Читать книгу Emory's Story - Paul Holleran - Страница 9

Chapter 3

Paradise

He looked through the small window of the train; across the hazy distance, the white dress was somehow fading into the gray walls of the station. Em squinted and put his hand up to block the rising sun and looked desperately to see her smile one more time. Now he couldn’t see her at all. She simply was not there. He could still see his family and the platform, but Irene was gone.

He ran through the cars looking for someone to stop the train. He frantically searched for a way to stop it before it was too late. He saw the emergency brake line running through the top of the train car. He reached up and pulled and heard rain pouring through the trees onto the sloping mountainside. Where was he, and why was he soaking wet under a canopy of trees bigger than any mighty oak that grew near the creek bottoms back home in Kentucky? Where did Irene go?

Em came out of his fitful sleep and instantly panicked. He knew he could only have slept for a few brief moments, but the dream was so agonizingly long and realistic it seemed he had slept a long time. He even thought he could smell the brakes on that train.

The rain was coming down hard, just as it did almost every day. He knew it would not last long. The sun would win, and the rainclouds would scatter for another day. A rainbow would be visible for a brief moment of time. “Paradise! Yeah, right,” he said to himself.

Hawaii was beautiful, and the last twelve weeks had been the longest weeks of his life. The training had started immediately. He and Jack had followed Sergeant Cannon around like puppies for the first three days. They were each issued new gear. Everything they thought they would ever need compacted into one olive-green utility bag. Instructors told them that before they left this island, they would be able to survive anywhere on earth with just the contents of this bag. As soon as each item had been inspected, catalogued, and labeled with both S and T, it was put back into the bag in reverse order. On their first three attempts, the bag did not condense to the size that would please their new instructors. Finally, on their fourth try, the bag would zip the entire length.

In total, the bag, with all its contents, weighed 51 pounds. There was enough food to survive for six weeks if it was used sparingly. To Em, it looked like enough for one good supper. There were knives ranging in size from about an inch long up to daggers with seven-inch blades. Six in total. He could scale and filet fish if he could figure out how to catch them with just a few feet of line and three hooks. A belt with tools that Em or Jack had never seen before could be stored in the pack or worn. If worn, it removed 4.8 pounds from the bag. They were told to get used to wearing the belt.

There were canisters filled with some powdery stuff, labeled “water purification.” A small chart explained their usage. A few other small gadgets, a compass, a flare gun, and a pistol were carefully packed into a waterproof container. The ammunition weighed close to fifteen pounds. Em hoped he would not need that. The food packets weighed a mere 10.2 pounds. It was difficult for Em to believe that he could survive for six weeks on that small amount of food.

The most amazing items in the bag were the clothes and boots. There were three pairs of pants, three shirts, long sleeve, three pairs of socks, underwear, one rain slicker, one stocking cap, all packed into a smaller canvas bag. It weighed only six pounds and measured just seventeen inches by seventeen inches. Remarkable!

The last thing the two of then inventoried was the first aid kit. The size of a cigar box, it held unimaginable things. Aside the bandages and tape, there were pills in several different colors. Em could only imagine their use. There were clean rags and iodine. There was enough iodine for an entire family to use for the better part of their lives. There were three different kinds of antivenom serum. At least, Em thought, he wouldn’t need that while he was in Hawaii. Two syringes filled with who knew what were secured to the bottom of the kits.

As soon as each bag was closed, they were told to put it on their back and told not to be seen without the bag for their entire stay in paradise.

The rain was still coming down hard. Em thought about what was now left in his bag. He had used some things and replaced some things that he thought would be handy here in paradise. For eight weeks, he had carried it and used it. It now weighed a little less, but Em had gotten so used to carrying it that he felt it was part of him. The weight felt ominously light. Even though he had added a few things, the bag was still considerably lighter than when he began his training.

Em reached into his bag and pulled out what he had decided was the greatest thing produced here in paradise: pineapple. During the past forty-eight hours in the mountains of Hawaii, he had first found the plantation-sized pineapple fields. He had only had pineapple three times in his life before now. He carried three of them in his bag. He knew that as long as it was raining, it was safest for him to sit still, so he sat back on his heels and got comfortable and carved into his breakfast. As soon as it stopped raining, he would signal Jack.

He and Jack had been dropped in separately about five miles apart. The easy part had been finding Jack. The small pieces of mirror that each of them smuggled into their bags had worked just like he had hoped. When the helicopter had dropped him on top of the mountain just after four o’clock in the afternoon two and a half days ago, he immediately climbed to the highest point he could see. From there, he began to scan the horizon all around him. He held his small piece of mirror close to his eyes trying to reflect the sunlight in all directions. He was patient because he knew that Jack was going to be dropped after him. After nearly thirty minutes, he was looking east with the sun behind him when he saw the flash. It lasted just a fraction of a second, but he was sure of what he saw. He kept his eyes on the spot, and within a few seconds, he saw it again. He estimated the distance as only a couple of miles. He knew Jack would never see his reflection with the sun behind him. They had planned for that. Em got a fix on Jack’s position and immediately set out in the direction of the flash. Jack was supposed to gather some sort of protein and nutrition other than their meager food supply. He also would be finding water. After two hours, at the top of the hour, he would again climb a tall tree and shine his mirror toward the west, hopefully signaling Em with his location. This they repeated each half hour until dusk. Before the sun descended fully, Em found Jack.

From there, they made their way east until sunset. Without stopping to find food and eating what Jack had found, they reached their goal with time to spare. Their plan was to beat all previous times for the extreme survival test. Only four others before them had ever made it back to camp in less than seventy-two hours. Finding each other had been essential. Em had been able to smuggle extra food. Jack had hidden the pieces of mirror that they had used in each of their bags. When they found each other, they drew their maps in the dirt and planned where they would spend the first night. Once there, they would get a precious few hours of rest before they would drive themselves to the end with no additional rest.

Once again, the island gods must have been shining on them because their plan worked. Now, Em was squatting on the side of the mountain eating pineapple, waiting on the rain to stop so he could descend upon the camp at the bottom of this one last hill.

Jack was across the valley, set to come down on the other side. Their plan was to come into camp before Sergeant Cannon and the other instructors even finished their coffee. Each of them felt that the daily predawn rain shower would keep even the sergeants inside their tents. As he waited on Jack’s signal, which he would only be able to see when the sun chased the rain away, he thought about the last eight weeks. He tried hard not to think about Corby. He only hoped that Corby could recover in time to graduate with his class. He remembered getting the news of Corby’s accident. That was also the day he and Jack met Christian Jefferson, another member of Colonel Roth’s team. It was also the day before he called home for the first time since leaving in the spring.

For the first three days, Cannon had led them from place to place. They filled out more forms than either of them had even thought possible. All Em worried about was mail. He asked Sergeant Cannon every chance he got. Sergeant Cannon avoided answering, saying he would have to check on that. After Em asked him for about the seventh time, he told him it would be two to three weeks. He said since everything would be forwarded through a California naval station, it could possibly take a month. Hoping his new atmosphere would keep him from agonizing over the silence between him and Irene, he immersed himself in training.

Daily, before sunrise, they began by running. Running and running and running, a little bit farther up the mountain each day. After showers and breakfast, they had school. Sergeant Ramsey told him and Jack that they were like first graders again. “Only speak when you are ordered to” were the first words he had spoken to them. Neither of them was anxious to find out what would happen if they broke the rules. Even though they were fresh from basic training and were used to following orders, Ramsey’s tone indicated that he was not to be argued with.

After a week and half of this, they started other aspects of training. They were never allowed personal time. From reveille to vespers, every minute was accounted for. The only chance he and Jack had to talk was a few minutes each night, right before they passed out from exhaustion.

One night, Jack said, “Em, I’m not even tired; I can’t wait for tomorrow!”

“I know, I feel it too!” Em answered. “There is so much to learn and remember.”

