Read Nerd and the Marine for Free Online Page B

tumbled contents as he gazed into the seemingly
never-ending depths for a moment. Then, with the eagerness of a
child at Christmas, he tugged items from the box.
    Three huge packages of assorted
cookies. He found a bundle of pictures which he set aside for later
viewing. More drawings from the herd and some baseball cards, too.
He looked at the cards, remembering how precious each one had been
when he'd been a kid.
    Growing up in an orphanage, baseball
cards hadn’t been plentiful. He'd earned them by trading other
things, or by working for the landscaper down the street. He also
extracted deodorant, soap, shaving cream, phone cards, razors, a
blanket that looked homemade, socks, underwear, t-shirts, a vast
supply of comic books, and a bag of assorted candies.
    A smaller package, wrapped securely in
bubble wrap felt odd in his hands, so he unwrapped it with care.
And found a used Game Boy, complete with several cartridges. Also
used. A note, written in an unfamiliar hand, but similar to Lainy's
explained.
    Greetings
Mitch,
    My son, Steven, upon
learning that you were willing to give up Bentley so you could
fight for our country, felt he should also be willing to give up
something equally as precious to him. This is his Game Boy,
probably the one thing he cherishes the most. He heard Marines
enjoy these during down time.
    Please don't feel guilty
about this, but enjoy his gift. There is a brand new Game Boy
wrapped and waiting for Steve for his birthday next month. We felt
you'd enjoy the used one more, because of the sacrifice attached
and the fact a little boy cherished this machine. (Incidentally, I
think Lainy added some upgrades. Which is why Steve loved it so
much. Lainy tampers with most of the kids’ electronic
devices.)
    Oh, by the way, I'm
Lainy's sister, Laurie. My husband, Greg, and I have seven children
with the eighth on the way. Steve is number three of the bunch and
probably our most sensitive. He's nine, ten next month and takes in
the world with an adult perspective already. He's got an older
sister, fifteen, and five brothers, twelve, seven, five, three, and
eighteen months.
    Grandmom also sent cookies
and various other necessities, the kids some drawings, comic books,
and baseball cards, and I'm hoping there are no live animals. This
package could be a bit stinky otherwise. Hope you're doing well and
please enjoy this Game Boy, Steve will be thrilled if you do. (And
it’s helped to teach him a valuable lesson, too.)
    Sincerely,
    Greg, Laurie, and
Family
     
    Shaking his head, Mitch stared down at
the precious Game Boy in his hand. A little fellow who didn't even
know him had given up his favorite toy so Mitch wouldn't be bored.
A young man who already understood the implications of war and the
sacrifices sometimes necessary for freedom. Wondering at young
Steve's parents and their evident wisdom in raising such a child,
he looked over what had been Steve's most prized
possession.
    Turning the button on, he watched the
screen dance and dazzle and saw the first of Lainy's improvements.
He was vaguely familiar with Game Boys because of the few times
he'd been able to wrest Al's machine from his hands.
    He sat on the bed and something
clunked to the floor. Peering over the side, he saw a battery pack.
One unlike any other he'd ever seen before - the granddaddy of all
battery packs. It held all the earmarks of Lainy. Smiling, he gazed
in wonder at the most amazing contraption and upon further perusal,
noticed a patent number. Something clicked in the back of his mind
and he remembered her mentioning how she held several patents and
therefore was free to invent at her leisure.
    Staring at the battery pack, Mitch
nearly let out a whistle, which he stifled. No need to bring Al
running. There'd be a lot less cookies that way. And he might lose
the Game Boy, too. Of course, this one was his, so Mitch decided
he'd pull the territorial male thing.
    He turned his attention back to the
battery pack and with a small