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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

Cadet - 23. Epilogue

The cadets would never see those hats again. Why bother retrieving them when they were not be part of any uniform they would wear in the Air Force? Pandemonium ensued. While graduates hugged and sought out friends and family, a mass of children swarmed the field to collect the discarded caps.

“Look, Uncle Ritch. I got one.” Liebe proudly held her prize out for her uncle.

“That’s awesome, munchkin. Did you go out there by yourself?”

“Nah, mate.” Owen held the delighted girl in his arms. “An older kid went out with her and Joel’s nephew, and CJ walked behind them to make sure they didn’t get trampled.”

Ritch held his hand out, and Liebe handed him the lid. “There should be a present for you in here.” He retrieved a small, plastic bag from inside the headband. “You get to keep the money too.” In addition to the cool souvenir, most kids would find a little surprise tucked in it: $20.24, to commemorate the Class of 2024.

 

“We’ll see you in a couple of days?” Brett’s hand on Ritch’s shoulder redirected the graduate’s attention to him and César. The morning after celebrating the new second lieutenant’s achievement, the family gathered to say goodbye. Once they dropped Olga, Rosario, and Sebastián at the airport, Brett and César would drive to Vail.

“You guys still gonna be there?” Ritch knew his parents had interviews scheduled with a couple of contractors, trying to select one to do work at Falcon’s Lair.

Over fifty years old, the Vail house was due for upgrades. At Owen’s urging, a better insulated metal roof would replace the aging one, and new, energy efficient glass would be installed in all windows. A modern furnace and backup generator were also planned updates.

“We’ll probably spend the whole week. Our first meetings are on Monday.” César finished loading his parent’s luggage in Heinrich and closed the rear hatch.

“Kiss Uncle Ritch goodbye.” Owen held one of the twins after already having strapped Liebe in the back seat of the rental car.

CJ had the other boy in his arms. “I’m jealous of you, bro. I can’t believe you and Lucy get to visit before I do.” While Owen returned to Washington with the three kids, CJ was headed to Malibu as one of the President’s campaign representatives at a fundraising event.

Ritch and Lucy were driving to Durango. Located in the south of the state, adjacent to the Southern Ute Reservation, the former mining town was popular with tourists. The day after, they planned to visit the Four Corners Monument where the borders of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah came together. They would be in Vail after another night on the road.

“We’ll take pictures there and with Portia. Look for them online.” Once the mini-vacation was over, Lucy would fly to D.C. with Ritch, and return to Boston after a few days with her family.

“Portia?” Brett stared at Ritch while shaking his head. “You’ve gotten worse than CJ at naming cars.”

“Hey, don’t blame me!” Ritch, with an arm around her waist, pulled his girlfriend in for a kiss. “That was all Lucy’s doing.”

Once the goodbyes were over, the young couple climbed aboard the newly christened Porsche, and Ritch grinned when the engine roared to life. He slipped the dark blue, kidskin driving gloves CJ and Owen had given him as a graduation present and nearly moaned. The supple material caressed each finger. “Thanks for coming everyone. See you all soon.” Ritch put the car in gear and stepped on the gas.

With the top down, Lucy looked back, lifted her oversized sunglasses, and smiled. The white silk scarf wrapped around her hair fluttered in the wind. She waved at the men everyone now realized would one day be her in-laws.

Ritch was beyond happy. In thirty days he would report for duty. Until then, he planned to live on the fly.

 

The End

Although I've said it before, I'd like to reiterate my gratitude to Mann, Wolf, and Parker. Their contributions made this story significantly better.
And to you, my readers, I can't say thank you enough. Each Friday the highlight of my day wasn't posting a new chapter but enjoying your reactions and comments. However, I'm greedy. If you could spend a few more minutes online for me, please react, recommend, comment, and or review the story as a whole. @Myr has helpfully placed a button at the end of this chapter that will take you to the main page.
I'll be back, hopefully this fall, with CDMX.
Copyright © 2021 Carlos Hazday; All Rights Reserved.
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My thanks to Mann Ramblings, Parker Owens, and WolfM for their assistance. The story is better that it would have been without their assistance.
Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 
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Carlos Hazday
12 hours ago, csalazar said:

You sir, have a way with telling stories. They’re so enthralling and manage to capture my attention from start to end. 

Thank you!!!

I have a tendency to drag out stories when talking which often leads to listener's eyes glazing over. In writing, I discovered I could be long-winded with impunity. Of course, I do try to limit wordiness, while still providing sufficient detail for readers to capture whatever it is I'm trying to say.

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Carlos Hazday
11 hours ago, nassauman9 said:

This was one of your best stories.....keep them coming....we've seen Ritch grow up through the series which has been fantastic!!!

Thank you, sir.

Hopefully, the next one will be even better. My goal's to always improve the quality and not to repeat myself too often. The situations I place my characters in and the challenges they face are hopefully sufficiently different to keep the stories fresh and interesting.

  • Like 4
Carlos Hazday
9 hours ago, mikedup said:

Awesome chapter, and a great ending to this part of the story , I really enjoyed the almost  riding into the sunset ending, it felt like bit of a cowboy movie , but thanks for a very entertaining story.