“I’m not talking about that stuff. I mean, we’re gonna do stuff, wild stuff. I think Colonel Roth is the real deal. I’m showing him that I am too! I mean, we are too.” Jack finished with the grin that Em had learned meant “You know what I mean.” The two of them had learned what they thought was everything about each other. Later, they would learn that you never ever really know of what someone would be capable.

They ended each of the first ten nights talking, but the conversations were never more than a couple of minutes long. They were simply exhausted every single night. Their instructors had meant this to happen so they never had time to feel homesick.

The first ten days were just a peek at what they were in for. The training intensified daily. They were pushed and pushed until all they thought about was training. When Sergeant Cannon brought them mail after twenty-nine days, Em didn’t know what to say.

“Never thought I would see you struggle for what words to say.” Sergeant Cannon smiled when he handed Em eight envelopes. He gave Jack three.

Em scanned the handwriting quickly and saw five from Irene, one from Corby, one from his mom, and one he didn’t recognize. He couldn’t wait to open them, but he also wanted to open them in private. He tucked them into his duffel bag. Jack and Sergeant Cannon just stared at him. “What?” Em began. “I don’t know which one to open first, and we have to get back to class, and… there’s just no time to open them now.”

“Unbelievable, Storybook. Nothing but ‘Sergeant Cannon, when can I get mail? Sergeant Cannon, heard anything about mail yet? Sergeant Cannon, wah, wah, wah!’” Sergeant Cannon laughed as he walked away.

Jack just tucked his letters into his bag. The look on his face revealed nothing as usual.

“Hey, you hungry? Let’s get something to eat before class starts.”

The two of them were always hungry. Each of them had gained at least ten pounds of muscle, but they were lean to the bone. Their weight had remained about the same as it was when basic training had ended. Em had got on the train in Kentucky just three months ago. He had gained almost twenty-five pounds. He felt so strong. He wanted His dad to see him now.

They entered the classroom and noticed the new guy at once. He was standing with his back to them. He turned as Jack and Em entered the room. “Good morning, airmen. I’ve been looking forward to meeting the two of you.” Christian Jefferson was dressed in fatigues just like them. He had four stripes on his sleeve. Em thought he looked way too young to be a staff sergeant. He was six foot tall, probably weighed 175 pounds, and he was a black. Em knew that there were blacks in the military, but up to now, he had been surrounded with all white sergeants. The only blacks he had seen were usually in the kitchens.

He introduced himself and told them that he looked forward to working with them. Em and Jack looked at each other, and both of them smiled. They knew that things were starting to take shape. With Sergeant Jefferson, that left only two remaining spots on their team unaccounted for. Neither of them knew anything about this sergeant that stood in front of them, but they knew that his presence meant their adventure was getting closer to reality.

Each of them shook Sergeant Jefferson’s hand, and he said, “Call me Jeff.”

Then the door opened, and Sergeant Ramsey told them he was ready. The three airmen immediately turned toward the front of the room. Sergeant Ramsey then took control and said, “Have a seat, gentlemen.” He began another boring lecture on diplomatic protocol. Em and Jack used this time to size up their new teammate.

Colonel Roth had told them that he would only use men he trusted completely, so this eased their minds a little. After Sergeant Ramsey spoke for more than twenty minutes, he leaned back in his chair and asked Jeff if he had anything to add. This surprised Em and Jack. They started to fidget in their seats. Jeff stood up and walked to the front of the room.

It became apparent immediately that Christian Jefferson was not your normal black enlistee. He spoke with an authoritative tone and used a slight Southern accent that Em guessed originated in Georgia. Right away, Em could tell he was well educated. He began to tell them stories of travelling in Asia and throughout the Pacific. He had visited most of the countries on a merchant marine ship with his retired navy father. He spoke Japanese fluently and had visited Japan several times before the war. Em could not wait to hear what stories he would tell next.

Jack, being Jack, looked like he wanted to challenge Jeff to a duel. Jack liked being the sharpest pencil in the box. Christian Jefferson looked to be just a little sharper. Em knew his friend Jack pretty well, and he also knew that Jack would eventually get his emotions in check and stow them wherever he kept them when they weren’t on his sleeve. As if on cue, Jack interrupted Jeff, “But how can you be so young and still have done all this stuff?”

“How old do you think I am?” Jeff looked at Jack and said, “Well?”

“You can’t be much older than me and Em.” Jack looked at Em. “Right, Em?”

“Leave me out of it; I say if he has four stripes, he must be old enough!” Em said this and looked down at his notebook.

“I’m twenty-six years old, Jack. Thanks for thinking I’m so young. I imagine looking so young could come in handy someday,” Jeff said. Em felt a calmness surrounding Christian Jefferson. He wondered how a black man could emote such a feeling in circumstances that seemed so unsettling.

Em and Jack and Sergeant Ramsey listened to Jeff tell stories about his encounters with the Japanese people. He talked about them like they were family. Em knew from that minute that there was something about this guy that deserved respect. Although he was young, Em predicted that he was mature beyond his years. He spoke about world affairs and the war as though he were present at every battle and closed-door meeting.

In over an hour, Em did not disagree with anything Jeff said. He noticed Jack’s expression several times. Jack had already about-faced his attitude. Em could tell that his friend planned to use this new opportunity just as he had every one that had arisen in the three months since he had met him. Jack was listening and learning. He sat, mesmerized by Sergeant Jefferson. As soon as Jeff said he also had a pilot’s license, Jack was on board.

It turned out that Em and Jack would spend quite a lot of the next four weeks with Jeff. He became their pseudo-mentor. They trained with him for five hours a day. Jeff had become a master in martial arts. He had trained in southern Japan before the war. Em wanted to know everything about Christian Jefferson. He wanted to know where they would go together when Colonel Roth finally came to Hawaii to pick them up. For the time being, Em just decided to learn as much as he could from this man and figure the rest out as it went along. Jeff talked until lunchtime and then asked Em and Jack to join him in the chow hall.

After Em had finished eating and he and Jack were waiting for the loadmaster to show up to continue their training, he remembered the letters stuffed in his bag and immediately reached for them.

He looked at Irene’s first. One was mailed the day he left Texas. That was over a month ago. He read this one first. When he carefully opened the folded paper, he noticed the top of the page. Instead of the usual “Dearest Emory,” he saw:

Emory,

What’s going on? Did you forget who you were writing to? When I read your letters, it’s as if I’m hearing you. I do not like you telling me lies. Where are you going? And do not lie to me again. I want you to find a telephone and call me at once.

I read Corby’s letter to his sister. He says the two of you are going to separate places and that you are going somewhere secret! Emory, I am going mad! Please find a way to use a telephone and call my daddy’s office.

She ended the letter with a contrite profession of her love. Em knew he needed to call her. As soon as he saw Sergeant Cannon, he would ask him.

He opened another:

Dearest Emory,

I haven’t received a letter in thirty days now. I know there must be a good reason. I read a letter that Corby wrote to his sister Edith. He says you and your new friend, Jackson Turner, were picked for some special dangerous mission. I know how Corby can go on about things, but I have to wonder as to the truth of his words when I do not hear from you. I want to hear that you are safe. I believe the army would at least tell me that much. Your poor mother is beside herself. I have allowed her to read your letters to me, and she most certainly assures me that your words are meant to confuse me. We are both aware of your capabilities with a pen. Please find a way to call my daddy’s office and tell Ms. Parker that you are fine. She will forward any message you give her.

We all love you and miss you very much! Please write soon.

All my love,

Irene

Em looked up and saw Jack looking at him.

“Kind of figured you’d start bawlin’!” Jack grinned and folded one of his letters and stuffed it in his pocket.

“I’m not crying,” Em started. “It’s just that I’m done lying to her. I’m gonna write her today and tell her everything. I don’t care anymore. This ain’t right! I mean, we’re only eighteen, and it ain’t right! If I don’t tell her and my mom and dad, they’ll go crazy.” Em stopped talking and felt a tear running down his cheek. “Oh, shut up!” Em looked at Jack and laughed as he wiped his cheek with the back of his hand. He realized that he had never said that many words to Jack at one time; however, he felt comfortable letting Jack know how upset he was. He meant every word of what he had just said. He was going to insist they be allowed to call home and that he and Jack be permitted to let their families know where they were. Surely, Colonel Roth could not disagree.

