Chapter Seven
Anne Visits Mike
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23
From the time Mike signed on the dotted line to receive financial aid from the U.S. Navy, it had always been his and Anne’s intention to do the two-year payback and get out of the military.
“Rex didn’t understand why his son wasn’t going to continue his Emergency Medicine Residency after completing his internship at Portsmouth Naval Hospital,” Anne explained. “He just needed some time to adjust to the idea of Mike’s decision to do his payback time as an undersea medical officer. That meant a six-month long training program in hyperbaric medicine and undersea medicine. It also meant Mike had to attend Dive School.
“We moved from Virginia to New London, Connecticut for two months, then to Panama City Beach, Florida for two months, then back to New London for another two months. Our next duty station, or billet, was back to Panama City. I didn’t feel any peace about this assignment. On our way back to Florida, I told Mike how I felt.
"I was relieved to hear him say he felt as uneasy about our assignment as I did. We both knew moving was part of military life, but this seemed different.
“When he spotted a pay phone, Mike pulled over. When he came back to the car, I learned he’d placed a call to the officer in charge of making assignments for Undersea Medical Officers. I knew Mike had an earlier conversation with a doctor named Gary, who preferred an assignment to Panama City, Florida, rather than going overseas. Mike explained to the officer that if Gary would indeed be willing to go to Florida, then he would be willing to accept an assignment to the ship stationed in Scotland—that way, both he and Gary would be pleased.
“It felt like God’s hand at work when Mike said the officer gave his approval. We were so excited. We would be going overseas!
“God used that single phone call to change the trajectory of our career and our lives. Had Mike not made that call, we would have gone to Florida, not been happy, and we would have gotten out of the Navy the first chance we could. But because Mike’s experience on the ship, first in Scotland and then in Italy, was so good, we stayed in the Navy and it became Mike’s career.
“Years later, when my husband and that assignment office spoke, the officer didn’t remember Mike’s phone call. It was a call we never forgot.”
It was late in 1991 when Anne and Mike were informed they would be going overseas. It wasn’t until January 1992, when they learned he was being assigned to the U.S.S. Simon Lake (AS-33), a submarine tender, whose motto was “‘RESULTS NOT EXCUSES.’” A submarine tender’s purpose is to provide repair and logistical support to submarine and surface ships. This ship, named after Simon Lake, a mechanical engineer and naval architect, had been commissioned in November 1964.
It would be Mike’s job, as one of three doctors, to provide routine and emergency medical care to the 1,200 sailors on board. He also had the added responsibility of caring for the divers assigned to the ship.
“At the time Mike was assigned to the Simon Lake, the ship was stationed in Holy Loch, Scotland. We learned it was due for an overhaul, and would be leaving Scotland for Norfolk, Virginia, in April. Meantime, we moved back to Virginia, in the same area as before but in different housing. Because of the scheduled overhaul, the military wouldn’t move both of us, so Mike reported for duty on the Simon Lake later in January, without me.”
Anne resumed her studies at Regent, and her work at CBN. In February, just a few weeks after Mike had left for Scotland, she and Mike agreed she should visit him in Holy Loch.
“Mike had said not to bring too much, but I knew I would need hiking boots and a collapsible walking stick. I put together three different outfits, with enough layers that I hoped would keep me from freezing. I kept skin and hair care products to a minimum, but I packed enough to look good for Mike. We’d been apart long enough, and I couldn’t wait to see him.”
Mike greeted Anne at the airport. They got in the back seat of a car driven by a doctor named Mark. Anne learned he was one of two male dentists serving on the Simon Lake. Anne couldn’t wait to be alone with Mike, and she couldn’t wait to arrive at the chalet she knew he had reserved just for her visit.
Once at the chalet, Anne wanted to freshen up and then make up for lost time with Mike.
“I was caught off guard to learn we needed to put a few coins in a meter, outside the chalet, in order to have water, and more than a few coins for hot water. Mike had some paper money, but no coins, so I used some water he’d run earlier to freshen up as best I could. The water was icy cold. It put color in my checks and it energized me. I was ready to spend time with Mike! I’d missed him during my long hours at work. I noticed that he’d put on about fifteen pounds since I’d seen him. I didn’t care.
I melted into his arms.
“Before the day ended, Mike offered me a tour of the ship. I couldn’t wait. But I wasn’t prepared for what I’d see and learn.
“Mike was drinking Scottish beer, what they called heavies, and acting like a college student. I couldn’t help but notice two female doctors, Amber and Sharon, seemed drawn to him, especially Amber. I learned those two doctors, and Mark, had been touring around Scotland with Mike. It was as if the four of them were double dating. To make matters worse, Amber and Sharon weren’t the least bit bashful in telling me about all the touring with my husband and Mark.
“The more I thought about it, the more furious I became.
“Mike seemed oblivious. For the rest of the day, he showed me some of the area he’d already seen. It was good for us both to be enjoying the outdoors—the cold helped me ignore my feelings.
“There were mornings when Mike had to check in, on board, before we could head out for the day. I went with him. It seemed like he spent more time than necessary in one of the female doctors’ office before we could leave. But once we left the ship, we had the rest of the day to ourselves.”
At the end of the day, they used coins so Anne could draw hot water for the bathtub. She had to do laundry by hand, and had she known that beforehand, she would have ignored Mike’s advice and packed more clothes. To escape from the primitive environment, they spent one night at a bed and breakfast in Edinburgh.
Hail and Farewell Party
The night before Anne was scheduled to fly home, there was a hail and farewell party to welcome new officers, and bid farewell to departing ones.
