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{"id":861,"date":"2017-02-07T19:37:54","date_gmt":"2017-02-08T01:37:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/?p=861"},"modified":"2017-02-07T19:37:54","modified_gmt":"2017-02-08T01:37:54","slug":"okinawa-part-six","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/?p=861","title":{"rendered":"Okinawa – Part Six"},"content":{"rendered":"Okinawa<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n Part Six<\/strong><\/p>\n September 1966 <\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n A Hitch in my Giddy-up<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n My desperation was growing dramatically as I drove into the quaint little town of Duncan, Arizona, population 550, that sunny Sunday morning in 1966.\u00a0 The noise coming from the left rear-end of the car was getting worse and the further I went, the less I had to use my brakes to slow down.\u00a0 As soon as I pulled my foot off the accelerator, the car would immediately begin to slow down.\u00a0 Even with my limited knowledge of automobiles, I knew that wasn\u2019t a good thing.<\/p>\n The whole town looked completely closed: \u00a0restaurants, gas stations and convenience stores all stood dark and deserted\u2014and I had yet to see a living soul anywhere as I drove down the main street.\u00a0 My panic level was growing by leaps and bounds as I passed block after block of dark store fronts.\u00a0 Even the diagonal parking spaces in front of the various businesses were vacant\u2014their respective parking meters standing sentry-like, each guarding the empty strip of scarred asphalt laying before them.<\/p>\n Stopping at a lone blinking red light signal hung in the middle of an intersection, I thought I saw movement to my right.\u00a0 Looking in that direction, I saw what appeared to be a small gas station that a large red pickup truck was pulling away from.\u00a0 I flipped my right turn signal and made a quick turn heading in that direction.<\/p>\n It was an off-brand gas station–two non-descript gas pumps standing on a small concrete island.\u00a0 The building was old and weather-beaten, with a wooden sign hanging over the two-bay garage that read: \u201cMac\u2019s GaS & OiL\u201d.\u00a0 The sign was obviously hand printed, black letters on white board, and the ampersand was written backwards.\u00a0 Under the main header was written, \u201cminor car repares to\u201d in lower case letters.<\/p>\n I drifted in and stopped the car in front of the garage\u2019s two doors.\u00a0 After turning the engine off, I got out and walked toward the main building next the garage.\u00a0 I noted an acrid burning metallic smell coming from the rear of my car as I stepped into the small office.\u00a0 A large man, long graying red hair pulled into a pony tail, dressed in striped overalls and greasy brown boots was sitting behind a very old and worn metal desk with his crossed legs up on top.\u00a0 He was in the process of lighting a cigarette as I walked in.<\/p>\n \u201cHi.\u00a0 I was wondering if you could help me?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n \u201cSure buddy!\u00a0 What\u2019s aching ya?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n He took a long drag off his cigarette and inhaled deeply.\u00a0 \u201cUh, what\u2026what\u2019s your problem?\u201d He blew out a long blue-gray stream of smoke, and spit out a stray piece of tobacco.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, uh\u2026well\u2026I was driving a while back and my back window started getting misted over with some kind of gook\u2026like oil, or something.\u00a0 Then I heard a noise coming from what I think is the right rear wheel.\u00a0 And now, it feels like it\u2019s dragging\u2026you know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat so?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes sir, it is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou need some gas?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGas?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, like go juice\u2026get it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh sure.\u00a0 I could probably use some\u2014but I need someone to take a look to see what may be wrong with my car.\u201d<\/p>\n He dragged his feet off the desk and rotated his large body in my direction in his squeaky wooden rolling chair.\u00a0 \u201cSay you got oil on the back winder, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes sir.\u00a0 Uh, the back window, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHmm.\u00a0 How\u2019d you know it\u2019s oil?\u201d\u00a0 (Sounded like he said \u2018earl\u2019).<\/p>\n \u201cWell, it looked like oil\u2014it\u2019s greasy and brownish looking.\u00a0 Can you come take a look?\u201d\u00a0 He wrinkled his brow and took another humongous drag off his cigarette.\u00a0 He held the smoke in while he pondered my question.\u00a0 Finally, he exhaled.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, don\u2019t know what I can do about that, but sure, lemme take a gander.\u201d\u00a0 He pushed himself upright and rubbed his belly.\u00a0 \u201cYou know it\u2019s Sunday, right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, yes I do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd, it being Sunday they ain\u2019t nothin\u2019 open.\u00a0 You know that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I was hoping maybe it wouldn\u2019t be too serious.\u00a0 Maybe just an adjustment or something.\u201d<\/p>\n That struck him really funny and he burst out in a loud phlegmy laugh that ended up in some kind whooping-like cough.\u00a0 He walked out, coughing and shaking his head, and headed toward my car.<\/p>\n \u201cAdjustment?\u201d He finally said.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe I can just clean off your back winder and ever-thing\u2019ll be awright!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, that would be nice.\u201d I said, half truthfully.\u00a0 For some reason, he found that comment extremely funny and went into another prolonged fit of coughing and laughing.<\/p>\n \u201cSto\u2026stop\u2026you\u2019re killing me.\u201d\u00a0 He said, wiping his mouth with an oily rag he dug out from the backside of his overalls.\u00a0 He stood by the left rear fender and reached over to wipe the back window with his big greasy index finger.\u00a0 Bringing the finger up to his nose, he took a big whiff.<\/p>\n \u201cAh hah!\u00a0 Just as I thought.\u201d He turned to me, showing me his finger now smeared with fresh oil off my window.\u00a0 \u201cThat ain\u2019t motor oil\u2026that\u2019s rear-end oil.\u00a0 Got a different smell, you know, and it\u2019s thicker.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, no I didn\u2019t know that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYup!\u00a0 You say you heard a sound coming from the wheel here?\u201d He pointed at the left rear wheel.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I think so.\u00a0 It was hard to tell from inside the car.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure!\u00a0 I\u2019d venture t\u2019say you went and burned up an axle bearing on this wheel\u2014and blew the seal out too.\u00a0 When the seal gave out, the oil that\u2019s in the differential, lubricating the gear assembly in there, started leaking out.\u00a0 When it hit the wind it sprayed up onto your rear-end.\u00a0 If you looky here,\u201d he wiped the fender with his hand, smearing it with oil, \u201cyou\u2019ll see that it hit the fender before it got to the glass.\u00a0 You just didn\u2019t see it \u2018cause the paint\u2019s black.\u201d<\/p>\n I wasn\u2019t sure what all of that meant, so I ventured a question.\u00a0 \u201cIs it serious?\u201d<\/p>\n He looked up slowly, wiping his oily finger on the leg of his overalls.\u00a0 \u201cWell, it could be\u2014but, then again, it may not be.\u00a0 All depending on what damage you all did to the axle.\u00a0 If the axle\u2019s scarred, then you\u2019re out some money for sure.\u00a0 But if it\u2019s only the bearing and the seal, then it ain\u2019t so bad.\u00a0 Either way, looks like you ended up with a hitch in your gitty-up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA hitch in my giddy-up?