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Post by darkwolf on Jul 5, 2017 22:15:55 GMT -6
The first story I ever wrote was on a notepad, all 180 pages of it. One of the few things you will ever hear me say unabashedly good about computers is that typing is legible. My handwriting is atrocious. I can barely draw my name (I can't stretch the definition of "Write" that far.). Thanks for the tips, Papa. I have an older laptop with windows 7 on it. I have been tempted to take it and this one to the local shop and say, "Take everything, including the operating system, off this computer and put it on this one, and make the evil windows 10 go to programming hell.". I really, really hate Windows 10, it's worse than Vista and I didn't think that was even possible. It is no way as bad as Windows Millennium Edition or BOB.
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Post by papaof2 on Jul 6, 2017 15:51:38 GMT -6
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Post by cutter on Jul 6, 2017 21:03:18 GMT -6
This is a short one, but it was really tough to write. I'm suffering from a bit of writer's confusion. There are so many things, I don't quite know what's coming next. I hope you enjoy it.
Chapter 63
(Marshall homestead, fire pit after supper whole clan)
“Who was that with you today, Erin?”
“Sarah Peters, our new caseworker.”
“How’d that go?”
“I don’t know yet, but she shows promise. What time are you guys leaving tomorrow?”
“Around 4 PM. It worked out good, Mark can come without having to miss any school.”
“Mind if we come too?”
“No, but why do you want to?”
“Sis, I’ve not met him, but Todd is family. He is a United States Marine combat veteran. A hero deserves a reception and a brother deserves to be welcomed home by his family.” “What’s the matter, Brian? Something in your eye?”
“No. Mom, Dad, and Mark were there when I came home from Iraq. Mom said the same thing to me almost word for word. She would have loved you.”
(---)
“Stacy, I’m sorry I didn’t help you yesterday.”
“Why don’t you call me Anastasia anymore? Don’t you like me anymore?”
“Of course I like you, but I let you down. I didn’t keep Bobby from hitting you and I didn’t stop Mrs. Martin from taking you away and arresting Erin. I don’t deserve to call you that anymore.”
(Stacy cups Mark’s cheek with her hand and kisses him)
“Mark, you didn’t even know Bobby was there at first. You couldn’t have stopped him from hitting me the first time, but you didn’t let him hit me again. You did help me yesterday. You told me to tell Mrs. Martin who did it. She ripped your head off and wouldn’t listen. I know about you texting Mom; she showed me the text. You got me the one person who might have been able to help me. When that stupid woman from CPS showed up with two cops, even she couldn’t help. Mark, you did everything you could. I love you, Mark. Will you please say my name?”
“I love you too, Anastasia. Wait, why are you crying?”
“My name sounds so beautiful when you say it, and you never told me you love me before.”
“And that makes you cry?”
“These are happy tears.”
“I love you, but I’ll never understand girls.”
“As long as you love me, I don’t care if you understand me.”
(---)
...and me and Jordan made a fire just like you showed us. And Sissy fixed a big pork chop with no bones in it, and Mom showed me how to wrap up corn on the cob with the leaves still on it in alumun...alemen...I can’t say it, some kind of metal stuff kinda’ like paper. Anyway, Mom helped me put it right in the fire and it got all hot and didn’t even burn up! And Jordan used a big knife and chopped up taters and onions and Sissy cooked ‘em on the fire and we had baked beans and Sissy put bacon in ‘em. It was so cool, Dad! Miss Sarah said she was so full she couldn’t move, but I didn’t think she ate that much she didn’t even get more than one plate and it wasn’t even full! She asked Sissy what was in the barbeque sauce, but Sissy said it was a secret, but Mom gave her the recu...recca...rec, the instructions! And then after lunch, we went over to Mark’s and cleaned all the poop up in the barn. It stunk! And Mom…”
(---)
(Jordan, alone, poking in the fire)
“Jesus, I love my new family. Thanks for givin’ ‘em to me and Stacy and Noah. I don’t know how Uncle Todd’s gonna’ be, but I hope he likes us. Amen.”
“Honey, are you alright?”
“I am now, Mom.”
(Marshall homestead, Wednesday, May 3, 3:30 PM)
“Hellooo Soldier! I haven’t seen you in uniform since you left the Army.”
“I talked to Colonel Tolliver on Monday. He said it is permitted for a veteran who was honorably discharged to wear the uniform for a military funeral or other appropriate ceremony. He said welcoming a veteran home, qualifies as an appropriate ceremony and the escort of Josh’s body qualifies as both honor guard and funeral rite.”
“I’m glad. You look distinguished and very handsome in it. Your decorations tell quite a story. I’m grateful you told me how to read that story.”
“They only tell part of the story; they leave out the most important parts.”
“I’ve never heard you say anything like that before. What do you mean?”
“There were a lot of things that happened that these medals don’t say anything about. They don’t tell how Ted Novell broke down crying when my Mom baked a cake for his birthday, four actually so we could all have some, and arranged for them to get there on time, mostly intact, while they were still halfway fresh. Ted didn’t have anybody at home. No parents, no siblings, no girlfriend, nothing. We were his family. They don’t tell about Damon Cummins giving me the first cigar out of the box his wife sent him, to celebrate when his daughter was born. They don’t tell about how Dawn McCallister would bring us coffee, against regulations, when we were freezing our asses off on guard duty at night. Our officers looked the other way on that one. They don’t tell how I sent a picture of me and my buddies to Mark and he sent it back with a letter asking us to all autograph it and send it back to him. They all adopted him as a brother and honorary member of the unit. We nicknamed him Private Munchkin. They tell how I exposed myself to fire to drag Keith Douglas to cover, but they don’t say anything about how his last words w.were to tell..tell me, ‘I love you, brother’. They don’t tell about the laughs, or the love, or the fears, or the tears,....or the...the suf...suffering, or...or t.the f.final sa..salutes to all the brothers and sisters who nev...never made it ho...home. M...maybe if they t.told the right st.story, we wouldn’t w.write it anymore.”
“Brian, you’re a hero.”
“These medals don’t make me a hero.”
“No, these do. (puts a battered shoebox on the kitchen table) Go on, open it.”
(Opening box) “It’s the picture! You still have it!”
“Yes, and every letter you ever sent me, and all the letters your buddies sent after they adopted me. You want the real story? Well there it is. Your buddies, one letter at a time, one story at a time, telling me how their Sergeant, my big brother, is a hero, an honorable man, and the finest NCO they ever served with. I don’t understand war because I’ve never lived it, but I understand honor. You, Dad, Todd, and Jacob made sure of it. I’m proud of you, Big Brother.”
“I love you, Private Munchkin. You about ready to go?”
“Yes, Sergeant Marshall, and I love you too.”
“Love, are you really ok?”
“Like you said, a part of me is still in Iraq, and always will be. Yeah, I’ll be ok.”
“The rest of the clan just showed up. Let’s get going. You want me to drive, or are you ok?”
“I’m ok. Morgan, thanks...for everything.”
“It’s what we do. C’mon.”
(Nashville International Airport on the tarmac, gate 3, 5:45 PM)
(Larry, pointing) “Brian, look sharp.”
(Brian comes to attention, salutes. Colonel Tolliver returns the salute)
“At your ease, Sergeant.”
“Good to see you again, Sir. I wish it were a happier occasion. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Good to see you too. The occasion isn’t all bad; your brother is reuniting with his family. That’s always cause for celebration. Your brother is a Marine and the other man, Josh, is a sailor, but they are still military. We take care of our own. Sergeant Marshall, would you lead the honor guard?”
“I would be honored, Sir.”
(On the plane, Todd in his dress uniform, on crutches.)
“Brian! What’s all this?”
“”Stand at attention, Marine! Corporal Marshall, our orders are to render honors to, and bear the casket of, our fallen brother. You, his squad leader, will lead him one final time. You will lead the honor guard off the plane, we will follow.”
“Yes, Sergeant, with sorrow.”
“Honor Guard, take up our brother! Lead on, Corporal.”
(On the tarmac, as Josh’s widow walks toward his casket.)
“Honor Guard, Halt!”
(As Josh’s widow sobs on the casket, the honor guard stands motionless and quiet, but every man has tears in his eyes. Todd puts his hand on Christine’s shoulder to comfort her)
“Christine, I’m sorry. I couldn’t save him.”
(.........)
