The Rifle

"The Rifle"
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Her heart's flaming with so much love for her Marine, she's losing it. Losing her mind. Maybe 'cause words aren't enough. Maybe 'cause she's starting to understand her boy friend, man, Marine, and all. I think she sees he's got a way of trickery. Says something funny, but it's what he means, not what he actually says, that counts double.

She braces for action, takes it smoothly. "Hmmm . . . Hey, I've got a question about the Marine Corps, and I was wondering if you could answer it."

Mr. Marine seems pleased. "Sure, ask away. I might be able to answer it."

"All right." She breathes slowly, pausing slightly while adjusting the phone on he ear. "Every Marine is a rifleman, right?"

"That is correct."

"Well, I know that a Marine must love his rifle as he would his own life, even more maybe. He must love it, because it will save him when he needs it to," she adds. "Soooo . . . I was just wondering, is it true that every Marine must give his rifle a female name?"

"Yes."

"Really? Why?"

"Our drill instructors tell us to."

"Hmm, I see." She chews on her next question a bit, tasting the peril of her thoughts. It might be too dangerous to ask it, but she feels she must know. Just curious. Breath-ready, savoring her relishing silence, she cracks the question, "What's the name of your rifle?"

Mr. Marine goes death-quiet, possibly stunned, at a word loss. Possibly both. Likewise a dangerous question deserves a dangerous answer.

". . . I plead the Fifth." He's not going to say it straight; he knows she'll figure it out just fine. She always does.

Her heart, in love with a Marine who loves his beloved Corps, flutters euphorically against her ribs, pounding out an illness in the belly. The sickness of delight.

The Marine's Fifth Amendment pledge speaks the answer stronger than a straight reply, increasing impact as it comes on her –

Smiling, she knows: her beloved Marine named his rifle after her.

“This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. Without me my rifle is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless.”

-- My Rifle: The Creed of a United States Marine


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