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYup.\u00a0 That\u2019s exactly what I\u2019m thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh, I don\u2019t know what that means, but can you think you can fix it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure, leave the car here with me and I\u2019ll take off the wheel and check it out.\u00a0 If it\u2019s what I\u2019m thinking, then I can get you the parts tomorrow at the parts house.\u00a0 If it\u2019s the axle, then you\u2019ll have to wait a couple of weeks, \u2018cause then I\u2019d have to order that from GM.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWait, wait, wait!\u00a0 I can\u2019t do that.\u00a0 I\u2019m in the military\u2026and I\u2019m on emergency leave.\u00a0 I\u2019m on my way to visit my parents, but I have to be back by next week\u2026to Reno\u2026for my\u2026my son\u2019s birthday.\u00a0 Besides, I don\u2019t have money to stay anywhere.\u00a0 I gotta get back on the road today\u2026this afternoon, by the latest!\u201d<\/p>\n He put his big hands on his hips.\u00a0 \u201cSon, that\u2019s the saddest fucking story I\u2019ve ever heard.\u00a0 You\u2019re in a real pickle, seems like to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, yes.\u201d\u00a0 He just stood there in his overalls staring at me.\u00a0 Just when I thought he was never going to say anything else again, he spoke. \u201cTell you what.\u00a0 It\u2019s your good luck that Chuck married my ugly sister, or else you\u2019d really be in a jam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChuck?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYep, my brother-in-law.\u00a0 Damn fool went and married Ruthie, he did.\u00a0 Now, after a couple of kids, who happen to be uglier than her AND him combined, he\u2019s stuck.\u00a0 Drinks like a fish, he does.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOK, I\u2019m sorry, but I don\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course you don\u2019t.\u00a0 Why should you?\u00a0 I don\u2019t understand it either.\u00a0 She\u2019s coyote ugly.\u00a0 Shows you what pussy\u2019ll do to a man.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I mean\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCome on.\u00a0 I\u2019ll try to get his dead ass out on a Sunday.\u00a0 Chuck owns the only parts house in town, see?\u00a0 So if he tells me he\u2019s got a seal and bearing for your car then I\u2019ll pull that wheel off and check to see what\u2019s what.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, OK.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf the axle\u2019s scarred you\u2019re fucked.\u00a0 But let\u2019s just do this one thing first.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you.\u00a0 I really appreciate it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey!\u201d He stopped suddenly, making me almost run into his large rear end.\u00a0 \u201cDid you say you didn\u2019t have any money?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, yes\u2026I mean, no.\u00a0 I mean, I do, but not much.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHmm.\u00a0 Lemme call Chuck.\u00a0 Come on in and have a Coke on me.\u201d<\/p>\n I followed him into the office.\u00a0 He opened the lid on what looked like an old chest freezer.\u00a0 It was full of chipped ice covering dozens of bottles of various bottles of Coke, 7Up, Hires Root Beer, and Nehi orange sodas.\u00a0 He dug a Coca-Cola bottle out and handed it to me.\u00a0 \u201cOpener\u2019s hanging off that string on the wall.\u00a0 Help yourself.\u201d\u00a0 He fell into his squeaky chair and pulled an old black rotary phone from under some invoices.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019ll probably be glad to get out of the house today.\u201d\u00a0 He chuckled under his breath and dialed the number.\u00a0 \u201cBy the way, Mac\u2019s the name,\u201d he said, looking up from the rotary dial.<\/p>\n \u201cFrank\u2026my name\u2019s Frank.\u00a0 Nice to meet you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLikewise, I\u2019m sure.\u201d\u00a0 He cleared his throat, then yelled into the receiver, \u201cHey Chuck!\u00a0 How\u2019s it hanging buddy?\u00a0 Mac here!\u201d<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n Apparently, Chuck was OK with leaving the house on a Sunday and heading out to his auto parts store to conduct a search for a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air left rear axle bearing and seal.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew he\u2019d do it!\u201d Mac said, chuckling under his breath as he hung up the phone.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019d do anything to get away from my sister and those shitty kids.\u201d\u00a0 He pulled himself up from the messy desk and started to head out the door of the office.\u00a0 \u201cLemme have them keys so I can pull her in the garage and onto the lift.\u00a0 Won\u2019t take but a few minutes to find out how deep in trouble you are.\u201d<\/p>\n I dug the keys out of my pocket and handed them to him.\u00a0 He rumbled out of the office and got into the car.\u00a0 A few minutes later he had the car up on the lift and was busy taking the left rear wheel off.<\/p>\n Walking back into the office I sat down on an old metal chair and took a couple of swigs off my Coke.\u00a0 Just then, the thought of money crossed my mind.\u00a0 I wondered exactly how much I actually had in my pocket, so looking through the side door I saw that Mac still had his back to me and was now busy dismantling the brake drum.\u00a0 I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my wallet.\u00a0 Holding it close to my body I opened it and took stock of what I had.\u00a0 I counted out one twenty, a ten, a five, and two one dollar bills.\u00a0 Reaching into my pockets I found thirty-two cents.\u00a0 So, that was it: thirty-seven dollars and thirty-two cents.\u00a0 A cold chill passed through my body, as I realized that I would probably be coming up short regardless of what Mac found to be wrong with the car.<\/p>\n \u201cWell son!\u201d Mac said loudly, and shocking me half out of my skin.\u00a0 \u201cYou are one lucky bastard!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYup!\u00a0 Come out here and take a look.\u201d\u00a0 I followed him into the garage as he walked up to the car.\u00a0 The right rear tire and brake drum were gone, and all I could see was a long black solid metal rod sticking out where the tire should\u2019ve been.\u00a0 \u201cSee here?\u201d He said, pointing at the rod. \u201cThis here\u2019s the axle.\u201d I saw that it went into a large metal ball centered just about where the spare tire was in the trunk.\u00a0 \u201cIf you look at the end of it here\u2026\u201d He rubbed the end of the rod, and I noted how shiny it was, \u201c\u2026see how smooth it is?\u00a0 That means the bearing didn\u2019t score the axle.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that\u2019s good?\u201d\u00a0 I asked.<\/p>\n \u201cDamn good!\u00a0 That means that whenever my worthless brother-in-law finally calls me we\u2019ll be overjoyed if he tells us he\u2019s got a new bearing and seal for your car.\u00a0 Since she ain\u2019t scored, the seal will go on there nice and smooth right behind the bearing and keep the oil from leaking out!\u00a0 Yup, you\u2019re one lucky bastard!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, that is good news.\u00a0 So, if your brother-in-law has the parts then you can replace them and I can be on my way?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cKinda looks that way.\u00a0 Shit, let me call his ass over at the parts store.\u201d\u00a0 As he started to walk over to the office, the phone rang.\u00a0 \u201cWell, hells-bells\u2014that\u2019s gotta be him!\u201d<\/p>\n I stayed in the garage studying the car\u2019s axle and differential.\u00a0 I noticed he\u2019d taken a plug off the differential and inserted a small plastic hose into the hole.\u00a0 The hose led to an old five-gallon paint bucket that had about two inches of thick black oil at the bottom.<\/p>\n \u201cYup!\u201d\u00a0 Mac yelled behind me, making me jump just a little.\u00a0 \u201cI had to drain the rest of the oil outta the differential.