Notice: Function _load_textdomain_just_in_time was called incorrectly. Translation loading for the twentyfifteen domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /chroot/home/a6f7779a/9d7429a5d9.nxcli.io/html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6170 {"id":828,"date":"2016-12-15T21:23:18","date_gmt":"2016-12-16T03:23:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/?p=828"},"modified":"2016-12-15T21:24:33","modified_gmt":"2016-12-16T03:24:33","slug":"okinawa-part-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/?p=828","title":{"rendered":"Okinawa – Part Two"},"content":{"rendered":"

Okinawa<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Part Two<\/strong><\/p>\n

October 1965<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Alone Again, Naturally<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

After checking in and presenting my orders inside the terminal, I left the Naha Airport in a blue Air Force bus reminiscent of my old Lackland Air Force Base days.\u00a0 The passengers on my flight had been a mix of service members from all the armed forces, since Okinawa was home to bases from all the branches; but by far the Air Force had the most representation, as there were two bases: Kadena Air Force Base, and Naha Air Base.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d been instructed to look for the blue bus with \u201cNAHA\u201d on the destination window, otherwise I\u2019d end up at the wrong base.\u00a0 It was a short ride to the barracks, long bunker-like buildings\u2014each three stories tall.\u00a0 They were situated in groups of four, arranged in a giant diamond shape.<\/p>\n

When I\u2019d checked in at the terminal I\u2019d been given a barracks number of 1203, located in what was referred to as the \u201cNorthwest Quad\u201d.\u00a0 After a few minutes, and having driven off the airport, I heard the driver yell out the name of my assigned quad, and I, along with three other airmen, got off the bus.<\/p>\n

The four barracks buildings were located atop a large hill, and to reach them we had to climb the equivalent of about four stories of concrete stairs.\u00a0 By the time I\u2019d reached the top, dragging my duffle bag and dressed out in my wool uniform and overcoat, I was completely exhausted.<\/p>\n

My instructions had been to locate the administrative office, on the first floor and in the center of the barracks building, and check in for my room assignment.\u00a0 When I finally found the right room, I thought I was about to faint.<\/p>\n

After checking in with the orderly I was assigned a room, thankfully on the first floor, and told that my roommate\u2019s name was Nathaniel Dorman.\u00a0 He\u2019d arrived on Okinawa a couple of weeks before, the orderly advised me so, \u201cunless you get yourself hitched up to some little gook bitch, you will be roomies for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m married.\u201d I informed him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the fuck does that have to do with anything?\u201d he asked sagely, giving me a quick once-over.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t seem to have an answer to that so I just kept my mouth shut.<\/p>\n

Although the barracks buildings were huge, the rooms were not that large.\u00a0 Measuring about ten feet deep and twelve feet wide, by the time you figured in the two beds on each side and the writing-table at the end, there was just enough room for each of us to get out of bed and not run into each other.<\/p>\n

As usual, there was a large latrine at the main center on each floor.\u00a0 The bonus was that the entire barracks building was kept clean by a team of Okinawan men and women, who seemed to be on cleaning duty twenty-four hours a day.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t seem to matter what time of day or night I emerged from my room, or walked in from working any of my shifts, the cleaning crew was working.\u00a0 The floors, made from some type of polished concrete were always gleaming, and the bathroom (latrine) was always spic-and-span.<\/p>\n

There were four large rooms on either side of the latrines where the cleaning crews stored and washed out the various mops, and in the center of each was a very large deep sink.\u00a0 In due time, I would become very familiar with this particular type of plumbing fixture.\u00a0 More on that later.<\/p>\n

Each floor had around twenty, or so, rooms on each side of the latrine, and I was surprised to find out that the barracks rooms were shared by Army and Air Force personnel alike.\u00a0 In fact, a couple of the rooms actually had one Air Force and one Army soldier as roommates.<\/p>\n

When I got to my room I found it was empty, but I saw that one of the beds was neatly made up while the other was pretty messed up.\u00a0 I assumed the made-up one was mine so I claimed it as my own.<\/p>\n

There was a built-in closet with locking doors on either side of the entrance door with enough room and drawers for more clothes than I owned; so after emptying my duffle bag into it there was still plenty of room for more clothing.<\/p>\n

After changing out of my sweaty uniform, I decided that what I needed was a nice relaxing shower.\u00a0 As I got down to my shorts I realized that there were no bath towels in the room.\u00a0 I thought maybe there might be a pile of clean ones in, or near, the shower room in the latrine, and as I started to turn the doorknob, I heard a loud knock on the door.<\/p>\n

Standing behind the door as much as I could I slowly pulled open the door and saw a very short, very old Asian woman standing in the hallway with a stack of towels in her arms.\u00a0 She was wearing some type of yellow bandana around her head, and had on a greatly oversized khaki shirt (sleeves rolled up) and a pair of equally large khaki pants, also rolled up to mid ankle.\u00a0 And on her knobby little feet she was wearing a pair of straw-looking flip-flops.<\/p>\n

Her face looked like it\u2019d been through at least a couple of world wars, and when she smiled the teeth that weren\u2019t missing were pure gold.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey!\u201d She yelled, \u201cYou new GI boy\u2014this room?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh, I\u2019m\u2026yeah!\u00a0 I\u2019m the new guy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo\u2026this you towels\u2026is four\u2026you use this week and next week I come bring four more!\u00a0 Wakari-masu? (do you understand?)\u201d<\/p>\n

I thought I understood what she was trying to tell me, so I smiled and said, \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

With fresh towel in hand, I proceeded to take a very refreshing shower.\u00a0 When I returned to my room, I saw that my new roommate was in.\u00a0 Apparently, he\u2019d just come off duty and was still in uniform.<\/p>\n

