From: Lucas Garver >

To: Bailey Prescott >

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July 14, 2012 at 3:12 AM

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Dear Bailey,

It's been just over 7 hours since I watched you walk away. Did you know that the airlines frown upon people standing in one spot staring at a door? I do now. I did a little research and found out we are roughly 674 miles apart. I have to be up in a few hours to go with the recruiter to a local college and talk with some students.

One of the things we're taught in boot camp is to say positive things about serving our government. We can't talk negatively about our president; he is of course our Commander in Chief. I want to be honest with you. It's going to be hard to face the road I didn't choose tomorrow. I'm going to walk onto that campus and see what it might've been like if I went to college instead. I don't regret my choice, but I'll meet students tomorrow that might make the decision to leave school and join the Corps based on something I say. I don't want that power. I'm going to have to sell them on how wonderful it is, and believe me I have tons that I can tell them about. The hard thing will be not including the flip side.

When I walked into that airport yesterday before I met you, that flip side seemed tiny-almost unimportant. Now as I sit here at some ungodly hour writing an email when I'd rather be talking to you in person, I realize I might have underestimated it. I have to include on that list the miles it puts between me and the only thing that's made me smile in a really long time. 674 might not seem like a lot, but I know it's just the beginning. Tonight it's 674, in a few months it could be a few thousand.

Tomorrow I'm going to wonder where you are going to go to college and I'm going to be jealous of the boys that will get to walk you to class. I would hold your bag for you and probably bring you coffee. I'm telling you this for the day you find yourself on the college campus of your choice and some guy wants to walk you to class. If he doesn't offer to carry your bag-tell him to fuck off. You're worth it. I might not get to be that guy, but don't let just anyone take my place.

Goodnight,

Lucas

P.S. I finally understand what Katy Perry was singing about. I think cherry ChapStick is my new favorite thing.