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{"id":857,"date":"2017-01-31T18:24:43","date_gmt":"2017-02-01T00:24:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/?p=857"},"modified":"2017-01-31T18:28:12","modified_gmt":"2017-02-01T00:28:12","slug":"okinawa-part-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/?p=857","title":{"rendered":"Okinawa – Part Five"},"content":{"rendered":"Okinawa<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n Part Five<\/strong><\/p>\n July-September 1966<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n Breaking News<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cSo what did you want to tell us?\u201d\u00a0 Nat asked, once everyone had finally settled down.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, actually I have two pieces of news.\u00a0 The first one I got from the Finance Office, and the second one I found in the mail room.\u201d\u00a0 Everyone got suddenly very quiet.\u00a0 \u201cSo, which one do you guys want to hear about first?\u201d\u00a0 For a few seconds, no one said anything.\u00a0 They just stared.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, I don\u2019t give a shit, I\u2019m just pissed at what fucking Smokey just did to your hair!\u201d\u00a0 Roomie whined, turning and glaring at Smokey.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re a goddamned brute, Smokey!\u201d\u00a0 He said, resentfully.\u00a0 \u201cHere Frank, let me straighten that shit out.\u201d \u00a0He started to walk towards me.<\/p>\n \u201cRoomie!\u201d I said, forcefully.\u00a0 \u201cWait! This is way more important than my hair.\u201d\u00a0 He stopped, and he looked absolutely crushed.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, shit\u2014OK!\u201d\u00a0 He said, genuinely hurt.\u00a0 He backtracked and rejoined the group.<\/p>\n \u201cOK, first: As you guys heard, I was royally reamed out by the shift sergeant, then the colonel, about not giving to the United Fund.\u00a0 Even though I do have a few dollars left from what you guys contributed to me, I wasn\u2019t about to give that money away.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat money are we giving you?\u201d Peewee asked, innocently.\u00a0 \u201cWhat the fuck\u2019s he talking about?\u201d he pleaded, looking around, eyes all wide and arms spread out in front of him.<\/p>\n \u201cShut up, Peewee!\u201d\u00a0 Nat said, forcefully.\u00a0 \u201cGo on, Frank.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOK.\u00a0 So, I was threatened with everything from losing rank to a general court-martial\u2014that is, until I told them I hadn\u2019t been paid since November of last year.\u00a0 The colonel then tried to prove me a liar by threatening to call the Finance Department.\u00a0 After he asked me to leave his office, I guess he made some calls and found out that I was telling the truth.\u00a0 He called me back into his office, then asked me to go down to Finance and tell them he\u2019d sent me.\u00a0 When I got there, I was given a hundred bucks in cash.\u00a0 And\u2014come to find out, they were supposed to be paying me ten bucks every month for living expenses the whole time.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know what happened, and I didn\u2019t ask, but I suspect someone fucked up.\u00a0 Anyhow, I\u2019ll start getting paid regular in a couple of months and ten dollars is going to be deducted out of my check until the hundred dollars they gave me is paid off.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOK, so you\u2019re good now as far as your pay is concerned, right?\u201d Ramie asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, but I don\u2019t know how I would\u2019ve survived without your help.\u00a0 I am genuinely grateful, and I intend to pay all of you back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell!\u201d Roomie piped up.\u00a0 \u201cYou can start by handing over that hundred to cover all the expenses I went through trying to make you beautiful!\u201d\u00a0 He stepped up and stuck his hand out.<\/p>\n \u201cRoomie, I\u2019m just about ready to kick your ass!\u201d Smokey said angrily.\u00a0 \u201cGet the fuck back here, you silly bitch!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey!!\u201d\u00a0 Roomie said in an even higher whining tone.\u00a0 \u201cJesus Smokey, I was just kidding!\u00a0 Good God, you\u2019re such a thick fuck!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOK, guys,\u201d I interceded.\u00a0 \u201cI know you\u2019ll never admit to it, but you are the best friends anyone could ask for.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStop it, Pancho.\u00a0 You\u2019re gonna fucking make me cry.\u201d Ramie said, rolling his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cSo, you\u2019re back in clover, and that\u2019s good, but what\u2019s the other news you had.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, this is just a bit more serious and maybe just a little depressing.\u00a0 As I said earlier, I went to the mail room\u2026and I found that I had received a letter from my wife\u2014Sharon.\u201d\u00a0 No one moved, nor did anyone make a sound.\u00a0 \u201cAnd\u2026well, the letter brought me some news that I just never expected.\u201d<\/p>\n At this point, I paused.\u00a0 It was not for effect\u2014mostly, I didn\u2019t know how to start with what I had to tell them.\u00a0 \u201cAll right, this is going to be tough, but I need to know that no one in this room will ever say anything about this to anyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d\u00a0 Nat asked.\u00a0 \u201cDid she sue you for divorce?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u00a0 That\u2019s what I would\u2019ve guessed, but what it was, was completely unexpected.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, she\u2019s got a boyfriend, right?\u201d\u00a0 Ramie asked.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I don\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey, why don\u2019t we just let him tell us, OK?\u201d\u00a0 Smokey said irritably.\u00a0 \u201cAnd Frank!\u00a0 You should know better than to think we\u2019re going to go around blabbing about your business! \u00a0Jesus!!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOK, sorry.\u00a0 Well guys, she wrote to tell me that she\u2019s pregnant.\u00a0 Seven months pregnant!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoly shit!\u201d Peewee exclaimed.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you\u2019ve been here for how long?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNine months.\u201d\u00a0 I said, digging the letter out from my pocket.\u00a0 \u201cFurther, she claims she doesn\u2019t know who the father is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFuck that!\u201d\u00a0 Smokey spit out.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s complete bullshit!\u00a0 She\u2019s not only a slut, but a fucking liar too!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know that, and you know that.\u201d I said, patiently.\u00a0 \u201cBut that\u2019s what she wrote in the letter.\u00a0 I doubt that she would\u2019ve put some guy\u2019s name in a letter to her husband when she\u2019s telling him she\u2019s knocked up.\u201d\u00a0 I said.<\/p>\n Roomie walked over to where I was sitting and sat on the edge of the bed next to me.\u00a0 \u201cWell, what we\u2019re all missing here,\u201d he said, putting his arm around my shoulders. \u201cIs that Frank just got a letter that beats the hell out of all the \u201cDear John\u201d letters ever written.\u201d\u00a0 He tightened his grip around my shoulders.\u00a0 \u201cAre you doing OK with this?\u00a0 I mean, you\u2019re not going to go off the deep end, or anything like that, are you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks Roomie, but no.\u00a0 I\u2019m OK.\u00a0 I really am.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo what\u2019re you gonna do now?