\u00a0 That\u2019s no sweat though, we\u2019ll just put some fresh oil in when we\u2019re done.\u00a0 It don\u2019t take much anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh, did he have the parts?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChuck?\u00a0 Yeah, he\u2019ll be bringing \u2019em over here in just a jiffy.\u00a0 Yeah, you\u2019re one lucky shit, I\u2019ll tell you!\u00a0 I\u2019da bet my ass you burned up that axle with that bearing in the shape it\u2019s in.\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head, as if he still didn\u2019t believe it.\u00a0 \u201cAnd then,\u201d he continued, \u201cto have them parts in stock!\u00a0 Whew, you must have some guardian angel looking out after you!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I don\u2019t know about that, but I appreciate you doing this on a Sunday.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShit, son.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t have anything to do anyway.\u00a0 Notice how there ain\u2019t been no gas customers pull in all this time?\u00a0 Probably just spend my day here napping anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n A few minutes later I heard a vehicle pull into the station and a door slam.\u00a0 A tall and very skinny man wearing jeans and a western shirt came bouncing into the garage.\u00a0 This was Chuck.\u00a0 If his wife was anywhere close to her brother\u2019s height and girth, I could see why Chuck preferred to stay away from home.\u00a0 Although well over six feet tall, he must\u2019ve weighed no more than a hundred and thirty pounds.<\/p>\n Chuck had a couple of very small white boxes in his hand and gave them to Mac.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll be done here in just about thirty minutes so why don\u2019t you go back into the office and wait?\u201d Mac suggested.<\/p>\n Chuck didn\u2019t hang around very long\u2014his red Ford dually pickup pulling out of the station and back onto the main road a few minutes later.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n I glanced at the old black and white clock hanging crookedly on the wall and saw that it was well past noon.\u00a0 I figured I had about another twelve hours of driving to do before I hit Houston\u2019s western city limits, so that would put me there sometime after midnight.\u00a0 I got up and peeked into the garage.\u00a0 Mac had just reassembled the brake shoes and was pushing the outer brake drum cover onto the axle.\u00a0 I assumed he was almost done and my heart jumped when I thought that the unknown and scary part was yet to come.\u00a0 How much was all this work and parts going to cost.<\/p>\n At about a quarter to one, Mac strolled into the office wiping his gigantic hands on a gray shop rag.\u00a0 \u201cOK, buddy\u2014she\u2019s all done.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOK, thanks.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know what I\u2019d have done if you hadn\u2019t been open.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh, that wasn\u2019t anything.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I appreciate it all the same.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOK, lemme total up the damage.\u201d\u00a0 He opened the main drawer to the desk and took out a large receipt book.\u00a0 He sat down and searched around the drawer for something to write with.\u00a0 Finally finding a capless ball pen he began to write down some figures.<\/p>\n \u201cOK, look.\u00a0 I told you I didn\u2019t have a lot of money, so I hope the bill isn\u2019t too much.\u201d\u00a0 I said, tentatively.<\/p>\n He stopped writing and looked up from the pad.\u00a0 \u201cWell, you know all this work, plus the parts, ain\u2019t gonna be cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh\u2026well, how much do you think it\u2019s gonna be?\u201d<\/p>\n He put the pen down and turned in his chair to face me.\u00a0 \u201cWell son, you know I ain\u2019t doing this for free.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo!\u00a0 I don\u2019t mean that.\u00a0 But I\u2019ve only got so much money\u2026and I still have to get to Houston.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, well\u2026and I also need some gas.\u201d<\/p>\n He stared at me quizzically, and I couldn\u2019t tell if he was angry, amused, or confused.<\/p>\n \u201cAwright, let\u2019s just do this.\u00a0 How much money you got?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOK, I counted it all a while ago, and I got thirty-seven dollars and thirty-two cents.\u00a0 That\u2019s all the money I got, honest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHmm\u2026\u201d he said.\u00a0 Turning back to his pad he wrote a few more figures, then made a grand gesture with his pen\u2014drawing a big circle around a set of figures.\u00a0 \u201cWell, ain\u2019t this your lucky day!\u00a0 Your bill comes to exactly, thirty-seven dollars and thirty-two cents.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t that<\/u> a fucking coincidence?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah\u2026but\u2026that\u2019s all I have.\u00a0 And like I said, I still have to drive to Houston.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hear you, but that\u2019s what the bill is.\u00a0 Now, pay up or neither you nor your car are going anywhere!\u201d<\/p>\n Seeing no other way out of this, I dug out my wallet and pulled the bills out, handing them to him.\u00a0 He kept his hand out while I stuck my wallet back into my back pocket.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re thirty-two cents short.\u201d\u00a0 He said, flatly.<\/p>\n I reached into my front pocket and pulled the change out.\u00a0 Without another word, he stuck the money into his front pocket and walked out of the office and into the garage.\u00a0 He lowered the car off the lift, started the engine and pulled it out into the drive.<\/p>\n \u201cThere you go, son.\u201d He said, as he got out of the car.\u00a0 \u201cGood as new!\u00a0 Happy trails!\u201d<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t say a word\u2014instead, I just got into the car and put pulled the gear lever into reverse.<\/p>\n \u201cOh!\u201d Mac suddenly said, \u201cI\u2019d suggest you drive across the state line, into New Mexico, and into the next town\u2014that\u2019s Lordsburg\u2014and it\u2019s bigger than Duncan.\u00a0 Find yourself the Western Union office, look for the big five and dime store on Main Street, and it\u2019ll be right next to it.\u00a0 Then, you go in there and have them wire your folks a collect telegram, asking them for money.\u00a0 When they get it, they can give the delivery boy some money back, and for a small fee, he\u2019ll wire it back to the Western Union there at Lordsburg.\u00a0 It may take some time, but at least you\u2019ll then have money to get home.\u201d<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t know what else to say, so I just said \u201cThanks.\u201d\u00a0 Pulling out onto the highway I glanced at the gas gauge and saw that I had a little less than a quarter tank of gas.\u00a0 My stomach was cramping and I was getting a hell of a headache.\u00a0 I remembered I hadn\u2019t eaten all day.<\/p>\n As I drove east, I wondered just how far Lordsburg was.<\/p>\n Sometimes You Gotta Swallow Your Pride<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n The road sign said, \u2018Lordsburg \u2013 35 miles\u2019, and I hoped it was right.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t think I had enough gas to go much farther.<\/p>\n It seemed larger than Duncan, but not that much.\u00a0 What made it different was that it seemed to have more life.\u00a0 Everything was open: gas stations, convenience stores, fast food restaurants, and grocery stores.\u00a0 Personally, I was hoping the Western Union was open.<\/p>\n About a mile inside the city limits I spotted what appeared to be a large store on the right side of the street, so I took a chance and found a diagonal parking spot near the front of the building.\u00a0 I shut the engine off and looked for something that resembled a telegraph office.\u00a0 I saw nothing.<\/p>\n After walking up and down the block and not finding anything, I decided to go into the large variety store and ask someone.