5 seconds

We've been in the land of civilians for the last month. I've been there the majority of the time for the last few years, so not much new here. Kid birthday parties, shopping, cleaning, etc...
Stuntman is reemployed with his civilian employer although not without a lot of hoop-jumping. A giant corporation sure requires copious amounts of paperwork to begin a job that you've had for over 17 years. Was it really necessary to do another I9? You want proof of ID and the right to work in the states? Sure. Why don't you just look out in the courtyard, Stuntman has a stone plaque with his name on it and his years with the company, just take a picture of that, OK?
We've been having a great time together as a family, it almost feels as if the time apart was a dream... almost.

The other evening, Stuntman and I were watching TV and a commercial for an upcoming program about wounded warriors was shown. Stuntman said, "5 seconds".
that's it.
I looked at him and he said it again, "5 seconds"
he continued this time... "that's this difference between me coming home like this, or me coming home like that, or not at all".

A few moments passed and he explained to me that before his vehicle was hit by an IED, he told the driver to stop at point A... 5 seconds later, the blast was at point B, just ahead. The distance of those 5 seconds and what Stuntman called "dumb luck or gut feeling" is what brought Stuntman home in one piece to me and the kids.

It's conversations like that that yank you right back into the reality that has been the last couple years.