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said, rolling his eyes as he looked up at the chief.  “Most won’t, but there will always be some assholes.  You should see what happens after a fleet deployment from Station One.  All those Quadrant widows and widowers go crazy looking for hook-ups.”
    Liege was shocked and more than a little embarrassed about her naiveté.  She was single, and she’d been enjoying the attention and company of men outside of the battalion, but she’d also assumed that no Marine or sailor would Jody another.  To hear that some would was a major let-down.  She’d heard the term “Quadrant” or “Quad widow” of course, for women or men whose Navy spouses were off on deployment, but somehow she thought the Marines, at least, didn’t play that game.
    “So now we know what’s up, don’t we?  Weisman’s afraid his doe will find another stag, and he wants to be here to keep it from happening,” the chief said.  “It happened with your sergeant on the last deployment,” he added to Liege.
    “Sergeant Vinter?  She’s married?”
    “Was married,” the chief corrected.
    “And her ex ran off with another Marine?”
    “No, a civilian.  Lots of civilians, including a Marine wife.  Vinter came back and found out, and we thought she was going to kill him.  But no, she just went to Div-Legal and filed for an immediate divorce.”
    Liege tried to imagine coming back from a deployment and finding out a husband or wife had gone wild.  Sergeant Vinter was one tough SOB, but it still had to hurt.
    “So what do I do with Weisman?” she asked the chief.
    “Work him up.”
    “But he doesn’t have the Brick.”
    “Probably not.  But you’re not the MO, [5] and neither am I.  While you’re keeping him busy, I’m going to give the chaplain a call and see what we can do.
    “You say Wiesman’s a good kid, Bigeye?” he asked Doc Fiorelli.
    “Yeah, a good Marine.  Just young and in a hard place.”
    “Doctor X‘anto might want to get him to psyche to make sure his mind’s on straight.  We don’t need him doing something stupid.  Give First Sergeant Herrera a head’s up, too.  He needs to make sure someone keeps an eye on the young man until we embark.”
    “Weisman would be better off without the witch,” Fiorelli said.
    “You know that and I know that, but I doubt the kid agrees.”
    “That’s because he’s young,” Fiorelli said.
    Liege was young, too.  She and Weisman were the same age, but she didn’t think she could ever get so messed up about a guy that she’d lie just to get out of a deployment.
    As she walked back to her station, Liege wondered how he’d even managed to support his girlfriend or whatever she was.  Tarawa was not the cheapest place to live, especially near the bases, and being a lance corporal, he wouldn’t have much money to spend on her.  Liege had just received approval to make her Avó a dependent, and that had been a major goat-rope of bureaucracy.  It was only after a medical exam back on Nova Esperança had found him 100% disabled and Liege could prove at least six months as his main source of financial support that it had been approved.  But until her next promotion, she would not be authorized military housing, so for the time being, Avó and Leticia had to stay back in the favela. 
    Liege felt more than a little guilt as she sat back down across from Weisman.  He’d managed to bring his girlfriend to Tarawa, and despite the fact that with an authorized dependent she made more than the lance corporal, she hadn’t thought it possible to bring Avó and Leticia to join her.
    Lance Corporal Weisman looked nervously at Liege, wringing his hands.  He had to know he wouldn’t get away with this, at least the part about him claiming he had the Brick.  Maybe the chief could get something going through the chaplain, but Liege doubted it.  Like it or not, Weisman was most likely going to be with the battalion as they deployed.  He’d have to rely on his fellow