The two airmen finished talking just as Sergeant Johnson entered the room. Em would have to finish the letters later. Right now, he and Jack would listen to Sergeant Johnson lecture on how important it was to make sure the load was balanced and secure.

Two hours later, they were walking back to their barracks talking. Jack said, “Won’t be long now, huh?”

“For what?” Em replied.

“Sounds like we’re gonna be hoppin’ all over this planet. Jeff has been everywhere. We are going with him next time!” Jack, with all his confidence, was almost strutting.

“Calm down, Amelia. You don’t know where we’re going any more than I do, and besides, I am calling home today and telling my parents where I am. I’m tired of all this secret stuff. What’s the big secret about me and you anyway? I’m tired of lying to Irene, and I’m tired of paradise!” Em said this last word with disgust in his voice.

“Me calm down? Listen to you!” Jack talked to Em until they were almost to their barracks and calmed him down enough to listen to reason. He told him that losing his temper with Sergeant Cannon would definitely not be the best way to handle the situation, but if he explained that his parents needed to know where their boy was, Sergeant Cannon just might be sympathetic.

Em slowly calmed down and realized his friend was right. First, he would read all the letters, and then he would ask once again if he could phone his mom and dad and Irene. He knew there were only a few telephones in his small town back home, so he would have to call the operator and tell Mrs. Parker that he needed to talk to his parents.

They had forty-five minutes until they had to be at their next appointment, so they turned toward the barracks that had been their home for the past month. Em sat his bag down beside his bed and retrieved his small stack of envelopes. He continued with Irene’s next letter:

Dearest Emory!

It is July 4, and I have not heard from you since June 6. I suppose this darn war and D-Day and some new secret job you apparently have pursued have changed every corner of this world and now has reached into mine. I will keep writing to you and keep loving you. I will have faith that you are safe and that you will return to me that way. I love you, Emory Story. I trust you. I have faith that you will return to me.

The letter continued for three pages, and Irene told him about Corby’s accident. It seemed that Corby had broken his ankle while working on an engine. Apparently, something had fallen on his leg and put him out of commission for a few days. Irene said that his letters to his mom had assured her that he was fine and would heal within a few weeks. He had told her that he would even graduate with his original class. She never mentioned whether he would be going “over there” or staying in the States.

She ended her letter with a profession of undying love. Em felt tears on his cheek for the second time in one day.

“Really, Storybook, enough is enough! When you gonna forget her? She makes you all crazy and turns you into a crybaby,” Jack said as he folded his last letter into his pocket.

“Mind your own business, Jack!” Em didn’t even look up when Jack said this. He folded the letter and immediately reached for another.

The final two letters from Irene were out of sequence and had been written before July 4. Both were full of the same things about needing desperately to hear from him. He folded the last of the five letters from Irene and held them all in his hands for a few minutes. Five minutes went by and Em never moved. His thoughts were of nothing but Irene. He felt that he loved her more than anything. He knew she deserved an explanation. He vowed once again to himself that he would call home and tell her the truth. As soon as he saw Sergeant Cannon, he would demand to call home. He decided this was the surest way to get what he wanted. If Sergeant Cannon said no, he would refuse to cooperate any longer.

He reached into his bag to retrieve another letter and picked the one with his mother’s handwriting. While he read her letter, he felt tears once again. If he did not get his emotions in check soon, Jack would begin to mock him again.

His mother never mentioned Corby or even that she had spoken to Irene. She just told him about everything happening on the farm. His father had set all the tobacco and hired a boy from town to help with the chores. She never said his name. Em could read between the lines. He knew that his mother was distressed. She had taught Em about writing, but she could not hide her feelings from him.

He read all three pages and wiped tears from his face at least five times. Jack never said a word. Em looked at the final two envelopes and set the one from Corby on the pile that contained his mother’s and Irene’s. He held the other envelope in his hand. It looked exactly like the one from Corby. It had the same return address. Em did not recognize the name: “L. Daniels, Biloxi, Mississippi.” He opened the envelope and found a folded piece of paper with tape keeping it closed. On the paper was written “Story, give this to Jack.” Before Em could even reach for the tape that was keeping the paper closed, Jack grabbed it out of his hand.

“What the heck is this?” Jack asked as he tore the tape and opened the folded piece of paper. “Well, son of a—” he said. The look on his face went from amused to furious instantly. “That little son of a—I’ll kill him.”

A light bulb suddenly turned on inside Em’s head. He knew the letter was from Larry.

“I will kill that little pip-squeak!” Jack was getting angrier every time his eyes moved from one side of the paper to the other.

Em tried to look over Jack’s shoulder to read the letter. Jack suddenly wadded the paper into a ball and stuffed it in his pocket. Em started to ask Jack about the note from Larry but, at the last instant, decided not to. He knew his friend awfully well. He was sure that it would not take Jack very long before he told him all about it. Instead, he reached for Corby’s letter.

Jack grabbed his arm and said, “Hey, let’s go. We got a few minutes. Let’s go make a phone call.” Jack practically pulled Em to a stand-up position and turned to go out the door. “Sergeant Cannon should still be in the administration building. I saw him there not too long ago. The telephones are there too, so let me do the talking, and we will get to call home.” Jack said all this before they reached the door that led them outside.

“I don’t know,” Em said. “He might respond to me a little better.”

“No,” Jack said. “I know what to say to him.”

The rest of that night, they spent waiting on Sergeant Cannon to get out of a meeting that was way more important than the two of them. They waited inside the administration building until the young female army air force lieutenant told them to go back to their barracks. She would make sure Sergeant Cannon got their message. Jack was upset. Em tried to calm him down by explaining that they could not call home anyway because it was the middle of the night on the East Coast.

Em spent the rest of that night lying on his bunk. He read Corby’s letter and laughed out loud when he read the story he told about breaking his leg. He knew that it should not be considered funny, but when Corby told how the minutes prior to the engine falling on him went, Em felt a sense of familiarity. When Corby’s sergeant told Larry to move a heavy piece of equipment out of the way so they could have access to the engine block, it was all Larry could do to lift it off the ground just one inch. The other guys were laughing when the sergeant said, “Come on, you little pip-squeak, move it!” Larry lost it. When one of the other guys, who just happened to resemble Jack, echoed the sergeant’s comments, Larry charged at him just as he had done to Jack back in basic training, only this time he missed his target and ran into the precariously balanced engine block. When Corby stepped up to try and stop the block from falling, he got in the way, and the block fell on him. When Corby looked at Larry and said, “You idiot, what were you thinking would happen?” Larry said, “Sorry, Corb, but Jack makes me so mad.” That’s where Corby said he lost it. He said he told Larry that he should beat the crap out of him, but he couldn’t stand up. Larry ran out the room like a little girl. Em could not believe that Larry was still carrying a grudge against Jack. This just made him want to know what was in Larry’s note. He still did not want to ask Jack. He knew Jack so well, so he knew the best thing to do was wait.

He started thinking about everything that had happened that day from meeting Jeff to getting mail to deciding that he would insist on calling home. Sitting here on the hillside, he felt like all that was an eternity ago. That made him think about Irene. As always, the white dress lofted into his mind. He drifted off to sleep with thoughts of her waiting at home in Kentucky.

