Uncle Arlo and Isabelle

Carlos was fourteen or fifteen when Isabelle was born. He wasn't too comfortable holding a baby and avoided holding Isabelle. Maiko was living next door to us and finances were tough on him. Carlos moved in with him and we helped with the rent. Isabelle spent the first three years spending time with Carlos every time she was with Maiko. When she started to talk, her first word was "Arlo". That was her name for her uncle Carlos. She loved wrestling with her uncle. She also loved arguing with him and they would compete over Elfida's attention. When Carlos left for boot camp she really missed him. When we told Isabelle that we were going to go see Carlos become a Marine, she found a small US flag that had been in Carlos' room and said she was taking it to wave at Carlos so he could see her.
She grew up in a house full of Marine Corps paraphernalia. Her dad had graduated from boot camp in 1997 and served four years in the Marines. It was a long drive from Waco, Tx. to San Diego, Ca. Isabelle had a great trip. Not only was she going to see her uncle Arlo but her great grandma was also going.
We had bought her a portable DVD player for the long trip and I beleived she saw the "Emperor's Groove" four or five times during the trip.
Isabelle enjoyed bugging her uncle every chance she got. Carlos spent his time paying her back for it. She knew he had broken his foot during the Crusible and would ask us how he was doing and when he could come home. She had to wait to hug her Uncle when we first saw him at the Marine Depot. Grandma got to hug Carlos first. Isabelle wanted to follow her uncle everywhere. These series of pictures were taken as Carlos walked around and Isabelle followed.
Now that her Uncle is in Iraq, she writes his notes everytime we send him a package. It is just letters strung together, but it her way of telling him how much she loves him and misses him. He has been out of country for over a year now. Isabelle was telling my wife the other day that when Carlos came home she was not going to fight with him any more.When Carlos was in Florida going through his training, he sent her a full set of Marine cammies. She wears them to the Central Texas Marine Family support group meetings. Gunny Sunday, one of the Marine recruiters in Waco when Carlos signed up, gave her some chevrons which she wears with her cammies.
I mentioned that Carlos broke his leg while at boot camp, it happened in December of 04. We were in Eagle Pass when we got a call at night from Carlos. He was telling us that he had broken his foot and wouldn't graduate with his platoon. He was very upset. He had grown attached to his group and had been doing great. He was hoping to graduate as the top recruit and now it had all changed. He was depressed and we were worried. Gunny Sunday was our granite pillar. He checked on Carlos on a weekly basis and made sure we were kept informed of his morale and his healing. As young as Isabelle was, she was aware of this and Gunny Sunday and his wife became her favorite friends. Isabelle now five years old, found out that Carlos was in Iraq and told Elfida that she didn't like him being there because that was were they killed Marines... I don't know where she heard this but I know that this war is now even on the minds of babies.

My wife, my only love

I saw my wife for the first time out of the second story window of Miners Hall at UTEP. She had just arrived in El Paso from Pecos. That was almost 30 years ago, she was wearing a white blouse, blue jeans, no makeup. I didn't meet her for another four or five months although I would see her at the dorms. She was beautiful. The first time I had a real conversation with her was in January of 1978. She was sick with a cold, I went with her to the grocery store and bought her some oranges. We dated while at UTEP and when the summer came I left for Eagle Pass and she for Barstow. She called a few time and we wrote to each other. I left for L.A. looking for summer work so I could continue paying my way through college. A few months later on my way back home I took a detour to Barstow, Texas, and picked up Elfida. We were married later that year. She is the only girl I ever told I loved. She is still the only woman I love.
When I was away from her, I could close my eyes at night and see her beautiful brown eyes. What use to puzzle me before I knew her was that she almost never smiled. When I was going out with her that was one of the questions I had to ask her. She said she had never noticed that she didn't smile. She has a beautiful smile and a soft sweat voice. She always looked younger that she was. Even after she had our two sons, people still mistook her for a teenager. She has aged very slowly.
My favorite time is spent sitting at home with her. She reads and I surf the Internet on my computer. Ever so often I reach over and hold her hand. I love knowing that she is there next to me. When our boys were little we use to all sit on one recliner and watch TV. After they grew up they would still come into our room in the morning and clime into bed with us. Sometimes we sit in bed and look at the pictures of our kids and us through the years. I have most of our pictures loaded on my laptop. Its been many many years that we have been together. She smiles a lot. I think having our sons gave her a big reason to smile more often. Late at night, when she sleeps and I sit watching TV or typing on my computer, I stop and listen to her breathing, look at her and notice how little she has changed in so many years. I reach over and touch her hand; she squeezes my hand without waking up.
During the day, while I sleep she is at work. I can roll over to her pillow and smell her essence on that pillow. I awake and miss not having her next to me. I close my eyes and see her beautiful brown eyes, her smile....
I don't know what being hurt is. I have never know a broken heart. I married the only girl I ever loved.... about 30 years ago.