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Castillo thought: He's getting plastered. Does he have a problem with the sauce?
"Tonight," General Wilson said, "my daughter's broiling steaks for her fiance, Randy-Randolph-Richardson, and some other of his-your-classmates. I presume you know him?"
"Yes, sir, I know Lieutenant Richardson," Miller said.
"Righteous Randolph," Castillo said, and shook his head.
"I somehow suspect that my announcement that you're about to get together with some of your classmates is not being met with the smiles of pleasure I anticipated."
"Sir, with all respect," Castillo said carefully, "I don't think our having supper with Lieutenant Richardson is a very good idea. Could we pass, with thanks, sir?"
"I've already told my wife you're coming."
"Yes, sir, I understand," Castillo said. "Nevertheless, sir, I think it would be best if we did that some other time."
General Wilson stared at Castillo for a long moment. There was no longer a question in Castillo's mind that the general was feeling the drinks.
"Okay," Wilson said, "what happened between you?"
Neither Castillo nor Miller replied.
"That question is in the nature of an order, gentlemen," General Wilson said, and now there was a cold tone in his voice.
"A book fell off a shelf, sir," Miller said. "Striking Cadet First Sergeant Richardson on the face. He alleged that his broken nose had actually been caused by Cadet Private Castillo having punched him. An inquiry was held. I was called as a witness and confirmed Cadet Private Castillo's version. Richardson then brought us before a Court of Honor."
"For violating the honor code? 'A cadet will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor tolerate those who do'?"
"Yes, sir."
"And?"
"We were acquitted, sir."
"As a purely hypothetical question," Wilson said, "why would a cadet private take a punch at a cadet first sergeant?"
Neither replied.
"Your turn, Castillo," General Wilson said.
"Sir, in the hypothetical situation the general describes, I could imagine that a cadet private might lose his temper upon learning that a cadet first sergeant had gone to his tactical officer and reported his suspicions that a cadet lieutenant had arranged for a car to pick him up at the Hotel Thayer with the intention of going to New York for the weekend."
"Had the cadet lieutenant done so?"
"Yes, sir."
"Who was he? A friend?"
"Me, sir. When my tac officer called me on it, I admitted it, and he had no choice but to bust me, sir."
"For just sneaking into the city on a weekend? I did that routinely."
"I was on academic restriction at the time, sir," Castillo said.
"Oh, God, you are your father's son," General Wilson said.
"Sir?"
"We had a captain who had the unpleasant habit of grabbing the nearest soldier and having him clean his bird. I'm not talking about shining it up for an IG inspection. I'm talking about getting rid of the vomit and blood and excreta with which they were too often fouled. Your father told the captain that the next time he grabbed our crew chief to do his dirty work, he was going to shove him headfirst into a honey bucket. You know what a honey bucket is, presumably?"
