time. Letting himself in, he flopped on their couch, emotionally exhausted.

"Jack? Are you alright?" Erica asked from the hallway.

"Huh? Oh, hey Bu.... um... Erica. No, but I will be."

She walked into the living room and sat down across from him in the smaller loveseat that faced the couch. "Richie told me you had to take your mom to an old-age home. I'm sorry, Jack. You must feel awful!"

Sighing, he just stared at the ceiling. "Well, it wasn't a trip to Cedar Point, that's for sure, but it's what she needs now. Even if she doesn't understand it, she needs people that can take care of her, and I just can't. I feel like an absolute heel!"

Moving to the couch, Erica took his hand. "No! I know you, Jack! You love your mom more than anything! I don't think you have any reason to feel bad! I bet the place she's staying is awesome!" She desperately wanted to soothe his troubles however she could.

Jack patted her hand. "Yeah, it's a great jail. Twenty-four hour security so she doesn't wander off somewhere she wants to go, doctors available at all hours to pump her full of drugs, orderlies to boss her around when she wants to do something they don't feel like putting up with, and every one of them a total stranger to her so she'll feel like she's been kidnapped! It's perfect!"

"I don't think you'd let your mom stay there if it was like that, Jack." she challenged him.

"No. It's not. It really is a great place. The staff are all nice, dedicated, and really want to help her as much as they can. Maybe in a few years I can get a long-term posting and move her in with me so I can take care of her myself, but for now, it's a good place. At least I don't have to worry about her being all alone."

Erica loved sitting this close to him, sharing in his troubles, and helping to ease his suffering, even if only a little. Her heart raced as she fought the urge to lean over and kiss him, unleashing four years worth of built-up yearning, but it was about the hardest thing she'd ever had to do. She knew she had bad news to deliver. "I... I need to tell you something, Jack. Mom's back."

"Brilliant! What a perfect capper for a day of absolute betrayal." He stood up and dropped Richard's car keys on the coffee table. "Tell Rich I'll be by Sunday at four to take him out for his birthday. I don't think I'll be coming to his party, though. Not with her here. Can you tell him I'm sorry I'm going to miss it?"

"Sure thing, Jack." she accepted, rising to stand close next to him. "I'll tell him anything you like. I'll miss you not being there. I mean, Richie is sure to miss you."

Giving her a one-armed hug, he smiled down at her. "Thanks, Erica. I... I appreciate that."

His smile had her completely undone. She decided in that moment to throw caution to the wind and follow her heart. Just as she was about to grab the back of his neck and pull him down to kiss her, he pulled away and walked out the door, oblivious of her aborted intents. Near to tears, she composed herself and decided that by Sunday she was going to get his attention and show him that she wasn't a little girl anymore.

The day of Richard's nineteenth birthday came and, as his guests started to arrive, he found himself completely bored. Going into the house, he sat in his room and started going through things to select what he would take with him and what could be packed away. All his crowd of high school friends wished him their best, but without Jack the party seemed dull and lifeless. Worst of all was his mother. Judith had come back and picked up her role as though no time had passed; like the entire ordeal had been nothing more than a bad dream.

"Richard! You're neglecting your guests!" Judith admonished him from his doorway.

"So?" he said harshly. "I'll be out in a while, but I need to get this done before four. I need to be ready to leave tomorrow, first thing."

"Oh, nonsense! You can do all this after the party! You're not doing anything tonight, so you'll have time later! Now put that down and come along."

"No!" he growled, continuing to go through his things. "Jack's taking me out tonight! That's what I'm looking forward to, not those idiots you invited."

"But they're your friends, Richard! Besides, you can't go out tonight, dear. You spend too much time with Jack as it is, and you'll have plenty of time together after you leave! I've not had a chance to spend any time with you!"

Stopping for a moment, Richard walked to his door and glared down at his mother. "That's because I've been avoiding you! Take a hint! As for those yahoos you invited, they aren't my friends. Jack is my friend, and the only reason he's not here is because you are! I'll waste time with them once I've made damn sure I'm not losing any time with Jack tonight! Now if you'll excuse me... Judith... I have things to do!" He then slammed the door in his mother's face and returned to his task.

"Well of all the...! Richard! You apologize to me at once or so help me I'll... I'll..."

"You'll what, Mom?" Erica said snidely from her doorway. "Throw him out? He's leaving tomorrow! Forever!"

Judith turned to face her daughter to see that Erica was wearing a skirt and a cute sweater; her hair nicely styled with her usual curls mostly flattened and makeup in a style that made her look seventeen rather than three months shy of her fifteenth birthday.