\u00a0 It was packed with shoppers, but as I scanned the interior I saw a \u201cCustomer Service\u201d sign and headed straight for it.<\/p>\n The lady working the counter was on the phone so I waited patiently while she worked out a problem with an unsatisfied customer concerning a broken iron.<\/p>\n Finally, she hung up and smiled at me.\u00a0 \u201cHi,\u201d I said pleasantly, \u201cI\u2019m looking for a Western Union office.\u00a0 I was told it was next to your store but I can\u2019t seem to find it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure, honey,\u201d the lady said in an artificially sugar-sweet voice.\u00a0 \u201cSee that door over there?\u201d\u00a0 She pointed over her right shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cUh, yes ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd do you see the sign over the door?\u201d\u00a0 I looked, and it was a dark, natural wood, highly varnished sign that said, \u201cWestern Union\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, it\u2019s in your store.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry, I was told it was next to it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUsed to be, but that\u2019s now a jewelry store.\u00a0 They moved in here about a year ago.\u201d<\/p>\n Since the door was closed I had to ask, \u201cSo, just knock on the door or should I just go in.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh no, honey.\u00a0 You don\u2019t have to knock.\u00a0 Just open the door and go right in.\u00a0 They have a little waiting room in there for their customers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOK, thank you very much.\u201d\u00a0 I walked to the door and opened it.\u00a0 Sure enough, it was a rather large room with three long benches that I assumed were for the customers.\u00a0 The operator was housed behind a glass window\u2014like a cashier at a movie house, and was wearing a cap with a green plastic visor\u2026like an accountant.\u00a0 He was young, maybe early thirties, and had a cigarette hanging precariously from his mouth.\u00a0 He seemed preoccupied with whatever he was reading, so I walked up to the window and stood there until he finally looked up at me.<\/p>\n \u201cCan I help you?\u201d he asked, without much enthusiasm, the cigarette bouncing up and down, flinging ash all around.<\/p>\n \u201cYes sir, I need to send a telegram to someone\u2026to\u2026uh\u2026well, I need some money.\u201d<\/p>\n He pulled the cigarette from his mouth and violently smashed it into an already full glass ashtray.\u00a0 \u201cSo, you want to send a telegram to someone, asking them to send back a MoneyGram?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I guess so.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOK, outbound telegrams are priced according to zones.\u00a0 Look at the map there,\u201d he pointed at a map to my right that had been placed under glass, \u201cand find the city you\u2019re sending the telegram to.\u00a0 The zones are marked in red.\u201d<\/p>\n On my drive from Duncan to Lordsburg I had, after much internal debate, decided that I would contact Sharon, instead of my parents, and ask her for money.\u00a0 I knew that if I sent a telegram to my folks they would probably think it was some practical joke and chase the delivery boy away.\u00a0 To my knowledge, they\u2019d never received a telegram in their whole life, but what I did know for sure was that they had very little tolerance for strangers who appeared out of nowhere and knocked on their door.\u00a0 I could only imagine how they\u2019d react to a Western Union delivery boy telling them they had to sign and pay for a telegram.<\/p>\n So, swallowing my pride, I decided that Sharon would have to be the one for me to contact.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t sure how she was fixed for money, but at least she\u2019d hear out the delivery boy, and maybe even read the telegram.<\/p>\n \u201cOK, I said,\u201d finding Reno on the map.\u00a0 \u201cThe telegram\u2019s going to Reno, and it looks like that\u2019s zone three.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHmm\u2026\u201d zone three.\u00a0 OK, that\u2019ll be five cents a word, with a limit of twenty words.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh!\u00a0 Uh, is there any way I can send that\u2026collect?\u00a0 Like a phone call?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCollect?\u00a0 You mean you want the receiving party to pay for the telegram?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u00a0 That\u2019s why I need to send the telegram\u2014I don\u2019t have money and I need some to continue my travel\u2026uh, trip.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI see.\u00a0 OK, there are pads at the table over there.\u201d he pointed with a nicotine yellowed finger.\u00a0 Print out your message, legibly, minding the number of words you use.\u00a0 Then fill in the information at the bottom of the form regarding the receiver\u2014name, address, and so on.\u00a0 When you\u2019re done, I\u2019ll send it to the Reno office.\u00a0 Bear in mind, the person who receives this will be paying for this telegram before they can read it\u2014and if you want them to send you back a MoneyGram, there\u2019ll be a charge for that too.\u00a0 Plus, of course, the amount of money you\u2019re asking for.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI understand.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I\u2019m saying, is that if you intend to wait for the return message, it may be a few hours\u2014if at all. \u00a0Most of the time people who send these never get back a response, or the receiver refuses the telegram.\u00a0 If that happens you\u2019ll have to pay.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, but I don\u2019t have any money on me.\u201d<\/p>\n He looked at me with a look that said, \u2018Oh, how many times have I heard that?\u2019\u00a0 \u201cOK, let\u2019s cross that bridge when we get to it.\u201d<\/p>\n I walked over to the table and grabbed one of the several telegraph pads.\u00a0 There were several short pencils, so I grabbed one of those too.\u00a0 I never thought I\u2019d feel as humiliated as I did then, just by sitting down and writing a short note.\u00a0 But I did.<\/p>\n It took three tries before I was satisfied that I wrote what I wanted to say in the shortest number of words.\u00a0 In short, I had car trouble and I needed fifty dollars.\u00a0 I promised to pay her back when I returned.<\/p>\n After I gave the completed sheet back to the operator I took a seat on the hard bench.\u00a0 I looked up at the large clock on the wall.\u00a0 It said, two twenty-five.\u00a0 Somewhere in the building, probably just outside the door, was a cafeteria.\u00a0 I could smell the food and the coffee.\u00a0 I was famished beyond belief.<\/p>\n At five thirty-five, I heard my name being called.\u00a0 I had dozed off and thought I heard my name several times before I came to.<\/p>\n \u201cYes!\u00a0 Yes!\u00a0 I\u2019m Frank DeLe\u00f3n.\u201d\u00a0 I tried to jump up off the bench, but my right leg was numb, and I couldn\u2019t feel my butt.\u00a0 I hobbled over to the window.\u00a0 To my surprise, there was now another operator there: an older black man.<\/p>\n \u201cYou Frank?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes sir, I am.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNeed to see some ID, please.\u201d\u00a0 I pulled my military ID out and showed it to him.\u00a0 He studied it carefully, comparing the picture on the front to the real me standing in front of him.\u00a0 \u201cOK,\u201d he said, as he handed the card back to me.\u00a0 \u201cGot a MoneyGram for you here in the amount of fifty dollars.\u00a0 Is that what you expected?<\/p>\n \u201cYes sir.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOK, you can take it to a bank and get it cashed with your ID.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBank?\u00a0 It\u2019s Sunday!\u00a0 I doubt that any banks are open today.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou can take it first thing tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI need it today!\u00a0 I\u2019m traveling to Houston!