➰S̤̈ẅ̤ë̤ë̤ẗ̤ G̤̈ï̤r̤̈l̤̈ P̤̈ä̤r̤̈ẗ̤ Ö̤n̤̈ë̤➰ ******Pay attention to the dates...they matter****** Chapter One: 2007 Rian and Leon played patty cake with separate hands. Chrissy, tried to stay caught up with each hand, but she was only three and a half. Still, she was having fun with her baby giggle. Carolina approached the three of them, closing the lid on her plastic water bottle, and beamed with delight. “Hey, Sweet Girl,” she said, brushing Chrissy’s Rosy red hair behind her ear, and bringing Chrissy’s shamrock eyes up to hers. “If I hadn’t been there, I would’ve thought Chrissy was your child,” a silvery voice said pleasantly. It was Eva, the female commanding officer on the Diego Garcia base. “Been there?! You had her. I would know, you broke my hand in three places that weekend,” her husband, Luca, snickered. Her husband was the male commanding officer, ranking above her of course, but the two of them ran the base like parents. They made all the decisions they had the power to make, together. They took in everybody's ideas, and tried to make the on-base living a little more comfortable, especially because the same soldiers had been on the base for almost six years, aside from the 30 days of leave each solder got each year. “What is she doing in the lounge anyways?” Eva asked, looking at Rian and Leon. “What did you tell them today, to bring her out of the Day Care?” “I didn’t say anything,” Rian raised his hand defensively, and pointed to Leon. “Ask Butter Nutter over there.” “Hey!” Leon reached over and smacked Rian’s knee. “Well?” Eva asked. Leon looked down at Chrissy, who was still enduring her Auntie Carolina’s kissy face torture. He admired Carolina’s ability to bond with Chrissy unlike any of the five friends. “I think they just came to terms with us taking her because she was waiting by the door for me. I didn’t have to say anything this time.” Leon looked back up at Eva and Luca and brushed his smooth black hair back. “Of course, they wouldn’t have let us take her without realizing how protected she would be with her big, bad uncles,” he laughed. The five friends grabbed their bowls of food and sat down to eat, Rian clicked on Farmwards, the newest, popular, education children’s show. It displayed a goofy reality of farm #life for the animals, and their constant battle with the farmers, to cook and eat them. “Sweet Girl?!” Eva called to Chrissy. ‘Want some baby trees?” Chrissy turned on her belly, and slid off the red chair, and landed on her butt on the floor. Luckily, it wasn’t a far drop, and she was used to it anyways. She trotted over to her mama and put her sippy cup on the table. “Never seen a baby like broccoli that much,” Carolina gleamed, and helped Chrissy onto the chair next to her and Eva. “You want help heating it up?” “I think I got the food, but...” “...I got the sippy cup then...” Carolina got—after spending ten minutes helping Chrissy to decide what kind of drink she wanted—Chrissy a cup of orange juice. Eva laid the buttered broccoli in front of Chrissy and handed her a napkin. “I big girl?” Chrissy asked and took the napkin with a smile. Usually her mama or daddy cleaned her face as she ate. “Yes, you big girl,” Luca grinned. The six of them finished their food in the next half and hour. They played with Chrissy for as long as they could—which wasn’t five minutes more—and then, took Chrissy back to the Day Care. “Mama loves you,” Eva said, kneeling before Chrissy and kissing her forehead. “Daddy loves you,” Luca said next, doing the same. As did the other three. “Auntie Carolina loves you.” “Uncle Rian loves you.” “Uncle Leon loves you.” They all kissed her forehead, and gave her a hug goodbye. They all told her they loves her. And they all waved as they walked away to do their work.