\u201d Ramie asked softly.<\/p>\n \u201cNothing, for now.\u00a0 I met with the squadron commander about this and he offered a MARS phone call, which I declined.\u00a0 Then he said I could go home on emergency leave.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, are you going to go home?\u201d\u00a0 Roomie asked.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, not right away.\u00a0 I\u2019d have to pay my own way if I opted to go home now, but if I wait until the squadron gets approval from the Wing, then they\u2019ll pay for my flights and grant me ten days\u2019 emergency leave.\u00a0 But the approval probably won\u2019t come down for a couple of months.\u00a0 I told the colonel that that would probably be the best option.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, that won\u2019t be until September, right?\u201d\u00a0 Nat asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYup.\u00a0 I think that\u2019s right\u2014probably early September.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo did you tell her already?\u00a0 I mean, that you\u2019re not going home to see her for another two months?\u201d Roomie asked.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I haven\u2019t had a chance to write back.\u00a0 Actually, I don\u2019t really know what to say to her.\u00a0 You know?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFuck!\u00a0 Tell her to go fuck herself!\u00a0 If that was my wife I\u2019d be on the next plane on my way to kill her ass!\u201d Smokey said forcefully.\u00a0 \u201cFuck that!\u00a0 Sleazy cunt!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I guess I should be angrier than I actually am.\u00a0 But I\u2019m just not.\u00a0 I guess her not writing to me for this long kinda numbed me and I was just about ready for anything.\u201d<\/p>\n Nat stood up from the chair he\u2019d been sitting in.\u00a0 \u201cYou do realize that if you wait for two months she\u2019ll either already have given birth or be just about ready to pop?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, now that you mention it\u2026\u201d\u00a0 I said, realizing this for the first time.\u00a0 \u201cI guess you\u2019re right.\u00a0 But I\u2019m not going home any sooner.\u00a0 So I guess we\u2019ll just have to see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid she say what she\u2019s gonna do with the kid?\u00a0 And, for that matter, what\u2019re your plans?\u201d Peewee asked, hesitantly.\u00a0 \u201cI mean, you should explore your options.\u00a0 At least make an appointment with a judge advocate here on the base.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know, I guess I should, but I just don\u2019t know.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t mention anything about the kid, or what she plans to do about it, so I guess I\u2019ll just find out when I get home.\u201d<\/p>\n For a few minutes no one said anything, and I sure didn\u2019t have anything new to add.\u00a0 Finally, Smokey spoke up.\u00a0 \u201cWell, shit!\u00a0 I could use a beer or two.\u00a0 Who\u2019s up for that?\u201d\u00a0 The consensus was unanimous.<\/p>\n \u201cOK,\u201d I said.\u00a0 \u201cSince I happen to have a little cash on hand, I will buy\u2014but I don\u2019t want to go downtown.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go to the Airmen\u2019s Club.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell it\u2019s about fucking time you buy, you damned cheapskate!\u201d\u00a0 Ramie said, breaking out one of his best winning smiles.\u00a0 \u201cBut, I may be only able to just stay for one.\u00a0 I have some business to take care of in Naminoue.\u201d\u00a0 He wiggled his eyebrows.<\/p>\n \u201cFigures!\u201d Roomie said, disgustingly.\u00a0 \u201cYou are such a whore, Ramie.\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if your dick just rotted off one of these days.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey,\u201d Ramie countered. \u201cAt least I got one, Roomie!\u201d<\/p>\n The room filled with whoops and cat-calls\u2014and Roomie waited a few seconds until he could get his final repartee: \u201cWhenever you want to check it out, Ramie!\u00a0 But when you do, you\u2019ll never go back to your gook bitches!\u201d\u00a0 Whoops and cheers greeted that one.<\/p>\n \u201cOK guys,\u201d I finally said, \u201ctime\u2019s a-wasting.\u00a0 This is nickel beer night at the club, so let\u2019s go belly-up to the bar and drink until they throw us out!\u201d<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n Compared to the Airmen\u2019s and Officer\u2019s Clubs that I\u2019d been to before, the club at Naha Air Base was gigantic and unique in many ways.\u00a0 I guess because it served all service members on the base, it had to be large.\u00a0 Easily well over twenty thousand square feet, it was probably once an old B-52 hangar now converted into a glamourous and well-appointed structure.\u00a0 One end of the building was sectioned off and served as a fine restaurant where the enlisted personnel, living on and off base, could bring their wives, husbands, or dates, and enjoy some of the finest and cheapest food on the island.<\/p>\n On the other side of the building was a huge double bar, tables, a large dance floor, and a concealed stage.\u00a0 When the stage was lowered onto the floor, a full orchestra pit was revealed by pulling aside a set of heavy blood-red ceiling-to-floor velvet curtains.\u00a0 During the week, an orchestra would play from eight in the evening until midnight\u2014usually dinner music, and on weekends the curtains would be closed, the stage raised, and different rock and roll bands would perform.\u00a0 The bands, usually cover bands from the Philippines, would play all sorts of current rock music, usually impersonating (covering) popular bands of the day.\u00a0 Some of the best covers were of the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, The Who, Pink Floyd, The Doors, and my personal favorite\u2014The Animals.<\/p>\n The bands were fabulous, but physically looking at them\u2014rather than just hearing them\u2014could confuse the senses.\u00a0 They were, of course, Filipinos\u2014mostly straight from Manila.\u00a0 The males were almost all skinny and most sported long stringy black hair, while the occasional female in the groups were extremely flashy in high spiked heels and tight mini-skirts.\u00a0 But closing one\u2019s visual sense and just listening to their music would almost make you believe that you were listening to the real thing.\u00a0 Yes, they were that good.\u00a0 The bands had hokey names like, \u201cThe Busy Boys\u201d, \u201cThe Family of One and Five\u201d, \u201cJake and Them\u201d, and so forth, but boy could they cover the bands and groups of the day.<\/p>\n Another oddity that I had only ever seen at this military club was the bevy of young Okinawan girls whose job it was to dance with the customers.\u00a0 About ten or twelve girls would be seated on either side of the sound stage waiting to be asked to dance.\u00a0 They did, however, reserve the right to refuse someone if they felt they were too drunk or too loud, or if during the dance they put their hands where they didn\u2019t belong.\u00a0 And, there were always two beefy looking Marine bouncers on duty to remove and eject any customer who abused his privilege on the dance floor.<\/p>\n The girls were under strict instructions on how to conduct themselves while at the club.\u00a0 No dirty dancing, no suggestive rubbing, and certainly no alcoholic beverages.\u00a0 If the club management found out that they were dating any military man once they went off duty, they would quickly be fired; and since they were paid well above what they would\u2019ve earned on the local economy they made sure to adhere to all the rules.<\/p>\n For the most part the girls were attractive and very trim, but most of them couldn\u2019t speak very good English.