Susan Shelby
(2006) Susan Shelby, a young grey chinchilla, stood in a black dress as she looked over the two caskets. It had been less than a year since her sister's funeral, and now she stood over her parents, taken before their time in an auto accident. She looked across the way at her last living relative. The five year old white mosaic chinchilla, Elise, and her father, Darren, had lost so much in the past year. Susan thought to herself, 'At least the girl still has her father.' Her mind raced, clouded with emotions. She had graduated only two months ago and was waiting to start college on a full nursing scholarship. Now it all seemed so pointless. If life can end so abruptly, what it is the real point in trying hard to succeed. She found herself lost in the endless loop of despair as she felt the body collide with her legs. She blinked and looked down to see Elise clinging to her looking up, tears in her own eyes, "Aunty Susy." She tiny chinchilla cried. Susan knelt down and wrapped her arms around the cub and pulled her tight. One by one the attendees passed by the pair placing consoling paws on their shoulders and whispering condolences and small prayer for them. After several moments of silence with no one interruptions, Susan looked up to see her brother-in-law Darren looking down at them. He said, 'You should come home with us Susy, this is no time to be alone." She looked at him with a weak smile, "I just need some time to think. I'll be back at the house soon enough." She stood and began to walk slowly away, past the cars and into the small rural town. --- (Two days later) "Look Susy, they are going to
take the house. You parents were deep in debt putting you sister through college, there is nothing left. You have a scholarship to you should really think about what you're doing." Darren said as he looked at Susan, deep in her own thoughts. Susan looked over at him blankly, "I leave for boot camp this Friday. I'll be back in three months." Darren grabbed her by the shoulders, "What the hell do you think you are doing Susy? You wouldn't even think of this if your parents where her now, or Sabrina." She looked back at him with a fire in her eyes, "They're not here now, and no matter what I do it's not going to change that fact. I am doing this for me, I need to get away from here. I can't stand it here anymore. I don't care if they sell the house or if there is nothing left to inherit. I don't want any of it anyway." Shocked at her outrage he dropped her back in the chair, "If you're really going to do this I can't stop you, Susy. But, I want you to think about your niece, you are the last of her mother's family she has left. Do you really want to run away from that?" She looked up at him again, this time with tears in her eyes, "I'm not running from her. I just can't stay here anymore. I'll write, every week, I promise" (August 2006) Susan looked out the window as the bus drove down the freeway. In her lap was a small backpack with a change of clothes, shampoo, and a toothbrush and toothpaste. She had left everything else behind, it all held to many memories. The past year had taken its toll on the young chinchilla. She had lost her sister to lung cancer, and she had never smoked a day in her life. She has always looked up Sabrina; she had even followed in her footsteps to a nursing career. Everything she could think of as a happy life is what her sister had, and it was all torn away in less than a year. All her success and healthy habits had done nothing to save
her. Just two weeks past she had lost her parents to a drunk driver. They had always been safe behind the wheel, and taught the children the same habits. All the precautions, one of the safest car on the road, a Toyota 4runner, yet it made no difference. She had lost all faith in what she had believed in. Nothing made any sense to her now. If there was a god, why would he take a loving mother of a child away so quickly, Why would he allow god fearing people who always did the right thing to be the casualties of a sinner? With all the lose she had endured, the one thing she thought was rock solid, had fallen apart also. The boy she had been with all the way through high school had left her. he was joining the army and told her that long distance relationships never worked. She had lost everything she held dear, all she had left that she cared about was her niece, Elise. She would come back to her one day, but she needed to get away from all the pain. Everywhere she went was just another reminder of how easily things are taken away. She was going to miss, Elise, and her brother-in-law Darren. He had been so supportive of her, trying to do everything he could to lighten her lead, and she had been such a bitch to him. But, this is what she needed, a fresh start, away from everything she knew. This time things were going to be different; she was going to follow her own rules. If everyone else's rules didn't make a difference, why follow them ahead of your own? Susan felt a heavy weight drop into the seat next to her. She looked over to find a smiling otter that looked like he walked straight out of the corn field and onto the bus. He wore work boots, overalls and a flannel shirt. he reached his paw over to her and said, "Hank Heartken." Susan looked at him dumbfounded for a moment before he continued, "Most people grab hold and shake, maybe even give their name too." He said with a smile. She warily took his paw into hers and replied, "Sus... Susan Shelby" She's not Susy anymore, which was the last thing she needed to leave behind, the last part of her old self she had to let go of. Only two people would call her Susy from that day forth. "Nice to meet you Sue" He said giving her