\u201cHi,\u201d I said, holding my towel up around my waist.\u00a0 \u201cMy name\u2019s Frank.\u00a0 I hear you\u2019re Nathaniel\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cCall me Nat.\u201d he said, walking over to shake my hand.<\/p>\n

Nate was about three inches over six feet, short reddish-blond hair, and a face full of freckles.\u00a0 He was thin, but not skinny, and looked like he could be a starting guard for any professional basketball team.\u00a0 Hailing from Philadelphia, he\u2019d been in the Air Force for two and a half years, and Okinawa was his second assignment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere you from?\u201d he asked as I turned my back to slip into my white boxer shorts.<\/p>\n

\u201cHouston.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, another Texan.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh?\u00a0 Are there a bunch of Texans here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, but my roomie at my last base was from Texas.\u00a0 Guess I\u2019m just destined to have you guys as roommates.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds like it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long you been on base?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust got here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, great!\u00a0 When do you report to the ADC (Air Defense Center)?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, the orderly that checked me in said that I would be off duty until Monday.\u00a0 So, I guess I\u2019ll just hang out until then.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo why\u2019re you putting on a uniform?\u00a0 You\u2019re off for the next four or five days.\u00a0 Get some civvies on and I\u2019ll introduce you to the guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

So off I went to meet the characters with which I would be spending the next eighteen months.\u00a0 I followed Nat out of our room and down the hallway past the latrine.\u00a0 Just past the showers, there was a large door to the right of the hallway that opened onto a large recreation area.\u00a0 There were several pool tables, Ping-Pong tables, large couches and overstuffed chairs all upholstered in leather, but what blew my mind was a small, but well stocked, snack bar.<\/p>\n

Standing behind the counter was a very small and petite Asian girl.\u00a0 I would later come to learn that an Okinawan company contracted by the Armed Services managed the snack bar.\u00a0 They sold all sorts of toiletries, soft drinks, popcorn, and hot dogs to the inhabitants of our building.\u00a0 Open from seven in the morning until seven in the evening, it was staffed in two shifts\u2014one, by a thin dark-skinned boy with a wild crop of black hair and crooked teeth, and the other by this girl.\u00a0 Although very cute, she was anything but friendly.\u00a0 She always seemed very bothered when someone walked up to the counter to order something, and she would always be very careful not to let her hand touch yours or her eyes meet yours, when returning change\u2014preferring to slam the coins down loudly on the counter and rudely yell out their total.<\/p>\n

Nat walked over to one of the pool tables and called out someone\u2019s name.\u00a0 He ushered me over to a card table and within a few seconds, several young men appeared, pulled out chairs and sat down.\u00a0 He went from person to person, introducing them by their names and service designation, followed by their hometowns.<\/p>\n

I would soon become part of this very close-knit group and would come to learn almost everything about each of them:<\/p>\n

Frank Ram\u00edrez (Ramie), Air Force. \u00a0Puerto Rican and from Brooklyn, he was a dark-skinned budding lothario who had trouble keeping his ample stable of Okinawan girlfriends straight.\u00a0 They were mostly bar girls who usually gave their \u2018not too intimate\u2019 favors to whomever had the most money when Frank wasn\u2019t looking\u2014but that didn\u2019t seem to dissuade his ardor in any way.\u00a0 He loved them all.\u00a0 His trademark was that he didn\u2019t own any civilian clothes that weren\u2019t black.\u00a0 Shirts, pants, shoes, socks, and T-shirts\u2014all black.<\/p>\n

Ronnie Strayer (Roomie), Army.\u00a0 A professional hairdresser from Los Angeles, California, he was so openly gay that at first I found it hard to believe that no one had ever reported him to the base commander.\u00a0 But as soon as I got to know him, I grew to understand what his appeal was.\u00a0 He was just hard not to like!\u00a0 Friendly, hilariously funny, caring, compassionate, and most of all never denying to anyone who he was.\u00a0 But, the secret of his success was simple:\u00a0 he kept his intimate relationships out of the barracks and strictly off base\u2014usually picking up or liaising with Asian guys in one of the many bars in Okinawa.<\/p>\n

Henry Peterson (Hank or Peewee), Army, was barely the minimum height and weight to be accepted for military service.\u00a0 From Phoenix, he loved to drink and sing\u2014and did more of the latter when he over imbibed the former.\u00a0 When sober, he was a \u201cnervous nelly\u201d, often refusing to accompany the group to places he\u2019d not previously visited, worrying that something or someone might cause him to pull and use the six-inch switch blade he religiously carried in his boot.<\/p>\n

Finally, Steven Driscoll (Smoky), Air Force.\u00a0 From Minnesota, he wore black horn-rimmed glasses with lenses so thick they magnified his clear blue eyes to almost monstrous proportions.\u00a0 Frightfully skinny, with ears that stuck out like catchers\u2019 mitts, he wore his hair in a tight flattop and chain smoked constantly.\u00a0 Fearless, easy to anger and quick to use his fists, he was handy to have by one\u2019s side when drunkenly wandering the dangerous Okinawan bars in the wee morning hours.<\/p>\n

Although there were easily more than a hundred residents in our three-level barracks building, this peculiar group of individuals was destined to become my closest friends and confidants, but mainly each of them ended up being my personal protectors during my many stressful months on Okinawa.<\/p>\n

Naminoue<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

After I was introduced to the group, it was Smoky who suggested, \u201cWe should take Frank to Naminoue (Na-me-new<\/strong>-ee)\u00a0and pop his cherry.\u201d\u00a0 Not too sure what he meant, I laughed nervously and nodded first in the affirmative then in the negative.<\/p>\n