Em opened his eyes and saw that the sun was beginning to break through. The rain was disappearing once again for another day. Here in paradise, the sun always won. Each day was a carbon copy of the previous one. The rainbow vanished, and the heat wave began. He began to scan the hillside on the other side of the camp, looking for Jack’s signal. When he did not see it, his eyes went to the camp. He saw Sergeant Cannon come out of one of the tents and instinctively ducked behind a tree. When he carefully looked into the camp again and saw Sergeant Cannon, he noticed that this was the first time that he had looked anything but crisp. He really looked like he had slept in his clothes. He looked up just in time to see a quick flash of light coming from the top of the hill directly behind the tent where the men were gathered. He and Jack had discussed how long they would wait, so he knew he had just a few minutes before he would begin to descend. He thought that their plans may be spoiled because all the sergeants were coming out of the tent. He could see Sergeant Cannon emerging from the far side of the tent. Coming out of the front of the tent was Jeff, and following him were two unfamiliar faces. One of the new men looked to be a little overweight, but he seemed to move with surprising agility. Em wondered if perhaps this could be the remaining members of their team. He supposed that he would find out soon enough, so he began his descent into the camp. The plan was for him to approach the sergeant’s tent from the front, and Jack would approach from the rear. They would try to get as close as they could, and hopefully, they would be able to hear what the sergeants had planned for them later that day. No one had ever made it back to camp before three o’clock in the afternoon, and the normal procedure was for the sergeants to “welcome” them with a little surprise. Em and Jack hoped that they could infiltrate the camp and learn what the “surprise” was.

As he got lower and lower on the hill, he kept one eye on the tent that Sergeant Cannon had come out of. He tried to keep some sort of obstacle between himself and the eyes of the other men. He also diligently looked for a sign of Jack coming down the other side. He thought he caught a glimpse of movement in a clump of trees directly behind the tent. He hoped that Jack would have patience and not give them away. Em looked and saw that if he timed it right, he could get within fifty feet of the tent and conceal himself behind some barrels. He saw a place behind the tent where Jack could get within twenty or thirty feet if he were careful. He knew that one of them had to get close enough to hear the conversation. He remained in a crouching position as he scooted down the hillside. The sergeants were paying them no attention whatsoever. It looked like the chubby one was telling a story, and the others were laughing out loud. Em thought that now was as good a time as any to make his way toward the barrels. Besides, he really wanted to know what was so funny. He meant to descend slowly and quietly, but the recent rain had made his way awfully slick. He came out from behind a tree and slipped on the wet fernlike ground cover. It sounded to Em like all hell broke loose, but when he came to a stop about twenty feet down the slope, he looked up to see that the sergeants still had not heard a thing. He crouched behind a small, leafy, hedgelike shrub. The sergeants were still listening and laughing at the new guy’s story. Em could hear his voice now.

“And then this Larry kid just jumps on him from behind and starts pumping his fists into the guy’s skull. I tell ya, I was about ready to split my pants. This little pip-squeak was beatin’ him in the head so hard I thought his brains was gonna spill out. That’s when this other fella grabs the little guy and throws him down on the ground and turns to this big kid and says, ‘You’re lucky I pulled him off ’cause I don’t think he would have let go until he pulled your ears off. I told you not to call him pip-squeak.’” Em could see that the fat sergeant was out of breath, and the other sergeants were still laughing. The big guy took a deep breath and said, “The little guy then gets up and lunges at this big kid again like he’s gonna rip his throat out, and I’ll be damned if that big oaf didn’t jump like a little girl. I was watchin’ it all from my office. And I really didn’t think the little Daniels kid could hurt anybody, so I just figured it would be good entertainment. Besides, it wasn’t the first time I broke something up with the Daniels kid. That little shit had a real cruel side to him. It looked like things was calmin’ down, so I turned around for just a second and missed what happened next. All I know is, about ten seconds later, I heard a crash and a loud scream, and I turned around, and the Cook kid was under the engine block.”

Em just about gave himself away when he reacted to the story he was hearing. So now the world was just getting smaller and weirder. Who was this clown, and what did he have to do with them? He thought the only way to find out was to sit and wait patiently.

He heard Sergeant Cannon say, “Well, Kevil, I know both those fellas and can’t say as it surprises me. Cookie always wanted everyone to get along and honestly made a difference in our barracks back in Texas. Anybody need coffee?” He walked in Em’s direction and picked up the coffee pot from the small propane grill beside the tent. He continued, “But you say that Cookie is all right?” Em eagerly waited for the answer to this one.

The fat sergeant took a long swallow from his mug and said, “That kid is one tough hombre. He didn’t even want to go to the infirmary. He kept saying, ‘I’m all right, I’m all right,’ but his leg didn’t look all right. It was swellin’ up real fast. But he got up and stood on that thing and walked to the parking area and got in that jeep just so easy.” This new guy laughed after everything he said. It was annoying Em a little. His accent sounded like Brooklyn. He was really loud. His face was red like he was holding his breath all the time. Em sure hoped that he was not going to be on their crew. He also wondered why his version of the story differed from Corby’s.

He decided to get more comfortable because he and Jack had felt they might need to listen for a while before they found out what kind of welcome they were going to receive. He had not seen Jack since the one brief flash that he glimpsed while he was still on the hilltop. He looked behind the tent in the direction of the slope where he assumed Jack would hide. He saw no movement.

The sergeants were talking more quietly now. Em could only make out some of their words. He could tell that it did not concern him and Jack. He saw Jeff standing beside Sergeant Cannon. He was quietly telling him something. Sergeant Cannon looked like he was listening very closely. Could Jeff have spotted him, and was he trying not to let on? Em sat as still as he could and kept his eyes on them. He used his peripheral vision to scan for Jack. He still did not see any movement at all from behind the tent. If he could only talk to Jack and find out exactly where he was, he would feel better.

Just then, he saw Jeff and Sergeant Cannon look directly at the steep slope where he thought Jack would be hiding. Em held his breath and waited for them to walk toward Jack. Sergeant Cannon picked up his pace and walked toward the back of the tent. Em knew that their whole plan was just about to fall apart. Sergeant Cannon got to the edge of the slope and peered over the rim. He turned and motioned for Jeff to join him. Em waited for Jack to stand up while he watched the two sergeants look over the edge. Jeff pointed into the crevice, and Sergeant Cannon shook his head. Then Jeff pointed to a grove of trees in the opposite direction. Sergeant Cannon then nodded his head, and both of them walked toward the trees. Em thought that Jack had to be in those trees.

“What are you looking for?” Em just about screamed. Jack had crept up behind him and was sitting only two feet to his left.

“What the heck are you doing over here?” Em asked him.

“I thought they were going to see me, so I moved over here. I’ve been watching you all morning. You have to be more careful. I think Jeff saw you one time. Did you hear anything? I think that fat guy is on our team. I heard him talking about engines, so he has to be the mechanic. He’ll never be able to keep up with us though. I bet he is just going to train our mechanic. We’ll be going places that we gotta get out of quick. He could never keep up.” Jack was talking so fast that Em just about forgot where they were.

“Be quiet, you idiot.” Em looked at Jack and wanted to laugh. Jack had tried to camouflage himself with dirt and leaves. He looked rather pathetic. “You look ridiculous,” Em said.

“Yeah, but they’ll never see me. Look at you, you might as well wave a flag. Don’t you know that anything that’s not green stands out, and you are definitely not green.” Jack looked at Em and grinned. All Em could see was white teeth.

“All right, you do look pretty good,” Em said.

Jack told him that he had gotten pretty close and heard Sergeant Barnes tell Sergeant Cannon it was good to see him again. He also said that he was looking forward to working with him again. Em kept up his vigilance and continued to look out for any movement around the back of the tent. He could not see Sergeant Cannon and Sergeant Jefferson. He assumed they were checking out the grove of trees up the slope behind the tent. He looked at the tent beside the one that Sergeant Cannon had come out of. He thought he heard talking and told Jack to shut up. Em immediately recognized the voice. It was Colonel Roth.

“It’s him, isn’t it?” Jack asked.

“I think so, but I can’t tell exactly what he’s talking about. If they don’t come outside, we’ll never hear them.” Em said this and tried to lean a little closer.

“Who’s he talking to?” Jack whispered.

“I don’t know. I think it’s that guy that was with Sergeant Cannon and Jeff and the fat guy. He had captain’s bars.”

