Like my other stories to date, this story is based on my real life experience. Names and details have been changed to protect those involved.
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I was always an introverted guy. I had grown up as an academic kid; always had good grades but generally didn't get along with the popular kids in school. My upbringing meant that I grew up not really getting to date. At the time I was thoroughly heterosexual. As much as an inexperienced virgin outside the dating pool can claim to choose to be.
My summers through my teenage years were spent at Air Cadet camps and I had done this all through high school from grade seven to twelve. But when you got to be an adult you got to be a staff cadet, which basically means a camp counselor, only that summer camps for cadets are structured like military training.
Cadets were placed into flights (groups of thirty) which were part of larger squadrons (three flights) and wings (three squadrons). When I arrived at this particular camp it was the highest camp for cadets, a six week summer camp called Senior Leaders (they have since changed the name and the curriculum, as well as the methodologies). The cadets marched everywhere, took classes, had instruction in drill, competed in drill completions and had weekly inspection parades and a graduation parade.
But the adults that run the program, we are divided into in two classes. Since you can be an Air Cadet until you're 19, or can choose to join the volunteer wing of the military (the Cadet Instructors Cadre) you could either be a staff cadet like me with not much intent to continue on, or you could be an actual officer and your career could continue until retirement either in the same wing or another branch of the Canadian military.
Anyway this story actually has nothing to do with cadets. It's all about the travel home. We had taken busses to arrive at the province's capital so we could all board the same aircraft to get to the base. This summer I was stationed at 4 Wing Cold Lake. The best thing about it is this base is an active training center, and the four wings are all fighter squadrons (two active CF-18 fighter squadrons and two training squadrons). This meant it was common occurrence during our summer that fighters would soar by overhead followed by the deafening sonic boom.
Travel to and from is exactly the same but in reverse. This was exactly how we arrived. Sorted out of our home squadrons from all the towns and cities we came from, we were formed up into squads to organize for kit check (inspection), supply (get your summer uniform items) and assignment into the barracks.
The summer went by fast. We were up at 6 am daily and the days were filled. There wasnt much time for a social life.
At the end of the summer after the courses were done and all the Air Cadets had gone home we were tearing down classrooms and barracks preparing to depart ourselves.
I remember meeting with my transportation group which was to take a flight back to my home province. I found myself with all the people that I had met briefly on the way there as we came in on the same plane. One of the fellow staffers stood out. She was a tall (well tall to me) vixen. I'd guess 5'7", with round cheeks and the cutest dimples; the round glasses that sat on her face masking those beautiful pale green eyes. Her dark hair was always in a bun as was required of military style. I think I will forever be tainted as when I see a woman's hair in a tight bun (like bullet proof finish of hair spray) it still gets me excited. But this girl she was a looker and though she concealed her demeanor behind an upstanding disposition and a great smile it was there. She had kind of the 'naughty librarian' look at the time.