“Todd, you were his best friend. He talked about you constantly. Chris called me. He told me what you did to try and save my Joshua. You risked your own life to try and save his. Don’t bear this guilt; it was his time. I’m grateful he had you and wasn’t alone.” “Gentlemen, thank you. I’m sorry for how I acted just now.”
(Brian, very quietly) “Ma’am do not ever apologize for loving your husband, or missing him. It is our duty to show him, and you, honor and respect. It is a duty we do willingly, but with great sorrow. Make no mistake, every man here will shed tears for Josh, he was one of our own, our brother. We will stand here as long as you need, and our only regret will be that yours was not a joyful reunion.”
“Thank you, Sergeant..Marshall? Are you…”
“Yes, Ma’am. Todd is my younger brother.”
“Todd, take Josh to the hearse so I can take him home. And Todd, thank you, all of you.”
“Honor Guard, Forward!”
(In the terminal, after the hearse and Christine leave)
“Sergeant, that honor guard wasn’t exactly protocol.”
“I’m sorry, Sir. I’ve never done that before.”
“Brian, you misunderstand. I’ve been in the Army over thirty years. I’ve seen and done that duty more times than I want to remember. You were speaking quietly, but I heard what you said to Josh’s widow. I have never seen anything more moving, more compassionate than what I just witnessed. I understand why you didn’t stay, but you are a credit to the uniform. You would have made one hell of a great officer.”
“Thank you, Sir. Sir, I need to get my family home.”
“Take your leave, Sergeant. Don’t be a stranger.”
“Yes, Sir.” (Exchange of salutes.)
(In the truck)
“Brian, thank you for all that.”
“Don’t thank me. I just asked the Colonel if I was permitted to wear my uniform. He showed up with the honor guard all on his own. I didn’t know anything about it until he ordered me to lead it. That said, you’re welcome.”
“I can’t believe you ordered a one legged man on crutches to stand at attention.”
“Bullshit, you’re a Marine. You intended to walk him off the plane or you would have been in a wheelchair. That took a lot of heart, by the way.”
“Would you have done any less for Keith?”
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Post by 9idrr on Jul 6, 2017 21:31:21 GMT -6
Something's makin' my eyes leak. Must be dusty in here. That's gotta be Hell for those goin' through it.
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Post by boomerweps on Jul 7, 2017 9:08:01 GMT -6
I am retired from the US Navy, a VFW life member, and a member of our local Veterans Honor Guard. I've served in all functions of the Honor Guard, chaplain, rifle commander, etc., but mostly been flag folder and presenter for the past few years. It can be hard to make the flag presentation speech to a crying family member but especially to a crying young widow with children. I still get choked up sometimes and have to regroup in the middle of it. Your rendition of the casket detail was superb and very moving.
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Post by cutter on Jul 7, 2017 10:18:29 GMT -6
Boomerweps, you can't know what that means to me. I have too many times seen footage where our fallen are unceremoniously hauled off an aircraft and placed on a baggage cart as if they were no more than a suitcase. The ceremony surrounding the dead isn't for the dead, but for the living. Still, those men and women, and their families, deserve so much more, so much better. Considering all that we ask of our service members and their families, a little common decency and compassion is the very least we can do.
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Post by cutter on Jul 9, 2017 22:22:27 GMT -6
Sorry it took so long. Enjoy.
Chapter 64
(Friday, May 5, Marshall homestead, 4:30 PM)
“You two have a good time this weekend. Don’t worry about Mark; we’ll keep him out of trouble.”
“Yeah, good luck with that, Larry. Thanks for keeping him for us. We’ll be back Sunday afternoon.”
“Safe travels.”
“So, Mark, what do you want to do this weekend?”
“Haven't thought about it. I know I want to spend some time with Stacy.”
“I’ll find my crowbar so we can pry you two apart Sunday afternoon.”
“You don’t have to. I don’t mind being stuck with her.”
“You do remember that’s my daughter you’re talking about, right?”
“Would you rather Bobby was her boyfriend?”
“Good point. You want to tend the animals before we go home? I’ll give you a hand.”
That’d be great. Hey, I just thought of something. Would y’all be ok with us camping out at your fire pit this weekend?”
“No, I don’t think I like that idea. Why don’t you camp out at the pond? There’s that spot on the back side that would make a great campsite. You can just build a fire on the ground until we can build a fire pit up there. I have a grate you can use to cook on.”
“Yeah, that would be perfect. I need to borrow some stuff from Brian and Morgan’s camp gear, but they said I could use it anytime I wanted to. It might be a good idea just to load up the gator and drive it back there.”
“Now you’re thinkin’. Who’s that? What’s Bruce doing here?”
“Oh crap, Larry! We forgot, Bruce was coming to open the safe today!”
“Well nuts!” (Phone)
“Miss us already?”
“No. How far have you gotten?”
“We’re not to town yet, why?”
“Turn around and come back. Bruce just showed up.”
“Dammit! I forgot all about that. We’ll be back in about fifteen minutes.”
“Good deal.”
“Hi Larry! Hey Mark! Where’s Brian and Morgan?”
“They were so excited about running off and acting like teenagers in heat this weekend, they forgot you were coming today. I just talked to Brian. He said they’d be back in about fifteen minutes.”
“I can come back some other time.”
“Nah, it ain’t gonna’ kill ‘em to behave another hour. I wanted to ask you to look at something else anyway.”
“What’cha got?”
“We got this toolbox, but there were no keys with it. You wouldn’t happen to have a key that would fit, would ya’?”
“Let’s see. These take two different keys, see these numbers?”
“Yeah.”
“They tell me which keys fit those locks. I’ll write them down and check when I get back to the shop on Monday. If I don’t have any, I can cut some.”
“Thanks. You want me to show you the safe?”
“Yeah. Let me get my gear.”
(..)
“This is a nice safe. It isn’t going to give me much trouble, but it’d give a thief fits, so long as it was bolted down.”
“If Erin’s father had bolted it down, we probably would have had to abandon it.”
Glad he didn’t then. This safe costs about $11,000 new. You’ll know the combination in a few minutes and I can change it if y’all want. Here, take this notebook and pen. As I work through it, I’ll call out the combination. You write it down.”
“Ready when you are.”
“”Ok, set it to zero. Now, turn right slowly, aaand, there! Write this down. Set to zero. Turn right to 42. Now for the next number. Turn left, one full turn, two full turns, there it is. Turn left two full rounds then stop at 18.”
“Got it.”
“Now, this should be the last number. Turn right, more, more, one full round , a little more, bingo! Turn right one full round to 26. Turn the handle, and we’re in! Ok, read what you have back to me.”
“Set to zero, turn right to 42. Turn left two full rounds, then on to 18. Turn right one full turn, then on to 26. Turn handle to open.”
“That’s exactly right. I just heard somebody pull up. Let’s wait to open it until they get here.”
“Good idea.” (Larry’s phone rings) “We’re up at the barn, Brian. Bruce has the safe unlocked and we have the combination. We’re just waiting on you guys to open it.”
“On our way.”
(.....)
“It’s ready to open. I’ll step out so you guys can have some privacy.”
“No need for that. Stick around.”
“If you’re sure.”
“Yeah. Ok, let’s see if this was worth the hernias it gave us. What the hell is this?”
“Don’t touch it! Where did this safe come from?”
“My parents’ house. What’s got you so riled..HOLY SHIT IN A SHIRT BOX!”
“Would one of you please tell me why you’re both acting so nuts?”
“Brian, call Pete. Tell him to get out here right now and to come alone! That’s a shit ton of cocaine! Close that safe door! Mark, don’t breathe a word of this to anybody!”
(Phone) “Hey Brian! How’s the second honeymoon?”
“Pete, don’t ask questions, just get out to our place as quick as you can. Nobody’s hurt and we’re not in danger, but we need you here RFN!”
“What’s going on, Brian?”
“Not over the phone. Just get here as quick as you can and just you.”
“I’m on my way. Do I need to roll code?”
“NO! Do not roll code. As far as anybody needs to know, you’re just stopping by to visit.”
“Got it. Be there soon.”
( 20 minutes later)
“Ok Brian, you want to tell me just what the hell’s goin’ on?”
“Pete, look at this.”
“HOLY HELL! If that shit is street cut, there’s gotta’ be a hundred grand in cocaine there, more if it’s pure! Morgan, just what the hell all was your Dad into!?!”
“Apparently a lot more than I knew about. Pete, we want it gone, but turning it in will start a huge shit storm.”
“Get me a big, black trash bag.”
“Here.”
(Pete puts on exam gloves and starts loading bundles into the trash bag)
“What are you going to do with it?”
