Every time a cat sneezes, I think of PVT Dodson and how she had to renounce Satan.

What do two kids going through Basic Training together talk about at 4 in the morning? Life back home. Exorcism. And cats.

PVT Dodson was a skinny blonde kid, about my age, from Kentucky or some state I didn’t know anything about at the time. It was 4:00 am and we were on fireguard duty — walking the barrack’s perimeter, presumably making sure nothing was on fire but otherwise talking about life back home.

We had reached the chow hall and were about to turn back for another lap when the topic of religion came up. It was a few weeks in, so conservative Jesus-talk was no longer much of a surprise to me, but this felt different. Here we were, two 19 year-olds all kitted up and marching around with M16A2 5.56mm rifles, probably getting ready to do something butch and strenuous when the sun came up. Was our unit close to running the Night Infiltration Course? I don’t know, it was a long time ago, and the details sort of blur together.

Anyway, she tells me that she grew up religious and had joined the Army to get the kind of freedom she didn’t think she’d be able to get any other way. She was probably right. I wonder if she became a lifer or what? I nodded and said something forgettable, expecting her to tell me about Wednesday night services or whatever. Instead, she stopped and grabbed my elbow. Being touched by another human after so long was uncomfortable. The air was sticky-humid — 40 minutes in and I already wanted a shower. A low sky, orangey-pink electric lights, and absolutely no company made our path feel intimate; claustrophobic; a good time and place to tell secrets.

It’s weird, seeing somebody else let their guard down while they’re in uniform and on duty. But here we were. Skinny, blonde PVT Dodson gripped my elbow, got real quiet, and turned to face me.

She looked sincerely upset. This was new. I held my breath. “No. My mom was RELIGIOUS. One time my cat sneezed and I said “bless you” by mistake. Mom freaked out because I had conferred God’s blessing on a soulless animal, which had invited Satan into our home. It was tense with her, for a while. I’d never had to renounce Satan before. And I hated telling my cat that it didn’t have a soul.”

PVT Dodson nodded, let go of my elbow, and we started back up on patrol. There wasn’t much else to say. But I think about her all the time. And to this day I bless every freaking thing that has ever sneezed in my general direction.