“What?” Jack asked.

“I guess he might be the other pilot. That would make seven of us, and that’s what Sergeant Cannon said.” Em told Jack to shut up again so he could try to hear. It was no use. He could tell by the authoritative voice that it was most definitely Colonel Roth. Once you heard that tone, you were not likely to forget it; however, he could not make out what he was saying.

“We’ve got to get closer,” Jack said. “I bet he’s talking about where we will be going.” Before Em could say a word, Jack was up and running toward the back of Colonel Roth’s tent.

Em just settled in his hiding spot and waited for Jack to get caught. He watched as Jack got so close to the tent that he could surely hear what they were saying. Then he looked in the direction that Sergeant Cannon and Jeff had gone. He still could not see anything. He stood up to get a better view of the hillside. They had disappeared into the trees. Em could see nothing moving on the hill. He wondered where they could have gone. When he looked back toward Jack, he saw him standing behind the tent. He had his head right next to the canvas. However, what happened next made Em crouch a little lower. He saw the flap of the tent open. Colonel Roth stepped out, followed by the captain that he had seen earlier. Luckily for Jack, they stayed in front of the tent. Em turned around to scan the hillside for Jeff and Sergeant Cannon. He still could not see anything but trees and flowers. Where could they have gone?

Colonel Roth and the captain were talking. Em could see Jack sneaking around the tent so he could hear a little better. Em knew that it was just a matter of time before they were caught. He only hoped that Jack would hear something useful before that happened. Feeling like he wanted to just stand up and be seen, Em slowly began to rise. He looked at Jack, and he looked at Colonel Roth and decided that he would just walk toward the tent. Jack suddenly crouched low and waved his arms frantically at Em. Em quickly crouched back into his hiding place and just sat as still as he could. He thought that he would just let Jack reveal himself. Colonel Roth and the captain were talking. They looked like they were oblivious to everything around them. Jack was moving toward the front of the tent. Em turned around and scanned the hillside for Jeff and Sergeant Cannon. They were still nowhere to be seen.

Em turned around to see Colonel Roth and the captain still entranced in their conversation. The looks on their faces seemed to be deep concern. Jack was only a few feet away. He was inching closer. He was not paying any attention to Em. The colonel and the captain suddenly turned and walked in the opposite direction of where Jack sat. Jack just sat still. The two men walked straight toward the coffee pot. They were completely unaware of anything else around them. Jack stood up and calmly walked back toward where Em sat behind the barrels.

Sergeant Barnes sat in a chair drinking coffee. He had his eyes closed and looked rather comfortable. Colonel Roth approached him. The fat sergeant immediately stood up and tried to look busy. He started to fool with the coffee pot. “Hello, Philip. Can I get you some coffee?” Sergeant Barnes addressed the colonel like they were childhood friends.

“No, thanks, Kevil. I just wanted to let you know what was going on and when we were going to be leaving.” Colonel Roth was still talking with his authoritative voice. Em and Jack could hear him easily.

Jack was now squatting behind Em. “I know where we’re going,” he said.

“What?” Em said this much louder than he had wanted to but still low enough to be unheard.

“You are not gonna believe it,” Jack said. “But right now, we have to get out of here. I don’t want Colonel Roth to know we are here yet. Where did Sergeant Cannon go?”

“I don’t know,” Em said. “Why do we have to get out of here?

“Trust me,” Jack said.

The two of them looked around for Sergeant Cannon and Jeff before they escaped by way of the ditch behind the tent. From there, they made their way up the hill toward the area where Jack had hidden just a while ago. Em knew it was not yet ten o’clock in the morning, so they had plenty of time to get back to the camp before their seventy-two hours were up. They hiked for at least half an hour before stopping by the stream they had followed to get back to camp. Em asked Jack all along the trip about what was going on, but Jack just kept hiking. When he finally got him to stop, Jack reached into his bag and got water. After taking two long swallows, he began to talk.

Twenty minutes later, Em had learned that indeed the captain that was with Colonel Roth was their other team member. The only thing Jack had heard Colonel Roth call him was Murph. All Jack knew was they had flown together for quite a few years. Jack told him that they were talking about the next trip they were taking. He had not heard exactly when the trip was to take place, but by the way they were talking, it would be real soon. Jack also said that there was bad news. Colonel Roth seemed concerned that the new guys might not be ready. He told the captain that Sergeant Cannon had assured him that Jack and Em were ready. Sergeant Cannon’s deepest worry was about where they were going. He told the captain that mainland Japan might be a little too hot a destination for a couple of newbies. Em couldn’t believe what Jack was telling him. Could they really be about to go into Japan? To Em, that seemed literally impossible. This was not a time to go into Japan. Jack tried to convince him that they could make sure that they would get to go. According to Jack’s reasoning, if they could make their way into camp and impress Colonel Roth, then along with Sergeant Cannon’s help, they could convince the colonel that they were ready. Em listened to Jack as he tried to imagine what they would be doing.

Jack sat near the stream and washed the camouflage off his face. He looked like he was taking a bath. He wiped the remaining water from his face and shook his head like a dog. Then he got the strangest look on his face and smiled and said, “She’s here.”

“Who’s here?” Em sat up and looked at his friend. He was not yet comprehending all the information he had just received. Now what was Jack talking about?

“Meredith.” Jack almost drooled when he said her name.

So that’s why he wanted to wash his face, Em thought. In Jack’s twisted mind, he thought he was going to see her. “How do you know that?” Em asked him.

“Colonel Roth told his friend that he had flown over with his family, and they were going to be staying here for a few months. He said they just got here today, and he was taking them somewhere special tonight. If we get back and really impress him and not let on we know anything, I know he will let us go.” Jack looked like he was going to burst. He stood up and started to pace back and forth with his feet going in and out of the stream. “I mean, don’t you think he will take us along with him?” Jack looked at Em and waited for him to answer. After a brief pause, Jack continued, “He’ll have to let us do something after two months of training. We haven’t had one day to relax, and if we will really be going to Japan, he has to let us do something.”

“You really are crazy, Jack. He is not going to take us with him and his family. We’ll probably have some other kind of training to do.” Em never really thought this; he just did not know what else to say. “Besides, we have other things to worry about. Like, why did we have to leave camp? When are we going back? Seriously, if we really wanted to impress him, we would get there earlier, right?”

Em started to do what he always did, and that was worry. His mind would not stop thinking about all that was happening. He could not believe that Colonel Roth was going to take them into Japan. He knew that he would go wherever the colonel wanted him to. He worried about Jack and whatever plan was in his head concerning Meredith. He had to find a way to put a stop to that. He never stopped thinking about Irene and wanted desperately to talk with her again. He still had only spoken to her one time. He faithfully wrote every day and mailed the letters once a week. However, he knew that if he was going to Japan, he would call her and tell her. No more secrets, he vowed to himself. “Where do you think Sergeant Cannon and Jeff were going?” Em asked.

“I don’t know, but I’m ready to get this show on the road. Let’s get our stuff together and head into camp. I don’t think we need a plan.” Jack scanned the area and decided that now was as good a time as any. He picked up his bag and started to walk in the direction of the camp. “Em, do you think she still thinks about me?” Jack was staring up through the trees when he said this.

“All I know is you better stay away from her. You’ve been told once by Sergeant Cannon, and now you seem determined to get told by Colonel Roth himself.” Em did not think that Jack heard one thing he was saying.

Jack just continued to walk and stare up into the trees. “I think that Colonel Roth will let us go to that celebration tonight because of the king’s niece.” Jack talked, but Em didn’t know whether he was talking to him or not.

“What are you talking about now? What king and what niece?” Em still could not figure Jack out. His friend often got lost in his own thoughts sometimes.

“Didn’t I tell you? Colonel Roth said that some island king is having a celebration tonight, and he invited Colonel Roth and his men because they helped him with some kind of irrigation.” Jack finally looked back at Em and winked when he said, “We will get to go. She can’t be this close and me not see her.” Em had no doubt in his mind that Jack would see Meredith tonight.