"This is none of your concern, young lady! Your brother is behaving very disrespectfully and I will not have it! I'm glad to see you looking presentable, though. Go and play hostess for our guests while I deal with your brother."

"The way you dealt with Jack, Mom? What? You gonna try and set Richie up with a hooker to make an honest woman of her?" She rolled her eyes and stormed out of the house.

Judith was speechless. "Why, I... I... I..." Finally overcome with emotion, she broke down and sobbed.

She was collapsed on the floor in front of Richard's door crying when Frank walked up. "Come on, Judy. Let me help you up."

"I... I don't know what to do, Frank! Richard won't talk to me, and Erica hates me!" she sobbed as she was pulled to her feet.

Leading her into the living room, he sighed and shook his head. "Judy, you have a lot of apologizing to do before either of them will forgive you."

"What do I have to apologize for? I've done nothing wrong! Oh, Frank!" She fell into his arms sobbing once more. "I... I... Frank? Am I a bad woman for wanting to help the Evans girl? I... I just don't understand why Richard hates me so much for it!" Sitting her down on the couch, her husband patiently tried to calm her down. "You just don't understand, Frank! I... I had to!"

While she resumed sobbing, Erica walked back in the house. When she saw her parents sitting on the couch together, her mother crying and father consoling her, her anger intensified. "Pardon the interruption, but Hank just threw up on the back lawn. I think he's drunk."

Frank shook his head. "I'll be out in a sec, sweet pea." Once she'd left, he stood up and looked down at his wife. "I don't know what you can do, but apologizing to Jack would be a good start, if he'll let you. I'll be outside if you need me, hun."

Having finished sorting everything, Richard had managed to reduce his 'must take' things down to just one seabag. The rest he didn't care about. Sighing in satisfaction, he glanced at his watch and saw that Jack would be there in about half an hour. "Just enough time to make a sociable appearance and then go have some actual fun!"

Going out into the back yard, he saw Hank, the quarterback of the football team, passed out face-first on the lawn. Shaking his head, he pasted a smile on and made small talk, continually glancing at his watch.

Erica brought him a paper plate with a hamburger, hot dog, and chips just about the time he was checking it for the third time. "When's Jack supposed to get here?" she asked almost desperately.

"Four. Thanks, sis." he said, taking the plate. When he did, he noticed she was dressed a lot nicer than her usual jeans and top. "Did Mom make you wear that? You can go change and be yourself if you want to. This is my birthday, not hers."

"Don't I look nice?" she asked, self-consciously.

He looked at her again. "Oh, sure! I just figured..." Realizing he'd goofed, he lowered his head and laughed. "Sorry, sis! I thought... You look great!" Seeing her smile and walk away happy, he shook his head, thinking Erica had gotten dressed up just for his birthday. "Goofy kid!" he said to himself.

While he could tell she was going for 'grown up', and if he'd looked with unbiased eyes he would have seen just how well she'd pulled it off, all he could see was his baby sister, but he wouldn't dare tell her. I already have enough trouble with women in this family without starting a fight with Erica!

Jack walked up to the Hargrave's home promptly at four. He'd spent most of the last few days getting his mother's power of attorney turned over to himself, then listing their home on the market, and finally getting as many personal effects moved to his mother's nursing home as possible. Seeing her there so many times, starting to settle in, made him feel easier about his decision. He still didn't like it, but he'd quit beating himself up over it. She actually looked happier and healthier than she had in a while.

Walking around through the side gate, he let himself in and slapped a smile on his face for Richard's sake. "Hey, bud!" he shouted.

Genuinely smiling as Jack came walking into his back yard, Richard ran up to him. "Jack! Get things taken care of?"

"Yeah, all done. You?" Jack asked as he stopped next to Richard, looking at the lawn.

"Junk on the Bunk!" Richard replied before he took another bite of hot dog. Talking around a mouthful, he asked, "Wan' some?"

"No thanks, Rich. I'll have this though." he said, grabbing Richard's burger off his plate. "Mmm! Charcoal burger!"

"Mom didn't make these." Richard joked. "Dad did."

Taking a bite, Jack nodded in appreciation. "I can tell. They're edible. You about done here? I've got the whole evening planned!"

Richard nodded as well, swallowing another bite of hotdog. "Just about. Already did cake and stuff. Sorry you missed it."

"Ah! You know me! I'd have just ended up falling in the cake or something to make you have to get me out of another mess." He looked around at the guests and shook his head. "Don't know how soft they got it, do they?"