\u00a0 Not that they needed to\u2014all they really needed to do was to know how to dance.<\/p>\n The six of us arrived at the club early that evening, and before we went to the bar decided to go into the restaurant to eat.\u00a0 Oddly, the restaurant was divided into two sections: the family and the single person section.\u00a0 Of course, the single section was a bit more rowdy but we were able to have conversations that perhaps would not have been appreciated by families.<\/p>\n After consuming the best two-dollar T-bone steak this side of California, we walked into the bar.\u00a0 It was still a bit early for the rock group to be on stage, but the full-sized orchestra was playing some 1940\u2019s Glenn Miller music that was all but putting everyone to sleep.\u00a0 No one seemed to know the orchestra\u2019s real name, or the name of the conductor, so as military men will do, they tagged the group, \u201cGus and the Gooks\u201d.<\/p>\n As promised, after finding some stools at one of the bars I ordered beers for all of us.\u00a0 For the rest of the night we never again spoke of the letter I had received or the news that it had contained.\u00a0 We just drank, told each other jokes, and enjoyed each other\u2019s company.\u00a0 In spite of the jovial atmosphere and the camaraderie, I sensed a certain pall over our get-together that night.\u00a0 It was almost as if someone told us that soon our happy and tight-knit group would be broken up forever.<\/p>\n We ended our evening and walked all the way back to our barracks and headed for our respective rooms.\u00a0 As I settled in for the night, and before descending into a soft and slightly drunken slumber, my thoughts turned to Sharon.\u00a0 As much as I\u2019d suffered in the last nine months, I thought about how she must\u2019ve felt when she\u2019d finally been convinced that she had to sit down and write me that letter.\u00a0 And I could only imagine the shame and humiliation she had to fight through when she was forced to face her own family with her embarrassing condition.<\/p>\n As my consciousness ebbed away I promised myself that, sooner rather than later, I would have to make plans for my trip back home.\u00a0 What would I find, and how would I deal with my wife\u2019s pregnancy?\u00a0 Before I had a chance to look for answers to those questions I was fast asleep.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n Six weeks short of a year after landing on Okinawa, I was again preparing to fly home to see my wife and children.\u00a0 I had no idea what I\u2019d find when I got there; and not having received any pictures, I had no idea what my boys would look like now.\u00a0 However, having put a lot of thought into what needed to be done on my part, and after paying a visit to the base judge advocate, I had finally settled on a series of decisions that, once put into action, would significantly alter all of our lives for many years to come.<\/p>\n Reno<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n I received the orders for my emergency leave on Friday, September 2nd<\/sup>.\u00a0 They stated that I was authorized to travel via common air carrier from Naha Air Base, Okinawa to Reno, Nevada.\u00a0 Travel was to begin early on September 13th<\/sup>, and I had been granted two travel days outbound, and three travel days back.\u00a0 With ten days\u2019 emergency leave, I was expected to report back to my base not later than October 4, 1966.<\/p>\n About two weeks after I received Sharon\u2019s letter I wrote a short letter back.\u00a0 In it, I told her that I would be planning to travel back to Reno.\u00a0 I told her truthfully that I had no idea when that would be, but that my next letter would provide her with more details.\u00a0 I did not mention her pregnancy, nor my feelings about it.<\/p>\n So on the day after I received my travel orders I sat down and composed a final letter to her.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0September 5, 1966<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Sharon,<\/em><\/p>\n Just a short letter to advise you that I will should be arriving in Reno on the morning of September 14th<\/sup>.\u00a0 When I land at Travis Air Force Base in California, I will call you at the last number that I have for you to let you know what flight I will be arriving on and what time it will arrive in Reno. <\/em><\/p>\n Please do not meet me at the airport as I would prefer to take a cab to your house.\u00a0 I don\u2019t really want to see you, and anything we may have to discuss can be done once I arrive at your house.<\/em><\/p>\n I plan to be in Reno for only a few days and I will probably be staying in a motel.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Frank<\/em><\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n The day before I left, the guys wanted to throw me a little going away party down in Naminoue.\u00a0 I declined their kind offer for a lot of different reasons, but mostly because I was growing increasingly nervous and unsettled about my seeing Sharon again.\u00a0 I had no idea what I was going to say to her when I saw her again\u2014considering that by this time she would be as big as a house.<\/p>\n Further, I had yet to devise a way to ask her why she had not had the decency to write me at least one letter for almost a year; and then of course, there was the dicey subject regarding what she\u2019d done with the nine hundred dollars I\u2019d sent.\u00a0 So, not wishing to hurt their feelings, I promised the guys that once I returned in October we\u2019d all get together and throw a really good bash downtown.<\/p>\n The flight from Okinawa to Travis Air Force Base in California, was excruciatingly long and very uncomfortable.\u00a0 For almost the whole time, regardless of the altitude, we experienced thunderstorms and moderate to heavy turbulence.\u00a0 And because the flight had been rerouted excessively once we\u2019d left Tokyo on our way to California, we were diverted to Seattle-Tacoma Airport in Washington to refuel.\u00a0 To add insult to injury, and because of our international flight status, we were prohibited from disembarking at this airport\u2014and by this time we\u2019d run out of food and snacks.\u00a0 We sat on the ground for well over an hour before we were allowed to depart.<\/p>\n I finally arrived at Travis and was able to immediately book a shuttle bus to the Oakland Airport to pick up a flight to Reno.\u00a0 My original connecting flight had long departed, but fortunately I was rebooked on a flight that went to Boise then on to Reno.<\/p>\n Landing at the Reno Airport three hours late, I was both relieved and very apprehensive as I entered the terminal and headed for the baggage claim area.\u00a0 I wondered if I should call Sharon as soon as I got my bag to tell her that I\u2019d arrived, or if I should just take a cab to her house and arrive unannounced.\u00a0 As it turned ou, I never got to make that decision.<\/p>\n After retrieving my bags, I was headed for the taxi stand when I heard someone call my name.\u00a0 I turned to my right and saw two little boys running towards me\u2014followed by a very pregnant woman in an ill-fitting red coat.<\/p>\n \u201cFRANK, FRANK!\u00a0 Go boys!\u00a0 Your daddy\u2019s home!\u201d the round-faced woman said, trying to stay up with the two little guys, running clumsily while holding her belly with both hands.<\/p>\n I dropped my bags to the floor as I recognized Ricky\u2014running with his little arms outstretched, long dark unkempt hair bouncing on his forehead and into his eyes.\u00a0 A few feet behind him, and not as enthusiastic as Ricky, came Beebe.\u00a0 Although he was also running, he didn\u2019t appear to be on the same mission as his brother.\u00a0 Rather, he seemed more interested in looking at the people who were dodging them.<\/p>\n Squatting down, I caught Ricky as he all but dove into my arms.