Page 63 of What We Had

Lee blinked once, rolled his head to look at me. “Hey, man.”

“How we feelin’ today, brother?” A barely there shrug. “Shit. That fuckin’ sucks. We got some strippers coming in.” The faint whisper of a smile formed. Almost non-existent. But I could see it. I pressed on. “They’re discount, though. Flew them in last night. I guess there’s a full set of teeth between them.” The smile grew. “One of ’em is missing a leg. She’ll be for me. Fucked up leg buddies, y’know? Did you want the one with three tits? I heard she grew up near a nuclear power plant.” A guffaw burst from his lips. He swung his arm out to smack me. I ducked it easily. “Shut the fuck up, Clarke,” he said through his laugh.

“Hey, man, if you wanna let your pecker go to waste, that’s on you.”

More laughing, but only for a few seconds. A sob caught in his throat at the end. Lee clamped down, bit his lip, then looked away.

“Wanna hear what’s happening to Harry Pooter right now?”

“You fucking idiot. You mean HarryPotter?”

I raised my shoulders. “Oh, is that what it’s called? I guess that makes more sense. Anyway, so, like, they’ve got wands that do shit.”

I continued to tell him the monotony of the book’s plot but spiced it up with as many swears and innuendos as I could. I didn’t expect him to laugh or smile again, but I knew I kept his mind off of whatever it was that he saw. He still wouldn’t admit it to anyone but our superiors. That’s fine—he had his secrets and would share them when he needed to.

As I spoke, I realized someone had been staring at me, that civilian from earlier, escorted by Marcus.

“Clarke, Lee,” Marcus said, “this is Eddie Redmond.”

I stood, secured my hobbled leg with the cane. “Mr. Redmond.”

“Nice to meet you,” Eddie said with an amiable smile. “I’m with a studio back in LA. We’re here scoping out potential scenes for an upcoming film. Wanted to keep things realistic. Have you been here long?”

I chatted with Eddie for the next twenty minutes until my leg gave me trouble. Then, we walked over to the recovery area where I could sink into my recliner while he pulled up a stool to chat. He had the best set of teeth I had ever seen in my life, his voice easy and relaxed, as if we had been friends my whole life. He complimented me on my attitude, commenting on the way I interacted with those around me, especially Private Lee. Told me I was a “good lookin’ kid,” but not in a predatory kind of way. Almost fatherly.

For the next three days, Eddie stuck around and visited with me. He talked endlessly about the process required to make a film. He revealed that DoD communications officials had been in contact with his studio and wanted to show the war in a different light. He received approval to fly out to the base and check shit out. When the subject turned toward me, he asked about my life, what I planned to do when I finished my tour. Shit, his face when he found out my mother was Cordelia Clarke.The Affair on Ministerial Drivehad been released four years prior and he detailed how he had been involved behind the scenes with that movie.

On his third day there, Eddie had managed to reserve a private room off of the infirmary and set a time for us to meet. Told me he had something important he wanted to run by me and how it should be done in private. My original thought was that he wanted to get in touch with my mother to turn another one of her plays into a movie. I wouldn’t give in—that was her business, not mine. But it was cool to know the Hollywood man needed something from me.

I was on my way to that meeting when Marcus stopped me. He looked angry. Maybe disgust? I couldn’t read his face.

He had a hand on my chest to stop me from moving forward. “Hey, you got a call on the family line,” Marcus told me.

Bennett, I thought.Benny is calling me. At the same time, the door to the private room opened and Eddie leaned out. “Connor—hey. You should come in. I’m on the phone with some people who really want to talk to you.”

I spun away from Marcus. “What? Really? Like who?” I asked Eddie.

“Execs, man.Castingpeople. They don’t like waiting, though.”

I turned to Marcus. “Who is calling for me? Is it an emergency? Was his name…” I stopped myself. I mouthed the word “Bennett” to Marcus, as he was the only one present aware of my circumstance.

Marcus looked away when he answered. “Um, no.”

“Connor?” Eddie said.

He knows about Bennett. He would tell me if it’s him.“Tell them I’m busy,” I said.

At that, Marcus grinned. “Absolutely. Hey, let me know how it goes in there, all right? If you become some big movie star, we gotta stay in touch.”

I snickered. “Big movie star, ha.” I shook my head. “Yeah, we’ll stay in touch, lieutenant, don’t worry.”

I stuck to that promise, too. Marcus was the first person I reconnected with after my discharge. He flew all the way out to LA to see me. Helped me with my broken heart. Helped me with my broken body.

I used my cane to help me walk into Eddie’s little makeshift office. The phone was on speaker as I sank into one of the shitty chairs. Eddie sat down beside me.

“Hey, guys, I’m here with Connor. Say hi, Con.”

“Um. Hey, everyone.”

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