After over a year of uncertainty my life was about to reboot.  I gathered my things from the barracks and told the few who were interected what was going on.  Some were angry that I'd been given a slap on the wrist for my offenses, others were ready to try it for themselves since there are always a hard core of get me out at any cost folks in every branch of the service.

I'd never faced any kind of punishment before while I was in the Navy, I was a little concerned about how life would work for that last month.  I was worried about nothing though, restricted to base was just that, restricted to base.  There was a bowling alley and a feew enlisted clubs and I was under no restriction from them so long as I didn't show up for what ever detail I was on the next day drunk.

The watch at the desk gave me a billet and a sheet of rules.  I was handed a bundle with sheets, a blanket, and a pillowcase then sent off to settle in to my rack.  I had a couple of roomies too.  They were mostly there for possession of small amounts of cannabis so I did have something to talk to them about.  

It was a simple life really, I had to show up for a muster at seven a.m. get my detal for the day or week, then again at three p.m., after that I was suck there in the barracks until five except for dinner at the chow hall.  Once that five o'clock muster was done I was free to go anywhere on base I wanted as long as I was back for a midnight bed check.

I was also exempt from a lot of watches and duty since I was busy getting my exit physical and the paperwork involved in getting discharged.  I was often sitting in a waiting area for several hours and if that interfered with a required muster they just gave me a note for the watch when I went back.

An enlisted club on base is a strange environment, it was part social club and part rec room, and part bar.  There was a disco dance floor too so there were activities for sailors to do while there.  One thing that bothered me was the number of wives with deploed husband who went there to "hook up" with someone.  It was most likely my personal experience that made it bother me so much.  They didn't take off their wedding rings either, that was so if they did take someone home for the night they would know without having to be told that it was sex only.

Being married and in the Navy gave people a skewed outlook on things like fidelity.  When you are taken from your life for months at a time you find that you can deal with things differently than you ever imagined you could.  For most couples there was an unspken rule avbout not talking about the dalliances.  No wonder that the divorce rate for Navy couples is so high.  Human nature says that it is easy to find someone to fall in love with if circumstance provides an opportunity.

Some couples were just unable to withstand it all and some of the victims were serial marriers.  Odd though that so many of these couples would marry another service person and end up right back in the clubs looking for comfort.  it's a miserable way to live.

The days seemed to drag on and on and I began to wonder just how long a month could be.   I was anxious too for the lump sum payout of back pay, leave, and travel pay after having been broke most of the year also.  Finally, the last day arrived and I packed up what I wanted in my seabag and went down to pick up my discharge and my travel pay.  I should have known, there was nothing but a discharge in my manilla envelope and a check that would just about cover a bus ticket.  My "missing" pay jacket struck me one last time.  I would receive nothing until BuPers got it .  I wrote it off as gone forever and I didn't care.

I walked over to the personel office and swapped my active duty I.D. for a reserve one and I was done.  Nothing left to do but leave.  I suppose I could have just waited for the shuttle bus to take me to Norfolks bus terminal but, I just wanted to be gone.  I hitched my bag over my shoulder and headed towards the gate for the last time.  The gate guards asked me if I was out and when I told them yes they shook my hand and saluted me.  I stepped out of the rusty chain linke fence and broke into a song.