arm a pump. "So what are you in for?" "Guh, you make it sound like prison." "Might as well be," he continued to smile as she spoke to her, "They tell you when to wake up, when to eat, when to go to sleep. They basically take over your life for nine weeks. But, I'll tell you one thing, it's a hell of a lot better than picking corn for the next four summers. I'm going infantry, I want to be a sniper. What are you in for?' He asked again. "Combat medic." She said still confused, "Why are you talking to me?" "Well, I took a look around the bus and saw five miles of ugly surrounded by a sausage farm. Then there is you. I figure I better claim the hot chick before the others wake up enough to notice." "You know you just walked up to the fattest girl on the bus and called her hot?" She said with a scowl "Damn, and I thought I was talking to you, 'cause if you're fat, I'm a mongoose. I am sitting next to a sexy chinchilla, with legs so long its crazy and curves that would make a mountain road jealous." He looked at her shifting his eyebrows. "And I am sitting next to a guy that needs some new pickup lines." She retorted folding her arms and looking back out the window. "Yes, no slap in the face, I'm doing awesome" He said with a smile pumping his fist. "You are possibly the most childish person on this bus." Susan said without looking toward him. "Better be, I'm the youngest person on this bus. I just turned seventeen and got the hell out of dodge while I had the chance." He slapped one paw against the other and trust his arm forward while he make a 'Pow' sound. "You have got to be kidding me, of all the people on the bus I have to attract the one loser." She said aloud to herself. "Look, otter boy, I am not interested in talking right now. I just want to sit in peaceful silence if you don't mind." Hank looked over at her, "Well, my momma always said to respect the wishes of a lady." Several moments passed in silence between the two. Susan looked over and as that the young otter had fallen asleep, his head rolled back drool running out of the corner of his mouth. If it was not for the fact she desperately wanted to stay detached from everyone, she might have thought he was cute. --- It was dark when the bus came to a stop, the lack of movement jarred Susan awake. As the sleep drained from her eyes and the world came into focus, a large panther in a digital green camo uniform with a large round brown hat got onto the bus and began shouting, "Okay you maggots, get the fuck off my bus. FASTER! FASTER! FASTER!" His eye locked on Susan as she grabbed her small bag, "What? You need a personal invitation, or something, Sweet cheeks?" She noted that the young otter was already gone, she didn't even remember his name. She scurried off the bus with the rest of the new recruits. Once she was outside a female mink in the same uniform was shouting different orders at them all, "Jocks to the right! Nots to the left!" A young beaver looked at her and asked, "Where do I go, ma'am?" to which she replied, "Ma'am? What the fuck are you thinking? I work for a god damned living, private. My name to you is Drill Sergeant. Now what the fuck's issue? You still ain't figures out the difference between guy and gals?" With the realization of what the mink was saying the
beaver boy moved to the group on the right. Several more furs in round brow hats directed the young arrivals into crowd formations of five rows. As soon as the commotion had ended the new recruits all silent in their places, many fidgeting nervously, the large panther that ordered Susan of the bus walked between the two groups. The stern look on his face conveyed a message of general disappointment in the situation. He marched the length of the ramshackle formation several time looking of the young furs assembled for him. "My name is Drill Sergeant Matthews. For the next eight week you shit bags belong to me. Gathered around you are my Drill instructor, your platoon leaders." He continued to pace as he bellowed over the gather recruits. "If I had my way, we'd be assigning you to you platoons now and marching out to the training area. Half you fucks slept the entire ride here anyway. But, some fuckstick wrote to his congressmen and now I have you let you lazy ass mother fucker have a full night's sleep. The memo that I got said some shit about 'young soldiers need to be well rested to properly receive combat instruction'. That's a bunch of bull shit! Our fuckin' enemy isn't going to wait for us to get a full night sleep before they start lobbing mortars into our camps, They're just going to show the fuck up and try and lay as many bodies on the ground as they can. My job for the next eight weeks is to train your pansy asses so that you live long enough to sent the fuckers the meat Allah and claim their seventy virgins and come home in one piece." HE stopped in the center of the formation facing the male group. "But fuck all that, tonight you need to fuckin' sleep you can wake up refreshed and ready to crawl through the mud. But I can't even do that shit any more. They tell me you need to 'in process' the army. Some shit about getting your pay and benefits ready so you can blow it on beer and bitches." Laughter erupted from the males and a few female as he spoke. "Guess what Fuck wads. You can't get that shit for the next eight weeks, longer for some of you. Your only bed mate is going to be Rosy Paw and her five sisters, and you beverage of choice... Water." With that he turn to face the female formation. "Tonight you're all going to sleep. Tomorrow the first fucking thing I want to see is a letter home in ever cock rockin' paw. Every shit bag without one will be giving me fifty push-ups, and your ass is going to stay with your muzzle in the dirt till I get ever last fucjkin' one." As she