\u00a0 I hugged him tightly and realized that he\u2019d lost all of his baby fat and grown more than a few inches.\u00a0 Beebe finally arrived, but he stopped a few feet short of us and stood there curiously observing me.\u00a0 I motioned him over but he instead stuck his right index finger up his nose and looked back to see where his mother was.\u00a0 In spite of the near freezing temperature in Reno, I noticed that both boys were dressed in loose-fitting corduroy pants, beat-up sneakers, and thin T-shirts.<\/p>\n I knew that eventually I had to look up and face Sharon but I wanted to delay the inevitable as long as possible.<\/p>\n \u201cHi honey!\u201d I heard her say\u2014the word stinging my ears and making me instantly angry.\u00a0 I looked up slowly and took a long look.\u00a0 I released my grip on Ricky and stood up.<\/p>\n \u201cHey.\u201d I said, cautiously.<\/p>\n \u201cWelcome home\u2026\u201d she said, now a bit more hesitantly.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah.\u00a0 I thought I told you I\u2019d take a taxi home?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh\u2026well, I thought it\u2019d be nice to come and pick you up instead.\u00a0 I mean\u2014after the long flight and all.\u00a0 Plus, when we got here we found out you were going to be delayed, but, we decided to wait for you instead of going home again.\u00a0 The boys\u2026they were excited to see you\u2014you know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe boys\u2026oh, I\u2019m sure.\u201d\u00a0 I reached down and pulled my bags off the floor.\u00a0 \u201cOK, since you\u2019re here.\u00a0 Where\u2019s the car?\u201d<\/p>\n As we walked to the airport terminal exit and in the direction of the public parking area, I tried to keep my eyes off her.\u00a0 The short glance I\u2019d gotten of her when she first approached had left me in a bit of a shock.\u00a0 She looked much older, and tired.\u00a0 Her face was swollen and there were hints of lightly shaded shadows under both eyes.\u00a0 Her glasses, usually riding high on her perky nose, were disturbingly off-kilter.\u00a0 It was after we\u2019d gotten into the car that I noticed she\u2019d lost the screw to the right temple of her glasses and had secured it to the frame with a paper clip.<\/p>\n Dowdy<\/em>.\u00a0 That was the word that popped into my mind.<\/p>\n \u201cHow was your flight?\u201d she asked, as we pulled away from the lot.<\/p>\n \u201cFine.\u201d\u00a0 The boys were rolling around in the back seat of the black 1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air, which I\u2019d never seen before.<\/p>\n \u201cOh\u2026I know you said you probably wanted to stay in a motel, but you know, there\u2019s plenty of room in the house.\u00a0 You\u2019ll see.\u00a0 The bedroom is pretty big and the bed is a double.\u00a0 So I think you\u2019ll be more comfortable there.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you think?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s discuss that once we get to your house.\u00a0 Where\u2019d you get the car?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, mom bought it for me.\u00a0 She got a great deal from a friend of hers that was leaving to go to California after a divorce.\u00a0 So\u2026you know\u2026since I didn\u2019t have transportation and all\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHmm.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou like it?\u00a0 It kinda reminds me of our old car.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, it\u2019s fine.\u00a0 Where are the boys\u2019 coats?\u00a0 They must be freezing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, no!\u00a0 They love the cold.\u00a0 Besides, we were mostly going to be in the car or in the airport terminal, so I thought they\u2019d be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n I wanted to yell at her!\u00a0 Cuss her out!\u00a0 Say all the words that had been boiling in my heart for the last two months!\u00a0 But instead, I just angled my body to the right and concentrated on the cold gray scenery as it zipped by.<\/p>\n \u201cBy the way,\u201d she said, \u201cI really like your hair.\u00a0 It looks so neat.\u201d<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t bother with an answer.<\/p>\n After about a fifteen-minute drive we pulled off a main avenue onto a small residential street.\u00a0 Hers was the second house on the left: a single-story wood-frame house, with a small porch in the front.\u00a0 Red brick pillars rose on either side of the stairs\u2014rising to support the small roof extension covering the porch.\u00a0 A once white, and now mostly rusty metal two-person slider sat to the right of the screened front door; and the driveway, situated to the right of the house, consisted of two well-worn dirt ruts.<\/p>\n \u201cHome sweet home!\u201d Sharon said, trying to sound cheery.\u00a0 \u201cCome on boys, time to help daddy with his bags.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll get my own bags.\u00a0 Get the boys into the house and out of the cold.\u201d I said, pushing my door open and heading for the trunk of the car.\u00a0 The boys raced from the car, up the rickety-looking stairs, and pushed open the unlocked door.\u00a0 Sharon stood by the driver\u2019s side door waiting for me to close the trunk before walking slowly and painfully up the stairs.\u00a0 She paused on the porch to catch her breath before slipping through the open door.<\/p>\n The house was small and simple.\u00a0 Walking through the door, one was greeted by a large and mostly empty living room.\u00a0 There were two doors on the right wall in the main living area\u2014one, guarding a small coat closet and the other, leading to the main bedroom.\u00a0 The two doors were separated by a brown two cushion sofa that I\u2019d never seen before, and which had seen better days.\u00a0 The left wall was mostly bare, except for a calendar advertising a local market and drug store, thumb-tacked up next to a light green wall phone with a long extension cord hanging from the receiver.<\/p>\n At the end of the room was a small bar that separated the kitchen from the rest of the front room.\u00a0 Along the left kitchen wall was a burn-scarred Formica counter and a yellow-stained sink sitting under a small glass window.\u00a0 A greasy white four-burner gas stove sat against the back wall and next to the rear exit door.\u00a0 The cabinets, once painted white with small yellow daisy decorations around the edges, were hung over and on either side of the stove, and had faded to varying shades of gray and brown, their bottoms spotted with dark finger smudges.<\/p>\n On the right wall was a small closed door.\u00a0 At the time I assumed it was a pantry, but it turned out to be the only bathroom in the house.<\/p>\n A bare wooden four-chair dining table sat on the living room side of the bar, with only a small set of salt and pepper shakers set on its center.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s our furniture?\u201d I asked Sharon, as I put my bags down on the scarred and worn linoleum floor.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, well I sold some pieces to my mom.\u00a0 But I kept the bed and night stands.\u00a0 Wanna see?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo thanks.\u00a0 Where do the boys sleep?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTheir bedroom is right off mine.\u00a0 You have to go through my, or rather our, main bedroom to get to theirs.\u201d<\/p>\n I could hear the boys\u2019 voices, so I assumed they had retreated to their room.\u00a0 \u201cYou didn\u2019t sell their beds too, did you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell yes\u2026no, I actually traded their stuff for a set of bunk beds.\u00a0 Come see.\u201d<\/p>\n Although I didn\u2019t want to enter her bedroom, I found that I had no choice but to go through it to see where the boys slept.