“I’m going to put it in this bag and put an evidence seal on it. Then I’m going to put it in my truck and make it go away. I’m gonna’ call my buddy, Mark at the FBI and hand it over to him. He knows the score. This will end up with the rest of the evidence they pulled from your folks’ house. It will be designated as seized in a criminal investigation. Mark will make sure none of us are involved. Let me make sure nothing else is in here that’ll cause you guys problems. Hmmm, another pistol. Morgan, your Dad sure had nice taste in guns. This is a Kimber Crimson Carry II! This handgun retails for almost $1,200. What else? Extra mag, some cash, gold coins, silver coins, jewelry, some stock certificates; I don’t see anything else in here that’s a problem. Don’t any of you say a word about the drugs to anybody. Larry, that means you don’t even tell Erin, and Bruce, you don’t tell Jackie or Kris. Got it?”
(A chorus of yesses)
“Huh, I guess I was wrong about Dad. I guess he did one good thing in his life after all.”
“What do you mean, Morgan?”
“If Dad hadn’t killed himself, that shit would have eventually been on the street. How many people didn’t he kill, how many lives didn’t he help ruin, by blowing his head off before he could sell it?”
“There’s no telling, Morgan, but you’re right. A world of hurt won’t happen because he never had the chance to cause it. Guys, you did right by calling me. I gotta’ go and take care of this.”
“Pete, we owe you.”
“No you don’t. Keeping this off the street is all the payback I need. I’ll run the numbers on that pistol too. I should know if it’s clean by Tuesday. Now, just so we’re all clear, nobody in this room saw any drugs. Nobody in this room knows anything because there is nothing to know. I stopped by to pick up this case of ammo for my new pistol. Do we all have our story straight? Good. Brian, you and Morgan have a good time.”
“Thanks, Pete.”
“Bruce, thanks for the help. What do we owe you?”
“You built me a house! Tell you what, you ever buy one of those safes from me and I’ll charge you full wholesale price.”
“Alright, Bruce.” “Thanks for everything, Pete.” “Unless you need us to stay, we’re gonna’ head back out.”
“Safe travels, Brian.”
(Bruce, Pete, Brian and Morgan all leave)
“Ok Mark, let’s get the animals taken care of and get the gator loaded. I have a wife and kids I want to get home to and I think your girlfriend might skin me alive if I don’t get you to her soon.”
(In the barn)
“Mark, I need a favor.”
“Anything Larry, what do you need?”
“Stacy and the boys won’t be in school Monday. Jake and Susan’s funeral is at 11 AM. Can you help us keep their minds off it as much as we can this weekend?”
“Glad to, on one condition. Try to talk Brian and Morgan into letting me come to the funeral too. They are going to need all the help they can get and they’re important to me. I want to be there for them, if I can.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“That’s all I can ask. Let’s get this done. I wanna’ see Anastasia.”
(In the truck heading to E-town)
“I hope your Dad didn’t leave any more surprises for us.”
“Me too. Love, let’s not think about it right now. This is our time; I want us to enjoy it.”
“I agree. You know, except for yesterday, I don’t remember the last time I saw you in a dress. You look pretty hot!”
“That’s the idea. I remember the trip for our honeymoon. I thought this might be easier if you come down with another case of roamin’ hands or rushin’ fingers on the way. Although, I don’t know how well I can control myself if you do.”
“If it comes to that, I think it’ll be worth the risk.”
(Back at the barn)
“We got that done in record time. You about ready to go see the boys and our girls?”
“Soon as we get the gator loaded.”
“Oh yeah, forgot about that. Mark, about the safe, you know you can’t tell Stacy or the boys.”
“Yeah, I know. I never even thought about telling the boys anyway. They’re too young to understand why we need to keep it secret. If Stacy doesn’t know about it, saying it didn’t happen won’t be a lie if somebody asks her. She’s a terrible liar anyway; she’s too honest for her own good. Her only saving grace there is that if she decides not to tell you, you can’t beat a word out of her. You know, that could cause problems for us around here in the future.”
“You mean like the storm cellar in the barn?”
“Yeah. I know about our secrets. Larry, I helped Mom and Dad and my brothers make some of those secrets. Brian told me that you knew when I asked him what to do if we ever needed them and he wasn’t around. He acted surprised that I knew about them. I guess he thought I didn’t realize what we were doing . You and I know, Todd knows, Brain and Morgan know, and Erin knows. What we tell Stacy and the boys is between y’all and Brian and Morgan. I will say this, I need you four to decide what they can know in case something happens and none of you are around.”
“They are always with me or Erin or Brian and Morgan. One of us can get them to safety or pull whatever we need out of stores.”
“You mean like the other night when you and Erin were home, acting like teenage newlyweds and Brian and Morgan were in their house, also acting like teenage newlyweds, and the four of us were up at the fire pit without ‘adult’ supervision? Larry, the five of us and Todd know our way around this place and our preps, but they don’t. We don’t have them often, but tornadoes do happen around here sometimes. I read the prep forums just like you do. I read the PAW fiction as fast as the writers write it. Some of their stuff is kinda’ out there, but most of it is at least possible. I don’t think we ever have to worry about an all out nuclear war. All of the nuke capable nations are led by governments that are at least sane enough to recognize that an all out nuke war would be the end of their power and that the leadership of those governments would be the first ones in the crosshairs. The only two that aren’t included in that list are the little fat boy in North Korea and the cult crazed towel heads in Iran. Even with those two, I think Russia would shut down Iran before it would let them start World War III and I know China would lay waste to North Korea before it would allow them to provoke a threat to China. We do have to worry about dirty bombs and low yield nuclear devices. Those are within the capabilities of terror groups around the world. Considering some of the really nasty stuff that the US, Russia, China, Japan, and several other nations have played with, biological and chemical weapons attacks are possible. All of the major powers and several minor ones have dirty tricks departments they say don’t exist that ignore the treaties and play around with some really nasty bugs to make them easier to catch, harder to kill, and much more deadly. Sooner or later, one of those is going to get loose in a big way. For that matter, you’ve seen the news lately. We have a fourth generation war going on in the US right now. Random arson, assassinations, coordinated attacks across the country, bombings of civilian targets; it’s all been in the news and all over the internet. I need to know what y’all want me to do if I’m the only one with them. Y’all need to decide what you want them to do if they’re ever faced with some real balloon going up and none of us are around. If that ever happens, they’re sitting ducks without some information. I know we have to protect our secrets, but if you want your kids to have a chance, you are going to have to give them something to work with.”
“We’ll talk about it when the honeymooners get back from E-town. You’re right, we can’t keep them completely in the dark, but the boys are definitely not ready to keep all our secrets and I’m not sure about Stacy.”
“Well, if we can’t give them access to our preps, at least we can start teaching them some skills. I’ll start on that this weekend. I need to talk to you about something else too.”
“What’s on your mind?”
“Anastasia. Larry, I never asked you if you would be ok with me being her boyfriend. It wasn’t disrespect; she just kinda’ snuck up on me. I didn’t know she was my girlfriend until she already was. I never saw it coming. Are you ok with it?”
“Mark, you’re a good guy. You’ve been good to, and good for, all three of my kids. Erin and I have talked about it more than once. I’m going to tell you just like Brian told me when Erin snuck up on me. Be patient with her. Be gentle with her. Don’t ever mistreat her. Past that, whatever happens, happens. I think you know more about her demons than I did about Erin’s when we started dating. Me and Erin are both ok with it, just don’t get in any hurry for anything. You’re old enough to be able to be a father and Stacy will soon be able to become a mother. You will both be physically capable of makin’ babies, but neither of you are anywhere near ready to take care of ‘em. Bluntly, keep your pants on, boy.”
“I plan to. She deserves better than that. Thanks for trusting me with your daughter.”
“Like you said, she could be with that little shit, Bobby. He sure as hell wouldn’t have any respect for her. You are definitely the best man I know for the job.”
“Larry, I’ve known you for as long as I can remember. I know what it took for you to say that. I won’t let you down.”
“I know. Let’s get out of here. I’m missing my wife and kids and I know you want to see your girlfriend.”
“Let’s do it.”