Shrugging, Richard finished his last bite and wiped his hands. "Yeah. Well, let me make polite and then we'll get outta here."

Going around, Richard thanking and saying goodbye to their guests, Jack stood behind him the whole way. He nodded as people he never liked, and who he knew had never liked him, gave him backhanded compliments and congratulations for getting through Boot Camp; their every word screaming that the only things they knew about it came out of Hollywood. About halfway done, Frank stopped Jack at the grill.

"I... I wanted to say, I'm proud of you, boy." he said earnestly. "The Corps will do good things for you, and you for the Corps." he spoke through gritted teeth; his pipe clenched tightly out of the corner of his mouth.

Jack smiled genuinely. "Thanks, Mr. H.! That means a lot coming from you. I... You're a good dad. Rich is lucky to have ya'."

Slapping him on the back firmly, Frank genuinely smiled. "Call me Frank! You're a man now. You've earned the right."

He shook his head and chuckled. "I dunno. You once said you were like a surrogate father to me! Maybe I should call you Dad!" When he saw the older man glare at him, he cleared his throat. "Frank it is!"

Erica came up to her father and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, sweet pea! You had a chance to say hi to your brother or Jack yet?"

Shaking her head, she looked over at Jack, batting her eyes. "Hi, Jack! It's really good to see you! Can I get you anything? A drink? Some food?" Me? she wanted to add.

Jack smiled down at her. "That's OK, Bu... um... Erica. I'm good. Rich and I'll be stepping out in a few." He noticed she was dressed up and realized he ought to say something. "You look nice!" he complimented her.

Blushing as her heart raced at the thought that Jack had finally noticed her as more than just a little girl, she looked down. "Thank you... Jack!" she said coyly. When she looked up again however, he was gone. Looking around, she saw him next to her brother once more, smiling and talking to a few other people.

Noticing her unusual behavior, Frank was finally starting to understand some of what was going on. "Listen, sweet pea. You think you could run to the fridge and get me a beer? Thanks!"

About to go over to Jack and ask to speak to him privately, she was irritated with her father for interfering in her attempts at catching Jack's eye. "Fine!" she scowled at him. Storming off toward the house, she simply had to get back before Jack left. When she did a minute later, handing her father his beer bottle, she looked around. "Where's Jack... and um... Richie?" she asked him, adding her brother as an afterthought.

"They left for the evening, sweetie." he answered flatly. "Don't worry, you can still see your brother off tomorrow morning."

"But..." She paused, reformulating how to ask without being obvious. "Is Jack coming over tomorrow? I know he and Richie are leaving together."

He shook his head. "Rich is heading over to his place and pick him up after Rich leaves from here. I... I don't think Jack wants to see your mother and she'll be unavoidable tomorrow morning." He poured some of his beer over a burger, causing the flames to flare up.

"Oh." she said sadly, unable to hide her disappointment as tears began to form in her eyes. "I... I never even got a chance to say goodbye."

Nodding, Frank saw he was going to have to have a talk with his daughter.

Jack drove while Richard sat next to him in the passenger seat. "So, what's the plan?" the nineteen-year-old asked curiously.

"The plan is we're going to Ohio." Jack stated mater-of-factly.

"So what's in Ohio?" Richard asked suspiciously. "I mean, besides cows and Cleveland."

"The Keaton Family Bar and Grill." Jack answered as he drove down the highway, smiling. "Remember Doug from Boot? Well, his old man owns the place. Doug invited us to stop by."

Only vaguely remembering the other Marine recruit, Richard shrugged. "Oh. Sounds like it could be fun, I guess."

After driving for just over an hour, the two pulled up in front of a building out in the middle of nowhere.

"Jack, we can't go in there." Richard warned wide-eyed.

"Why not? We were invited!"

"That's not a grill, Jack!" Richard said obviously as he looked at the building. "That's a strip club!"

"So? They have food! Doug says their steaks are the best in the state!" Jack pointed out.

"Jack! We could get arrested! We're both under twenty-one!"

The younger Marine looked at his best friend as he opened his car door and climbed out. "Come on, Rich! No one but Doug knows us here and we both look over twenty-one! Live a little!"

He shook his head as he opened the car door and climbed out. "I should have my head examined for ever listening to you!"

As the two walked up to the front door, a large man stopped them. "IDs?"

Jack clapped his hand on the man's shoulder. "We're here to see Doug! Can you tell him Jack and Rich are here to see him?"

Eyeing the two youths suspiciously, he grumbled, "Wait here." Going in the building, music poured out the door as he entered, Jack rubbing his hands together.

"You'll see! Tonight's gonna be a blast!"