<\/p>\n The main bedroom was large\u2014taking up at least two-thirds of the length of the right side of the house.\u00a0 There was a large window set onto one side, overlooking the porch, under which her bed was placed.\u00a0 Another window oversaw the driveway.\u00a0 No curtains were hung on either window, but dingy pull-shades hung half-way down each one.\u00a0 On the wall separating her bedroom from the boys\u2019 was a large open walk-in closet whose double-doors were splayed wide open.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t look too closely, but I could tell it was stuffed with clothes and shoes.<\/p>\n The door to the boys\u2019 room was open, and I saw them playing on the bare wooden floor.\u00a0 The small room was windowless and smelled like old laundry and dirty socks.\u00a0 A set of bunk beds was stacked on the driveway side of the room, and a dresser, missing its mirror, was pushed up against the opposite wall.\u00a0 Most the drawers were hanging open\u2014most of their pulls missing, and I could tell that the runners had long since been worn out.<\/p>\n The beds were unmade\u2014sheets and thin blankets hanging willy-nilly off the edges of the thin mattresses.<\/p>\n \u201cWho sleeps on the top bunk?\u201d\u00a0 I asked.<\/p>\n \u201cRicky does!\u00a0 He heard somewhere that the top bunk was the best so that\u2019s where he staked his claim.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow does he get up there?\u00a0 I don\u2019t see any ladder.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know\u2014he\u2019s like a monkey.\u00a0 He just swings up there on his own.\u201d<\/p>\n I couldn\u2019t see how he did it, but I took her word for it.\u00a0 Not wanting to see anymore, I turned around and walked back out to the main room.<\/p>\n Sharon took her coat off and threw it on her bed as she followed me out.\u00a0 It was then I saw just how pregnant she really was.\u00a0 Even though I\u2019d seen her when she was pregnant with Ricky, I didn\u2019t recall her being quite this big.<\/p>\n \u201cHey,\u201d she said behind me, a little out of breath.\u00a0 \u201cYou want something to drink\u2014or anything?\u00a0 I can warm up some soup if you\u2019re hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, just some water will be fine.\u201d\u00a0 As she headed to the kitchen, I looked around at where she and my boys had been living for the last year.\u00a0 It was disgusting and dirty.\u00a0 My anger rose and I wanted to say something\u2014anything\u2014but I successfully resisted the impulse.\u00a0 There\u2019d be plenty of time to discuss this, and other things. Later.<\/p>\n \u201cHere you go.\u201d she said, handing me a glass of water.\u00a0 There was a chip on the drinking edge of the glass.\u00a0 \u201cYou must be tired.\u00a0 You wanna go take a nap?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNope.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh\u2026OK.\u00a0 Well then, do you mind if I go into the bedroom and get off my feet?\u00a0 I got up early and haven\u2019t had a chance to rest.\u201d<\/p>\n Whatever you want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOK, you know as tired as I feel I\u2019ll probably drift off, but I\u2019ll be up in a little bit so I can cook you and the boys some dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t bother on my account.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh\u2026all right.\u00a0 You sure?\u00a0 It\u2019s no trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCan I use your phone?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh\u2026sure.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI want to call my folks.\u00a0 I\u2019ll call collect, so don\u2019t worry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo!\u00a0 No problem!\u00a0 Say hi to them for me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure thing\u2026\u201d\u00a0 I said, thinking that it would be a cold day in Hell before I mentioned her to them or anyone else.\u00a0 She closed the bedroom door, and then I heard her yelling at the boys, telling them that it was time for a nap.\u00a0 I thought about how they looked and how they were dressed.\u00a0 \u2018Ragamuffins\u2019 came to mind.\u00a0 The thought of what she\u2019d done with the nine hundred dollars bubbled up into my brain.<\/p>\n I talked to my folks for a few minutes and made some plans.\u00a0 After hanging up I unbuttoned my shirt and loosened my belt.\u00a0 I was dog-tired, and I knew that if I stretched out on the couch I\u2019d fall asleep immediately.\u00a0 I headed to the small door I\u2019d seen in the kitchen and found that my instincts had been correct: it was a bathroom.<\/p>\n Coming back to the main room I rummaged through my bags and pulled out a fresh pair of jeans, a flannel shirt, a T-shirt and a clean pair of shorts and socks.\u00a0 I eased into the small bathroom and removed my travel-worn clothing.\u00a0 What I really wanted to do was to take a shower but I just couldn\u2019t bring myself to step into the scummy and chipped porcelain tub.\u00a0 Instead, I took a \u201cGI\u201d bath: using a washcloth, water and soap to wipe myself clean the best I could.\u00a0 After brushing my teeth and spraying deodorant under my arms I felt almost human.<\/p>\n After changing into fresh clothing, I went out and sat down on the couch.\u00a0 In what was probably less than a minute I drifted off into a deep and delicious slumber.<\/p>\n \u201cHey!\u201d<\/p>\n I jerked my head up and tried to focus.<\/p>\n \u201cHey you!\u00a0 I knew you were tired.\u00a0 Why didn\u2019t you just come into the bedroom and lay down?\u00a0 I know it\u2019s a small bed but I would\u2019ve made room,\u201d she said, almost jovially.<\/p>\n \u201cShit!\u00a0 What time is it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlmost three.\u00a0 You hungry?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d I said, pulling myself up to my feet.\u00a0 \u201cHey, can I ask you a favor?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure, anything.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, are you planning to use the car for anything for the next few days?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh\u2026no.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think so.\u00a0 Why?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wanna go down to Houston to see my folks.\u00a0 When I talked to my mom she said they wanted to see me while I was stateside, so I thought that if I could, I would drive your car down and back.\u00a0 Today\u2019s Thursday, so I should be back by Tuesday.\u00a0 I only plan to stay a couple of days, or so.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know Ricky\u2019s birthday is on the 27th, but I should be back by then.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I had plans for a little birthday party for him on the following Saturday, and inviting some of his little friends in the neighborhood; and since you\u2019re home now, I thought it\u2019d be nice for all of us to be here together.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI told you, I plan to be back before then.\u00a0 Can I use your car or not?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, sure\u2026I guess.\u00a0 But, I thought\u2026you know\u2026that we could spend some time\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 Her voice trailed off.<\/p>\n \u201cOK, thanks.\u00a0 Where\u2019s the keys?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re leaving\u2026now?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the plan.\u00a0 The sooner I leave, I quicker I\u2019ll be back.\u00a0 Don\u2019t worry, we\u2019ll have plenty of time to talk\u2026about\u2026you know\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh\u2026\u201d Tears welled up in her eyes, and she quickly ducked her head and wiped her face.\u00a0 I noticed how loose her glasses fit on her head.