(Foreman’s house)
(Todd, alone and drunk, talking out loud)
“Dad, you never told me about this part. You taught me how to shoot, how to fight, how to heal wounds; but you never taught me how to fail. I blew it, Dad. I screwed up. I let my best friend die. I was his squad leader. I led him, all right, straight into a sniper’s crosshairs. Some best friend I turned out to be. It should have been me. I’m sorry Josh. You and Christine deserved better. It’s not fair. You had so much to live for. You were getting out next year. You and Christine were gonna’ open that restaurant you never would shut up about. Y’all were planning on havin’ kids. You had dreams. All I was gonna’ do was be a Marine, go from one hell hole to the next for thirty years and try not to get my ass shot off. Yeah, that worked out good. Look at me. One leg, no future, no dreams; I’m not worth a shit to anybody. It should have been me.”
(Waters homestead 5 PM)
“So, what do you guys want to do this weekend?”
“Love, I think Mark has their weekend planned already.”
“Oh? Well then, what do you propose to do with my children this weekend?”
“I promised Jordan a camping trip, but if you have other plans for us, we can do that instead.”
“Well, you know where the fire pit is. You plannin’ on eatin’ here at the house, or do you want me to pack you a cooler?”
“Love, I don’t know how to tell you this, but Mark’s already got everything covered. He packed a cooler and pulled some stuff from stores before we left Brian’s. We loaded up the gator and he drove it over. They aren’t going to be at the fire pit either. They’re building out a new campsite over on the back side of the pond. Before you say anything, that was my idea. Mark asked if they could use the fire pit and I suggested the new site instead. He has his phone and he even pulled a set of two way radios. They can call us if they need us and you can check on them if you get worried.”
“They’ll be with Mark and you’re not worried, why would I be?”
“Because you are a Mom, it’s what you do. I’ll probably call and check on ‘em a time or ten, too. I’m a Dad; it’s what I do. Can you guys live with us being worry warts?”
“Mom, Dad, you’re trusting us to go, by ourselves, and you care enough to check on us. Mark may have had parents like that, but we didn’t. Call anytime. Shoot, come by camp at supper and we’ll feed you.”
“When did you learn to cook?”
“Mom’s been teaching all three of us and I’m sure Mark knows how. I have a feeling we’re gonna’ be busy learning new stuff all weekend.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Get real, Mark! You’re always teachin’ me and the boys stuff. I had to kiss you on our walk just to shut you up for five minutes! Oops!”
(Erin laughing) “Sweetheart, you’re not as slick as you think you are. We know you two been kissin’. I don’t blame you; Mark’s a great kisser!”
“How do you know that, Mom!?!”
“Anastasia, I’ll explain around the campfire later, after the boys go to sleep.”
“You better believe you’ll explain! You kissed my Mom? Really?”
“Give him a break, Sweetheart; I ambushed him. It wasn’t his fault.”
“I still want an explanation, and it better be a good one!”
“Welcome to having a girlfriend, Mark. Good luck!””
“Thanks Larry, I think.” “You guys ready to go? The sooner we make camp, the sooner we eat.”
(The kids leave)
“Larry, are you sure this is a good idea?”
“Erin, they’ll be fine. You think Mark is gonna’ let any of ‘em get in trouble? That man loves them as much as we do. He’s doing us a couple of favors anyway.”
“How do you figure?”
“He knows the funeral is on Monday. He asked me to get Brian and Morgan to let him come, by the way. He said they are going to need all the support they can get and he wants to be there for them. He suggested the campout so he can hopefully keep them too busy to think about it much this weekend. We had a long talk about our preps and how the kids need to have some training and info in case a balloon goes up and we’re not around. He’s trying to look out for them all the time. He said he’d start training them on some stuff this weekend. He’s as good as I am in fieldcraft. He’s almost as good as Brian at field medicine and his combat skills are scary. Our kids are in good hands.”
“What about him and Stacy? Do you think them being alone together will be too much temptation for them?”
“We talked about that too. He asked me if we were ok with Stacy being his girlfriend, and he convinced me he respects her too much to do anything inappropriate with her.”
“Ok, I trust your judgement. Now, what’s this other favor he’s doing us?”
“He’s got them at the new campsite, so the fire pit is wide open this weekend. Wanna’ watch the stars?”
“Yeah, and I’ll bring an extra pillow, just in case.”
“I was hoping you would say that.”
“Should I bring a bottle of wine?”
“No, the kids might need us, and I know how you get after a couple of glasses of wine. You might forget to use the pillow.”
“Smart ass. You’ll pay for that.”
“I surely hope so.”
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Post by papaof2 on Jul 9, 2017 22:39:13 GMT -6
Gonna be an interesting weekend.
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Post by kaijafon on Jul 9, 2017 23:49:03 GMT -6
why do I feel Todd needs some quick intervention???
and I mean QUICK!!
Thanks for the update!
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Post by cutter on Jul 10, 2017 21:58:43 GMT -6
Intervention time! Enjoy.
Chapter 65
(New campsite, 9 PM)
“Wow, 9 o’clock and the boys are already asleep. You sure worked us hard.”
“I was just trying to get camp set up and us fed before it got dark. Are you upset?”
“No, it was a lot of work, but I had fun. Besides, now I know how to do it. I like camping with you. Now, how about that explanation you owe me? How does my Mom know you’re such a good kisser?”
“Because she kissed me the day I got back here from Germany. Me, Brian, and Morgan had just got back home. Larry and Erin had put up a welcome home banner in the kitchen and got me new sheets and blankets and stuff for my room. They got that blanket on my bed with the horse on it for me. They got my laptop for me too, so I could talk to Anja and Jacob. I had never met Erin before. I didn’t know she was married to Larry. I just thought she was his girlfriend and I wanted to mess with him a little. When they walked in I said, ‘Hellooo Georgous! I’m glad I came home. I definitely want to get to know you better’. Everybody laughed about it except Erin. She told them to stop laughing at me because it was the best compliment she had all day. Well, then she walked right up to me and kissed me! It wasn’t anything like how we kiss. You’re a good kisser, but she was serious! Everybody laughed at me then, including me, after I caught my breath. She said she was already married, but I was gonna’ make some girl real happy someday. I like her better as a sister anyway. I think you’re a better girlfriend.”
“Awww, you think I’m a better girlfriend than Mom!?! Well, I guess I can forgive you. Can we just talk a while and hold hands?”
“You bet. What’cha wanna’ talk about?”
“Uncle Todd. He was really upset at the airport and I haven’t seen him since we got home. It isn’t that far to his house from here. Can we go see him tomorrow and see if he wants to have lunch with us?”
“I think that’s a great idea. We’ll have to take the gator; he can’t walk this far on his crutches and his wheelchair won’t make it over the rough ground. It’s really great that you’re worried about him.”
“Like I told you, Mom and Daddy were mad at us a lot. It was hard to make them happy. Mom and Daddy were all the family we had. Now we have Uncle Brian and Aunt Morgan and Uncle Todd, and Uncle Jacob in Germany, oh no!
“What’s wrong?”
“Mark, I can’t be your girlfriend anymore.”
“Why not!?!”
“You’re my uncle, too!”
“I didn’t think about that! Wait a minute, if it was a problem, don’t you think they would have told us? I asked Larry today if it was ok for you to be my girlfriend. He said I was the best man he knew for the job. Here’s my phone. Call Erin and ask her about it.”
(Phone: ring, ring, ring, ri…) “Mark!?! Are y’all ok? What’s wrong?”
“Mom, it’s Stacy. Are you ok? It sounds like you can’t breathe.”
“Yeah, I’m ok. I was just working on something and I’m out of breath. What’s wrong, Sweetheart?”
“I just figured out Mark’s my uncle! I can’t be his girlfriend anymore ‘cause he’s my uncle!”
“Oh. Sweetheart, it’s ok. I’ll explain it to you later, but in your case, it’s ok. You can still be his girlfriend if you want to.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really, I promise.”
“Thanks, Mom. I didn’t wanna’ stop bein’ his girlfriend.”
“Are you ok now?”
“Yeah Mom, thanks.”
“OK. I have to get back to work.”
“What’cha doin’?”
“I’m helping Dad with some plumbing.”
“Want us to come help?”
“No Sweetheart, we need to take care of this by ourselves. You guys stay there and have fun. Bye, Sweetheart.”
“Bye Mom.”
(Firepit)
“Plumbing?”
“It was the best I could think of! You have me a little distracted!”
“Ok, Chipmunk. Now, where were we?”
“Well, you were right there, and I was just about to push this button riiiight here.”
(Campsite)
“It’s after ten; you think we ought to go to bed?”
“Can we just stay out here together for a while and look at the stars? Mom said she and Dad do that alot. They are pretty and I like being close to you.”
