1
COOPER
Today
Seven years away and nothing had changed in Bridgewater. Rory sat across from me at one of the back booths in Jessie’s diner, situated on Main Street, and the epicenter of life for the community. Gossip spread faster than butter on their hot pancakes. The booths were still red, the counters white with gold sparkle in them. The same jukebox stood in the corner as it had when we were kids. Hell, it even smelled the same—like coffee and grilled onions.
We’d come back to Bridgewater for visits over the years, but this time we were here to stay. No deployment loomed. No thoughts of months of desert sand and enemies we couldn’t see. Because of this, I couldn’t help but notice it all in a new light. Living in Bridgewater again felt surreal. But we weren’t eighteen anymore, fres
