“Wha ... wha ... What are you,” she manage to squeak out, her fear making her voice sound weak in her ears. This annoyed her so she tried again. �...�What, or should I ask, who are you.” This time she sounded almost normal in her ears.“Ah good, you work to overcome fear.” A ripple raced up and down the watery surface, almost like laughter in the way it moved. “I am water sprite child, a being of nature, the last of my kind on this world.” As it spoke, Brena could see the ripples the sound made in. Hope you like Italian, I think you do or what would you eat when you visit it? We arrive at the restaurant at the same time. I am wearing a sun dress and cowboy boots. you have to love the south. You are wearing a pair of baggy pants and a polo shirt. We make a cute couple. The restaurant is dead and we get our choice of seating. We select a nice quiet booth in a dark corner. You sit down in one of the seats and I slide into the seat next to you. You are kind of surprised because we usually sit. He was right. I did love the rain. I loved the smell of the wet soil and the sounds. Especially the sounds. The thud it made when it came down in thick, sparse fat drops. The whooshing noise when the wind blew it hard against the windows and the shushing sound it made when it was a light even spray. I wished I could paint the sound of rain. We were soon trudging over the damp sidewalk on our way to the park. I had on a rain slicker and waterproof boots. I was well prepared. But Marty hadn’t. , where I learned almost everything there was to know about tanks, from driving, loading, firing and basic maintenance. Next came a tour of duty in Iraq driving a 40-ton Abrams tank. While in Iraq, I continued my education, taking online courses, and earning additional credits towards a bachelor’s degree in business administration. I mentioned that I earned a Silver Star in Iraq, along with a Purple Heart. I was actually a little embarrassed about the Purple Heart. Okay, a LOT embarrassed.