Everyone thought that going to Naminoue was a great idea and soon we all departed the rec room and headed to our respective rooms to get ready.\u00a0 Since I was already in civilian clothes I sat on my bed while Nat changed.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, what\u2019s a Naminoue?\u201d\u00a0 I asked curiously.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, it\u2019s a small town a couple of miles outside the gate.\u00a0 Lots of bars, restaurants, and\u2026you know\u2026entertainment.\u00a0 You\u2019ll like it.\u201d<\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t sure I was up to this as I was beginning to feel really tired.\u00a0 Since I\u2019d never been out of the U.S., or crossed so many time zones all at once, I had no idea I was coming down with a giant case of jet lag.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not really hungry right now\u2026\u201d I managed to say.\u00a0 \u201cAnd maybe I should get some rest before I go anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRest my ass!\u201d\u00a0 Nat said.\u00a0 \u201cSon, you need to work that jet lag off!\u00a0 Worse thing you can do now is go hit the rack.\u00a0 Shit, you\u2019ll sleep for a fucking month, then wake up at two in the morning feeling worse than you did when you went to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYup!\u00a0 We\u2019ve all been through it.\u00a0 See, right now it\u2019s about three yesterday morning stateside so your body is ready to shut down.\u00a0 Now\u2019s the time to teach it what time it really is!\u201d<\/p>\n

Now I was confused.\u00a0 \u201cOK, I guess you\u2019re right.\u00a0 So, how do we get to this place?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEasy!\u00a0 We\u2019ll take a base cab to the gate and then find us a \u201csukoshi\u201d cab.\u00a0 (Small\u2026sk\u00f3-shee)<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cA what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSukoshi cab!\u00a0 See, the base cabs are like old American cars\u2026Fords, Chevys, and what-not.\u00a0 But they\u2019re expensive.\u00a0 To drive them on the base, the gook drivers have to have all kinds of fucking insurance and stuff.\u00a0 However, off the base, the sukoshi cabs are what the locals take.\u00a0 They\u2019re little bitty cars, Toyotas and Datsuns (now known as Nissans) mostly, and you can get to wherever you want to go on the island for less than a buck\u2014where on the base it\u2019s just a dollar to get to the gate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, OK.\u00a0 Well, I guess if we don\u2019t stay out too late it\u2019ll be OK.\u00a0 I have to get back to the room to write my wife a letter telling her I made it OK.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWife?\u00a0 Yeah\u2026whatever.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

About twenty minutes later our group headed out of the barracks and on our way down the hill to wave down one of the base cabs.<\/p>\n

Since the cab was a full-sized car we were all able to pile in\u2014albeit a little too snugly, but once we walked through the base gate and I got a view of what the sukoshi cabs looked like, I doubted that even three of us could get in comfortably.\u00a0 Turned out we needed two cabs altogether.<\/p>\n

As we pulled away from the base, I noticed a stark change in the geography of the land, the architecture of the buildings, and a definite change in the air.\u00a0 The smell that had hit my nostrils when I disembarked from my flight several hours hence once again rode in on the breeze that came blasting through the open windows of the tiny four-door Datsun automobile.\u00a0 The driver, reed-thin and dark-skinned, and wearing a beat-up Yankees ball cap, drove the little car like it was some giant Sherman tank\u2014oblivious to the armies of smoke-belching buses, humongous dump trucks, and the occasional Army transport truck.\u00a0 Using his horn,\u00a0rather than his brakes to out-maneuver the crisscrossing traffic at impossibly congested intersections, we bounced and rolled along streets no wider than a normal sidewalk\u2014sometimes coming so close to other vehicles that I felt I could literally reach out and touch them.<\/p>\n

\u201cPhew!\u201d\u00a0 I exclaimed, after sucking in a generous whiff of the air.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, you\u2019ll get used to it.\u201d\u00a0 Nat said.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s the \u2018benjo ditches\u201d you\u2019re smelling.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBenjo ditches?\u201d<\/p>\n

At this, the taxi driver twisted his head back to where I was in the rear seat.\u00a0 \u201cAh\u2014hai!\u00a0 Benjo!!\u00a0 Stinko\u2026neh?\u201d\u00a0 He said, displaying a grand but toothless smile.\u00a0 \u201cHa ha!\u00a0 You no like, neh?\u00a0 Takusan stinko!!\u201d<\/p>\n

I wondered just how long he was going to keep his eyes off the road.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the hell\u2019s a benjo ditch?\u201d\u00a0 I asked no one in particular.<\/p>\n

Smoky, who\u2019d had a cigarette glued to his lips since we\u2019d left the barracks, finally answered me.\u00a0 \u201cSee those little troughs along the side of the road?\u00a0 They look like little gutters.\u00a0 See them?\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked out and did see them.\u00a0 \u201cYeah.\u00a0 I see them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d Smoky said, the cigarette bouncing up and down in his mouth as he spoke, scattering ash to the wind, \u201cthe gooks have these little gutter things go right up to their outhouses where they shit and piss.\u00a0 Then it runs out and along these benjos down to their fields to fertilize their crops.\u00a0 Cool, huh?\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t recommend you eat any of their fresh fruits or vegetables though.\u00a0 Not sure how well they wash them off.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYuck!\u201d\u00a0 I responded, making a mental note of this very pertinent information.\u00a0 \u201cHow come they don\u2019t have sewers and running water?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, some of them do\u2026mostly the richer folks and the hotels and bars.\u201d\u00a0 Peewee answered.\u00a0 \u201cBut there\u2019s a lot of the poorer people that still live in hooches and have outhouses.\u201d<\/p>\n

I saw the taxi ahead of us with the rest of the group slow down and pull to the side of the road.\u00a0 We came to a screeching halt and we piled out of our taxi.<\/p>\n