“I couldn’t believe how many heavies Mike was knocking back. We were on the dance floor when Amber made a deliberate move to position herself between us. Her back was touching mine, and she was nose to nose with Mike. The two of them seemed to be moving in rhythm and whispering.
“I was livid!
“I grabbed Mike’s arm and pulled him back to our table. We exchanged some heated words and I gave him a piece of my mind.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I yelled.
“What do you mean, what do you think I’m doing?” Mike yelled back.
“You know exactly what I mean. I’m not blind. I saw you flirting with Amber.”
Mike glared at me. “You’re crazy! You’re nuts! You’re out of your mind,” he screamed.
“I had to get out of there. I took a taxi back to the chalet. It didn’t take me long to jam my clothes into a suitcase. When Mike came in late, I pretended to be asleep. At six-thirty the next morning, we left for the airport. I was more than ready to catch my flight back home. I couldn’t believe Mike had put on those extra pounds, and worse, I was questioning his fidelity.
“When I got home, after what seemed a long two weeks, I was beyond furious. I couldn’t shake mental images of my husband with Amber and Sharon. I’d been so faithful about writing Mike and sending care packages.
“No more of that! No more letters. No more care packages. No more calling. No more taking Mike’s calls. I had showered that man with all this ‘I love you and I miss you crap,’ not knowing he was busy partying.
“I was done.
“Until that trip to Scotland, I thought Mike walked on water. I felt devastated.
“I didn’t know what to do, except fast and pray. My prayers were for the Holy Spirit to intervene. I hoped fasting would give me clarity about God’s direction. I leaned on my life’s chapter from Isaiah. Eventually, I resorted to writing my prayers in a prayer journal.”
Anne instinctively knew God would honor her sacrificing a love for food to seek His will. She was grateful she didn’t have any medical conditions to keep her from fasting. While she kept up the regime of prayer and fasting, she also put extra energy into her classes. For physical release, she swam laps in the community pool. It helped to work out her frustrations in the water, but always, her prayer was, “Lord, I need you to take this, because I don’t know what to do with it.”
The Simon Lake Due in Port
Two months after Anne came back from Holy Loch, the Simon Lake was due in Virginia. Anne seriously considered not going to meet Mike. She struggled with the thought that he might have kissed or been kissed by another woman. That was one thing. But what hurt to the core was coming to grips with her conviction that Mike had carried on an emotional affair.
“Whether or not he’d made out with another woman didn’t bother me near as much as the thought of Mike’s being emotionally unfaithful.”
The sun made an appearance the April morning Mike’s ship was due in port. A few thin clouds hung in the crisp air. Anne wasn’t sure about going to meet Mike. She took her time dressing, trying on one outfit after another. Several hung on her petite frame, now an additional fifteen pounds lighter.
“I finally decided I would meet Mike. Not only would I meet him, I would leave no part of my appearance to chance. I took extra care with my hair, and used lots of spray to keep it in place. I took extra time with my make-up, applying more than usual.
“I slipped on a thin-strapped backless, white lace dress, and stepped in front of my mirror, wanting to see, from head to toe, how I looked. My image reflected how I felt – sexy. I was ready to let my husband know what he’d been missing!”
Once at the dock, Anne and all the others waiting to greet loved ones had to look from one deck of the ship to another. The sailors were “riding the rails” in their dress whites; from a distance they looked alike. Anne struggled to see through the mass of people in front of her.
It wasn’t until she looked straight up that she caught sight of Mike. She waited. Once the gangplank was lowered, it would take several minutes for him to make his way to where she was standing.
Anne kept her emotions in check. When Mike reached her, they worked their way through the crowd. More than once Anne heard a sailor yell, “Damn, Doc, you should have told us!”
“I could tell Mike was more than pleased with my appearance. But I also sensed he couldn’t wait to talk. When we were past the rush of people, he stopped, turned to look at me, and asked why I had been ignoring him. He wanted to know what was going on, where I’d been.”
A Chance Encounter
Several weeks after the Simon Lake had pulled into port for refitting, Anne left the house to pick up Chinese takeout. Quite by chance, she ran into Sharon.
“I was surprised to see her, and she seemed equally surprised to see me. She couldn’t wait to talk, and she asked me what I had done to my husband after I left Scotland. I asked her what she meant, and she proceeded to tell me that Mike had gotten all religious, had started attending chapel, and quit drinking. She told me he had stopped being fun to be around, and that he had stopped touring with her and Amber.
“I was initially dumbfounded at her question and her comments. And then I was elated. I realized the whole time I’d been fasting and praying, God had been answering my prayers. He’d given me the strength to shut Mike out for the time I needed him out of my life.
“Sharon started to walk away, then turned back to tell me she and Amber had been assigned new duty stations.
“All I could think was, ‘Thank you Lord,’ but I didn’t say that out loud. I couldn’t wait to get home to Mike.”
The Simon Lake was in port for another nine months, being completely overhauled and updated. When the work was done, the ship, with Mike on board, would sail for Italy. Anne began weighing her options. The thought of a psychology practice had lost its appeal.
“I decided it was time for a change.”
***
Anne had been hesitant about marrying. And now, the harsh realities of marriage had set in—she couldn’t put her hopes in the man she had married, and he didn’t walk on water after all. Prayer and fasting got her through a challenging time, as well as providing a backdrop for working through lots of emotions before welcoming Mike home.
Mike knew where he would be once the Simon Lake was ready to sail.
But what about Anne? What option would she choose?
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version,
copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a division of Good News Publishers.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Chapter Seven