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“Naw, but me and the guys –“
“Then you need to wait, like I’ve told you before,” John snapped and turned back to the map. There were caves and trails throughout the hills that were being used for munitions and hiding. He would be haunted if he led a bunch of young, naïve fools like Cooper to their deaths. The boy was probably still wet behind the ears with a high school sweetheart at home, promising to wait on him.Good luck with that,he thought bitterly, tinged with envy and sadness.
“Here and here, so we don’t get pinned down,” John suggested, pointing at the ridge just off to the left of the map. “We can sweep West to East and hold it with far less resistance or chance of casualties. If we go in here, there is too many civilians close by. I don’t want to risk my men nor anyone else.”
After several moments, it was agreed and radioed to the other unit on the far side of Ghanzi. Friendly fire was a real threat when you were scared and aiming at a shadow from a distance. They were Seals and deadly with a gun. He heard the crackle of acknowledgment and coordinates, nodding to confirm. They would head out in the morning first thing.
Cover of darkness was a myth and only worked if you were on home territory, or so he believed. He’d rather have a shot at seeing his targets than to be caught by surprise. Perhaps if they had more night vision goggles or equipment it wouldn’t be so bad, but the last drop had been shot down by missiles and intercepted. The enemy had the precious goggles, making them even more dangerous than before.
Exiting the tent into the bright sunlight, he slipped his sunglasses back on and pulled a cap low on his head. The sun beat down hard on them, and it would almost be comical if it wasn’t so sad about the tan lines they’d all developed over time. His shoulders, arms and chest were extremely dark, but his feet were nearly milk white inside his shoes. The glare from his pale skin was near about as bright as the sun overhead.
He stopped at the medical tent to get some aspirin for a raging headache he was developing. The stress and strain were getting to him. Booze was available but with his outing tomorrow, he’d not touch the stuff, and try to find another way to unwind. Perhaps he’d lie in his bunk with a rag over his eyes and try to focus on a well-deserved vacation.
Maybe the warm salty breeze of the gulf coast with the ocean breaking in the distance. Perhaps the Deep South, where old oak trees that were hundreds of years old stretched across the grass. Limbs dripping with Spanish moss that made you yearn for a hammock and a tall glass of iced lemonade from the humidity in the air. Maybe he’d visit Seattle on his next leave?
Cooper was from there and had done nothing but yammer repeatedly about how cool it was there versus the rainy season back home. He said there was moss everywhere and it set his imagination alive. He could picture lichens, ferns, and a stunning emerald forest that came alive with vegetation and wildlife. He wasn’t sure if it was accurate or not, but it was his dreams – they could be whatever he wanted. John noticed as he left the tent, that he was getting stared at strangely.
“What?” he barked, stopping to look himself over. Did he have a sign on his back or toilet paper trailing from his shoes? Men were looking at him almost curiously with a smirk on their faces. If he had marker on his face like Cash had when he first arrived, he’d beat the culprit to a pulp and teach the others to leave him alone.
“C’mon Radar,” he whistled and patted his leg. Radar fell in line beside him like clockwork. “Why can’t more people be like you? You don’t question, you don’t talk back,” he muttered, ruffling the dog’s head affectionately as he strode towards his bunk space. As he stepped inside, the dry heat hit him, along with a faint whiff of rancidity.
“Deodorantisa necessity, boys - Use it. It’s too hot here for you ‘ladies’ to go without,” he muttered, letting the door drop behind him. Instead of snide comments at his remarks, he was surprised to hear a few catcalls and whistles.
“Got a little something sweet on the side there?”
“Ol’ man’s got a little missus back home waiting for him!”
“Is it your birthday? Who gets to do the honors for the spankings?”
“Got yourself a lady friend, Griff?”
“What are you morons prattling on about?” He asked and then saw it sitting there on his bunk in the corner. A large box was being eyed by every man that shared his tent. Apparently, several had already inspected it over because as he got closer, he saw Lily’s name in the corner.
“Well, I’ll be…” he breathed in surprise and felt himself smile in anticipation. The kid that sent the Twinkies had written him back. Radar sat beside him, her tail wagging happily before barking. John immediately stopped and looked at his dog in confusion and concern. It was a happy bark, not an alert.
“What?” he said playfully to his dog. “You think this is for you?” A loud answering bark quickly followed. She danced about in a circle and put her paw on his leg, making him laugh. “C’mon up here,” he ordered, patting on his bunk. You could have heard a pin drop behind him, making his conscious twinge. Maybe he was too rough on the guys because they were acting like he was a monster.
“It’s from the kid,” he announced suddenly, surprising himself. “You guys want to see if she sent more Twinkies?” John grinned. He was quickly surrounded as he whipped out his pocket knife and delicately cut through the tape. Opening the box, he saw the envelope on top and immediately tucked it in his shirt pocket. He heard the groans of envy and glanced down in the box.
Puppy treats and a bone for Radar! No wonder she was pacing so happily. He quickly unwrapped the bone and gave it to the dog. She immediately went to town, gnawing happily, grunting and working it between her paws to hold it steady.
There were drawing pencils, paper, envelopes and stamps. More Twinkies, of course – but there was also Chapstick’s, a large bag of beef jerky, a few lottery scratch-off tickets and toiletries. Pine scented body wash, deodorant, and shampoo. Small packages of chewing gum had been hastily shuffled everywhere in the mix of goodies. He popped the cap off the bottle and peeled back the foil seal, breathing deep the clean pine scent and closing his eyes in happiness.
Home.
This was an unexpected blessing and gift he’d not expected at all. No wonder everyone was staring at him as he walked through camp. The box was large and barely anyone got packages, much less letters anymore. Mail was precious and packages were infinitely more so. Generously, he handed out packages of gum to everyone until he ran out. He gave out the scratch tickets as well.
“If you win? I’m mailing it back to her,” he ordered, a gentle reminder that it was for fun and basically useless here. He sat down beside Radar and opened the letter.
“Read it out loud!” was shouted, and he nodded. He unfolded he paper and smelled a faint perfume. He found himself sniffing the paper before he realized it and cleared his throat. As he read the letter, he found himself hesitating as he realized it was a grown woman that had mailed the package.
Lily wasn’t a kind-hearted kid, but rather a teacher with the heart of an angel. How could someone be so nice to a perfect stranger, so giving? He was nobody and had been blessed to have been assigned the number that paired her letter to him. Luck of the draw, and he felt like he’d won the lottery. Several of the men began patting him on the shoulder and laughing. One guy grabbed him and kissed him on the cheek playfully, mocking him as he sang “Oooooh Griffin, you ol’ stud, you!” in a sing song voice.
John broke his pinky finger when he hit him.
He regretted it immediately as he stormed back to the medical tent with the other man in tow, holding him by the scruff of his neck while they walked inside. The young man who decided to take it upon himself to mock him in front of everyone, now needed an icepack and to have his nose reset. John needed a split, more Tylenol, and an icepack himself for his hand.
“What happened?”
