Military Man
To protect and serve; these words are deep-rooted in American society and it’s not surprising why. Every day, thousands of troops and members of the armed forces are sent away from their loved ones to go on deployment to dangerous locations for months or even years at a time.
The lifestyle itself is hard to manage, let alone adding lies and secrets into the mix.
Navy Sailor Matthew Wilson
Ever since Matthew Wilson was a little boy, he knew that he would join the military. The idea of defending his country and protecting the people he loved filled his heart with purpose every day.
There were only two things that Wilson loved more than life itself. One was his work and the other was his wife.
Duty Driven
Even though Wilson loved his wife a lot, they both knew that his job always came first. His duty took priority. It was a fact his wife had to learn the hard way over and over again, and now, it was causing problems.
Some people would stay far away from a military man because of how dominating their career can be, but for Rebecca, she didn’t have a choice. You see, Wilson and Rebecca go way back.
School Sweethearts
Wilson and Rebecca were high school sweethearts. She was already head over heels before he joined the military and they got married soon after. They had children and a beautiful home in suburban California. For the most part, it was a blissful and happy marriage full of love.
But when Wilson came home from his second tour, he suddenly noticed his career was really starting to have an effect on Rebecca. A bad one.
Ignoring The Signs
The changes were slow but steady. After five years of their military marriage, Wilson began to notice a change in Rebecca’s behavior. She became less affectionate and less happy. Something was bothering her but Wilson had no idea what and for some reason, he didn’t ask.
Instead, he ignored the signs and the intuition that warned him she was hiding something.
Another Deployment
When the couple received news of Wilson's third deployment, Rebecca grew even more frustrated. He was to be sent outside of the USS Carl Vinson for an entire six months.
And even though it’s much easier to stay in contact with loved ones these days, it’s still challenging to deal with the long-distance. Broken communication can leave room for a lot of things to go wrong. But nobody could have guessed what was about to happen to this couple.
Tapping Out
With the news of his long deployment, Rebecca reached her boiling point. She had enough of his job. Rebecca packed her things and moved back to her hometown with the kids.
She couldn't take being on her own for so many days - no, months, at a time. She had been completely alone with their newborn for over a year before, and now, she was beyond tired.
Feeling Uneasy
Wilson had always been a very understanding man, but sometimes it was to his own demise...
He could understand the hardships she had been dealing with and decided to forgive her for needing a break. He trusted her when she said it was just his job that was the problem, yet, every time he would hear from her, he felt a strange sense of uneasiness. He should have listened.
Lies And Deceit
Wilson was a child of divorced parents so he knew how hard that situation is on a child. He promised himself that he would never go that route, no matter how hard it got. But now, he was wondering what he’d actually do if his wife was being deceitful. In fact, he knew she was.
Nobody likes being lied to, especially in relationships where deceit is one of the main causes of breakups. He knew he had to fight for his relationship, but what he could have never expected was how much she actually kept from him.
Lose Lose Situation
Wilson had no clue what his wife was up to, but moving and keeping secrets was definitely bad signs. Afterall, he didn’t do anything wrong. And now that he was deployed, he had no idea how to figure it out.
He tried to reason with himself that there are certain levels of dishonesty. Perhaps Rebecca could be forgiven? But what she had been up to this time was such a shock that it defied belief.
Something’s Wrong
A few months passed when Wilson got a message from one of his close friends. He explained to him that she was acting strange and wouldn’t really hang out with them anymore.
Something was wrong. She shut herself off from his friends and not only that, but she was caught selling some of Wilson’s furniture! Wilson’s heart pounded.
Bad Feeling
What was she doing? Why was she removing herself from his circle of friends? Why was she selling his furniture? Did she really hate him that much?
Despite his incredible love for her, he became anxious and knew something was very wrong. As the date approached for him to come back home, he decided to confront her immediately. Although he decided, he was terrified to hear what she would have to say. And rightfully so.
Master Plan Ruined
Rebecca gave Wilson the silent treatment. They would still video call and check in during his deployment but she didn’t say anything to Wilson about what he heard she’d been doing. She had no idea he knew.
“I thought about it for a few minutes, and I was like, ‘You know, this isn’t how I want to tell him – in an email,'” Rebecca claimed. “I emailed him back and said, ‘I just miss your voice.’”
Emails Back And Forth
Busy with work and being a mom, she didn’t have much time to talk to him over the phone so they’d email each other instead. The conversations were short and sweet. From an outsider, nothing would have seemed amiss.
But the vague emails didn’t soothe Wilson’s worries at all. Then, Wilson’s team got orders to go head-to-head with one of the world’s most powerful nations and Rebecca’s plan was crumbling right in front of her.
Bitter Reminder
Rebecca later admitted that it was painfully hard to keep this life-altering news a secret, and more so when Wilson’s deployment had been extended.
He had to serve a whole other month more in service as the USS Carl Vinson was ordered to make a show of force along the coast of North Korea. For Rebecca, it was just another reminder of why she kept secrets.
Unpredictable
While Wilson was overseas fighting for and protecting his country, Rebecca was at home doing something no one could ever have predicted.
Rebecca always used to play by the book. She was reliable, predictable, sometimes, even a little boring. But staying at home alone for too long can change a person and she was perfect proof of this.