After settling up, the cabs took off and I found myself in front of what looked like a restaurant, but all the writing on the glass windows was in Japanese.\u00a0 But what really caught my attention was that instead of having a copy of the menu prominently displayed, there seemed to be actual dishes of food placed and displayed behind the large window.\u00a0 Underneath each plate was a small cardboard sign describing the dish in both English and Japanese, and displaying the price.<\/p>\n

I found out later that these were not actual plates and bowls of food, but very well done plastic copies.\u00a0 They looked entirely realistic; so much that if one had been placed in front of me at the table I know I would\u2019ve tried to take a bite.<\/p>\n

The restaurant was busy, but a short Asian man soon put a couple of tables together and seated us.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t seem to have a very good command of the English language, and none of us, especially me, could communicate in Japanese.\u00a0 So, after a lot of pointing and head bobbing by all concerned he seemed to be satisfied and shuffled off in the direction of the kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did we order?\u201d\u00a0 I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, the normal stuff we usually get here.\u201d\u00a0 Nat said.\u00a0 \u201cSteamed rice, some egg rolls, teriyaki beef, and some tempura.\u00a0 Is that OK?\u201d<\/p>\n

Except for the rice, I had no clue what he\u2019d just said.\u00a0 \u201cUh, I don\u2019t know what any of that is, but I don\u2019t like rice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u00a0 What kind of Mexican are you that you don\u2019t like rice?\u201d\u00a0 Ramie said loudly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u00a0 I\u2019ve hated rice all my life.\u00a0 When my mother made it I refused to eat it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cChrist!\u00a0 Anyway, look, the way the gooks make this rice you may like it.\u00a0 You gotta try it anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI doubt it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow about saki?\u00a0 You like that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s saki?\u201d\u00a0 That set everyone at our table to laughing loudly.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoly shit, Frank.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you know anything, do you?\u201d\u00a0 Smoky said, lighting a new cigarette off his old one.<\/p>\n

Before I could answer, the waiter showed back up carrying a medium-sized aluminum pot.\u00a0 He set it in the center of the table and removed its lid unveiling a steaming mountain of white rice.\u00a0 Another waiter followed soon after, walking behind our chairs and setting small bowls down in front of each of us.\u00a0 He made a second round, this time leaving a couple of long white plastic looking sticks.\u00a0 I stared at the sticks and wondered what they were for.<\/p>\n

Peewee piped up, \u201cHey Frank, do you know what those are for?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0 I picked pair of sticks up and looked at them closely.\u00a0 There seemed to be what I assumed was Japanese writing on them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose are chopsticks!\u00a0 Know how to use them?\u201d\u00a0 Peewee asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou use them to eat your food.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked up at the steaming white rice and wondered how I was supposed to pick that up and eat it.\u00a0 \u201cUh, you think I could ask the waiter for a fork?\u201d\u00a0 I asked innocently and the table erupted with loud laughter.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey waiter-san!\u201d\u00a0 Ramie called out.\u00a0 \u201cMy friend wants a fork to eat his food!\u201d<\/p>\n

The waiter turned and joined in on the laughter.\u00a0 \u201cWe no have fork here.\u00a0 Only chopstick!\u00a0 You eat,\u201d making a scooping motion with two fingers towards his open mouth, \u201cvery good!\u201d<\/p>\n

I stared at the two sticks as my friends used theirs to shovel rice from the pot into their bowls.\u00a0 When it came my turn, I mimicked them as well as I could.\u00a0 Nate tried to explain how to hold the two sticks in one hand without dropping them, then pushing them under a lump of sticky rice and depositing the white mass in his mouth.<\/p>\n

While fumbling with the sticks I looked over to the next table where a pair of Okinawan men were sitting quietly consuming their rice.\u00a0 I noticed they were holding the small bowls in their left hand, palm up, three fingers cradling the bottom, with the thumb tightly clamped to the top edge.\u00a0 With each shoveling motion of the sticks, held in the right hand, they moved the bowl close to their mouths and, more or less, shoved a lump of rice in.<\/p>\n

I noted how they positioned the sticks in their hands: again, palm up, one stick placed on the third finger and the other on the middle finger, with the thumb gently resting over the two sticks and the index finger serving as a stabilizer.\u00a0 The sticks were manipulated by simply moving the middle and index finger slightly, and towards the third finger.\u00a0 This caused the stick\u2019s tip to move toward the tip of the other stick, which remained motionless.\u00a0 I also noticed that the hand gripped the sticks near the top, whereas my friends\u2019 hands were very close to the chopsticks\u2019 business end.\u00a0 This seemed to provide more leverage and greater arc of movement for the one stick that moved.<\/p>\n

I picked up the chopsticks and mirrored the Okinawan men\u2019s technique.\u00a0 Almost miraculously, I found that I could not only hold and maneuver the chopsticks, but with my first effort at eating the white rice, I achieved instant success.<\/p>\n

Ramie was the first to notice.\u00a0 \u201cWill you look at that rookie fucker?\u00a0 He\u2019s a fucking natural!\u201d<\/p>\n

All heads turned toward me.<\/p>\n

I continued to move the bowl up and down with my left hand, each time scooping and depositing a load of rice into my mouth.\u00a0 Because I\u2019d been too busy trying to correctly manage my chopsticks, I hadn\u2019t bothered to notice that for one who\u2019d hated rice all his life I was quickly emptying the bowl\u2014and loving it!<\/p>\n

Within a few minutes, the rest of the food came and I found that I absolutely loved every dish.\u00a0 I found that I didn\u2019t care too much for the warm saki, but I quickly developed a taste for the green tea that the waiter had brought as a complement to the meal.<\/p>\n