\u201d\u00a0 He looked a little annoyed.<\/p>\n \u201cOK, I can cash it here, but it\u2019ll be a dollar to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA dollar?\u00a0 OK, I guess that\u2019ll have to do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOK, tear off the MoneyGram at the dotted line, turn it over and endorse it.\u201d<\/p>\n I did all of that, and in a matter of minutes I was walking out into the early New Mexico evening with forty-nine dollars in my pocket.<\/p>\n Now, I needed to get gas for the car and I needed to eat.\u00a0 After pulling out of a gas station with a full tank of gas I spotted a fast food restaurant with a drive-thru window.\u00a0 Before I drove back out onto the highway, I consulted my now ratty-looking roadmap and plotted my route to intercept Interstate 10 East.<\/p>\n I would reach the outskirts of Houston at six-thirty in the morning.\u00a0 Exhausted and barely conscious, I pushed on until I pulled into my parent\u2019s house early Monday, September 19, 1966.<\/p>\n A Discovery<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n My dad was just getting ready to leave for work as I was arriving that morning.\u00a0 They had moved a couple of times since I\u2019d left home in 1960, he no longer pastoring a church, and this one happened to be located in the old neighborhood where I\u2019d lived as a kid on Kashmere Street.\u00a0 Because they had no idea what car I was driving home, they were a bit suspicious\u2014peering out through the front window\u2014as the black Chevy rumbled off the now newly-paved street, onto their dirt driveway.<\/p>\n As I stepped out of the car, my mom ran out to the porch making little screeching sounds and waving her hands in the air.\u00a0 Dad eased out of the door and stood on the porch smiling, hands on his hips.<\/p>\n After many hugs and kisses, I was able to finally disengage myself from my mom and climb the stairs to greet my dad.\u00a0 After a bit of a bear-hug, he asked me about the car.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, that\u2019s Sharon\u2019s car.\u00a0 She got it from her mom.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHmm, looks like a good one,\u201d my dad said knowingly.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThose fifty-seven Chevys are hard to beat.\u00a0 Did she run well all the way down from Reno?\u201d<\/p>\n I recounted my adventure in Duncan, but left out the part about the Western Union telegram.\u00a0 After a last cup of coffee, my dad said he had to go to work.\u00a0 I moved my car from the single drive to let him roll his blue 1955 Ford Fairlane out onto the street and roar off to work.\u00a0 Before he left though, he promised to take a couple of hours off around noon to take us all out for lunch.\u00a0 Although I was starving, I was much more interested in laying down and getting a few hours\u2019 sleep, so I suggested that instead of lunch maybe he could just take off a couple of hours at the end of the day and we could go out to dinner instead.\u00a0 That way, I told him, I could feel free to sleep most of the day if necessary.\u00a0 He gave me a thumbs up and took off for work.<\/p>\n Mom wanted me to tell her all about Okinawa, but I told her I would be happy to do that after I got some sleep.\u00a0 Reluctantly she agreed, and after helping me bring my luggage into the house and putting fresh sheets on their bed, she quietly closed the door and gave me the privacy that I sorely needed.<\/p>\n I undressed and collapsed on their bed.\u00a0 For a few minutes my mind was so shocked with the sudden cessation of activity that I actually tossed and turned restlessly for a while before my body finally surrendered to the blissful silence and coolness of the freshly-laundered linen.<\/p>\n I fell into a deep and shadowy slumber, interrupted periodically by flash dreams replaying the angst and stress that my mind had been under for the last few months.\u00a0 At times I found myself wandering a horrifying landscape populated by lifeless unhuman-like beings laying scattered on the grayish-black ground in grotesquely twisted positions.\u00a0 As I passed each corpse-like form it would come to life, reaching out to touch me\u2014toothless mouth agape, and unseeing black holes where eyes used to be, beseeching me soundlessly and reaching out, begging me to stop.<\/p>\n Try as I might, I could not quicken my pace.\u00a0 My legs, seemingly powerless to move faster would not allow me to escape the touch of their fleshless fingers; where they did touch, a black moldy mark would appear and grow.<\/p>\n Another dream found me floating helplessly, neck deep, in a large body of bottomless water.\u00a0 Unable to move my arms and legs to assist me in staying afloat, I would flail my head to and fro, trying to keep my mouth and nose from going under.\u00a0 Finally, my efforts useless, I would slowly sink into the wet darkness knowing that once I was no longer able to hold my breath, my lungs would fill and explode.<\/p>\n Just as the instinct to breath in the watery darkness took hold, I heard a sweet voice in the distance call my name.<\/p>\n I jerked violently, almost throwing myself off the bed.<\/p>\n \u201cFrankie?\u201d\u00a0 It was my mom calling just outside the door.<\/p>\n \u201cUm, mom?\u00a0 Just a minute.\u201d\u00a0 I found the top sheet coiled around my legs, and the light comforter pushed off onto the floor.\u00a0 \u201cOK, mom!\u00a0 I\u2019m getting up,\u201d I said, groggily.\u00a0 \u201cWhat time is it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, mijito, it\u2019s almost five.\u00a0 Your daddy\u2019ll be home anytime now.\u201d My mom\u2019s muffled voice came through the closed door.<\/p>\n \u201cOK, let me wash up a bit and then I\u2019ll be out.\u201d\u00a0 I said, now a bit more cognizant of where I was.<\/p>\n \u201cBueno mijito.\u00a0 If you want to take a shower, there\u2019s clean towels in the bathroom.\u201d<\/p>\n Sitting up on the edge of the bed I thought that would be a great idea.\u00a0 \u201cSure mom!\u00a0 Are my bags still out there?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh\u2026yes, they are.\u00a0 I\u2019ll just open the door a little bit and push them in.\u201d<\/p>\n The shower was invigorating, and although I was still a little dopey from the long drive and lack of sleep, I felt almost human.\u00a0 By the time I dressed and came out of the bedroom, dad was just pulling into the drive.\u00a0 A few minutes later he came into the house through the back door, in his usual style: whistling some jaunty little tune, like he always did, that he\u2019d just made up on the spot.<\/p>\n While dad took a shower, mom and I sat at the kitchen table and had a cup of coffee.<\/p>\n \u201cSo mijito, how\u2019s Sharon and the boys?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh\u2026they\u2019re fine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid you spend any time with them?\u00a0 It seems to me like you just got to the states and the first thing you did was drive down here to see us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s pretty much it, mom.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo\u2026is everything OK between you and Sharon?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh, well no, not really.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs that why you came home?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYup.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you want to tell me about it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, not really, mom.\u00a0 I know it\u2019s unfair\u2026and I know you deserve to know\u2026but, I don\u2019t really have any answers right now.\u00a0 That\u2019ll have to wait until I get back to Reno.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, as long as the boys don\u2019t suffer.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHmm, I think it\u2019s too late for that.\u201d\u00a0 That comment came out before I had a chance to think.\u00a0 I instantly knew that I shouldn\u2019t have said what I said.\u00a0 I looked up at my mom and saw a tear roll off her cheek and land on her freshly-ironed blouse.\u00a0 \u201cLook mom,\u201d I said, reaching for her hand.