Chapter Text
The great reunion
For context Mymy, Maya and coco are 26
Soei is the name of the Mom
Ravi is the name of the Dad
Mathew and John, two Americans
Sydney, an English officer
Antonio, from portugal
Loui, from France
Abel and Evi from the Netherlands
Chapter 1: prelude
Mymy looked over the bow of the ship towards Jacksonville. The smell of salty sea water was just as soothing and therapeutic as it was when she had first set food on the ship. Mymy had been stationed aboard the Helfrich for nearly 4 years. She smiled, thinking back to how she was as a young teen, obsessed with Dutch history, fanatical, and over the top. It wasn't until she was around 17 when it really hit her how she hadn't given much thought to what she would really do with herself. Through a mix of patriotism, and passion for Dutch naval history she devoted herself to getting into the Royal Naval Institute. Four years of hard work and dedication later, Mymy was a Royal Navy officer. In her four years she had met people of all different backgrounds, in humanitarian, joint training and disaster relief missions she had worked with Americans, Portuguese, French, Italian and all manner of people from all corners of the globe. She had gained life long friends, from Americans who trained with her, to Japanese units on humanitarian missions. The thoughts and memories made her smile. Her thoughts were interrupted suddenly by a friendly voice.
“You doing alright Schoppenboer?”
“Huh.. yea, just thinking about some stuff”
She turned to face her questionnaire.
The American wore a Navy working uniform, he was tall with brown hair and held a friendly smile.
“What are you up to” she asked
“Not much at the moment. Me and most of the other officers are going to get some drinks. We want to see you guys off with a party” said the lieutenant
“Wanted to see if you’d come along”
The Helfrich had been on cross training with American forces and it was the last night before they would return to Den Helder in North Holland.
“I'll be right down John. Give me just a minute”
“Take your time” He replied
Before he turned away Mymy asked hurriedly “Are we still good for the plan?”
“You mean all our friends staying with your family over leave? Of course we're still down” he said before stepping away.
Mymy turned back to her view. She was proud, proud of herself, proud of her growth, proud of her maturity, and most importantly, proud of the friends she had made and her life. She took one last deep inhale of the sea air before turning away to meet her friends, her family.
The South African sunset created an orange sky. Throughout the small medical camp the humm of generators came to life, lights came on and the flow of work continued. Coco stood over the boxes of medical supplies. At a steady pace she removed containers of medicine, noting them down before placing them appropriately. The robotic nature of her current task allowed her mind to wander. She had earned her Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Amsterdam, she had graduated as top of her class and with no debt due to academic and rugby scholarships. With no debts she entered the red cross immediately after graduation. She loved her work, being able to help people was why she wanted to enter the field, especially in her home country. She had cared for so many people and children. At night, the camp became a safe space for farmers and people seeking safety from insurgent groups and warlords in the region. She was thrilled to be making a genuine difference in the world. Since she was a little girl she knew she wanted to help people, ever since she lost her parents. Coco quickly changed her train of thought, remembering the family she did have, she thought of how in a few weeks, she’d be back with the family she loves.
Maya was at her computer playing games. They always had a way of taking her mind off of the stress of college, pressures of parents, and uncertainty for the future. Without distraction, life was painful. She never developed a real friend group, her anxiety and depression had only worsened since her secondary school. The only reason she was now in college studying computer science was because she felt pressured by her parents and the success of her sisters. She liked computers and liked working with them, but she was still aimless, adrift in the world. These things however, were not at the forefront of her thoughts. Until she got the email.
Maya,
Your sisters will be visiting in a few weeks and I want you to be with us to celebrate. I'll send you the dates. Mymy and Coco will be bringing friends, some of them are guys! They have both been doing so much and look forward to seeing you.
In an instant, the distractions were gone and the flood of thoughts came rushing in. The failure, the loneliness, the anxiety, all came back in a second. She hadn't spoken with Coco for months, and hadn't had any substantial conversation with Mymy since before she deployed. Then the anxiety began to set in. She imagined being surrounded by Coco and Mymy’s friends. Feeling inferior because of her lack of accomplishment and direction. Feeling inferior because of her inability to socialize, and her mothers light jabs at it all cutting deeper than any blade. It was going to be a rough month.