LOL - I did think about having them ride off into the sunset, but timing interfered. I didn't want them hanging around all day and waiting for twilight to get on the road. The cowboy movie reference might be appropriate considering they're in Colorado. However, what I was shooting for, with the car, Ritch's gloves, and Lucy's outfit, was something out of the 1960s romantic comedies or even from a James Bond movie. I do use Italy as the setting for a story I'm working on, but I had to use the imagery here. I'll come up with something else for the Italian setting. :P

 

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dughlas
8 minutes ago, Carlos Hazday said:

Thank you!!!

I have a tendency to drag out stories when talking which often leads to listener's eyes glazing over. In writing, I discovered I could be long-winded with impunity. Of course, I do try to limit wordiness, while still providing sufficient detail for readers to capture whatever it is I'm trying to say.

Mann has a "red pen".

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Carlos Hazday
8 hours ago, Bill Christiansen said:

Every time we have come to this point, I am sad, because it means that another part of my weekly routine ends. Your writing has been part of my life for a few years now, lol. I was so excited this morning when I saw the posting was up, and had the chapter waiting me when I came home from having my cataract removed and my vision healthy. As so many times in this family saga, tears of sadness and joy and a good laugh, and enjoyment filled my time as I read. Thanks for sharing, please, please keep writing.

I'm writing, I'm writing.

My Friday routine of posting when I wake up and replying to comments throughout the day is also interrupted. Unfortunately, I have yet to master writing multiple quality stories concurrently so there will usually be a gap between stories.

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dughlas
4 minutes ago, Carlos Hazday said:

LOL - I did think about having them ride off into the sunset, but timing interfered. I didn't want them hanging around all day and waiting for twilight to get on the road. The cowboy movie reference might be appropriate considering they're in Colorado. However, what I was shooting for, with the car, Ritch's gloves, and Lucy's outfit, was something out of the 1960s romantic comedies or even from a James Bond movie. I do use Italy as the setting for a story I'm working on, but I had to use the imagery here. I'll come up with something else for the Italian setting. :P

 

The image worked.

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dughlas
2 minutes ago, Carlos Hazday said:

I'm writing, I'm writing.

My Friday routine of posting when I wake up and replying to comments throughout the day is also interrupted. Unfortunately, I have yet to master writing multiple quality stories concurrently so there will usually be a gap between stories.

Good things come to those who wait ... we're writing. Having been privy to your process I appreciate your approach. It works.

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frosenblum
4 hours ago, Carlos Hazday said:

I'm writing, I'm writing.

My Friday routine of posting when I wake up and replying to comments throughout the day is also interrupted. Unfortunately, I have yet to master writing multiple quality stories concurrently so there will usually be a gap between stories.

While I'd also love more stories, I vote for quality over quantity.

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Carlos Hazday
4 minutes ago, frosenblum said:

And it's hybrid, generating electricity when under sail so it's motors rarely need to use fuel.

It's 350 feet long, cost $200,000+, has room for 12 passengers, and is rumored to have a Louis XIV style dining room, swimming pool and hot tub. All Ritch got for his dads' $200K was a measly sports car.👅

I may have posted the wrong photo. His new boat's costing him 1/2 billion.

As for the cost of Ritch's car, think about it this way, had he attended a quality university for the same degree in Aeronautical Engineering, the dads would have spent more than that in tuition, room, and board. I say they got a bargain.

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Carlos Hazday
32 minutes ago, tabaqui said:

I always love it when we get a 2 for 1 and hate it's when I have to put my addiction on hold again.

Great ending and a Wonderfull story Carlos.

Thank you!

If the stars align, I'd love to post twice a week with the next story. Chapters are all under 3k words right now, although I'm sure that will change. It all depends on the number of chapters entirely ready by the time I start sharing.

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frosenblum
17 minutes ago, Carlos Hazday said:

I may have posted the wrong photo. His new boat's costing him 1/2 billion.

As for the cost of Ritch's car, think about it this way, had he attended a quality university for the same degree in Aeronautical Engineering, the dads would have spent more than that in tuition, room, and board. I say they got a bargain.

Good point.

The Black Pearl is rumored to be owned by a Russian oligarch. It was built by the same company that is building Jeff's superyacht. I guess I'm helping pay for it every time I order something on Amazon -- maybe Jeff will give me a ride on the yacht.

  • Haha 4
Carlos Hazday
14 minutes ago, frosenblum said:

Good point.

The Black Pearl is rumored to be owned by a Russian oligarch. It was built by the same company that is building Jeff's superyacht. I guess I'm helping pay for it every time I order something on Amazon -- maybe Jeff will give me a ride on the yacht.

Those 13.00 monthly dues add up too! Amazon made a fortune lsat year.

  • Like 3
Carlos Hazday
12 minutes ago, frosenblum said:

And some of those fools resent feedback even about typos or sloppy English.

Unfortunately some people's egos get in the way. Mine's big enough, but I try to ignore it and pay attention when someone's trying to help me. It's one of the perils of a place like GA which frowns on anything but positive feedback. I rarely care enough to spend the extra time needed to compose a PM. If someone can't handle having errors pointed out, I'll just move on to the next story.

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