An hour later, Jack sat with Richard and Doug in the restaurant side of the establishment, the thump of music from the next room ever present. "Doug, I have to admit, that was the best steak I've ever eaten!" Jack grinned as their barely clothed waitress dropped off another beer for Richard and a soda for him, watching her every move. "I think it's the service!" he said distractedly, noting her smile at his compliment.

Doug Keaton shrugged. "Not the best. It was a little off tonight. Pete must be having a bad day in the kitchen. You two still planning on driving down to Geiger?"

Noticing the way Richard was eyeing their waitress, Jack smiled. "Yeah, we leave tomorrow morning. Say, Doug. Seeing as it's Rich's birthday and our last night home, I was hoping to treat him to a really good time tonight. Alright if I take him next door?"

He shrugged. "None of my business. I just invited you over for a good steak dinner. What you do after that... well... I can't be blamed for anything you two get into on your own. No one'll be calling the cops on you, if that's what you're asking." He winked at Jack as he stood up. "Well, Dad'll be wanting me to help behind the bar tonight. He don't care that I'm leaving in a few days. He's just miffed he's losing a bartender that works for free. Catch you guys later!"

Jack half-grinned as he stood up, dropping a twenty on the table. "Come on, Rich! Let's see if we can find you a nice girl your mom would approve of!"

Richard awoke the next morning slowly, the pounding in his head so loud he was sure Jack could hear it from his house. Starting to roll out of bed, he noticed he wasn't alone, and that he wasn't in his bed. Looking around, he determined he must be in a hotel; the queen bed taking up most of the small space while the only doors appeared to be for a bathroom and the door to the outside. He held his head, trying to keep it from falling off as he slowly stood up and headed for the bathroom.

When he came out a minute later, he saw a vaguely familiar looking woman sitting up in the middle of the bed. "Um... need the restroom?" he asked nonchalantly.

She shook her head slowly, her frizzy light brown hair twisting freely. "I was hoping I could coax you back into bed!" she said seductively.

Looking at her naked body, her firm muscle tone and long luscious legs gave her away as a dancer. He had vague recollections of her undulating body against his and her legs wrapped around him. One thing he wished he could remember that he couldn't though was her name. Looking at his watch, he saw it was only six in the morning, explaining why the only light in the room was from the dim light of a street lamp filtering in through a curtain.

"I... uh... I feel bad!" he said looking down at the grungy and cheep carpet covering the floor. "I... uh... I can't remember... well, much of anything from last night! I hope you're not mad at me for that!"

She smiled at him and knee-walked to the edge of the bed, sliding off to walk up to him. "I appreciate your honesty, Richard. I'm Cindi... with an i."

Seeing her intent, he asked, "I take it you had as much fun as I apparently did last night?" As she nodded slowly, he smiled and said, "I think I can spare some time!" while she wrapped her arms around him once more.

Jack pounded on the door as the sun was rising. "Rich! Reveille, buddy! It's oh-seven thirty and we have an hour's drive ahead!" He started knocking continuously until Richard flung the door open.

"Jack! Can you give me a minute?" Richard barked at him.

Looking at his best friend standing at the door wearing nothing but a sheet held at his waist, he half-smiled. "Good morning?" he asked inquisitively.

"It will be if you come back in about ten minutes!" Richard said, pushing his friend away from the door and slamming it in his face.

"If you're done that quick, you really should see a doctor about it!" he yelled through the door with a half-grin. Returning to Richard's station wagon, he sat in the driver's seat and spent the next fifteen minutes looking over the map of their nine-hour drive to Camp Geiger in North Carolina where they would spend sixty days going through Marine School of Infantry. They had two more days to arrive and report, and intended to make the most of it.

Just as he was about to go up and knock again, Richard came running out, tucking his shirt in as he left. As the hung-over young Marine opened the car door and climbed in, Jack saw Cindi standing in the doorway, a smile on her face and a sheet wrapped around her, waving goodbye to his best friend.

Pulling out of the parking lot, he glanced over at Richard. "So, you gonna see her again?"

"Nope!" he replied. "I offered gallantly, she rejected politely, we're cool."

Glancing once more at his watch, Jack started going over their plan. "It's oh-seven fifty. We'll be home by oh-nine hundred, stop at my place, you drop me off so I can pack my gear while you head home to do likewise, then come get me by oh-nine thirty and we'll only be running ninety minutes behind schedule. Plan?"

"Plan." he replied absently. "Thanks." he added after a moment of silence between the two.

"For what? Getting you plastered and hooking you up with Cindi with an i? What else are best friends for?"