By the time it came to ask for the check I had mastered chopsticks and formed a lasting fondness for the piping hot olive-green beverage the Okinawans called, \u2018ocha\u2019.\u00a0 (Green tea).\u00a0 Before we left the restaurant on my first day on Okinawa, I had already learned and memorized several words: Hai <\/em>(yes), neh <\/em>(that\u2019s right, or isn\u2019t that so), domo <\/em>(short for domo arigato\u2014<\/em>thank you), and mata neh? <\/em>(see you later).<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Predictably, our next stop was at one of the many bars in Naminoue.\u00a0 They seemed to be everywhere\u2014literally side-by-side for blocks on end.\u00a0 Glitzy multi-colored neon signs announced their just as glitzy names: \u201cBar Tahiti\u201d, \u201cShanghai Club\u201d, \u201cNew York, New York\u201d, and \u201cThe Hula-Hula Club\u201d were just a few.<\/p>\n

Outside of each bar there were always at least two or three Asian girls\u2014and they were dressed to kill.\u00a0 Hair all done up in the latest styles, make-up immaculately applied, and extremely long eyelashes that seemed to flutter in the benjo-scented breeze.<\/p>\n

As we walked along the narrow street the girls tried to outshout each other, inviting us to come in and join them in a couple of drinks.\u00a0 Listening to their pleas, I thought that they were very friendly and apparently hungry for our company.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey,\u201d I called to the group, \u201cWhy don\u2019t we go into that bar?\u201d I said anxiously, motioning to the very active group of extremely attractive females literally jumping up and down to gain our attention.<\/p>\n

\u201cCool it, DeLe\u00f3n, they\u2019re not after your pecker!\u00a0 They want your money, son!\u201d Smoky sagely said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre they prostitutes?\u201d\u00a0 I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cUh, no Frank.\u00a0 They\u2019re just bar girls.\u00a0 Let\u2019s keep walking\u2014I know where to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

We finally got to a bar that was just a degree less glitzy than the rest, but still pretty lit up.\u00a0 There were only three girls standing outside, and their pitches and pleas seemed a little less enthusiastic.<\/p>\n

\u201cSee?\u201d\u00a0 Smoky said.\u00a0 \u201cThey recognize us and know we\u2019re not pushovers.\u00a0 Well, at least not all of us.\u00a0 I ain\u2019t too sure about you Frank.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure I don\u2019t know what you mean!\u201d I said, in a haughty and mocking voice.<\/p>\n

As we walked in the door the ambiance changed from benjo to stale beer and old vomit.\u00a0 Raimi led the way and we settled into a semi-circular booth.\u00a0 It was dark, but the bar area was brightly lit with flashing neon signs announcing \u201cSchlitz\u201d, Pabst Blue Ribbon\u201d, and \u201cAshahi\u201d beer.\u00a0 There was an area at the center that looked like it could be used as a dance floor, and in one corner was a brightly-lit juke box that was screeching out one of the Beach Boys\u2019 latest hits.<\/p>\n

The three girls walked with us only partially into the bar saying things like, \u201cYou want drink, G.I.?\u201d, \u201cYou want buy me drink, please?\u00a0 Me so horny.\u201d\u00a0 That last question and declaration led me to wonder what one had to do with the other.<\/p>\n

Smoky all but waved them off and we ignored them until we found our booth.\u00a0 Eventually the girls drifted off and went back outside.<\/p>\n

In a few seconds an older Okinawan woman appeared and began wiping down our table with a raggedy dishcloth.\u00a0 \u201cWhat you G.I.s want to drink?\u201d\u00a0 Smoky started off by ordering a Pabst, Peewee wanted a Schlitz, Raimi ordered a whiskey water, Roomie wanted a Mai-Tai, Nat asked for a scotch, and after some thought I ordered a hot pot of ocha.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you out of your fucking mind?!\u201d\u00a0 Smoky yelled at me.\u00a0 \u201cJesus, you\u2019re an embarrassment.\u00a0 Ocha?\u00a0 Seriously?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2026\u201d\u00a0 I stuttered.\u00a0 \u201cI liked it at the restaurant.\u00a0 Besides, I don\u2019t want to get drunk and I don\u2019t have a lot of money left after I paid for my meal at the restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFUCK!\u201d\u00a0 Smoky said loudly, smashing his smoldering cigarette into the flimsy looking metal ashtray at the table.\u00a0 \u201cOrder some fucking booze for Christ\u2019s sake, will you?\u00a0 This is a fucking bar!!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOK, okay!\u201d\u00a0 I said.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t blow a gasket.\u201d\u00a0 I looked up at the amused bar woman.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, I\u2019ll have a scotch and water.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cScotchee wata!\u00a0 OK G.I.\u00a0 You joto funny, neh?\u00a0 (joe-toe: <\/em>plenty, or a lot).<\/p>\n

\u201cYes\u2026I am\u2026funny.\u201d\u00a0 I looked around the table and everyone was staring at me like I had a case of leprosy.\u00a0 \u201cHey, I was kidding, OK?\u00a0 Jesus!\u201d\u00a0 I lied.<\/p>\n

While we were waiting for our drinks a couple of girls materialized from somewhere out of the darkness and raided our booth.\u00a0 They were yelling, \u201coh, handsome G.I.\u2026you so fine\u2026I think I love you already.\u201d\u00a0 They literally climbed over Smoky and Ramie and ended up sitting on either side of me.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow see what you did?\u201d\u00a0 Peewee asked.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re quick to spot the new-new\u2026and you\u2019re it!\u201d<\/p>\n