“Sure. I didn’t get to see the stars much in Germany, there were too many lights.”
“Mom and Daddy wouldn’t let us play outside after dark, so we never got to do this. I like it. It’s quiet.”
(Saturday, May 6, 10 AM, Foreman’s house)
(Knock, Knock, Knock)
“Leave me the hell alone!”
“Anastasia, take the boys and go sit in the gator. I don’t know what, but Todd’s in trouble.”
“I want to help.”
“Anastasia, I need you to keep the boys safe. Please, take ‘em and go sit in the gator. That will help more than anything right now.”
“Take care of Uncle Todd. I’ll take care of the boys.” (herds the boys to the gator)
“Todd, it’s Mark. Open up!”
“I SAID GO AWAY!”
“You’re my brother and you’re in trouble. I’m not goin’ anywhere. Now open the damn door!”
(Door flies open. A very drunk Todd sits in his wheelchair) “I said leave me alone! Now go away before I kick your ass!”
“You couldn’t kick a teddy bear’s ass right now in the shape you’re in. Todd, you’re a US Marine for cryin’ out loud! Pull yourself together! What the hell’s the matter with you!?! You think you’re the first soldier in this family to lose a friend in combat!?! While you and Jacob were halfway around the world, I was home helping Mom and Dad put Brian back together when he came home from Iraq! It almost killed Brian! There is no way in hell I’m going to let that happen to you! You’re my brother, Todd. I can’t leave you to fight this fight alone anymore than you would have deserted your men in Afghanistan. I’m your brother. Let me help you. You have a niece and two nephews outside that want to help you too. I need you, but they need you even more than I do. We came to ask if you would come have lunch with us at the new campsite we started building on the back side of the pond. It was Stacy’s idea because she said you were really upset at the airport and she hadn’t seen you since. A twelve year old girl you’ve never met is worried about you! How long have you been drinking?”
“I’m just a worthless cripple. What good am I? I’m not worth a shit to anybody. Go live your life, mine’s over. Leave me alone.”
“You lost a leg, Todd, not your heart, not your soul. That chair is what you sit in right now, not who you are. My brother is in there somewhere. The brother that taught me how to throw tomahawks and make a bow and tan a deerskin is in there somewhere. I’m not leaving until I find him. I’m not givin’ up on you. Put the damn bottle down and let me help you get cleaned up. There are two incredible kids outside who want to meet you and my girlfriend is worried about you.”
“Who says I want to meet them?”
“I do, you retarded Jarhead! Now, give me that damn bottle and let me take you to the bedroom and help you clean up. I’ll make you if I have to. You know full well that you’d have to hurt me to stop me. Do you really want to hurt your baby brother who’s trying to help you?”
“Whatever. Here, take it. You’re as damn bullheaded as Dad was.”
“I’m worse. Dad’s gone and Mom isn’t Mom anymore; I have a lot less left to lose. I’m not ready to lose a brother.”
“Fine, and I can roll this chair just fine by myself. Come on.”
“I’ll be there in a second.” (Ducks outside) “Anastasia, do you think you and the boys can put some breakfast together for Todd, quietly, while I help him clean up?”
“You hear that, boys? Uncle Todd needs our help and Mark’s depending on us, but we have to be quiet. Do you think you can do that? This is important.”
“Yeah, Sissy. I can be quiet and I wanna’ help Uncle Todd and Mark.”
“Let’s do this, Stace.”
“Thanks, guys.”
“This family has done everything for us. It’s time we did something for it. Mark, you’re doing a good thing for your brother. I love you. Go take care of Todd. We’ll handle breakfast.”
(Bedroom)
Ok Todd, strip. You can’t get that leg wet, so I’m going to have to give you a sponge bath. I’ll go get the stuff and be right back.”
(Hall) “Stacy, can I borrow Noah for a minute?”
“I don’t know if he can handle helping you with what you’re doing.”
“He can handle what I need.” “Noah, I need my black backpack out of the gator. Can you get it for me and set it outside the bedroom door?”
“Yeah.”
“Hold on a second. I don’t want you to come in. Uncle Todd needs his privacy. He has to have my help, but nobody else should be in there with him right now. I just want you to set the bag down in front of the door, knock, and come back to the kitchen to help Sissy. Can you do that for me just like I told you?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Thanks, Noah. Go on, now.” “Anastasia, this is gonna’ take longer than I thought. I’m going to have to give him a sponge bath and change the dressing on his leg, it’s disgusting looking. If I don’t change it, it could become infected. We’ll probably be about an hour.”
“That’s fine. I can hold breakfast that long, but maybe we ought to just make lunch.”
“Whatever you think is best. You got this. Make some coffee though. He’s gonna’ need it.”
(Bedroom)
“Geez Todd, you stink! When’s the last time you washed up?”
“When I left Landstuhl, and that nurse was a helluva’ lot better lookin’ than you are.”
“I hope so. Well, that’s about got it. You’re still ugly, but you smell better. I’m gonna’ change your dressing too, it’s filthy. Here, put your underwear on, I’m tired of seeing your junk.”
“She had a better bedside manner too. There, better? Don’t mess with my dressing. I don’t want you to see that.”
“Todd, we had the same teacher. We both know if I don’t change this dressing, infection will set in soon. You know what that means. I can handle it and I frankly couldn’t care less what you want. It’s your leg, not you. You’re still my brother and you’re still a good man. No injury can change that. Now, hold still.”
(....)
“You’re all set. How drunk are you now?”
“Not near as bad as I was. Why?”
“Where are your crutches?”
“In the corner, but I’ll just use the chair.”
“Oh no you won’t! Those three kids making your lunch went through hell and more hell to get in this family. You will show them respect and meet them standing up! I don’t ever want to see you in that wheelchair again! Todd, you still have full use of your hip and knee. The VA will fit you with a prosthetic or we’ll get it done ourselves, but you WILL walk again. Do you understand me?”
“What, you think you’re a drill instructor now?”
“You’ll do what I tell you or you’ll wish I just thought I was a drill instructor. You fight me on this and I’ll be Dad!”
“I think you’re just pissed enough at me to pull it off too. NO denying you’re a Marshall.”
“You just keep that in that thick head of yours. Now let’s get some food in you to soak up some of that antifreeze you been drinking. It’ll make you feel better.”
(Kitchen)
“Guys, your Uncle Todd has a little bit of a headache, so talk soft.”
“Uncle Todd, I wasn’t sure what you like, but I made you a cheeseburger and fries and some mac and cheese. It was what Daddy usually could eat when he had a hangover. We cut up an onion and a tomato and there’s pickles and mayo, mustard and ketchup if you want it. I’m sorry there’s no lettuce, but it looked kinda’ gross.”
“Surprisingly enough, it looks good. I didn’t think me and food would get along very well yet.”
“I hope you don’t mind, but the boys are hungry and me and Mark haven’t eaten since breakfast, so we made enough for all of us.”
“That’s cool. Let’s eat.”
“We didn’t say prayers yet!”
“What’s your name?”
“Noah.”
“Well Noah, since you remembered, why don’t you say them.”
“Yes Sir!” “Jesus, thanks for bringing Uncle Todd home from the bad place. Please help us make him not be sad anymore. Thanks for lettin’ Jordan show me how to cut up onions, but they made my eyes water. Thanks for lunch, I’m really hungry. Amen.”
“Uncle Todd, are you ok?”
“What’s your name?”
“Stacy.”
“No Stacy, I’m not ok, but I think I will be. Let’s eat.”
(Mark’s phone) “Hey Erin.”
“I thought we were gonna’ have lunch at the campsite together. Where are you guys?”
“Crap! I forgot. We came over to ask Todd to have lunch with us. He didn’t sleep too well last night and was having trouble getting started this morning, so we made lunch here for him.”
“I get the feeling you’re leaving quite a bit out of that story. We’ll head that way.”
“If you want to, but everything’s cool. We can fix a few more burgers and some more fries.”
“If I’m understanding right, you don’t have trouble on your hands right now. How worried should we be?”
“It’s all good. It’ll take us a few to fix more anyway, so take your time. See ya’ when you get here.” (click)
“Baby Brother, there’s a whole lot you left out of that story. Thanks.”
“I told her the story I had to tell. If you want her to know the details, you can tell her yourself.”
“It’s true, Uncle Todd. He’s told us all that.”
“Ok, she’s Stacy and he’s Noah, who are you?”
“I’m Jordan.”
“Jordan, Our Dad taught me that too.”
