Alon Z / Art / US Marine

You’d most likely have to wait for two full minutes if you got to the intersection of Union and Metropolitan avenue in a red light. It’s not one of these places that you may consider jaywalking because of the giant trucks coming in and out of the BQE at any time. Two minutes might not seem like much in relation to life, but when you stand there in the cold without any other reason to be there, every second counts.

Today at least I only got stuck there on the way back from my run, so I’m already warmed up. The sun is also out, which makes it easier. At 136 bpm I begin to slow down my breathing a bit, but it’s still much above average. From around the corner two U.S. marines joined me with shiny uniforms. They must be visiting the city I think, as there’s no army base anywhere near. They look a little lost, but excited to be around.

I never had an aspiration to join the army, although in the place I grew up it’s considered to be the norm. It’s not uncommon for people to ask me what I did in the army, mistakenly assuming that I did something. Sometimes I lie about it saying something like “On a need to know basis” or “I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you”, but most often I gently change the subject so as not to make them uncomfortable. On rare occasions, when I do say that I was never a member of any armed forces, they look at me with disbelief, saying something like “What do you mean, but it’s mandatory”, expecting me to do something they would have never done. It’s obvious to me that they didn’t stop to think about it, as how can something like picking up a weapon and being ready to kill someone with it, could be considered mandatory. So I tell them, like anything in life - it’s a choice. We all make choices all the time, that’s what makes us who we are, choices.