They looked good, smelled good, but most of all they felt good.\u00a0 Each one conspicuously put her hand firmly on each of my thighs\u2026just inches away from my crotch.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, you so handsome!\u00a0 Where you from?\u00a0 New York?\u00a0 Hollywood?\u00a0 You movie star?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh no.\u201d\u00a0 Each time they spoke, their fingers seemed to crawl within millimeters of my privates. \u00a0\u201cI\u2019m from Houston.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh shit, Frankie\u2026\u201d Roomie lisped, \u201cYou screwed the pooch now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh!!\u00a0 Whoston is my very most ichi-ban place!\u201d\u00a0 (itchy-ban: <\/em>number one).\u00a0 The girl on my left schmoozed into my ear\u2014making sure her nose rubbed my lobe generously.\u00a0 \u201cNow, you buy me drink?\u00a0 Yes?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh, how much is your drink?\u201d<\/p>\n

OK!\u00a0 That\u2019s fucking it!!\u201d\u00a0 Smoky literally exploded.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2014naisan! (sister-girl).\u00a0 Get the fuck away from us right now!\u00a0 No, he no buy you drink.\u00a0 He not horny.\u00a0 He just arrive Okinawa\u2026you wakarimasu?!\u201d\u00a0 (waka-ree-m\u00e1s: understand).<\/p>\n

The girls\u2019 hands suddenly left my thighs, and they all but flew over the table and out of the booth.<\/p>\n

\u201cOK, dumb shit!\u00a0 Here\u2019s the scam: when you buy them a drink the bar gives them a chit.\u00a0 At the end of the night they turn in the chits they earned and the bar owner pays them a certain amount of money for each chit.\u00a0 Usually a quarter.\u00a0 When you buy a drink for yourself it costs about a buck.\u00a0 Each of their drinks will cost you four bucks!\u00a0 You\u2019ll be out of money in no time and once that happens they\u2019ll suddenly lose interest in your dick and leave!\u00a0 WAKARIMASU??!!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh Frankie,\u201d Roomie cooed, \u201cyou are so deliciously dumb.\u00a0 But, loveable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStuff it Roomie!\u201d Nat said.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019ll learn.\u201d<\/p>\n

We spent the rest of the night bouncing from bar to bar\u2014the scam always the same and the girls\u2019 dialogue identical.\u00a0 I wondered why they kept doing this over and over when the chance of someone falling for it was so slim.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, they make plenty.\u201d Peewee said.\u00a0 \u201cMostly sailors just coming off a long cruise and shipping out the next day or so, or new arrivals who venture down here by themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Roomie said.\u00a0 \u201cLucky you!\u00a0 You have us to watch out for you!\u201d<\/p>\n

As the hours slid by I found myself falling asleep, almost as soon as we climbed onto a bar stool or slid into a booth.\u00a0 I had never felt so tired in all my life.<\/p>\n

The next thing I remember is waking up in my room, jolted awake by Nate\u2019s booming snores.\u00a0 I was stripped down to my shorts, and the clothes that I had worn the night before were hung neatly next to my closet.\u00a0 I felt drugged but not as tired as before, and when I looked at the clock I saw that it was four-thirty in the afternoon.\u00a0 I later found out that we had gotten back in at two-thirty in the morning and I had collapsed on my bunk.\u00a0 The guys undressed me and made sure I was tucked in.<\/p>\n

I rolled over and slept until noon the next day.\u00a0 Oh, and I was dead broke.<\/p>\n

The Windfall and High Hopes<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Although I had spent all my remaining travel money during my ill-fated trip into Naminoue, I wasn\u2019t worried.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t need to buy anything over the weekend since my meals were free at the chow hall, and I still had several clean uniforms to wear.\u00a0 Further, when I checked in at the airport on my arrival, the sergeant there informed me that temporary subsistence funds would be issued on the following Monday to hold me over until my paycheck caught up.<\/p>\n

I spent the next few days hanging out with my new friends and shooting pool in the rec room.\u00a0 As promised, I penned a letter to Sharon filling her in on my new assignment and my experience with Japanese food and Japanese utensils, but wisely leaving out the part about my trip to Naminoue.<\/p>\n

While I was writing, I was overtaken with a great sense of sorrow and regret, and wondered if we would ever be able to patch things up once she and the boys arrived on Okinawa.\u00a0 \u00a0I vowed to her that from this moment on I would do everything I could to make up for my past behavior if she could find it in her heart to forgive me and let bygones be bygones.\u00a0 I posted the letter hoping that her answer back would be positive.\u00a0 The last thing I wanted to do was to spend my time so far away wondering if we still had a future together.<\/p>\n

On Monday, after an early breakfast at the chow hall I walked the half-mile to my new assignment:\u00a0 The Naha Air Base Defense Center.\u00a0 It was a large building located adjacent to the air base\u2019s busy airport, but before I could enter my work area, I had to get fingerprinted and photographed.\u00a0 My prints would go to the FBI in Washington, D.C., and the photographs were cataloged and filed away in my security file.\u00a0 One copy of my picture was glued onto an ID card that I was required to wear whenever I was on duty.<\/p>\n

After being escorted into the Control Room, I was introduced to my crew chief, Technical Sergeant John Resor.\u00a0 A Mormon from Utah, he was freckled-faced, tall and thin, and spoke with a very quiet voice.\u00a0 My crew members told me that although he never raised his voice when something displeased him, they warned against crossing him too often.<\/p>\n

An airman first class who had worked for Sergeant Resor for over a year told me, \u201cHe may not say anything to you when you fuck up, but you may suddenly find yourself working a few extra evening and midnight shifts, or being relieved less often for breaks.\u00a0 Oh, and don\u2019t cuss in front of him\u2026he doesn\u2019t like it.\u201d<\/p>\n

None of the friends who I\u2019d had met at my barracks, except for Nat, worked in the Control Room\u2014although they shared my same job description and were assigned to the same building.\u00a0 Smoky worked in the Crypto Room; Roomie was assigned to Communications; and Ramie and Peewee were Runners (delivered confidential messages).<\/p>\n