\u00a0 \u201cThings will work out, but there\u2019s a lot of stuff that\u2019s gone on with her since I left for Okinawa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know, mijito.\u201d She said softly.\u00a0 \u201cI guessed as much, but the babies will end up suffering regardless of what you and Sharon end up doing.\u00a0 They will suffer so much.\u201d\u00a0 Not knowing what else to say, I concentrated on drinking my coffee and looking out the window.<\/p>\n Dad came out of the bathroom and suggested we go to dinner at a Mexican restaurant that he and Reverend Villa used to go to.\u00a0 While at dinner I tried to explain some of the issues that Sharon and I had been dealing with since I\u2019d left, but it was extremely difficult because I really didn\u2019t want to tell them about her pregnancy, so I was forced to dance around that issue.\u00a0 In the end, I think they realized that what I\u2019d told them was not even close to what was really happening, and that there were a whole host of other issues that I was never going to discuss.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n I stayed with my parents for the next four days.\u00a0 I think they were anxious to \u201cshow me off\u201d, as they wanted to take me to their church services on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.\u00a0 I declined to go on Wednesday, but because I was planning to begin my drive back to Reno on Friday, I gave in to my mother for the Thursday service.\u00a0 As it turned out, my decision to attend church on Thursday evening ended up being a good thing.\u00a0 My dad had been asked to preach the sermon that evening, and since it was common for the church to take up a collection for the visiting preacher, he made a good haul.\u00a0 On the way home he reached into his pocket and pulled out five twenty dollar bills.\u00a0 \u201cFor your trip home, son.\u00a0 I know you\u2019re probably a little thin in the money department, having traveled all the way from Okinawa, so maybe this\u2019ll help you on the way back.\u201d<\/p>\n Since he couldn\u2019t have known that I had been planning to ask him for a loan, I had to believe\u2014maybe just a little bit\u2014that this event may\u2019ve been prompted by just a wee bit of divine intervention.<\/p>\n My trip back to Reno was, for the most part, uneventful.\u00a0 I left early on Friday morning, September 23rd<\/sup>, the back seat of the car full of birthday gifts my parents and my Aunt Janie were sending back for Ricky.\u00a0 I wanted to take my time on the return leg, averting a little bit of wear and tear on the car, and certainly, on myself.\u00a0 My thinking was that, in spite of my decision not to stop anywhere overnight, if I got terribly tired I would just have to pull over and get a few hours\u2019 sleep at roadside stops.\u00a0 Oh, and I was not going to pick up any more hitchhikers.<\/p>\n I passed the city limit signs on Reno\u2019s east side early on the morning of September 26th<\/sup>\u2014the day before my son\u2019s fourth birthday.\u00a0 When I arrived at Sharon\u2019s house I wasn\u2019t sure if anyone was up that early, so after retrieving my baggage from the trunk and stowing Ricky\u2019s gifts, I walked quietly up the stairs and onto the porch.\u00a0 Pulling open the screen door, I knocked softly on the door\u2014thinking that if no one answered I would just drive to a nearby coffee shop and have breakfast.\u00a0 Before I had a chance to knock again, Sharon opened the door.<\/p>\n She was dressed in a terribly undersized housecoat\u2014the terrycloth fabric pulled open between the large white buttons exposing the pink silky material of an underlying slip.\u00a0 And her hair, grown much longer than I remembered before leaving for Okinawa the year before, was piled atop her head in a sloppy bun, a few stray strands hanging limply over her ears.\u00a0 She seemed genuinely happy to see me, and reached out to hug me and pull me into the house.\u00a0 I took a step back, as her hands came to rest on my shoulders.<\/p>\n \u201cOh hi\u2026\u201d she said, a blush suddenly rising to her cheeks when she realized I wasn\u2019t going to accept her hug.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t know when to expect you.\u201d<\/p>\n I stepped around her, ducking under her left arm as I entered the room; the move all but nullifying her attempt at a hug.\u00a0 \u201cI told you I\u2019d be back before Ricky\u2019s birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, but I wasn\u2019t sure\u2026\u201d she left the sentence hanging as I walked in, looking for the boys.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere are the boys?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re back in their room getting ready to take their morning baths.\u00a0 I was just clearing the table and putting their cereal bowls into the sink.\u00a0 You can go in and say hi, if you want.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure, I\u2019ll just walk back to their room.\u201d\u00a0 I stepped away from her and entered her bedroom on my way to the boys\u2019 room.\u00a0 They were barefoot and dressed in loose briefs, and were having a noisy tug of war, pulling a faded and ragged-edged light green towel between them.\u00a0 Apparently, both of them wanted to use the same towel, as I noticed that there was a white one lying neglected on the floor.<\/p>\n As I stepped into the room they both looked up and let the towel go.\u00a0 They started to move toward me, Ricky, as always, leading the way while Beebe stood stoically deciding if the trip was going to be worth the effort.\u00a0 I reached down and picked Ricky up and nuzzled his neck.\u00a0 Beebe finally decided to walk over and attach himself to my right leg.<\/p>\n After a few minutes I walked out to the main room and told Sharon that I was going to give the boys their baths while she washed the morning dishes.\u00a0 I asked where their clean clothes were because when I looked through the dresser drawers I\u2019d found nothing but odds and ends.\u00a0 She said that they were in the clothes dryer and would bring them to me directly.\u00a0 As I walked back into their room to herd them out to the bathroom I noticed the Sharon\u2019s closet door was open.\u00a0 I stopped to peruse its contents.<\/p>\n The entire closet was stuffed with what appeared to be at least two dozen matching outfits\u2014most of them with the price tags still hanging off their sleeves.\u00a0 I pulled one of the tags up to read it in the dim light of the bedroom. It said, \u201cSonny and Cher Original\u201d, and the price of this one particular outfit was equal to about one-third of my monthly pay.\u00a0 All of the outfits looked expensive and very well made, most of the pants cut in the trendy bell-bottomed style that Cher had made her trademark look; and the blouses and jackets were adorned in a colorful frilly lace-like trim.\u00a0 On the floor of the closet were more than a dozen pairs of shoes.\u00a0 I now knew where most of the nine hundred dollars that I\u2019d sent her had gone.<\/p>\n After giving the boys their baths, I dressed them in the clothes that she\u2019d brought me and sent them back to their room.\u00a0 I walked back out to the main room and told Sharon that I was exhausted and was going to take nap on the couch.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, why don\u2019t you just go into the bedroom and lay down on the bed?\u00a0 It\u2019s way more comfortable\u2014and I can pull the blinds so the light won\u2019t bother you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo thanks, the couch\u2019ll be just fine.\u201d\u00a0 There was a small TV, which I hadn\u2019t noticed before, atop a serving tray we used to call a \u2018TV tray\u2019, situated next to the dining table.\u00a0 It was on, but the sound was turned down.\u00a0 Some game show was playing.<\/p>\n \u201cOK, then,\u201d she said, in a slightly disappointed tone. \u00a0\u201cI\u2019ll turn the TV off so you can at least have some peace and quiet,\u201d she said, walking over and turning the set off.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll pull the drapes and close the blinds too.\u00a0 I want to get off my feet anyway, so I\u2019ll go to the bedroom and do some reading.