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At the beginning of the day, they said rain. Chris and Jim could deal with that, they weren’t Vulcan. They had planned an excursion in and around the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex to familiarize the cadets with the area. Some would probably end up serving here at one point or another in their careers. As it was late fall, everyone took the coats. Some were, in hindsight, wise enough to take their gloves. Jim had stayed behind to take care of a few matters. He was also a smart one.
They toured the area, and found different areas that were of interest. The local football stadium, even though it had been rebuilt many times since it was built in the early 21st century, was still dubbed “Jerry’s World” by the locals. A square still stood where a herd of wild bronze mustangs still ran and played through the fountain running the square’s length. It was starting to get noticeably colder as they concluded that day’s visit with the historic ranch known as Southfork. Chris smiled as he looked at the horses in the pastures.
On the way back the rain started to turn to sleet. They reached the barracks where the cadets slept in and it had turned to ice. Chris shivered as he headed to the officer’s quarters that he was sharing with Jim. Jim got in late that night, and Chris was asleep as he slipped into bed beside him. The next day was a winter wonderland, only slick and dangerous. The weatherperson told everyone to stay inside and “Not to go anywhere unless you had to.”
Chris and Jim took the wise road and stayed inside sipping hot chocolate and welcoming the occasional cadet brave enough to venture out in this mess. They could hear people’s feet crunching in the ice and could see the occasional cadet or enlistee slip and fall. Most got up laughing, some ended up being carted off to the hospital, including a poor old Admiral out walking his wife’s Pekinese.
That night they cuddled together in the bed provided for them. The weather was cold, but they found plenty of warmth around them, “I wonder,” Jim pondered. “Is this what they meant by ‘The weather outside is frightful’?”
“If not they should have!” Chris said with a laugh.