walked away from the group toward the distant building, finished with his well-rehearsed tirade, he shouted one last group of orders, "Drill Sergeants Acosta & Strickland, get these shit bags off my quad." A timber wolf appeared from behind the male formation as began to bark orders at the group as the rushed to pull their bags out of the pile that had formed where the buses had once been. The ladies stood in silence and waited for their own orders which seemed to never come. As the male disappeared running to the building the mink Susan had seen scream at the beaver boy walked in front of the formation. "Good evening Ladies, I am Drill Sergeant Acosta. I EO rep for this unit." She spoke gently, unlike before, yet loud enough to be paws by all. "By show of hands, how many of you know what that is?" She paused as several paws rose into the air. "EO stands for Equal Opportunity, My main mission is still to train you for combat, but I am also here to be a liaison and safe harbor from any kind of harassment, my primary concern for you ladies is Sexual harassment and rape. I bring this up now because many of the young men that just left this quad have no idea what these things are. Before we enter the barracks I what to let you all know that no matter what happens you can come to me with it. If you do not wish to have it reported, but need to talk to someone about an incident, you should come to me. Unlike any other Drill instructor here, I am trained and ordered to follow your wishes in the reporting, investigation, and prosecution of any kind of incident that may occur." She looked across the formation, examining the faces of the young recruits before her. "With that tidbit out of the way, When I order you to 'fall out' I want you to retrieve your bags and belongings and return to the formation." Susan watched as the mink assumed a rigid stance, arms to her sides and legs together, then shouted, "HULLOUT!" With the order all the furs in the formation ran to bet their discarded belongings, with the exception of Susan. The chinchilla stood with her small backpack over her shoulder waiting for the others to return. The mink locked her gaze on the one remaining recruit and walked toward her. "Haven't you got anything you need to get, private?", she asked as she approached. "No ma'am." Susan replied. "No Drill Sergeant," she corrected, " the proper way to address anyone you see wearing this round brown hat would be Drill Sergeant. Sir and Ma'am are reserved for officers. You will learn all that in good time," she tilted her head as she looked at the small pack held by the chinchilla, "Is that all you brought with you?" "Yes ma... Drill Sergeant." she corrected herself as the new form of greeting was still fresh in her mind. "Why is that, private?" "I saw no need to bring more. I heard it was all taken away when we get here anyway." "Drill Sergeant," DS Acosta corrected again, "Always start or finish your statement with the proper greeting. What is your name soldier?" "Susan. Susan Shelby, Drill Sergeant." "Well, Private Shelby, There are only a few reasons people leave their belongings behind, and the fact they are going to be taken away for a few weeks it not often one of them." As the Mink spoke to Susan the other recruits began to return to the formation. "Form up on Private Shelby," she ordered as the other young females began to line up behind and to the left of the chinchilla. DS Acosta gave the chinchilla a wink as she turned to center herself on the formation again. As the format settled the mink spoke again, "Ok, ladies, In a moment I am going to have you file up those stairs," She pointed toward the building, "and into the bay on the third floor. Once in the bay, you will take the first available bunk, whether it is the top or bottom and stand by it. Are there any questions?" More out of fear or sleep than lack of questions, the group remained silent. "Okay then, let's move out ladies, Private Shelby, lead the way." The group followed as Susan walked into the building and up the stairs. As they entered the open room full of
bunks they were handed a stack of sheets and blankets by a young raccoon in uniform. Susan did as she was told and too her place at the first bunk. She was joined by a bald eagle who swiftly introduced herself, "'ey dere 'ot stuff, I'm Alex." As the eagle spoke DS Acosta shouted into the room, "This doesn't call for talking ladies. Keep your yaps shut and get to a bunk." The chinchilla looked over at her new companion and whispered, "Susan." As she watched the eagle return a smile. With all the females lined up in pairs by bunks, the mink shouted, "Okay Ladies. All i want to see for the rest of the night is ass hole and elbows. Get in your bunks and get some sleep. You have a long day ahead of you." With the Drill Sergeants declaration the girls turned to their bunks, some making them, while others just dropped to the mattress. Alex eagerly flapped her way to the top bunk and sprawled across it, while Susan make her bunk before she crawled under the covers. As she laid there looking at the bunk above her the eagle called down, "See ya in da mornin' Fluffy Muffin." the chinchilla ignored the eagle as she rolled over and cried herself to sleep as the memories her sister and parents invaded her mind.
Dear Elise I made it safe to boot camp. My address is listed on the outside of the envelope if you want to write. I will do my best to write once a week. We are not allowed to make phone calls yet. But I will call the first chance I get. I miss you both, and will write more when I have more to say. Just needed to tell you I am here and safe. Love,Aunty Susy