Getting Emotional
When Rebecca got the news about his extended deployment, she couldn’t bear it. “I got emotional about it and I was wondering, ‘Should I tell him? Would I feel guilty if something happens and he doesn’t know?'” Rebecca recalled. “I went back and forth about it.”
She didn’t know what to do, as she weighed the options. Perhaps the last thing she could do for him now is not do anything to distract him from his work.
No Way Back
She knew that what she had to tell him would hurt his performance and maybe even get him hurt if he was too distracted. But for her, she made up her mind and she didn’t really care what anybody else had to say.
She had cooked up a plan of when and what to tell him and decided to stick to it.
Secrets
It was time for Wilson to come home. As he approached the boarding exit, large crowds had swarmed around to welcome home their sailors.
Rebecca was among this crowd, ready to execute her plan despite all the people around. She used the kids as distractions as they went up to kiss their dad. Rebecca had a homemade “Welcome Home” sign which she placed strategically.
Lost For Words
Wilson looked at her nervously as the kids finished kissing and hugging from their dad. He turned to approach his wife, as she looked away expectantly.
He had no idea what was coming would leave everyone staring. As soon as he was close enough, she dropped the sign. What Wilson saw left him lost for words.
In Shock
Wilson was completely confused. He had no idea what just happened. “My heart was racing,” Rebecca recalled. “I stood back and let the kids run to him. I hung back for a minute, and then he reached into me to hug me and then I dropped it. He just stood there in shock. He didn’t know what was going on.”
Wilson even thought this was some kind of prank, to say he was surprised would be an understatement. Was it really possible? Was he the father?
Unexpected Pregnancy
Rebecca stood back so she could continue her ruse. As Wilson turned to hug someone, Rebecca was there to one side holding a sign that read, “Welcome home baby daddy.”
As Wilson is a father, he didn’t think much of the sign, “Do you like my sign?” Rebecca said to her husband. But then, before he could even reply, she dropped it to the floor, revealing her huge baby bump.
“Is it Real?”
Wilson had no words. “She said, ‘Surprise!’ and dropped the sign, and I was confused,” Matt said. “And then I actually poked her belly because I wasn’t sure if she was playing a trick on me or not. Clearly, she was not.
There were a lot of thoughts going through my mind. When it was real I was extremely confused, so I asked, ‘Is that real?’ to be sure, then hugged her because it was the only thing I could think to do.” But what about the tension between them?
Greatly Surprised
Wilson was still in shock. Everyone around him was laughing and cheering them on, but again, he had his doubts. “I was never mad at you or acting weird - well, I was acting weird but only because I needed to hide this bump!”
A good ten seconds later, he hesitantly poked Rebecca’s belly and asked, “Is that real? Nuh-uh!”. “Wait, that’s mine right?”, he said, half joking, half serious.
The Beginning
Rebecca got pregnant just the week Wilson left to fulfill his duty. “I found out the week after he left. I didn’t believe it,” Rebecca said.
“I took the pregnancy test again, and I was like, ‘Oh no way.’ I was excited about it and I emailed him, and I told him to call me as soon as he gets a chance.” But still, she didn’t want this incredible news to interrupt his duty and make his leaving us harder.
More Surprises
As it turned out, the couple had not planned on having a fourth child. This surprise was more than unexpected, but they were excited beyond belief.
Rebecca even described that Matt “was only home for a short time” between his deployments, so this was a huge shock. However, there was still one more thing brewing, and this too would give Wilson another considerable blow.
Perfect Disguise
Rebecca had mastered disguising herself; she recalled it being the hardest thing ever. Every time she would go out with friends or family, they would all want to take photographs, and of course, Rebecca didn’t want to spoil the surprise.
She had to get creative to disguise her pregnant stomach. I would always use the kids to cover my belly,” she said. “My best friend always does Snapchats, and she would put emojis in front of it just in case to throw him off.”
Important News
“I wanted to share the excitement and joy with him about getting a fourth baby. He definitely wasn’t expecting it,” she said. “Being pregnant is such a fun experience and not being able to share it with him was really hard.
I was working the whole time and taking care of the kids, so I had to push through everything.” Rebecca did feel bad at times about keeping the secret, but still, she knew she wanted to tell him face to face.
Little Secrets
Rebecca had one more surprise, and this time she had planned on the surprise being for both of them, together. “I decided I’m going to document it with weekly belly pictures for him so he wouldn’t miss it.” And that’s just what she did.
“I can’t believe she was able to keep the secret for as long as she did because we tell each other everything so I know it was really hard for her,” he said. “I’m sure every day she wanted just to tell me but I’m really happy she waited because it was an awesome homecoming surprise and we got to find out the gender together the day after I got home.”
A Baby Girl!
Friends and family gathered for Wilson’s homecoming party, and while everyone was gathered they also revealed the baby’s gender – a girl! “I was extremely happy with the news because we both wanted a fourth child and since it is our last I was happy she did something memorable and fun,” said Wilson. He was not set to deploy until January, and the due date of the baby was for August. Making the timing impeccable for this family to be reunited again.
This is a work of fiction inspired by a true story. Some names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals; names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.