Close Call
Chris was not the only one in the Daugherty family with military experience. Natasha and Chris had met while they were both in the Navy. Natasha had worked as an IT systems technician. Chris had fallen for her at first sight. He’d never believed he’d meet his soul mate in the armed forces. He’d never expected to have so much in common with anyone as intelligent and beautiful as Natasha.
Married in 2011 the couple started their family almost immediately. But, having been together so long, and sharing so much of their lives, Natasha found keeping anything from her husband one of the hardest things she’d ever had to do in her entire life. Natasha almost caved, at the very beginning of Chris’s deployment; she nearly slipped and admitted everything to her husband on his way to the Korean peninsula. Ultimately, for his sake as well as his crew’s, she decided against it. The 28 year old continued to hide a huge part of her life from her husband.
Talkative Toddler
Despite having her hands completely full with three small children, Natasha couldn't help but worry about whether it was wise to keep all the changes on the home front from her Navy husband. The changes in their household would last far longer than a single deployment and, despite his months away, Chris would be home sooner or later, and there would be no hiding the changes to the Daugherty family and household once he was back on dry land.
Just as her son understood, Natasha did not want to unload on her husband while he was thousands of miles away. Life as a military spouse had taught her self-reliance as well as the balance that has to be maintained between the family and the mission. Chris being distracted for months would neither help his crew nor his family. Yet, despite this understanding, Natasha found Chris's regular communications, over phone, video calls, and social media posts, especially painful as she worried he would discover her secret despite all her efforts to keep the full truth from him. Technology had certainly made it easier for the family of five to stay in touch, but as changes continued in the house, it also made it even more difficult to make sure Chris stayed focused.
Constant Contact
Despite having her hands completely full with three small children, Natasha couldn't help but worry about whether it was wise to keep all the changes on the home front from her Navy husband. The changes in their household would last far longer than a single deployment and, despite his months away, Chris would be home sooner or later, and there would be no hiding the changes to the Daugherty family and household once he was back on dry land.
Just as her son understood, Natasha did not want to unload on her husband while he was thousands of miles away. Life as a military spouse had taught her self-reliance as well as the balance that has to be maintained between the family and the mission. Chris being distracted for months would neither help his crew nor his family. Yet, despite this understanding, Natasha found Chris's regular communications, over phone, video calls, and social media posts, especially painful as she worried he would discover her secret despite all her efforts to keep the full truth from him. Technology had certainly made it easier for the family of five to stay in touch, but as changes continued in the house, it also made it even more difficult to make sure Chris stayed focused.
Not Just Hiding From Him
She'd intended to email him and ask him to call her, but the message never materialized. She didn't want to distract him, upset him. It wasn't the sort of message she wanted to send in an email either. It wouldn't have been fair to either of them. Natasha wasn't only struggling with telling Chris, but with keeping anyone else from telling him before she could.
She couldn’t let any of their friends or family find out what had transpired. And it was getting harder and harder to keep the secret at home.
Difficult Times
Natasha continued to work two jobs along with taking care of her three children while Chris was away serving his country. It was a sacrifice for both of them. It would have been understandable had the young wife and mother succumbed to the pressure. But Natasha understood how far she'd already come and continued to push forward. It wasn't simple or easy, but she understood what it meant to sacrifice.
The greatest sacrifice she made was in foregoing communication with her husband. They had never gone so long without being able to talk openly, honestly. A week remained until her husband's return and Natasha insisted she'd make it. She was prepared to push through the last leg of Chris's deployment. That was, until she received even more unexpected news that threw her family and her marriage into even more turmoil.