My job was similar to the one I\u2019d had in Alaska, except I was now required to wear dress tans during the day shifts; fatigues were allowed during the evening shifts.\u00a0 I was assigned to work on a dais overlooking a large electronic board that depicted live aircraft in and around the island of Okinawa.\u00a0 Instead of having plotters behind the board drawing the route and heading of aircraft, all the information was displayed electronically.\u00a0 I sat next to several high-ranking officers whose responsibility it was to authorize our interceptor jets to fire on unknown, rogue, or hostile targets.\u00a0 My responsibility was to assign each radar target a classification based on flight plan information that had been provided by flight dispatchers on the island and from any aircraft carriers in the immediate area.<\/p>\n

On that first day, when my lunch hour came up Sergeant Resor told me to eat my box lunch in the break room, and instead of reporting back to my duty station to go to the finance office.\u00a0 There I would be given a small amount of money for subsistence, and told the amount and when to expect my first paycheck.<\/p>\n

I hurried and finished my lunch and headed out to the finance office.\u00a0 My subsistence was given to me in cash, but to my surprise, my paycheck was also handed to me in a sealed white envelope.\u00a0 After signing several forms authorizing and directing most my monthly pay to go to Sharon and the boys, and opening an Air Force Credit Union account, I was informed that I would be receiving a total of ninety dollars a month.<\/p>\n

The clerk tapped on the sealed envelope and said, \u201cThis is your first check for the month of November, and it\u2019s for ninety dollars.\u00a0 After deductions and the allotment to your wife, this is what you can expect every month.\u00a0 All your following checks will be deposited in your Air Force Credit Union account between the first and third of each month.\u00a0 You can take this check directly to the Credit Union now, show them the paperwork proving you have opened an account with them, and they\u2019ll cash and deposit the check.\u00a0 At that point, you can withdraw whatever amount you want to take with you.\u00a0 Understand?\u201d<\/p>\n

I assured him I did.<\/p>\n

Elated that I got subsistence along with my paycheck, I asked for and quickly got directions to the Credit Union.\u00a0 After discovering that it was a few miles away, I flagged down a base taxi.\u00a0 After all, I thought, I can afford a cab ride now that I have some extra spending money.<\/p>\n

Settling down in the back seat of the fairly new Datsun sedan, I ripped open the envelope containing my check.\u00a0 I look at the numbers several times but still could not understand what I was seeing.<\/p>\n

Instead of the check being issued for ninety dollars, it read: \u201cPay to the Order of, A2C Frank DeLe\u00f3n, the amount of\u2026$900.00!<\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t believe my eyes!\u00a0 I kept looking at the numbers repeatedly to make sure my imagination wasn\u2019t playing tricks with my eyes\u2014but no matter how much I looked at it, the numbers never changed.\u00a0 The check had definitely been processed for nine hundred, instead of ninety dollars!<\/p>\n

I was blown away!!<\/p>\n

All too soon, I arrived at the Credit Union but was still in a state of shock.\u00a0 What should I do?\u00a0 My first instinct was to tell the cab driver to reverse course and take me back to the Finance Center where I would tell the clerk that someone had made a very big mistake.\u00a0 On the other hand, a voice deep inside kept telling me there had to be a better way.\u00a0 After all, for the last couple of years all I had been experiencing was a load of bad luck, so maybe this was fate\u2019s way of balancing the scales.<\/p>\n

I walked away from the cab and found a bench just outside of the Credit Union\u2019s main entrance and sat down, trying to analyze the situation.<\/p>\n

By now, I had pretty much decided that I wasn\u2019t going to return the money.\u00a0 I also realized that eventually someone would find the error and come looking for me.\u00a0 Therefore, the tricky part was how to keep the money and not be punished for not notifying the Air Force of the error.<\/p>\n

Within a few minutes, I had formulated a plan.<\/p>\n

I strode into the credit union confidently and waited my turn at the cashier\u2019s window.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood afternoon, sir.\u00a0 What can I do for you?\u201d\u00a0 the attractive young Asian cashier said pleasantly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes ma\u2019am.\u00a0 Here\u2019s my signed form for opening up a savings account here, and a payroll check to cash.\u201d<\/p>\n

She perused the form carefully and briefly glanced at the check.\u00a0 \u201cExcuse me for just a few moments please,\u201d she said, and slid off her high chair.\u00a0 She looked at me momentarily as she walked away, disappearing behind a set of glass doors.<\/p>\n

I grew a little nervous.\u00a0 What if she\u2019s checking with the Finance Center because the check is so large?\u00a0 What if she\u2019s calling the Air Police so they can come and arrest me for theft?\u00a0 What if\u2026what if?\u00a0 <\/em>My mouth was getting a little dry.<\/p>\n

After what seemed hours, the glass doors flew open and the cashier stepped through\u2026still looking down at the check.\u00a0 She slid onto her chair, put a small stack of papers on the counter and laid the check on top.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry about that.\u00a0 For a check that large I had to get the assistant manager to sign off on it,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cHow much of this check do you want to deposit?\u00a0 Some, or all of it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh\u2026well\u2026what I\u2019d like to do is\u2026well\u2026maybe deposit part of it and then buy a money order with what\u2019s left.\u00a0 Can I do that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course.\u00a0 How much do you want the money order for?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNine hundred dollars, please.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExcuse me.\u00a0 Nine hundred dollars?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, please,\u201d I said, trying not to have my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell sir, I\u2019m sorry but you can\u2019t do that.\u00a0 That\u2019s the entire amount of the check.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh?\u00a0 Why not?\u00a0 The\u2026the check is good.\u00a0 I mean\u2026it\u2019s all my money\u2026you know\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I don\u2019t mean to suggest that it isn\u2019t.\u00a0 It\u2019s just that for you to open and maintain an account you must keep some of the money in the account.\u00a0 See what I mean?\u00a0 If you cash out and take all the money, you\u2019ll have nothing to put into your new savings account.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh.\u00a0 How much do I have to keep in?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, for your account to remain open you must have at least five dollars in there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, but I wanted to get a money order for the entire nine hundred dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you can still do that, but it will have to be only for eight-hundred and ninety-five dollars because you have to deposit at least five dollars into your savings account.\u201d<\/p>\n