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Post by gipsy on Jul 11, 2017 15:13:07 GMT -6
Nice to see such a caring bunch.
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Post by udwe on Jul 11, 2017 15:32:18 GMT -6
Really love this story, keep it up, please!
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Post by kaijafon on Jul 11, 2017 17:08:26 GMT -6
awe, so sweet! thank you!
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Post by pbbrown0 on Jul 11, 2017 18:05:50 GMT -6
Thanks, cutter. I think everyone here really appreciates the love this family is showing each other and is teaching every new family member, right from the git go.
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Post by cutter on Jul 11, 2017 20:20:51 GMT -6
Nice to see such a caring bunch. You mean like the two brother in law's who were trying to kill each other a few chapters ago?
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Post by papaof2 on Jul 11, 2017 20:44:20 GMT -6
They have STRONG feelings for each other.
Love/Hate may vary by day ;-)
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Post by papaof2 on Jul 11, 2017 22:14:37 GMT -6
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Post by cutter on Jul 14, 2017 22:19:27 GMT -6
Chapter 66
(Sunday, May 7, 4PM, Marshall Homestead)
“Welcome home. How was the trip?”
“There was a trip? The last thing I remember is getting on the interstate. I was a little distracted after that. Who are you again, and who am I?”
“Very funny, Sis. Sounds like you two had a good time. Did you ever leave the room?”
“I guess so; we came home, didn’t we? All kidding aside, yes , we left the room. We went to the park and spent some time feeding the ducks. We did a little shopping. Your brother-in-law even managed to have two dozen roses on the table when we got to the restaurant for supper on Saturday. I can’t even imagine how he managed to pull that off. I even found a robe. Brian said I looked great in it, but there was one problem; every time I put it on, it came off again. The sash kept coming untied and next thing I knew, it fell off!”
“Maybe you should take it back.”
“Not on your life! Here, Cuddles, I saw this and I couldn’t resist getting it for you.”
“You didn’t have....”
“What is it, Mom?”
“It’s...It’s a Mother’s charm bracelet. The heart is for you because I call you Sweetheart, the honey bear is for Jordan, because I call him Honey, and the pumpkin is for Noah…”
“Because you call him Punkin. That was so sweet, Aunt Morgan.”
“Sis, where did you find this?”
“There’s a jewelry store up there. We walked in for no reason and I got the idea. The owner looks like Santa Claus. We talked a little bit and he went to work. He had to make the bear, but he had all the other pieces. We talked to him Friday evening and he had it ready Saturday afternoon. I’m glad you like it. Did we miss anything while we were gone?”
“Yeah, I think we did too, but I’m not sure. The four Musketeers here, aren’t talking, and neither is Todd.”
“I’m afraid to ask.”
“And I’d probably be afraid to tell you, if I knew. All Larry and I know is that when we got up to the new campsite the kids are building up at the pond to have lunch with them Saturday, they weren’t there. I called Mark and they were at Todd’s place. When we got there, they were all at the kitchen table scarfin’ down cheeseburgers and talking. They fed us, but I’m pretty sure there’s a story there none of ‘em are telling. Given that’s the first time any of us saw Todd since he came home, I’m inclined to leave it alone. He ended up going back to their camp and spent Saturday night with them. I think Jordan found a new best buddy.”
“What about Noah?”
“Noah and Stacy are both all about Mark.”
(Monday, May 8, Noon, Cemetery)
(Stacy lets go of Mark’s hand for the first time today)
“Dad, Mom, can I have a minute alone here before we leave?”
“Sure, Sweetheart. Take all the time you need. We’ll wait for you at the car.”
“I’ll stay with her.”
“Mark, no. (kisses Mark on the cheek) Uncle Todd is taking care of Jordan. I need you to take care of Noah. Please Mark, I need to say what I have to say to Mom and Daddy alone.”
“Are you sure?”
“Uh huh. I’ll need you when I’m done, but I have to do this by myself. Please, go wait by the car, but be there for me when I get there.”
“Always.”
(...)
“Mom, Daddy, I’m sorry you had to leave. I didn’t want you to go away. I don’t know if you’re with God or not, but I hope so. I hope you’re with God so you won’t have to fight anymore. I hope you’re with God so you can be happy. Me and the boys tried, but we couldn’t ever make you happy. I know God can. Mom, Daddy, me and the boys are in a good place now. Erin and Larry take good care of us. They love us. We make them happy and they make us happy. Mom, Daddy, I hope you’re not mad at us, but we love them too. Me and the boys are gonna’ be ok. You don’t have to worry about us. Daddy, I know you said I could never have a boyfriend and you’re mad at me, but I love Mark and he loves me too. I think you might like him if you could have got to know him. I’m sorry Daddy, but even if you don’t like him, I’m keeping him. He protects me. He helps me when I’m scared or sad. He loves the boys too. He helps them and teaches them things. He teaches me things too. Daddy, he believes in us. He trusts us. Nobody ever did that before. It was hard when you went away. It was hard when they took me and the boys away from each other. I didn’t know if I’d ever see them again. Larry and Erin got us back together. They treat us like we’re their own kids. Today was hard, but we’re happy now; we’re safe. I hope you are too. Mom, Daddy, I have to say goodbye now, but I’ll always love you and I’ll never forget you. You wasted so much time fighting when you were here; try not to waste forever. It’s bad to fight all the time. I didn’t know that before, but I know it now. Goodbye, Mom. Goodbye, Daddy. I hope I see you later, when I get to Heaven.”
(In the car)
“Anastasia, are you gonna’ be ok?”
(Takes Mark’s hand) “As long as you don’t let go.”
“I told you before; I’m not going anywhere.”
(Tuesday, May 9, 8:30 AM, Franklin Middle School)
“Mrs. Martin, please bring Stacy Matthews to the Principal’s office immediately.”
“Very well.” “It’s about time you got punished for that attitude of yours and your truancy. Get up here, right now!” “I expect the rest of you to have the assignment finished when I get back, or you will spend recess writing ‘I will obey my teacher.’!” “Come along! It’s time you learned to respect your betters!”
(Mark, text)
Erin, Stacy called to Principal office.
Mark, I’m with Principal. All ok. Thanks.
“Good morning, class. I’m Mrs. Gutermuth. I will be taking over for Mrs. Martin today.”
“You mean she isn’t coming back!?! How long will she be gone?”
I’m sorry, but I don’t know the answer to that question. Mr. Dunkirk called me this morning and asked if I could be here at this time to take over Mrs. Martin’s class until further notice. That’s all I know.”
“Maybe she won’t ever come back!
“Thank God!”
“Young Ladies! That wasn’t very nice!”
“We’re sorry, Ma’am, but neither is Mrs. Martin.”
“Hmmm. Well, let’s see if I can be more to your liking. What did Mrs. Martin have you working on?”
(---)
Mr. Dunkirk, here is the Matthews girl. What are all these people doing here?”
“First things first. Stacy, I believe you lost this last week. I found it on the floor of my office and thought you might want it back.”
“MY HEART! Thank you, Mr. Dunkirk! Wait a minute, this isn’t the same chain that was on it.”
“Your chain was broken. Mr. Morris over at the jewelry store said he couldn’t fix it, but remembered when you and your foster mother bought the pair of them. He replaced the chain and wouldn’t let me pay for it.”
“Mom, can we go there after school today so I can thank him?”
“I think that might be possible.”
“Mr. Dunkirk, this is all very touching, but let’s get on with this girl’s punishment. I have a class to get back to.”
“Mrs. Martin, as you have no doubt already guessed, this is Erin Waters, Stacy’s foster mother. This is Ted Strickland. He is the staff attorney for the school board. You already know your union steward, Mrs. Celeste.” “Stacy, would you please return to your class? Please don’t say anything about what you heard here to your classmates or anyone else. Can you do that for me?”
“Yes Sir. Thank you for giving me back my heart.”
“You’re very welcome. Off you go.”
“What are you doing? That girl has missed two days of school, in a week’s time, without any explanation. She’s truant and her attitude is horrible!”
“Mrs. Martin, you would be wise to keep your opinions to yourself. She was absent yesterday to attend her parents’ funeral. She was absent last week to recover from emotional trauma, trauma you helped to inflict upon her. I have your personnel file here. The number and gravity of the complaints against you is staggering. I frankly got so disgusted that I stopped reading after the twenty-third complaint. You are suspended, without pay, through May 16th. You may return to your duties on the 17th. Feel free to file a grievance if you wish, but Mrs. Celeste, Mr. Strickland, and I have already discussed it.”