“First of all, you did not tell me anything about a king, and I still don’t think it’s anywhere the colonel will take me and you.” Em felt quite sure of this. “Now let me get this straight. You heard Colonel Roth say that our team was going to Japan, but you did not say what for. The worst thing is we may not get to go. What do you think we will do while they go wherever they go? You said that Meredith was here, but you don’t know where. Now you are counting on going on some family outing with the colonel and his family.” Em had a hundred more things on his mind, but Jack interrupted him.

“There you go again, Storybook, worrying about everything. Tell me one thing. Why? Haven’t we been just fine since this whole thing began? Seriously, the war is just about over. Since we took over Saipan this summer, it’s just a matter of time before we bomb those Japs to smithereens. We are just the cleanup crew. But think about the places we are going. Stop worrying! Just relax and let it happen.”

Em rolled his eyes and looked at his friend and said, “Shut up, Jack!”

The two of them walked at a slow pace and thought about how they would enter camp. Not once did they think about Sergeant Cannon and Jeff. They just kept walking. Em could tell that Jack was still thinking about Meredith. Usually, Jack would stay focused on whatever task he was committed to, but Em could tell that the girl was consuming all his thoughts.

Suddenly, Em remembered Sergeant Cannon and Jeff. “Hey, Jack, we need to watch out for Sergeant Cannon. He and Jeff have to be in here somewhere.”

“Forget about them; let’s just get to camp and walk right in. We are still early, and maybe that will ensure that we get invited to the party.”

“Great plan, MacArthur. That ought to get us an invitation.” Em just paced behind Jack and stared at his feet. He knew he was worrying too much; however, he also knew that he could not stop. Every now and then, he would get overwhelmed by how his life had changed so much. His thoughts constantly went to Irene at these times. He felt that if he could only talk to her, she could calm him down. All the thoughts that were swimming in his head began to take control of his emotions, and he blurted, “Jack, stop. Wait! We have to have some kind of plan. We can’t just walk into camp like we own the place. We aren’t any better than anyone else who has been here. We have to make ourselves look tough so Colonel Roth knows that we aren’t boys anymore.” No matter how hard he thought, his mind was blank. What could they do to make themselves memorable? He kept walking and trying to think and blindly walked right into Jack’s back.

“What the heck? Are you blind?” Jack turned around and looked at Em and laughed and said, “You really worry too much, Storybook.”

“Shut up and keep walking. We’re almost there.” Em could feel his embarrassment in his face. They had reached the place where he and Jack had split up that morning. It felt to Em like that had been at least a day ago. He suddenly became aware of how tired he was. The two of them had only slept for about four hours in the past two days. They took the path that Jack had taken so they would be able to approach the camp from the rear. When the camp came into view, they instinctively crouched low and looked for cover. It had been at least an hour since they had left the camp. Sergeant Barnes still sat in his chair, and even though they were too far away, they assumed his eyes were closed. They continued to scan and saw no other movement anywhere. The wind blew in their direction. They could smell coffee. It smelled heavenly!

“Hey, let’s get down there and get inside the tent and just wait,” Jack said this and seemed to have no other thought.

Em thought and decided that might be possible. Sergeant Barnes certainly looked like he enjoyed his rest. He was probably snoring, Em thought and laughed out loud a little.

“What’s so funny?” Jack still did not turn around. He was vigilant in his surveillance. “Come on, let’s go now! We might not get another chance.” Without making any noise whatsoever, Jack descended about thirty feet and never looked back. Em grabbed his pack and noisily followed his best friend.

They made it to the ditch behind the tent and stopped to take another look around. They could actually hear Sergeant Barnes’s snoring now. Hopefully, Em thought, the colonel had left the flap on the tent open so it would be easier to get inside.

Jack ascended the slope and stooped low and ran to the back of the tent. He turned and mouthed, “Come on!”

Em looked around again and still saw nothing moving and began to climb the slope. Just as he crested the top of the ditch, he heard Sergeant Barnes snored very loud. He could see the back part of the sergeant’s chair and saw his arms stretch out over his head. He scrambled over to the back of the tent, and both he and Jack stopped breathing for just a minute. Sergeant Barnes just adjusted himself in his chair and soon began to snore again. Jack walked around to the side of the tent opposite of where Sergeant Barnes took his morning nap. Em followed Jack and crouched behind him when they were at the corner of the tent.

Jack whispered, “The flap is open.” He quickly stood and casually walked into the tent.

Em scanned the hillside one last time and then followed his friend into the colonel’s tent. He suddenly realized they were going into a colonel’s tent. He looked around once he was inside, and the first things he noticed were the cots. He wanted nothing more than to immediately lie down and go to sleep. Once again, to his horror, Jack was doing what Em knew in his mind was not a good idea.

“What are you going to do, Einstein? Take a nap on the colonel’s bed?” Em stood in the doorway with his pack still hanging on his shoulder.

Jack had already unloaded. He sat on the colonel’s cot and grinned. “I think I will get a few winks.” He lay back and stretched his arms over his head and put his feet on the rail of the cot. “Have a seat, kiddo. You look a little tired.”

Em tried hard to be reasonable and to do the right thing, but when he saw Jack grinning as he lay there with his eyes closed, he felt a small amount of envy and selfishly decided to join him. He slung his pack off his shoulder and put it down at the foot of the cot. He sat down on the surprisingly soft mattress and felt like he could fall asleep sitting up. It did not take long for his muscles to start aching. All his mind would allow him to think was how comfortable it would be to just lie down. He looked around at the dreary canvas tent and realized that nothing important lay hidden inside the colonel’s tent. He began to feel like it just might be all right to lie down for just a minute. He slowly reclined and felt incredible relief at once. He too closed his eyes, and his last thought was “Yeah, I think I could fall asleep.”

Em opened his eyes and immediately felt panic. Oh no, he thought. How long have I been asleep? He bolted upright and looked at Jack. He was snoring. His hands were still stretched over his head in the exact same position. Em jumped out of his cot and crouched near the front flap of the tent. He didn’t hear anything at first. As his mind slowly caught up with his body and came fully awake, he heard someone talking, but at a distance. No matter how intently he listened, the words were muffled. He tried to discern who was talking. He was only sure of Sergeant Barnes. His New York accent was loud and belligerent. The topic of conversation was not apparent. Em turned around and crawled to the foot of the cot where Jack lay. He gently took hold of Jack’s foot and whispered, “Jack, wake up.” Jack continued to snore. Em shook the cot and whispered a little louder, “Jack, wake up now!” Jack suddenly kicked his foot. It nearly reached Em’s nose. “Jack, wake up, they’re right outside.”

Jack sat upright and rubbed his eyes. “Who? What?”

Em looked at Jack and knew instantly that he was not fully awake yet. “Get down here. They’re out there on the edge of the clearing. I can’t hear what they are saying, but Sergeant Barnes is doing all the talking again. Nobody’s laughing this time though.”

The talking was becoming louder now, so both of them moved to the corner of the tent. Unless someone came inside the tent, they would not know Em and Jack were there.

“So what do you think these little maggots are waitin’ for?” Em could hear Sergeant Barnes very well now, and the feeling of being trapped was beginning to overwhelm him. Em had to hide before he had a chance to see who Sergeant Barnes was talking to. Whoever it was remained silent. “Why do you think Philip wants these little greenies? They ain’t gonna know nothin’! We’ll prob’ly have ta babysit them. Little boys, what in the hell does he want with little boys?” This time, Em listened for the response, and much to his surprise, the silence continued. He was sure there were only two of them. He wondered again how long he and Jack had slept.

Jack breathed hard and said, “That’ll be the day when that fat son of a—”

“Hey, shut up!” Em almost said it a bit too loud.