My mind was racing, but suddenly I saw the solution.\u00a0 \u201cCan I give you five dollars\u2019 cash to deposit into the savings account, and then have you make out a money order for nine hundred dollars?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n

I dug out a wrinkled five-dollar bill from the several bills the finance officer had given me as temporary subsistence.\u00a0 \u201cHere you go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPerfect!\u00a0 I\u2019ll make you out a receipt for the five dollars, and then deposit it in your new savings account.\u00a0 Lastly, I\u2019ll go and make out a money order for the nine hundred dollars.\u00a0 To whom should I make that out?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy wife.\u00a0 Sharon L. DeLe\u00f3n, please.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

With the money order in my hand, I flagged down another base cab and asked the driver to take me back to the Air Defense Center.\u00a0 I spent the rest of the afternoon nervously staring at the large entrance doors just waiting for them to be thrown open by an angry squad of Air Policemen racing to put me into handcuffs and drag me off to some dark Okinawan jail.<\/p>\n

Mercifully, my shift ended uneventfully.<\/p>\n

As I was completing the relief briefing for my evening shift replacement, Sergeant Resor came up behind me.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you get all your finances taken care of?\u201d he asked softly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I think so.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWill the subsistence be enough to get you through until you get your first paycheck?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh\u2026well\u2026yes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t sound too sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh no!\u00a0 I mean, yes!\u00a0 I mean, I\u2019m sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked at me a bit strangely, but apparently satisfied, he turned and walked off.<\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t wait to get back to the barracks to put the money order into an envelope and send it to Sharon.<\/p>\n

A couple of hours later after deciding to skip chow, I sat down at the little desk between the beds in my room and started writing a letter to Sharon:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

____<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Hi My Love,<\/em><\/p>\n

Hoping this letter finds you and the boys in good health.\u00a0 I am doing well, and am trying to get used to being in a foreign country.\u00a0 I can\u2019t wait for you to join me here so we can restart our life together again.\u00a0 I\u2019ll write more about that in my next letter.\u00a0 But now I have some really good news.<\/em><\/p>\n

No doubt by now you found the money order that I have included in this letter.\u00a0 Yes, you\u2019re seeing the amount correctly\u2014it\u2019s for $900!\u00a0 So let me tell you what happened and what I think we can do with this money.<\/em><\/p>\n

I am sure that the Air Force Finance Office here on Okinawa meant to cut this check for $90, but somehow someone mistakenly added an extra zero.\u00a0 It was, and is a mistake.\u00a0 At first, I thought that I should return it and have them reissue it for the correct amount.\u00a0 Ninety dollars is what I will be getting every month after deductions and your monthly housing allotment.\u00a0 But then I came across a better idea that I believe will end up helping us save some money in the long run.<\/em><\/p>\n

There\u2019s no doubt that the Air Force will soon realize their mistake and call me in to return the money.\u00a0 When that happens, I plan to tell them that I\u2019ve already sent the money home.\u00a0 At that point, they\u2019ll probably just tell me that I will not be receiving a monthly paycheck until the $900 is paid back\u2014that will amount to ten months of not getting paid.\u00a0 And that will be fine with me, if you agree with my plan.<\/em><\/p>\n

So, what I\u2019m asking you to do is to open a savings account in Reno and deposit this check.\u00a0 Beginning the first of next month I would like for you to begin withdrawing $25 dollars and having the bank convert that into a money order.\u00a0 Then send it to me.<\/em><\/p>\n

See, I did some figuring and I found that I don\u2019t need $90 a month to live on over here.\u00a0 I eat free, the laundry for my uniforms is really cheap, and stuff like soap, blades, and deodorant can be bought at the Base Exchange for almost nothing.\u00a0 I would just end up spending the $90 every month anyway, so why not sacrifice a little and end up saving $65 every month.\u00a0 Imagine!\u00a0 At the end of the ten months, we\u2019ll have $650 in the bank!<\/em><\/p>\n

Tell me what you think of this idea.\u00a0 I feel that it was a stroke of good luck for us to get this money, as it will force us to start and build a nice little nest egg.\u00a0 I\u2019m just hoping I don\u2019t get arrested and charged with theft.<\/em><\/p>\n

OK, I think that\u2019s all for now.\u00a0 Please give my boys a big hug and tell them Daddy loves them and misses them very much.\u00a0 Also, remember that I love you very much too and miss you terribly.<\/em><\/p>\n

Love you,<\/em><\/p>\n

Frank<\/em><\/p>\n

P.S.\u00a0 I plan to start the paperwork in a couple of months to get our names on the housing list.\u00a0 Very excited!<\/em><\/p>\n

____<\/strong><\/p>\n

I re-read the letter several times, and when I was satisfied that it said what I wanted it to say, I put it in an envelope with the money order folded neatly inside the letter.\u00a0 I was very nervous, since I was only assuming what the Air Force\u2019s reaction would be when they discovered the payment error.\u00a0 I was counting on being able to talk my way out of going to jail\u2014or worse.<\/p>\n

The next day, during my lunch break, I made a trip to the base post office and posted the letter certified mail.\u00a0 That way, I was sure that it would get to Sharon promptly and safely.<\/p>\n

I went back to work feeling confident that my plan would end up working out for both of us.\u00a0 I would have never guessed that what I believed was a well thought-out plan would ultimately end up failing due to one very small and completely unexpected detail.<\/p>\n

To be continued\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"