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhatever\u2026\u201d I responded nonchalantly, as I headed toward the couch.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll bring you a blanket so you won\u2019t get chilled,\u201d she said, caringly.<\/p>\n I had noticed that the house was very chilly, as the outside temperature was in the low twenties with some snow still on the ground.<\/p>\n I slept a deep and dreamless sleep, not waking until late that afternoon.\u00a0 I sat up suddenly and stretched.\u00a0 My back was sore and tight, probably because of the long drive back, and certainly not helped by the sagging cushions on the worn couch.<\/p>\n \u201cHi there!\u201d I heard Sharon say, before I saw her.\u00a0 She was behind the counter in the kitchen.\u00a0 The boys were perched on their chairs at the dining table, looking at me warily.\u00a0 \u201cI made some soup and sandwiches for me and the boys, and I\u2019ll bet you\u2019re hungry too.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t you wash up and join us in an early dinner?\u201d<\/p>\n I had to admit that I was extremely hungry\u2014my last meal having been consumed the day before, somewhere between Las Vegas and Reno.\u00a0 \u201cSure, OK.\u00a0 Let me brush my teeth first.\u201d<\/p>\n So for the first time since I\u2019d left for Okinawa the year before, and for the last time ever, we shared a meal as a family.\u00a0 Afterwards, and while she was clearing the table, I walked back to the sofa to read a newspaper I\u2019d grabbed off the counter.\u00a0 As I sat down and looked at my very pregnant and bloated wife as she washed the dishes, I wondered just what she might\u2019ve looked like all dressed up and ready to party in one of her \u2018Sonny & Cher Originals\u2019 outfits.<\/p>\n Surprise, Then Another Surprise<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n After a while, I decided to turn on the TV and see what was on.\u00a0 The boys had put on jackets, which they should\u2019ve been wearing when they came to meet me at the airport, and went outside to play.\u00a0 It was getting dark, but Sharon had given them strict orders to stay in the back yard where there was a chain link fence.<\/p>\n After flipping through a couple of channels I began to feel very sleepy again, and before I knew it I had drifted off.\u00a0 When I awoke again, it was a little before ten.\u00a0 All the lights were on in the main room and in the kitchen, and Sharon\u2019s bedroom door was closed.\u00a0 I got up and paid a visit to the bathroom.<\/p>\n As I was walking back to the couch the bedroom room door suddenly opened.\u00a0 Sharon stepped out, her face ashen.\u00a0 \u201cOK, sorry, uh\u2026we have to go,\u201d she said, in a tone that was both shaky and frightened.<\/p>\n I stopped abruptly.\u00a0 \u201cGo? Go where?\u201d\u00a0 I asked.<\/p>\n \u201cTo the hospital!\u00a0 We need to go now.\u201d\u00a0 She was rapidly biting her lower lip.\u00a0 \u201cMy water just broke!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat!!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, please don\u2019t be mad at me, but you have to take me to the hospital right away\u2014please!\u201d<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t know what to say, or what to do.\u00a0 I just stood there mesmerized.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2026I don\u2019t know where any hospital is around here!\u00a0 Are you in pain?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m getting a few labor pains, but I know I\u2019m due to give birth very soon.\u00a0 Please, I\u2019ll give you directions to the hospital\u2014it\u2019s not too far away.\u00a0 I have a suitcase all packed, but we have to hurry!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2026I\u2026what about the boys?\u201d\u00a0 I finally asked.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll call Brenda right away.\u00a0 She doesn\u2019t live too far away and she already knows what she has to do.\u00a0 Please, go into the bedroom and get the suitcase out from under the bed.\u00a0 I\u2019ll call Brenda while you get it and take it out to the car.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, she\u2019s going to come over to take care of the kids?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes!\u00a0 Please, hurry!\u201d<\/p>\n Not knowing what else to do I hurried into her bedroom and found the blue-green plastic suitcase under the bed.\u00a0 As I walked out, heading for the door I saw that she was already on the phone.\u00a0 I noticed for the first time that she was dressed in a loose maternity dress, slippers, and had the red coat draped over her arm.<\/p>\n As I walked back up the stairs after putting the suitcase in the trunk, Sharon came through the front door.\u00a0 \u201cWe don\u2019t have time to go back in,\u201d she said in a near panic.\u00a0 \u201cI turned the TV off and shut off the lights.\u00a0 Come on, we have to go!\u00a0 Here\u2019s the car keys.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs Brenda on her way?\u00a0 I don\u2019t feel comfortable leaving the boys by themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, they\u2019ll be fine.\u00a0 I do it all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n That told me more than I needed to know.<\/p>\n I helped her into the car and ran over to the driver\u2019s side.\u00a0 As I pulled out of the driveway she said, \u201cTake a right at the intersection and then straight for about a mile.\u00a0 I also called the hospital and they\u2019re expecting us.\u201d<\/p>\n Us?<\/p>\n Since I didn\u2019t know what to say I kept quiet\u2014just wondering what was going to happen.\u00a0 Then, she spoke.<\/p>\n \u201cLook, we haven\u2019t had a chance to talk, but just so you know, I\u2019ve made arrangements to give the child up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u00a0 Give the baby up?\u00a0 Why did you decide that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFrank!\u00a0 I have no idea who the father is, and I just don\u2019t want it, OK?\u00a0 And besides, I didn\u2019t think it was right to burden you with a child that\u2019s not yours.\u00a0 It really wasn\u2019t that hard of a decision for me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you think that should\u2019ve been discussed before you went ahead and made that decision?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cQuite frankly, no.\u00a0 I did this by myself, so I decided that I shouldn\u2019t involve you.\u201d<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t know what to say, so I said nothing for the rest of the drive.\u00a0 In just a few minutes, we were pulling up to the hospital\u2019s circle drive where a nurse and a male attendant were waiting with a wheelchair.\u00a0 They ran to Sharon\u2019s side of the car and helped her out and into the chair.\u00a0 The nurse wheeled her through a set of glass sliding doors and out of sight.<\/p>\n The male attendant walked around to my side of the car.\u00a0 \u201cSir,\u201d he said, pointing to an area to the side of the hospital, \u201cDrive over to that area and park.\u00a0 If your wife brought a bag, please take it out of the car and bring it with you.\u00a0 When you enter the lobby, look for the admitting desk where there\u2019ll be some papers for you to sign.\u00a0 While you\u2019re there someone will be sure to take the bag to your wife.\u201d<\/p>\n I nodded, and drove to the parking area.\u00a0 I sat there for a couple of minutes and wondered what I was going to do.\u00a0 I was confused, had a million questions, and felt a little scared.\u00a0 And what papers did I have to sign?\u00a0 I had nothing to do with this!<\/p>\n As I entered the lobby I saw the admitting desk.\u00a0 I walked up to it, but couldn\u2019t think of what to say or how to even start.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you Mr. DeLe\u00f3n?\u201d\u00a0 The gray-haired sixty-something lady asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u00a0 Yes, I am.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWonderful.\u00a0 And how are you tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOK, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course.\u00a0 I know you\u2019re probably a little nervous, but we\u2019ll get you through all of this.