It was March 2019 when 1stLt Rogers (Chris) got approached by 1stLt Paz (Jackie) and she said “Hey, I think we are riding the same bus to the base.” They shook hands and surveyed the Marines chucking their packs into a truck . They loaded the 30 seat charter bus in the middle of the hot and humid Subic Bay, Philippines. The bus ride was a three hour drive which gave the young Lieutenants some time to talk. Despite Chris initially sitting in the front of the bus, he managed to work his way to a seat close to Jackie and the Marines … well… they noticed. Jackie was in her “work mode” so she had her walls up. To pass the time, the Marines offered to play a game of heads up ( aka charades ) and that’s when Jackie let her walls down and her charm shined through. She made everyone laugh when it was her turn, trying to describe the word with funny noises or using the complete wrong context. The Marines noticed the way Jackie and Chris had a twinkle in their eyes, the smiles they gave each other, and the instant chemistry. Jackie also couldn’t help but smile when he spoke to her, or even teased her. After an hour or so of playing, Chris found his way back to the front of the bus when a few of his Marines approached him. “Why are you flirting with that Lieutenant, Sir?!” He defensively said, “I’m not!” They processed to describe their plan, “We got you Sir, we are gonna steal her name tape from her pack and give it to you so you have a reason to find her later!” Chris immediately was flattered that his Marines would look out for him but instantly shot down that plan and warned them not to steal anything! Crazy Marines haha! From that day forward, Jackie and Chris became friends and stayed in touch for years until one December in 2021, where two stuffed Alpacas changed the trajectory of their story…

Chris