“Kim, you are siding with them!?! You call yourself a union steward and you are siding with them!?!”
“Yes Georgia, I do call myself a union steward, and a damn good one! If even a tenth of the complaints in your file were to ever be presented in court, keeping your job would be the least of your worries. You would be very lucky to avoid prison if these were substantiated in front of a jury. Mr. Strickland wanted to fire you, but I persuaded him to settle for the suspension. I suggest you take it and be glad that’s all the punishment there is.”
“I suppose you wanted me fired, too?”
“No Mrs. Martin, I want to burn you and your hateful sister-in-law both at the stake, and I want to be the one to light the fire. That’s about the kindest punishment I want for either one of you. Right now, you aren’t worth wasting the firewood. If you ever drag a child of mine down a hallway or leave a bruise on one of them again, burning at the stake will no longer be an option you can hope for. Do I make myself clear?”
“I did NOT blacken her eye! I know you did it. How dare you accuse me of abusing that child when we all know it was you!”
“Neither my husband, nor I, nor anyone in our our family has ever so much as looked at her or her brothers in anger, much less raised a hand against them. I am well aware that you made the accusation that one or both of us were abusing our children. I am well aware that you are the one who called CPS and began the event that resulted in my children being dragged from school and held by CPS caseworkers and my arrest on a false allegation. I am well aware that you handled her roughly on Monday morning of last week and dragged her by the arm to this office. Bruising, in the shape of a handprint, was clearly visible on her upper left arm when CPS delivered her home that evening. You will not touch my daughter again. You will treat her with courtesy and respect. No other course of action will end well for you. I suggest you go before you make matters worse for yourself.”
“Mrs. Martin, remove yourself from my school right now. Do not set foot on the grounds of my school again before the 17th, or you will be arrested for trespassing. I suggest you change your ways before you return. If you do not, I suggest you do not come back. The next meeting we have of this nature about your treatment of our students will be attended by law enforcement officers. I am quite certain you do not want that. Now go.” “Mrs. Celeste, will you please escort Mrs. Martin to her car, all the way to her car, and make sure she leaves the grounds?”
“Yes, Sir.” (Mrs. Martin and Mrs. Celeste leave)
“Mr. Dunkirk, I owe you an apology. I misjudged you. Thank you for returning my daughter’s necklace to her. What do I owe you for the new chain?”
“Nothing. I was telling her the truth. Mr. Morris really did recognize the charm and remember you. He remembered you asking specifically for 16” chains. He said you bought a pair of them so you would each have something special between the two of you. He commented to me that Stacy was moved to tears by it and that he found your actions toward your daughter deeply touching. When I told him Stacy is your foster daughter, he refused to charge me for the new chain. He said anybody who would treat an orphan as their own child deserves all the help they can get.”
“In that case, we will definitely be going by to see him today after school. I want to thank him too. Mr. Dunkirk, Mr. Strickland, I appreciate all you have done to see justice done for my daughter. I’ll not forget what you have done for her, or me.”
“It was our pleasure, Mrs. Waters. Have a good day.”
“You too.”
(Franklin Elementary)
“Good Morning. I’m here to pick up Noah for a doctor’s appointment.”
“Hi, Erin. Give me just a minute to call his teacher.” “Mrs. Dorsey, please send Noah to the office; his mother’s here to pick him up.””
“He’s on his way.”
“Thank you.”
(...)
“Hi, Mom.”
“Hey, Punkin. You ready to go to the eye doctor?”
“Nuh uh.”
“Why? Is there something you need to do before you leave?”
“No, Mom. I don’t like doctors. They give you shots. I don’t like shots.”
“Not this doctor. She’s just going to look at your eyes to see if you need glasses. She might shine a real bright light in your eyes, but no shots.”
“Will it hurt?”
“It never has hurt me.”
“I guess it’s ok then. I’m ready.”
“I expect we’ll be back by eleven.”
“It’s fine. If glasses will fix his reading problems, it’s time well spent. You guys just be careful.” “Noah, you be sure to keep your Mom out of trouble, ok?”
“Yeah, right.”
“Thanks a lot, you little turkey! Let’s go.”
(Eye doctor)
“Ok, Noah, I want you to stand here and read the smallest line of letters you can.”
“V-H-D-N-K-U-O-S-R-C”
“Good! Now, I’m gonna’ put this machine on your face and have you read again.”
“Is it gonna’ hurt?”
“Not a bit. It’s like binoculars, but I can change the lenses in it to tell how you see at different distances.”
“Ok.”
“Can you read that?”
“Kinda’, but it’s real fuzzy.”
“How about now?”
“Now it’s really fuzzy. I can’t read nuthin’.”
“Now?”
That’s a lot better.”
“And how about now?”
That’s great! It’s not fuzzy at all!
“Ok, let’s try this. How does that look?”
“The letters are littler, but I can see ‘em good. They’re not fuzzy.”
“Ok. Now, put your chin on this piece right here and look straight ahead. I’m gonna’ shine a light in your eyes so I can see the back of your eyeballs.”
“You’re gonna’ take my eyes out!?! NO!”
“No, Buddy, I’m gonna’ look at the back of your eyeballs on the inside. This way, I don’t have to turn your eyeballs inside out.”
“That’s gross!”
“I know, and it makes you see everything backwards. That’s why I do it this way.”
“You’re teasin’ me, ain’t ya’?”
“Uh huh. Now, keep your eyes open and look straight ahead. Ok, now the other one. And we’re done.” “Mrs. Waters, Noah is farsighted. He may grow out of it or he may not. From the tests, it looks like he only needs reading glasses for now. Here’s his prescription. It will probably take two to three weeks to get his glasses made and shipped here. Until then, it might help him to use a magnifying glass. They won’t be quite right, but a pair of readers from the drug store in the +1.75 range might be close enough for him to get by until his prescription glasses come in, and they are inexpensive.”
“Dr. Kumar, we really appreciate this. What do I owe you?”
“The state pays health expenses for foster children.”
“Judging by my experience, the state would screw up a free lunch. You took care of my son. I want to take care of you. I would rather spare you the hassle of dealing with the state for payment and them screwing it up.”
“Well, if you’re sure, the state pays $34 for a child’s eye exam.”
“Then here’s $100. Keep the rest, maybe it will be enough for you to take somebody to supper. Charge the state too, if you feel like going through the hassle, and just call this a tip. Better yet, if you’re going to charge the state, just put that in your pocket and don’t mention it.”
“Mrs. Waters, you really don’t have to do this.”
“First off, my name is Erin. I prefer decent people not call me Mrs. Waters. If it truly offends you, I won’t do it. If you’re just worried about taking advantage of me, don’t worry. You took good care of my son. You put a very frightened young man at ease. I want you to stay in business and doing well. Kids need good people on their side, especially kids in the foster system. Anything I can do to encourage that is worth the effort. Will you accept my gesture of appreciation?”
“When you put it that way, yes I will. Thank you. It comes easy to me, working with children. My husband and I wanted children, but I suffer from a genetic defect that makes me unable to conceive. We thought about adopting, but children’s services was too difficult to work with.”
“If you and your husband would still like to adopt, I know a couple of people who might be able to help you. There are a lot of kids who desperately need a good home with loving parents. My husband and I were able to help three, but there are thousands of children across the country who would give anything for a home and family of their own. Even if you only foster, and only one, you change the world for that one child, and their life, forever.”
“I will talk with my husband. May I contact you if he is still interested? I don’t want to trouble you, but help from your friends would be most welcome if we decide we still want to adopt. We had not considered fostering, but perhaps we should.”
“Here’s my card. My cell number is on it. Dr. Kumar, feel free to call me anytime, day or night, for any reason.”
“Call me Anaya, that is my name. You have been kind and gracious to me. Many here are hostile to my husband and I because we are foreign born. They do not care that we are naturalized American citizens. They see our skin is darker and hear our accent and give us no opportunity to show them we have much in common with them. You have not been like that. You have my gratitude.”
“Speak with your husband. Make your decision. Whatever you decide, call me if you and your husband need a respite from the world. You are welcome in our home. We care about who you are, not what you look like or how you sound. I would enjoy talking with you about our differences and what we have in common. I look forward to hearing from you, Anaya.”
“I think I would enjoy that. Thank you, Erin. I’m sorry, but I have another appointment in a few minutes. I must get ready for them.”
“Do what you do, Doctor. Will you call when my son’s glasses come in?”