Sergeant Barnes walked in the direction of the coffee pot. That took the two of them away from the tent. Em heard the coffee as it poured into a mug, then heard someone sit down in the chair. From the sound, he knew it was Sergeant Barnes. The chair creaked and sounded as though it moaned. The fat sergeant yawned loudly and began to talk once more, “If Philip takes the two of them to Japan, somethin’ bad’s gonna happen. I tell ya, Murph, they ain’t ready. I don’t have ta meet ’em to know that. Too green! I don’t care if they are back earlier than anybody else. I coulda been back when I was their age. Too soft, they are. Put ’em in a real situation and see how they react.”

“You aren’t going to Japan either, Kevil. This job is a little too hairy. Philip and Jeffrey will probably handle this one themselves. It shouldn’t take too long. There’s just one piece of cargo to bring home. The hard part is getting there. Hiroshima is a military center. For some strange reason, we are not bombing this particular part of the island. Now that Saipan is under control, our bombers can make the round trip. The colonel needs to get in and get out. I don’t think he’s planning on taking his new pets with him. You said something about babysitting. Well, I think you just might get your chance.” Em did not like the sound of Captain Murphy’s voice. He sounded rather arrogant. Em did not think that Sergeant Barnes was even aware that the captain seemed to be talking “down” to him.

“That’s okay with me. I don’t want ta go over there anyway. I’ll stay right here. This place could be my retirement home.” Sergeant Barnes was so comfortable with the officers. Em could not figure out how he became part of their inner circle.

He must be the best mechanic in the service, Em thought. Then he remembered Jack and looked at him as he crouched in the corner. Just as he anticipated, the fiery look of hatred was on his face. He did not have to talk to him to know how he felt. He remained as still and silent as he could and listened for more.

Captain Murphy talked, but he sounded like he would rather be talking to someone else. “If he takes this Jefferson boy with him, things might get more troublesome. He’s going to stand out in the crowd.” The prejudice sound in Captain Murphy’s voice made Em want to confront him. He wisely decided to shelve those emotions for another time. “I understand that he is awfully close to the situation, but getting in there is difficult enough without taking him along. I hope Philip knows what he is doing.”

“You can’t hurt Philip. He’ll whack a few of them Japs while he’s there too, I bet. We’ll have a little R and R and catch up to him in a few weeks.” Em could hear the fat sergeant stretch and lie back in his chair again. The captain stood still. Em could hear him drinking out of his mug.

What did Sergeant Barnes mean when he said he didn’t care if they did get back early? They had to know they were here, but why hadn’t they looked in the tent? He wanted to talk to Jack, but they were too close to the other men. He could still see the look of hatred on Jack’s face. Em knew that Jack did not take it well when someone did not respect him. Sergeant Barnes’s mouth was about as disrespectful as they came. The annoying way he laughed after everything he said already weighed on Em. He could only imagine how Jack felt.

As if on cue, Sergeant Barnes began to speak again, “When Philip gets back from Pearl, you think he’s gonna tell us what the hell is going on?” Em waited on Captain Murphy to reply. After a few moments, it became apparent that he would remain silent. Sergeant Barnes started up again, “If I ain’t goin’ with ’em, then I sure as hell ain’t gonna be babysittin’. My wife ain’t here, and there’s plenty of island girls waitin’ to shake their skirt at me. I been in Mississippi too long, and I’m gonna have some fun while I’m here.”

“You talk too much, Kevil. You should keep your thoughts to yourself most of the time. That mouth is going to be your ruin.” Captain Murphy said this as he sipped on his coffee.

“Yeah, well, somebody has to say it. Jeffrey is so set on them two, and I don’t know why.” Sergeant Barnes then coughed loudly and spit. “Where the hell are they anyway? I thought Jeffrey said they followed them all the way here.” Sergeant Barnes stood up from his chair, and Em and Jack crouched a little lower. Em could tell that he was scanning the hillsides, looking for them. “What the hell are they waitin’ on? I wish the hell they would just get here so we could get the hell out of here.” The exercise must have been hard on the fat sergeant because it did not take long for him to sit back down.

Captain Murphy just stood quietly by and drank his coffee. The sergeant might just as well have been talking to himself. Em could see through the front flap, and the captain suddenly squinted and pointed beyond the other side of their tent. “Here comes Jeffrey and Sergeant Jefferson.” The captain placed his mug on the table and straightened his uniform.

Sergeant Barnes stood up and continued drinking his coffee. Em and Jack were hardly breathing. They heard the footsteps of their two new friends as they approached. Em knew that any minute they would be discovered. He felt he had no other option but to remain hidden. As Sergeant Cannon walked right past him just in front of the tent, he held his breath. The first thing he noticed was that Sergeant Cannon looked sharp again. Em remembered the way he had looked when he had first seen him that morning. Now it was becoming clear. Sergeant Barnes said that Sergeant Cannon had followed them all the way here. Could he and Jeff had followed them all the way? Em never once thought that someone might be following them. He supposed that it would have been rather easy. Their training had taught them to be observant and to be hyperaware of their surroundings, but that did not seem so important here in paradise. It was too easy here in Hawaii, he thought. He felt embarrassed that he nor Jack had thought of this.

“Hey, Kevil, sit back down. I don’t want you to overexert yourself.” Sergeant Cannon walked toward the coffee pot and filled a mug. “Where are they? I thought you said you would see them before they got too close.”

“They ain’t too close. I been here all morning, and besides, I could hear those two comin’ a mile away. If they are so special, then why the hell ain’t they back? They scared or somethin’?” Em cringed when Sergeant Barnes laughed. The only thing he kept thinking was that he must be one outstanding mechanic. He wondered what the other men thought when silence usually followed Sergeant Barnes’s laughter.

“Hey, Murph. You get Philip there?” Sergeant Cannon turned toward the captain.

“I just got back. I took him over to Pearl. He needed to talk to Captain McVay. He’s supposed to give us a ride to Saipan when he takes over the Indianapolis next month.” Captain Murphy smiled when he looked at Sergeant Cannon. “You look a little better. How long has it been since you tracked someone for three days?”

“Way too long. I got aches in places I’ve never felt before. I didn’t get a chance to talk to you this morning. How is Ruth and your daughter? What was her name?” Sergeant Cannon spoke to Captain Murphy like they had known each other a long time.

“Katherine. And she is just fine. As a matter of fact, she is here. She is with her mother. Ms. Kay and Meredith are going to be staying with them for a few months.”

Em felt his legs getting numb and rocked back and forth on his heels to wake them up. He knew that he and Jack were way beyond the point of no return. He decided that their best course of action would be to sit still and listen as long as they could.

That’s when Sergeant Cannon continued, “And you, Kevil, how are Margie and all your brood?” Sergeant Cannon turned and spoke to Sergeant Barnes.

“Ah, she’s still meaner than a rattlesnake, and those kids’ll prob’ly burn New York down ’for’ I get back there.” Then the familiar laughter followed. It was becoming infectious. “I’ll never get back there anyway. This damn war is going to last forever. Them Japs will never give up. We need to bomb them to smithereens.” Sergeant Barnes’s thoughts seemed to continually jump from one thing to another. He belched rather loudly. Em thought he smelled a strong coffee odor as it drifted into the front of the tent. “Where’s these wonder kids at, Jeffrey? Thought you said you followed them all the way here? What are they waitin’ on?” He paused and waited for Sergeant Cannon to reply.

Sergeant Cannon was ready. “Kevil, what if I told you that they were right over there sleeping in that tent?” Em almost fell over and silently tried to back away from the door. “I bet they have been sitting right here all morning listening to everything you said. You still run your mouth as much as you used to? It’s hard to tell what they have found out. If I was them, I would probably sit still and wait for you to tell them something else.” Em knew instantly that Sergeant Cannon was talking to them. Jack looked at him and smiled. There was no doubt that Sergeant Cannon was talking to them. He continued, “What have you been talking about all morning? I guess the boys know that they will be staying with you and Murph for a few weeks. I hope you don’t teach them all the wrong things. But try to let them have a little fun. One thing though, keep them away from Meredith. I have an idea that Jack will definitely attempt to contact her. He doesn’t need the distraction. Think you can handle that?”

