I let the memory go even as the current turned me towards the shore and I figured it was a sign to go back in. As I looked back at the beach I notice... a Mercedes minivan was pulled up by the picnic area so I assumed I’d see another late season surfer paddle out as I was going in. I paddled back but saw no one around and figured it must be some hikers, long gone up one of the trails heading back over the headland. I dumped my board on the grass and stood, staring out to sea getting my breath. 4 Raval took over for Guerra and PFC Fernandez was replacing him in the unit structure, and so on and so forth. As a sign of how fucked up things were, I had a Staff Sergeant as my comm man, rather than him being my second. Just as well, he did not want the job as second anyway and Raval did. He was another one overdue for promotion.I sighed again, took out my knife and walked over to the bed. "It's okay, ma'am, we won't hurt you," I told the woman in horrible Pashto. At least I think that was. She gained her pride and confidence because of the open and clear love you showed her. When you got shot at the barn, I almost died because I realized you had become like a son to me also. I was still never sure about your feelings toward me, until you said what you did in the hospital. When we came home, I cried for two days because I was so ashamed of the way I had treated you for all those years. I realized I had never given you a way or even an opening to show or tell me how you felt about. "Why's that?" asked Annie. "I've never heard of you before."Bob laughed. "You have to be the only person in California who hasn't heard of me then." He chuckled. "It's kind of nice, actually. But don't worry about that. That's years in the future anyway, according to you. Maybe by then people will have forgotten who I am. So what do you think? Can we do this together?"That got her back on the subject she loved most - growing good grapes and making better wine. It wasn't until he was driving off.