The rookie just wasn”t ready. He had been training for nearly a month and still, Chief had seen few results. Chief was actually a captain, but they called him Chief. He had been overseeing the base, and its operations, for so many years he could no longer accurately keep count. But in not a single one of those years had he ever trained a recruit so wily, so unresponsive, so destructive and unwilling to learn as the rookie. The young soldier had arrived months ago, right after the base had almost been attacked.
Since then, out of precaution, Chief”s commanders decided to tighten security. Much to Chief”s chagrin, with the additional security came the new recruit.
Under very clear, specific orders from his higher ups, Chief had been instructed to personally train the recruit. The aging captain had hardly any patience for such an incorrigible, agonizingly spirited youth. But orders were orders.
“Alright rookie,” Chief growled under his breath one day after their morning meal. “Today”s the day.”
The young soldier, with bits of breakfast clinging to his mouth, looked eager, albeit thoroughly confused. “What day, sir?” he asked in the kind of light-hearted tone Chief had no stomach for.
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“Today”s the day you stop messing around and finally master the welcome protocol.”
The rookie”s face fell. “No,” he began. “Sir, no, please, not the welcome protocol!”
The Chief had not slept well the night before. A storm had raged outside of the base and each small sound in the night kept him alert and on his toes. He had no sympathy for the recruit.
“We”ve gone over this a million times and you still can”t get it right,” Chief said. “So the only thing we”re doing to do today is practice, practice, practice.”
The rookie groaned. The welcome protocol was hardly of any legitimate importance. It was a routine every soldier in the base had to maintain. At the end of the day, upon the arrival of their higher ups, the soldiers were required to greet their superiors in a disciplined and well-mannered way. Although their primary goal was to defend the base, Chief, after a restless night, was tired and lacked the energy to go over any difficult operations with the rookie. While he didn”t want to engage in any strenuous training, he also didn”t have the desire to stand all day.
“We”re going to practice and you”re going to be fine,” Chief said gruffly. “I won”t make you stand, even. Just sit here, in position.”
The rookie looked hesitant. “Sit? In position? For how long?”
Chief shrugged. “The entire day. Until the commanders get home. You will sit, quietly, in position, ready to greet them.”
The rookie, exasperated and convinced he wouldn”t make it through an hour let alone the entire day, groaned again. But when Chief sat down, so did he.
After consecutive hours of sitting, more sitting than the rookie thought he had ever done in his life, the commanders finally made it back to base safely. Chief had been dozing, while sitting, throughout the day with the restless rookie by his side. Now, Chief was alert. He could hear the keys in the lock. He could see the shadows against the shudders.
The commanders entered the base. Chief sat, in his usual spot in the entryway of the house, just beyond the doormat, with his back straight, his dark eyes shining, but his body rigid. The German shepherd was used to containing his joy, restraining himself, whenever the commanders came home. No jumping, no barking was their policy. Sit, be good. His thick tail swayed side to side, sweeping the hard wood floor in swift strokes. One of the commanders patted his head. The base was safe and he knew he had done well. Chief snuck a glance at the rookie. The bright-eyed puppy, a mass of softness and fur and excitement, quivered almost uncontrollably. He worked to maintain the kind of discipline Chief was exhibiting.
Rather than jumping up or barking with unbridled excitement, the rookie sat, squirming. The other commander praised the young dog.
The rookie, unscolded and sitting at the door for the first time, beamed at his insightful teacher. “Well done, kid,” Chief said with a sly sense of pride. The rookie stayed in place as the older dog got to his feet. Chief figured the pup, who was still positioned by the front door, was too happy or proud or tired to move, but as he trotted into the kitchen, the rookie, a mass of fur and paws, went flying past him.
Chief, with a sense of pride and a hint of delight, watched the new recruit run excited circles around the commanders” feet. The rookie had a lot to learn, Chief thought, but he was getting there. The old dog sat down in the opening of the kitchen, watching his commanders and the rambunctious flurry of fur wildly jumping up around them. The day”s mission had been a success, Chief decided. Tomorrow, training would commence.
Corrin Bond can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @CorrBond