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“Sergeant Major?”
His eyes squinted. He peered back at me.
“You picking up what I’m putting down, here? I said your wife is—”
General Burke stopped abruptly, mid-sentence, and his whole countenance changed. A look of enlightenment crossed his face.
“You knew, didn’t you?”
I couldn’t answer. I couldn’t lie to this man who’d been a mentor for so long, nor could I tell the truth.
“This is some kind of a love triangle, isn’t it?” he asked, leaning forward to steeple his fingers together. “It’s not cheating. It’s something… else.”
Once more I didn’t know what to say. Burke was a traditionalist, a steadfast husband, a family man. I couldn’t very well tell him anything remotely close to the truth.
And then he toldme.
“Look, I’ve lived through the 70’s, son,” he said, as if that explained everything. “I’ve seen my fair share of ‘free love’.” He paused. “Hell, maybe a little more familiar than you know.”
His eyes softened. He was still expecting something, though.
“It’s… complicated,” was all I could finally say.
Awkward seconds passed, but eventually I could see the man behind the rank. I could imagine him young again. Free. Torn from his last year of high school or maybe college, and thrust into the jungles of Da Lat, or Nha Trang. He was a person way before he was a legend. Someone who was rash. Impulsive. Someone who made his own mistakes, and followed his own heart.
“Look son, what you do in your personal life means nothing to me,” the general said. “What matters here are a man’s deeds. His accomplishments.”
He pointed to the desk with one withered finger. His expression was stern, but admiring.
“Everything you’ve done has been without hesitation, or even the slightest hint of anything but bravery,” Burke went on. “I know the type of man you are, because I know your deeds. And as far as I’m concerned, you’ve already paid far more debt to society than you can ever owe.”
I sank further into the chair, feeling a chill go through me. Our ranks were gone all of a sudden — stripped away by the complexities of shared experience across multiple generations. It left us sitting there as nothing more than two men. Two grizzled warriors who shared the same love of country, of duty, and of respect.
“I couldn’t hold you back even if I wanted to,” General Burke said. “And I don’t want to. As much as we need men like you, we also need to recognize when someone wants a different life, a different path.”
His face, withered by time, broke into what looked suspiciously like a young man’s smile. He pointed toward the door.
“So go, Jace,” he finished. “Live that life. Enjoy… whatever.”
Now he did smile, and the smile warmed my heart.
“You don’t need my blessing because you’ve always had it,” the general finished. And with that he grunted, nodding firmly. “And you always will.”