\u00a0 Now, is this your first?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy first?\u00a0 My first, what?\u201d<\/p>\n She looked up from the clipboard and smiled warmly.\u00a0 \u201cChild.\u00a0 Baby.\u00a0 Is this your first?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo!\u00a0 I mean, this\u2026that\u2026uh, it\u2019s not mine.\u201d<\/p>\n She glanced quickly at the clipboard.\u00a0 \u201cOh, are you an uncle?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u00a0 No!\u00a0 I\u2019m Frank DeLe\u00f3n, and Sharon\u2019s my wife.\u00a0 There are no uncles.\u201d<\/p>\n Her smile disappeared.\u00a0 \u201cAll right sir.\u00a0 There seems to be some mistake.\u00a0 Is your wife\u2019s name Sharon Lee DeLe\u00f3n?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd she was just admitted to the maternity ward because she\u2019s having a baby\u2014is that correct?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell yes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOK!\u00a0 So, then you\u2019re her husband and she\u2019s having your child, correct?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo!\u201d\u00a0 I really wanted to pee now.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s my wife, but I\u2019m not the father!\u00a0 She doesn\u2019t know who the father is!\u201d<\/p>\n The gray-haired lady actually did a double-take.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m\u2026I\u2019m sorry.\u00a0 What did you say?\u00a0 Did you say you\u2019re not the father?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right!\u201d\u00a0 The woman stared at me for what seemed to be a full minute.<\/p>\n \u201cWait right here!\u201d\u00a0 She finally said, pushing her chair back and grabbing the clipboard.\u00a0 As she walked away her white shoes made loud squeaky noises on the black and white tile floor.<\/p>\n I sat there for a while until I saw a sign that said, \u201cRestrooms\u201d.\u00a0 I got up and headed for the Men\u2019s Room.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n I was taken to a private office where another lady, this one younger and reminding me of a fresher version of the actress who played the Wicked Witch of the West in \u201cThe Wizard of Oz\u201d.<\/p>\n She was sitting behind the large wooden desk\u2014but before she addressed me she studied a large stack of papers and forms in front of her.\u00a0 Finally, she spoke: \u201cMr. DeLe\u00f3n, let me apologize for what happened earlier out in the lobby.\u00a0 We don\u2019t have our best administrative people on the night shift, and apparently, she hadn\u2019t been briefed on your wife\u2019s\u2026um\u2026situation.\u00a0 My name is Mrs. Wilmott, and I am an Assistant Hospital Administrator.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOK.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut first, let me be clear about one thing.\u00a0 Irrespective of what you may be thinking, according to the laws in the state of Nevada, regardless who the natural father is\u2014when a married woman becomes pregnant, the woman\u2019s husband is, and always will be, the legal father.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWha\u2026what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, but your wife should\u2019ve explained this to you.\u00a0 It\u2019s my understanding, after speaking to your wife, that you arrived from your overseas base last week and spent the last few days in Houston with your parents\u2014is that right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, you and your wife never discussed any of this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow did you find out about her pregnancy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, she wrote me a letter and told me she was seven months pregnant.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been on Okinawa since October of last year, and I got the letter this past July.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd in her previous letters, she never mentioned anything?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere were no previous letters.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean she never wrote to you at all since you left last October?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCorrect.\u201d<\/p>\n A flood of wrinkles appeared between the lady\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cOh, I\u2019m sorry.\u00a0 That\u2019s really unfortunate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s OK.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll right.\u00a0 Be that as it may, I\u2019m going to advise you on what decisions your wife made and what your position is in all of this.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOK.\u201d\u00a0 She paused a few seconds, took a deep breath, and began to talk.<\/p>\n She explained that a few months after the doctor had confirmed that Sharon was indeed pregnant, she had made the decision to give the child away at birth.\u00a0 Papers had been signed and unfortunately, that decision was not reversible.\u00a0 I asked, that if I was the legal father, why anyone hadn\u2019t asked me what my wishes were.\u00a0 She explained that as the legal father, the only thing I was responsible for, had Sharon decided to keep the child, was raising the child as my own.\u00a0 Then she slid a small stack of papers for me to sign.<\/p>\n I was shocked, confused and angry.\u00a0 How could I be held responsible for the raising of a child that my wife had conceived with someone else?\u00a0 It just didn\u2019t seem fair.<\/p>\n After I signed the forms I wanted to ask a question.\u00a0 \u201cOf course,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cIf I can legally answer it, I will.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s going to happen to the baby?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2026\u201d she paused, leaning back in her chair.\u00a0 \u201cLaw requires that the child be taken from her immediately after it\u2019s born.\u00a0 The mother is not allowed to see or touch, or even be told the gender of the newborn.\u00a0 Once it\u2019s determined that the child is healthy, the adoptive parents will be notified.\u00a0 When the time comes, the baby will be released to them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, the adoptive parents have already been determined?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh yes, a long time ago.\u00a0 Just after Sharon signed all her rights to the child away.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFine, then we\u2019re done here.\u00a0 I\u2019ll escort you to the \u2018Expectant Fathers\u2019 wing where you\u2019ll wait until she gives birth tonight.\u00a0 If all goes well, you can see her then.\u00a0 I expect that she\u2019ll be able to go home in a couple of days.\u201d<\/p>\n She walked me to an elevator, then once on the correct floor she took me to a large room furnished with a couple of large couches, some overstuffed leather chairs and many, many, magazines.\u00a0 On a shelf, high up on a corner of the room, was a large TV.\u00a0 I sat down on one of the chairs and noticed that the \u2018The Tonight Show\u2019 was playing.\u00a0 On it the host, Johnny Carson, was interviewing the Democratic candidate for president, Senator Hubert H. Humphrey.<\/p>\n To be continued\u2026<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Okinawa Part Six September 1966 \u00a0 A Hitch in my Giddy-up My desperation was growing dramatically as I drove into the quaint little town of Duncan, Arizona, population 550, that sunny Sunday morning in 1966.\u00a0 The noise coming from the left rear-end of the car was getting worse and the further I went, the less … Continue reading Okinawa – Part Six<\/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-861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/861","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=861"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/861\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":862,"href":"https:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/861\/revisions\/862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frankdeleon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}