I wasn't sure whether to start a new thread or continue this one, but I figured anyone uninterested in my saga would know to avoid this one.
I am sitting here late at night with a Scotch and a full heart after a long day full of pride and emotion. Today was Induction Day, or "I Day" at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis MD. At the crack of dawn we took my son, one of the twins, to start his Plebe Summer, essentially boot camp, where the young men and women admitted to the Academy are trained to be members of the Brigade of Midshipmen. It's a day of head shaving and uniform issue, yelling and pageantry, and the first day of a seven week isolation meant to transform them into members of the military.
As the day approached the boys, both the twins and their older brother, got quiet and serious. I offered to bring the Plebe's girlfriend today, but they decided that would be too hard and said their goodbyes during the day Wednesday, leaving us to have a dinner alone. Thursday morning before dawn we headed to Annapolis. The twins had been talking in their room before I went to bed and were doing the same when I got us up, so I'm not sure they slept at all. My dad, an Academy alum, was going to come too, but was under the weather, so it was the four of us alone. The twins had decided long ago to shave their heads yesterday, and that saved the Plebe a few minutes to rest and breathe, and made them impossible to tell apart. Once he entered the building for in-processing we had a number of family events that were probably more helpful for people who lived at a distance, but it was all good to hear.
In the evening there was a ceremony with pageantry, and a jet fly-over, and the oath to support and defend the Constitution. Followed by about 40 minutes to mingle and say good-bye before they embark on a summer-long adventure where we'll have almost no contact. The Yard (there's tons of jargon, it's not a campus it's a Yard. They
are not freshmen, they're Plebes.) is surprisingly beautiful if you've never been there. So we met up and sat on a blanket, with snacks and drinks, before we said goodbye for the summer. Around us were sad families, happy families, laughing families and silent families, all dealing with what their sons and daughters were taking on.
My twins sat close to each other and didn't talk much, but Plebe twin was dealing with it fine. He has a cousin who is a Firstie (they're not seniors, they're 1st Class Midshipmen or Firsties.) He knew what to expect and had handled it well. Older brother was great, very proud, very good at asking questions about the day, Plebe twin has two roommates, neither of whom has ever shared a room with anyone, so that will be an adjustment he won't need to make. When it came time for him to join the formation and march into Bancroft Hall, the largest dormitory in the world, he hugged older brother first, and they both laughed. Then he hugged me and did something he hasn't done since babyhood-- he kissed me on the cheek. We are inveterate huggers, but none of the boys has kissed me since they were tiny. He murmured, "Be happy" to me and that's a conversation to come. Then, as I might have guessed, his twin and he hugged each other tightly and long, and both whispered something to the other-- maybe in their twin language? And then he joined his company in formation, and we lined up to watch them march into the hall, as the last Plebes entered, the huge doors slammed shut, and Plebe Summer had begun. If you want o see what his day was like, watch 1:55 to 8:07 of this, last year's I Day--
We had intended to have dinner in Annapolis, but twin brother asked if we could just go home and get pizza, so we headed back to DC. Older brother drove, and on the way he nudged me and looked into the mirror. I turned and saw twin brother with his eyes closed, silently weeping with tears running down his cheeks. By the time we got home he was composed, we got pizza, and he went to bed early. When I came up to say good night to him, I found him asleep in his brother's bed.
This is all good, it's a necessary part of them all growing up. But the two moments of Plebe twin kissing me and saying "Be happy" and his brother quietly crying in the back seat are things I'll never forget. Over the summer we get three short phone calls from the Plebe, and in August there is a parents' weekend when we can spend some time with him. Then, almost immediately, older brother and I will drive twin brother to Chicago to start his freshman year at DePaul, and I'll drive older brother to NYC to start his junior year at Fordham. And then I'll drive home to DC alone and we'll see what that's like.
Update-- oldest is home for the summer with an internship here but missing his girlfriend a lot and probably going to visit her in Boston as soon as he can. So all at home until the end of June when one twin reports to the Naval Academy for plebe summer, during which we'll have very limited contact. So we're trying to stay in the moment and enjoy this time together but the impending changes are always there in the background, for me at least. I hear the twins in their room talking late into the night and I know it's on their minds. I don't think they've been apart for more than a week in their lives, and when their brother left for college they turned down the offer for one to take his room, and stayed together in theirs. I'm sure it's a good thing for them to move on with separate lives, but what an adjustment it's going to be. They graduate from high school in two weeks.
Navy twin and his girlfriend are vowing to continue a long-distance relationship. DePaul twin and his are not so sure that will work, as much as they like each other. He'll be in Chicago and she's going to school in Vermont, so they'll be farther apart.
My oldest is taller than me, and I suspect his brothers will be too, they're still growing.
BasketBaller, I didn't see this thread when it started, but just read through it all now. Thank you so much for sharing. Reading about how close your boys are together and with you sound awesome. I know you are so proud! Even for me thinking about their separation brings a tear. I wish you and them all the best that life has to offer!
BasketBaller, I didn't see this thread when it started, but just read through it all now. Thank you so much for sharing. Reading about how close your boys are together and with you sound awesome. I know you are so proud! Even for me thinking about their separation brings a tear. I wish you and them all the best that life has to offer!
BasketBaller, I didn't see this thread when it started, but just read through it all now. Thank you so much for sharing. Reading about how close your boys are together and with you sound awesome. I know you are so proud! Even for me thinking about their separation brings a tear. I wish you and them all the best that life has to offer!
kevininsa got a reaction from Ronin512 in AJsexyLatin - Miami
kevininsa got a reaction from + Tarte Gogo in AJsexyLatin - Miami
kevininsa got a reaction from HotWhiteThirties in Two Down, One To Go
kevininsa got a reaction from BasketBaller in Two Down, One To Go
kevininsa got a reaction from BabyBoomer in Two Down, One To Go