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re over there on the counter.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll get them.\u201d\u00a0 I retrieved the keys and started to close my bags.<\/p>\n \u201cGosh, you just got home,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, how about that.\u201d<\/p>\n In just a few minutes I had my bags back in the trunk, and opened the driver\u2019s door.\u00a0 She had come out and was standing on the porch\u2014one hand resting on her swollen belly.\u00a0 \u201cYou have money for gas?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fine.\u00a0 Is there anything I need to know about the car?\u00a0 Like burning oil or something like that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, it\u2019s a good car.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFine!\u201d I said, turning the key in the ignition.\u00a0 The engine roared to life.\u00a0 I closed the door and rolled the window halfway down.\u00a0 \u201cSay bye to the boys when they wake up.\u00a0 Tell Ricky I\u2019ll make sure I\u2019m back for his birthday party.\u201d<\/p>\n She said nothing\u2014just standing on the porch looking miserable.\u00a0 As I put the car in reverse I looked up to see her wave while mouthing the words \u201cI love you.\u201d<\/p>\n Houston Bound<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n I was starving, so I started looking for some type of drive-in or burger place I could pull in and get something to go.\u00a0 A gas station went by and I suddenly remembered that I hadn\u2019t even bothered to check the gauge to see how much gas was in the tank.\u00a0 Ah, just over half a tank.\u00a0 That meant I wouldn\u2019t have to spend as much filling the tank before I got on the highway.\u00a0 Since gas was about 33 cents a gallon I figured I could get to Houston on less than forty dollars, and last time I checked I had a little over fifty bucks in my pocket.<\/p>\n I would probably have to ask my dad for some money to get back to Reno on, and I would make sure to pay him back once I got back to Okinawa.\u00a0 A few miles later, on the southern outskirts of Reno I spotted a \u201cBig Boy\u201d hamburger restaurant and I pulled in, anxious to bite into one of their best burgers.<\/p>\n As I got back on the road I looked for the signs to Highway 50, eastbound towards Winnemucca, until I could pick up Highway 95 just south of Fallon, then southbound to Las Vegas.\u00a0 According to the road map I\u2019d picked up at the gas station where I filled up, it would be about a four-hundred and fifty-mile drive before I would spot the glittering outline of that infamous party city.\u00a0 Since it was close to 4 pm, I calculated that I\u2019d arrive there around 11 pm.\u00a0 The thought of such a long drive began to wear on me since I\u2019d had very little sleep since I\u2019d left Okinawa so many hours ago.<\/p>\n Worse, these were the days before cars came equipped with cruise control, so in just a few hours I began to feel the strain on my right heel as it rested on the floorboard controlling the accelerator pedal.\u00a0 Occasionally, a small cramp would painfully shock my right calf muscle, causing me to jerk my leg up and off the pedal.\u00a0 I tried to use my left foot to push on the gas while I vigorously massaged my right calf, but inevitably my speed would become erratic and my steering less than accurate.\u00a0 After several episodes of leg cramps, I arrived at the conclusion that it was indeed going to be a very long drive.<\/p>\n At Hawthorne, not even a quarter of the way to Las Vegas, I decided that what I needed was coffee\u2014lots of coffee.\u00a0 Several times I\u2019d dozed off–the severe rumbling of the right wheels kicking up gravel was the only thing that brought me back to almost full consciousness.\u00a0 I also assumed that I was a little dehydrated, hence the leg cramps, so coffee would definitely serve me well.<\/p>\n I found a small gas station that had a small store attached to it, so I pulled in to order myself a large black coffee and visit the men\u2019s room.\u00a0 A few minutes later I was back on the dark highway sipping the hot brew and hoping that I wouldn\u2019t need to make any more stops until I\u2019d reached Vegas.\u00a0 Unfortunately, that was not to be.<\/p>\n About an hour and a half after I\u2019d consumed the last of the large coffee that I\u2019d bought, I found that even though I\u2019d emptied my bladder at the last stop, I needed to go again\u2014urgently!\u00a0 At this pace, I wondered if I was ever going to get to Houston.<\/p>\n I drove through several small towns in which I had hoped to find a gas station with a restroom, but due to the late hour they were all closed.\u00a0 After I passed the last closed town on the highway I decided that my only hope was to try to hold on until I got to Tonopah\u2014another forty minutes away.\u00a0 Alas, that was not to be, so finding a stretch of road that seemed more desolate than what I\u2019d been driving on, I pulled off the side of the road.\u00a0 Stumbling in the dark, I relieved myself next to a very unfortunate outcropping of sage.<\/p>\n At twelve-forty-five in the morning, I finally began to see the city lights that I\u2019d been looking for.\u00a0 Slowing down as I entered the city limits, I seriously wondered if I should just make a U-turn and make my way back to Reno.\u00a0 I was completely exhausted, could barely keep my eyes open, and my right leg was all but numb up to my knee.<\/p>\n I pushed on, delaying my decision to see how I felt by the time I reached the southern city limits.\u00a0 That\u2019s when I saw my salvation.<\/p>\n As the city lights began to dim in my rear-view mirror, my headlights illuminated something strange on the side of the road.\u00a0 I moved my left foot over to the dimmer switch, located on the floorboard near the left side of the firewall, and pushed it hard to the floor to turn on my high beams.\u00a0 It was a sailor!<\/p>\n Dressed in his dark Navy blue uniform, the only thing that shone in the dark was his white Dixie cup hat and the white insignia rank on his left sleeve.\u00a0 His right arm was raised, and his hand was forming the familiar thumbs up\u2014signifying his desire for a ride.<\/p>\n Overcoming my normal hesitation for picking up strangers on the road, I quickly made the decision to stop and pick up this sailor.\u00a0 Once in the car, I\u2019d ask him to share in the driving and I could slide over to the passenger side of the front seat and get some much-needed sleep.\u00a0 I assumed he would drive until sunrise, when\u2014completely refreshed, I would take over.<\/p>\n I came to a quick stop, just past where he was standing and reached over to roll the window down.\u00a0 He ran up, dragging his sea-bag, and stuck his head in the open window.<\/p>\n \u201cHow far you going?\u201d he asked, a little out of breath.<\/p>\n \u201cAll the way to Houston.\u00a0 Where you headed?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPhoenix!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh great!\u00a0 I\u2019m going right through Phoenix, so I can drop you off there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFantastic!\u201d he said gleefully.\u00a0 He opened the back door and pushed his bag onto the back seat.<\/p>\n Settling into the passenger side of the front seat he immediately pulled off his shoes.\u00a0 \u201cMan, I am so glad you came along.\u00a0 The thought of my having to stand in the dark, especially as cold as it is, gave me the willies.\u00a0 The last guy that gave me a ride dropped me off right inside the city limits.\u00a0 Said he was gonna strike it big on the slot machines.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHa, fat chance!\u201d I said.\u00a0 \u201cSo what\u2019s your name?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHarvey, Harvey Thompson.\u00a0 You?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFrank.