Page 6 of Protection for Rowan

He sipped his beer, then nodded. “Yeah.”

Thario made a gesture with his hands that could only mean he wanted more. “And?”

“What do you want me to say?”

"Were you injured? What happened after the crash? Don't leave me hanging on this story. You were in a plane crash before you joined the military, and you survived and then became a SEAL. That's a big deal, bro."

Shine blew out a long breath and sat back, staring up at the ceiling. "It sucked. I had plans to go into the Marines. I was set, or so I thought. I only had to sign my letter of intent once I turned eighteen. But it was all fucked up. I spent a year recovering and getting my strength back. I wasn't injured too badly, but it was enough to knock me down a few pegs. Then, I started taking courses at the local community college because I was bored shitless. I got an associate's degree in avionics because I'd seen an ad on social media about aircraft mechanics in the Army. While I was getting my certifications, I started working part-time at the local airport and met a Navy pilot. I told him I was thinking about enlisting in the Army, and he showed me photos of being on an aircraft carrier. I was intrigued. I wanted to travel, and that's why I joined the Navy instead of the Army."

“What about the Marines?”

Shine shrugged. "I couldn't go back. I had this idea, some stupid superstition, that if I joined the Marines, something else bad would happen."

“So you were okay after the crash?”

“Yeah. I mean, it took a few years to get back to where I thought I was okay.”

“And you passed the psych evaluation when you became a SEAL.”

Shine laughed. “Yeah. No problems there.”

Thario took a swig, his eyes never leaving Shine. “Wow. I had no idea.”

"Few people know. I was older than most people in training, and I pretty much kept to myself. I think beingolder paid off for me. I wasn't some eighteen-year-old punk who had no idea what life was about. I had a plan, and I worked on my plan."

“Did you know you wanted to be a SEAL?”

Shine shook his head. “Not at all. I wanted to be an aircraft mechanic on a carrier.”

Thario lifted an eyebrow. “Legit.”

“We were in the middle of the Indian Ocean, and a group of SEALs were dropped off. They were making plans near one of the planes I was repairing. It sounded interesting. Honestly, it reminded me of why I’d wanted to become a Marine. After their mission, once they were back on the ship, I approached one of the guys. At first, he thought I was blowing smoke up his ass and worshiping him because he was a SEAL. But I told him I really wanted to be a part of it. He gave me his email address and said he would send me some workouts and help me with what I needed to do to prepare. It took me another two years to get strong enough to pass.”

“You passed BUDs on your first time through, right?”

“Sure did,” Shine said then took a sip of his beer. “I did. Thanks to him. He’s retired now. I haven’t talked to him in a year, but he’s a good one. He moved to Hawaii. Says he loves it.”

"Fuck, man. I know you were a tough-as-nails badass, but you are the GOAT of badasses. A plane crash." Thario shook his head. "Is that why they call you Shine? Because you come out golden?"

Shine laughed. “Hell no.”

"You know why everyone calls me Thario. You know, I used to hate that name. I don't know."

Shine nodded. “Yeah, you were a different guy then.”

“I was.”

“I’m glad we’re friends now.”

“Same. So tell me why they call you Shine.”

He chuckled, remembering the day. "While we were in BUDs, one of the helicopters broke down. It wasn't anything serious. I fixed it. It was something I'd done many times over the years. I just had to reset a few things and tighten a few connections. Nothing special, but fixing the chopper made an impression. The instructors started calling me Shine. It stuck."

"That's cool. Impressive, actually."

"Well, honestly, a person with only a few weeks in helicopter repair class should have been able to fix it. I just knew where to look and what was needed."

Thario finished his beer and moved to toss it in the recycle bin. Shine knew he needed to head home. Thario probably needed to either rest or work. Since the man had started helping people online to find family and friends, he was incredibly busy.

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