“I told you once that I ain’t no babysitter. Why don’t you take them with you? They’re supposed to be a couple of hotshots. I’m sure they’ll help you out over in Jap country. Maybe you can get rid of a few more of them cockroaches while you’re there.”

Em sat quietly and waited for Sergeant Barnes to continue. He knew he could not keep his mouth shut for very long moments. That no one else spoke was a sure sign that all of them knew Sergeant Barnes well enough to know that he would continue.

As if on cue, Sergeant Barnes started again, “I tell ya, Jeffrey, I ain’t planning on spendin’ my precious little free time watchin’ a couple of snot-nosed kids when I could be chasin’ some island girls. Don’t send them with me ’cause them little chickies won’t want me if them two are taggin’ along.” He paused for a brief moment before he hacked up another ball of mucus and spit it toward the front of the tent. “How long you planning on bein’ gone anyway?” Sergeant Barnes was talking to Sergeant Cannon and seemed to totally ignore Jeff. Em thought that Jeff must feel really out of place because he had not heard him speak all morning. “And is he goin’ with you?” Em assumed that Sergeant Barnes was indicating Jeff, but he was still not speaking directly to him.

Sergeant Cannon answered with a slight sound of annoyance in his voice. “Kevil, his name is Sergeant Jefferson. He speaks English.”

“I’m sorry, Sergeant Jefferson. I didn’t mean no disrespect.” Em thought that Sergeant Barnes’s apology did not sound very sincere.

Still, Jeff never said a word. Em had come to think of Jeff as the most confident man he had ever met, and he refused to believe that he would remain silent. When Jeff remained quiet, Em thought that something must be troubling him. Jeff had become a very good friend of Em and Jack. Both young airmen had spent a lot of time over the past month following him around.

Before Em had time to dwell on this, Sergeant Cannon spoke again. “Hey, Kevil, why don’t you and Murph go ahead and head back to Hickam, and me and Jeff will stay here and wait on the boys. They’ll be here shortly. There isn’t going to be any big surprise waiting on them anyway. Philip wants all of us to be there for the king’s celebration tonight. We’ll break camp and be right behind you. I think you need to get out of here before you tell the boys anything else. I believe they have learned enough for one day.”

“Oh, shut the hell up, Cannon. Them little shits ain’t nowhere near here. I coulda heard ’em a mile away. You said this mornin’ they made more noise than elephants while you was followin’ them.” Once again, the laughter followed. He sure thought of himself as funny. Em thought that the silence from the other men would surely give the sergeant a clue, but he just laughed louder and did not stop until an extremely loud belch interrupted his guffaw. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and continued, “Where the hell are we supposed to be goin’ tonight anyway? What kind a damn king is this clown? I thought we put a stop to that a long time ago.” Once again, the laughter.

That’s when Sergeant Cannon approached Sergeant Barnes and told him that he should respect the islands and their gods, or something bad could happen. He told him that the natives had been here for thousands of years, and no matter what the good ol’ USA thought, the king was still a pretty big deal. He also reminded him that the king and Philip were longtime friends, so it would be a very good idea to attend and be pleasant. Then he laughed and slapped Sergeant Barnes on the back and said, “Well, as pleasant as you can be.”

Em breathed a long sigh of relief when Sergeant Barnes and Captain Murphy said they would gladly head on back and let Sergeant Cannon and Sergeant Jefferson be in charge of the camp breakdown. He even sat back on his butt when he heard them start to slowly walk away. He knew what was coming next. He looked at Jack and waited for Sergeant Cannon to beckon them out. Jack was grinning.

“C’mon out, you two. Really, all the noise you made coming across that mountain, and you walk right in the colonel’s tent. If Kevil knew you were in there, I probably would not leave you with him. He already thinks you two are overrated.” Sergeant Cannon did not come toward the tent but just waited on them to come out.

Jack stood up and stretched and yawned. All Em could do was laugh. He crawled near the front flap and parted the screen and emerged into the bright sunlight. He squinted his eyes and held the flap open for Jack. Sergeant Cannon was smiling, and Jeff was just standing there with a look on his face that said, “Shame on you.”

“What do you two think you’re doing? You know that tent belongs to Colonel Roth. Were you really sleeping in there? Don’t answer that. I don’t know how much you have learned today since we left you after we reached camp this morning. By the way, I showered, and it should feel good. I’m sure you have a load of questions, but we don’t have much time. Just listen up.”

He only spoke briefly and told them that they would be staying here in Hawaii with Captain Murphy and Sergeant Barnes. He told Jack to stay away from Meredith, but then he winked at him. Em thought that was a new development. When Jack whined about not needing a babysitter, Sergeant Cannon reminded him that Captain Murphy was one of the best pilots that he had ever known. He had flown more types of aircraft and with more important people than Jack would ever know. Then he made sure that he knew that Sergeant Barnes could fix any of those aircraft better than anyone he had ever known. Jack instantly got the message. His demeanor changed immediately. Sergeant Cannon’s instinct was quick. Em felt that Sergeant Cannon really did know them well. Jack asked about the celebration that was happening. Sergeant Cannon told him to keep his pants on, and he meant it literally. Jack broke into a grin full of teeth and then asked if he was going to be able to take a shower. Jeff was eerily quiet. Sergeant Cannon laughed but not in the way Em knew meant that it was genuine. Something was wrong with Jeff, and Em really wanted to know what. Another mystery to solve. Sergeant Cannon wrapped up his conversation with them by informing them that he and Jack would be breaking camp. He and Jeff took off over the hill and turned and waved before they disappeared.

Jack became his arrogant self as soon as they were alone. “Tonight! Tonight! I am going to see her tonight! Come on, hillbilly, let’s get this done.”

Two hours later, both of them were showered, and Em had actually had to shave. He didn’t remember exactly when his whiskers had begun growing on a daily basis, but he quickly decided that he was not a fan of shaving.

Jack was strutting around with a towel wrapped around himself. He was trying to sing. It was not one of his strong points. His arrogance was taking over. “Meredith is waiting on me,” he said this and puffed up a little bigger.

“Calm down, Romeo. How do you know she still wants to see you?” Em was quite certain that Meredith was somewhere on this island counting down the moments until she was with Jack again. He remembered the way she looked at him back in Texas. He felt certain that her feelings for Jack had intensified. Jack was sure of himself. He anticipated spending time alone with her. Em thought Jack was kidding himself. Meredith’s mother was never going to let her alone with Jack. She didn’t even know him.

Jack turned around and smiled even bigger and said, “Oh, she still wants Jackson. Look at these guns.” Jack flexed his muscles and posed in his most provocative way. Em snickered and threw a towel at him.

“Get dressed and let’s go.” Em walked out of the barracks latrine and went to his bunk. He thought he had time to write a couple of pages to Irene before they had to meet Sergeant Cannon. He felt strange dressed in his civilian clothes. It was the first time he had worn anything but his military fatigues in over three months. The shirts that Sergeant Cannon had given him and Jack to wear were hideous. He wanted to toss it into the garbage, but Sergeant Cannon told them that he expected them to wear it tonight at the engagement ceremony. Sergeant Cannon had given the boys two hours to rest and get showered. Neither one of them was feeling the effects of their three-day trek through the mountains. The adrenaline rush of actually going to a party was fueling both of their energy levels. Jack emerged from the latrine dressed in the colorful shirt that mirrored the one Em was wearing. If he looked as ridiculous as Jack did, he knew a few laughs would be directed at them tonight.

As Em and Jack made their way to the barracks where the sergeants were staying, Em’s mind drifted directly to Irene. How she would enjoy this celebration tonight, he thought. He missed her and thought of her almost all the time. He was certain of his love for her and promised himself once again that he would do anything he had to do to make sure he went home to her. He awoke from his daydream and ran a little to catch up with Jack.