\u00a0 Where you from?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I just left San Diego, but I was born and raised in Dubuque, Iowa.\u00a0 My folks sold their farm there a couple of years ago and retired in Phoenix.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, you\u2019re a farm boy, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah.\u00a0 How about you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHouston.\u00a0 Born and raised.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCool.\u00a0 Anyway, thanks for stopping to pick me up.\u00a0 I am exhausted.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, me too.\u00a0 I thought we\u2019d share the driving on the way to Phoenix.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been fighting to stay awake for the last couple of hours.\u00a0 So, if you don\u2019t mind let\u2019s switch off at the next town so I can get a couple of hours sleep.\u00a0 That OK?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh\u2026\u201d he said, tentatively.\u00a0 \u201cSee\u2026I\u2019d like to help you out\u2026but the deal is that I don\u2019t know how to drive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, see.\u00a0 I was raised on my folks\u2019 farm and all I ever learned to drive was tractors.\u00a0 Never had any need to learn to drive the car.\u00a0 Only had one, so my dad did all the driving.\u00a0 None of us, the kids I mean, ever learned how to drive.\u00a0 Sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n I couldn\u2019t believe what I was hearing.\u00a0 What are the odds?\u00a0 Of all the hitch-hikers on the road, and I gotta find the one that doesn\u2019t know how to drive.<\/p>\n \u201cAnyway,\u201d he continued, \u201cI gotta get some shut-eye.\u00a0 My folks got a long day planned for me tomorrow.\u00a0 It being my first furlough, and all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGreat.\u201d<\/p>\n He curled up, pulling his socked feet up under him on, and burying his head in the space between the back of the seat and the door.<\/p>\n \u201cG\u2019night.\u201d he mumbled.\u00a0 Within a couple of minutes he was snoring loudly.\u00a0 I quickly discovered that driving and trying to stay awake with someone snoring next to you was a thousand times worse than having to drive alone.<\/p>\n About an hour and a half later, and after almost driving off the side of the dark road several times, jerking myself awake at the last moment, I finally gave up as we pulled in to Kingman.\u00a0 For the exception of some twenty-four-hour gas stations on the outskirts of town, everything appeared to be closed.\u00a0 I saw what appeared to be a small restaurant whose parking lot was empty, and I pulled in and shut the engine off.<\/p>\n Harvey immediately jumped up in his seat.\u00a0 \u201cWha\u2026what\u2019s going on?\u00a0 Why\u2019d you stop?\u201d<\/p>\n He was looking at me with a frightened expression\u2014his eyes wide and his mouth open.<\/p>\n \u201cTake it easy, Harvey.\u00a0 Since you can\u2019t fucking help me drive I thought I should just stop here and sleep a few hours.\u00a0 I almost killed us several times back there, so settle back down and go back to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh, OK\u2026\u201d he said, hesitantly.<\/p>\n \u201cTell you what.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t you get into the back seat and stretch out so I can sleep up here?\u201d\u00a0 That seemed to take the edge off his sudden anxiety.<\/p>\n \u201cSure!\u00a0 That\u2019s cool.\u201d\u00a0 And he jumped out onto the concrete drive in his socks.<\/p>\n \u201cGet your shoes!\u201d\u00a0 I yelled.<\/p>\n \u201cOh yeah!\u00a0 Thanks.\u201d\u00a0 And he reached in, keeping both eyes squarely on me.<\/p>\n \u201cJesus\u2026\u201d I mumbled.\u00a0 As soon as he closed the door and got himself comfortable in the back, I got out and retrieved a towel from one of my bags in the trunk and rolled it up to use as a pillow.\u00a0 Laying across the seat with my head under the steering wheel, knees drawn up, and my feet up on the passenger door armrest was very uncomfortable.\u00a0 Even so, I drifted off in record time.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n A painful brightness shone through my eyelids, lifting my awareness up to a drowsy and painful state of slumber.\u00a0 Try as I might, I couldn\u2019t shut the brilliance out of my eyes.\u00a0 I attempted to raise my right arm to shield the glare but I found that it wouldn\u2019t move.\u00a0 I turned my head and a sharp pain shot up from the back of my neck up to the top of my head.\u00a0 I was forced to open my eyes.<\/p>\n My right arm was asleep and I had a hell of a crick in my neck.\u00a0 Worse, I discovered that I needed to pee more than I\u2019d ever needed to do so in my entire life.\u00a0 I pushed my legs out, but found that the door wouldn\u2019t let me stretch them all the way out.\u00a0 I groaned.<\/p>\n Slowly, my consciousness began to seep back into my brain and I began to remember who I was and what I was doing.\u00a0 I pushed myself up on the seat with my left arm and immediately my right arm began to tingle with a million pin pricks.<\/p>\n I smelled bacon!\u00a0 And hash-browns!\u00a0 And, as I sat up in the car seat I saw that we were surrounded by cars in the parking lot.\u00a0 We must\u2019ve been facing east because the sun was blazing agonizingly through the windshield.\u00a0 I could barely open my eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cUgh\u2026\u201d the sound coming from the back seat.\u00a0 Then I remembered Harvey.<\/p>\n \u201cHey!\u201d I said, scratching my head.\u00a0 \u201cGet up.\u00a0 We need to get back on the road.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUgh\u2026ugh.\u201d\u00a0 Harvey answered.<\/p>\n I stretched, and a tremor rippled from the top of my head right down to my feet.\u00a0 \u201cShit!\u00a0 I gotta piss\u2026\u201d I said, to no one in particular.\u00a0 I looked through the windshield, my left hand shielding my eyes and saw through the restaurant\u2019s plate glass window that the restaurant we\u2019d parked at last night was open and full of customers.\u00a0 I could see that there were quite a few people sitting and walking around inside.\u00a0 I re-focused and read, \u201cThe Rooster\u2019s Crow!\u201d painted in bright red block lettering on the glass.<\/p>\n \u201cMan!\u00a0 I sure am hungry!\u201d I heard Harvey finally say from the back seat.\u00a0 \u201cThat smells good.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I gotta go take a piss before I do anything else.\u00a0 Then I\u2019ll get a cup of coffee to go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, can\u2019t we eat before we go?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLook, I don\u2019t have that kind of money on me.\u00a0 Plus, I need to get back on the road because I\u2019m on a tight schedule.\u00a0 So after I piss I\u2019m gonna buy some coffee and start driving.\u00a0 That is, unless you spring for breakfast.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo sorry, I can\u2019t\u201d He said, dejectedly.<\/p>\n \u201cFine!\u201d \u00a0I opened the door and put my shoes back on.\u00a0 I found that my legs, although a little weak, held me up just fine, and my right arm was almost back to normal.\u00a0 I slammed the door behind me and headed for the restaurant door.<\/p>\n I walked through the restaurant\u2019s dining room and spied the sign that directed me to the \u201cMen\u2019s\u201d room.\u00a0 More than a few of the customers gave me a less than casual look, so I assumed they must\u2019ve seen Harvey and me snoozing in the car as they passed us on the way into the caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n After some much needed relief, I splashed my face with cold water and rinsed my mouth out.\u00a0 I wanted to brush my teeth but I wasn\u2019t about to go back out to the car to retrieve my shaving kit.\u00a0 Giving myself a once-over in the mirror I decided that I looked halfway decent, despite having a sleep wrinkle adorning my left cheek and forehead.<\/p>\n Walking out of the men\u2019s room I headed for the counter to ask for a large black coffee to go.\u00a0 The waitress behind the green-speckled countertop hurried over.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019cha need, hon?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust a large black coffee to go, please.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow \u2018bout a nice piece of apple pie to go with that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, thank you.\u00a0 Just the coffee will be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOK, that\u2019ll be twenty-five cents.\u00a0 You can pay me when I bring your coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n Coffee in hand, I headed back to the car to resume my trip south.\u00a0 I climbed in and was surprised to see that Harvey was not in the car.\u00a0 I hadn\u2019t seen him on my way in or out of the men\u2019s room, so I assumed he\u2019d gone in while I was ordering my coffee.<\/p>\n I sipped my coffee for a few minutes, getting a bit inpatient when Harvey didn\u2019t show up right away.\u00a0 Suddenly, I looked up and spotted him sitting at the counter in the restaurant.\u00a0 Setting my coffee on the dash, I stepped out and re-entered the restaurant.\u00a0 As I approached him I saw that he had a plate of eggs, sausage, hash brown potatoes and toast in front of him.\u00a0 He was eagerly wolfing down the eggs as I walked up to him.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat the fuck?\u00a0 What\u2019re you doing?\u201d I asked angrily.<\/p>\n \u201cHuh?\u00a0 Oh, I\u2019m eating.\u00a0 You said you didn\u2019t want any so I thought I\u2019d just get me some breakfast.\u00a0 I\u2019m hungry!\u201d<\/p>\n I sat on an empty stool next to him, and holding my temper back as best as I could, whispered irritably, \u201cOh, you\u2019re hungry?\u00a0 Well I\u2019ll tell you what.\u00a0 I\u2019m going back to the car and dumping your shit out on the driveway.\u00a0 You can finish your breakfast then try to hitch a ride to Phoenix from some other schmuck.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWha\u2026?\u00a0 No, wait!\u201d<\/p>\n I turned away and headed back out to the car.\u00a0 I noticed some amused smiles on the faces of a couple of customers.\u00a0 I opened the right rear passenger door and started to pull his sea bag out.<\/p>\n \u201cWait!\u201d I heard from behind me.\u00a0 \u201cThe waitress is putting my breakfast in a \u2018to-go\u2019 container.\u00a0 I can eat it while we drive.\u00a0 Wait just a couple of minutes, please.\u201d\u00a0 He pleaded.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, hurry the fuck up!\u00a0 I don\u2019t have time for your bullshit.\u201d\u00a0 He ran back into the restaurant and in a couple of minutes came back out carrying a bright red cardboard box and piled into the car.<\/p>\n \u201cGee, I\u2019m sorry.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t think a couple of minutes would make that much difference.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHurry up and eat your breakfast\u2014because when you\u2019re done you\u2019re gonna drive this fucking car!\u00a0 It\u2019s a goddamn automatic transmission so all you have to do is push on the gas and the brake, and steer the damn thing.\u00a0 Make believe you\u2019re out on the fucking farm!\u201d<\/p>\n About ten miles south of Kingman Harvey had finally finished his breakfast and I pulled the car off the highway and on to the gravel shoulder.\u00a0 Harvey reluctantly got out and walked around the front of the car while I slid over to the passenger side of the front seat.<\/p>\n \u201cOK, you do know that the stick on the right side of the steering wheel is the gear selector, right?\u201d\u00a0 I asked.<\/p>\n \u201cUh, yeah I think so.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo the \u2018D\u2019 means \u2018Drive\u2019; that\u2019s where you want to pull the stick down to in order to get the car in gear to go forward.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOK.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOnce you do that, make sure your foot is on the brake, the big fat pedal to the left of the left of the flat one, check your side view mirror to make sure no one is coming, and then take your foot off the brake and push gently down on the gas.\u00a0 Once you\u2019re in the lane, accelerate to about sixty miles an hour and keep it there.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want to get a speeding ticket because I don\u2019t have the money to pay for it.\u00a0 Got it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I think so.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n It was a complete disaster.\u00a0 Harvey had absolutely no clue as to what he was doing; after about five miles of crossing over to the oncoming lane on the narrow two-lane highway several times, driving off onto the shoulder, slowing to about thirty miles an hour and then speeding up to over eighty, I finally got tired of yelling at him and told him to pull over.<\/p>\n For the rest of the trip to Phoenix, we avoided talking to or even looking at each other.\u00a0 I continued to fight off my heavy fatigue and overwhelming drowsiness until I pulled up in front of Harvey\u2019s parents\u2019 house.<\/p>\n He mumbled a curt \u2018thanks\u2019, and got out.\u00a0 As soon as I heard the trunk close I accelerated away without even a glance back. \u00a0As I found myself back on Highway 70 East, I made a vow never again to pick up hitchhikers\u2014a vow I\u2019ve kept to this very day.<\/p>\n I settled in for the remaining drive to Houston hoping that the rest of the trip would be uneventful.\u00a0 Three hours later, as I scanned for traffic in my rearview mirror, I noticed that the back window was clouded over with some unknown substance.\u00a0 I pulled over to investigate and found that the window was coated with a fine coat of what appeared to be oil.\u00a0 I stood there wondering where oil would have to come from to mist over my back window.<\/p>\n Restarting the engine, I checked the oil pressure gauge and found it to be well within its normal operating range.\u00a0 Shutting the engine down again, I popped opened the hood and visually checked the oil dipstick.\u00a0 Again, I found nothing out of the ordinary.\u00a0 A little mystified, I resumed driving\u2014hoping that maybe whatever was causing this weird problem would eventually go away.<\/p>\n Ten miles west of the small town of Duncan, Arizona that early Sunday morning of September 18th<\/sup>, I began to hear an odd sound coming from the lower rear end of the car.\u00a0 Regardless of how fast or slow I drove, the sound\u2014like metal rubbing on metal\u2014kept getting louder.\u00a0 Worse, I began to feel a slight resistance coming from the rear end\u2014like I was pulling a trailer or something.\u00a0 I began to panic.<\/p>\n \u201cOh Lord, what now?\u201d\u00a0 I prayed out loud, as I passed the Duncan, Arizona, city limits sign.<\/p>\n To be continued…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Okinawa Part Five July-September 1966 \u00a0 Breaking News \u201cSo what did you want to tell us?\u201d\u00a0 Nat asked, once everyone had finally settled down. \u201cWell, actually I have two pieces of news.\u00a0 The first one I got from the Finance Office, and the second one I found in the mail room.\u201d\u00a0 Everyone got suddenly very … Continue reading Okinawa – Part Five<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=857"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":859,"href":"https:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857\/revisions\/859"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}