“Yes, I will. I hope to see you soon.”
“Me too. Have a good day.”
(Leaving)
“Mom, she’s a nice lady, but she sounds weird when she talks.”
“Did you ever think we might sound weird to her when we talk?”
“We don’t sound weird!”
“Not to you, but what about to her?”
“I guess maybe we might.”
(Erin kneels down and puts her hands on Noah’s shoulders)
“Son, a lot of people look or sound different from us. Judge them by how they act, how they treat people. If you judge them by how they look or sound, you’ll miss out on knowing a lot of great people.”
“She is nice. I guess you’re right, Mom.”
“I am sometimes. C’mon Punkin, let’s try to get you some reading glasses and get you back to school.”
(Pentagon)
(Knock)
“Come.”
“Sir, Lieutenant Markinson reports.”
“A ease, Lieutenant, what do you have?”
“One of my people just brought this to my attention. It is a recommendation from the 6th Marines, for a Corporal Todd Marshall. It was forwarded by Colonel Trautman. Sir, it is a recommendation for the MOH. Colonel Trautman attached the Corporal’s entire jacket. I read through it. Sir, I really think you should take a look at this.”
“If I may, Lieutenant?”
“Oh, yes Sir. Sorry, General.”
“You seem a little distracted, Lieutenant. Are you having difficulties?”
“No Sir, it’s just...well, read the Corporal’s jacket and the recommendation, Sir.”
“Very well. Corporal Todd Marshall. Born 24 January 1993. Enlisted 01 June 2010. Seventeen? The kid enlisted straight out of high school. Sierra Hotel! This kid’s scores are off the chart! Qualified expert marksman in rifle and pistol. Jump and dive qualified. Scout sniper school. Hell Fire, Lieutenant, this kid’s the Marine Corps’ wet dream!”
“Wait until you see his commendations, Sir.”
Joint service commendation medal with oak leaf cluster and V device, Navy and Marine Corps commendation medal with V device, twice awarded the Silver Star, at least a dozen non-combat commendations. Exposed himself to fire in an attempt to save the life of the Navy Corpsman assigned to his platoon and again in an attempt to render medical assistance to his Lieutenant while rendering aid to three Marines along the way. Caught in a mortar explosion before he could reach his LT. Took a round in the arm while attempting to save the Corpsman. Sustained multiple shrapnel injuries, including the loss of his lower right leg during his assistance of fellow Marines under his direct command and his attempt to render aid to his LT. Lieutenant,, this is either the most courageous or most insane Marine I have ever heard of. Says here the colonel recommends promoting him to E-5 and awarding him the purple heart and MOH. Terrance, I know what my opinion is; what do you think of this?”
“General, I was shuffled into human resources, but that is the Marine I dreamed of being. Sir, we are taught Country, honor, Corps; Corporal Marshall managed all three in a single engagement. Out of ten thousand Marines, you might find one of his caliber. That’s saying something, Sir. If the President won’t award him the MOH, I’d give him mine, if I had one to give. I’ve served with some damn fine men and women, but I’d give my bar and become a Private to have served with him. Regardless of rank, I’d follow him anywhere.”
“Regardless of rank, so would I. I’m going to deliver this personally to General Dunford. I will make a point of mentioning your wisdom in bringing it to the Marines’ attention. Well done Lieutenant.”
“Thank you, Sir. May I return to my duties?”
“Dismissed, and thank you for this.”
“My pleasure, Sir.”
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Post by papaof2 on Jul 14, 2017 23:57:29 GMT -6
Recommendation for MOH? Nothing like giving recognition where it is due. Todd sounds more like his brothers in this report...
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Post by cutter on Jul 15, 2017 0:52:51 GMT -6
I struggled with that. The MOH is THE commendation. It isn't something to be trifled with. Since its creation in 1861, 3,495 service members have been awarded the Medal of Honor. Nineteen of those service members were awarded the MOH twice. Theodore Roosevelt is the only President ever to be awarded the MOH, and then only after his death. I hope my fictional character does justice to the award, and much more importantly, the men (and one woman) who have earned it. I have tried to paint Todd, and his brothers as well, as a selfless man who did not seek the mantle of authority he wore, but found, to his great surprise, that he wore it well. I have tried to present a man who never sought glory, but only to do what he thought was right. The Todd we saw in the hospital, at the casket detail, and drunk in his home, is a man fighting his demons. He set his personal bar so impossibly high, he couldn't help but to fail.
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Post by catspaw65 on Jul 15, 2017 2:38:13 GMT -6
A man like that will think he doesn't deserve it. I believe he does.
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Post by freebirde on Jul 15, 2017 14:46:50 GMT -6
Small 'oops'. 2007-1993=14 Maybe born 1990?
Some grocery stores and everything for a dollar stores have readers for a dollar each. At that price I can keep a pair at my computer desk, bedside, bathroom, my truck, wife's van, travel kit, and one or two spares in case any get broken. That is especially good because around little boys, things sometimes get lost or broken. It wouldn't hurt to have Jordan's and Stacy's eyes checked, vision problems sometimes runs in a family.
May 17th? And what is the last day of classes, May 16th?
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Post by papaof2 on Jul 15, 2017 15:10:44 GMT -6
School schedules are all over the place. Depends on where you are in the country and what the local conditions are. Virginia once had a "No school until after Labor Day" policy because Six Flags wanted the teenagers available for work. Georgia starts in mid-August and ends in June so the kids (maybe the teachers?) can have a break every few weeks. You would need to go to the specific school district (city, county) to see their schedule. For example, the Frankfort County, Kentucky 2016-2017 schedule is here: www.franklin.kyschools.us/Downloads/FCPS%2016-17%20Calendar%20-%20approved%201-25-2016.pdfThe kids started on August 11, 2016 and ended on May 25, 2017. I'm hoping that the eye surgery I'm going through will leave me with somewhat better vision - not needing correction for both near and far in both eyes. The world is a brighter and more colorful place in the eye that received a corneal transplant but it's still blurry - surgeon said at least 3 weeks to get some degree of focus back but I want it now ;-) There's nothing they can do surgically about the "astigmatism" (actually scars on the macula) in one eye so the inexpensive readers are no longer a solution for me.
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Post by cutter on Jul 15, 2017 17:54:27 GMT -6
Small 'oops'. 2007-1993=14 Maybe born 1990? Some grocery stores and everything for a dollar stores have readers for a dollar each. At that price I can keep a pair at my computer desk, bedside, bathroom, my truck, wife's van, travel kit, and one or two spares in case any get broken. That is especially good because around little boys, things sometimes get lost or broken. It wouldn't hurt to have Jordan's and Stacy's eyes checked, vision problems sometimes runs in a family. May 17th? And what is the last day of classes, May 16th? Bad math. Was supposed to be 2010, Todd is 24 at this time in the story. I also noticed that I did not put the dates in military standard (1 June 2017). Senior graduation is Friday, May 26, with the last day of school on Thursday, May 25. Graduation is the last day of high school for graduating seniors. Noah's prescription glasses have a slightly different magnifier in each eye. His left eye is closer to +1.50. That is actually my bifocal prescription. I can use either strength of readers, but neither one is without difficulty. They help, but cause me some unease. I have never tolerated them long enough to see if I get used to it. The eye test was a first step and they got lucky. Part of Noah's problem is a lack of parental involvement in his education while still with his birth parents. Being older, Jordan and Stacy have both had more time to overcome that same disadvantage. It won't appear in the story, but all the children will have eye exams and physicals. I only wrote in Noah's because of his apparent learning disability. I actually envision all three of them to be remarkably bright children who have never had opportunity to unlock their full potential. Like Morgan did to Brian with her unarmed combat abilities, Stacy is likely going to give Mark fits with some exeptional talents of her own. Mark and Stacy are giving me real trouble. I am trying, but having a hard time portraying them as having the slightly uneven development that is common with children forced to grow up too soon. Mark is definitely the older soul of the two, but only because he has seen and done more out in the wide world. His upbringing before his father's death and mother's illness, coupled with his travel abroad and the effective loss of both parents at a young age have combined to grow him up faster and farther than Stacy. She and her brothers are all older than their years too, but that emotional development is much more uneven because of a lack of positive reinforcement and praise from her birth parents. They were often belittled, and even criticized for showing unusual maturity. Jake and Susan Matthews marital problems colored everything in their childrens' lives. That is why Stacy had such a hard time believing Larry and Erin didn't have an ulterior motive early on and why all three children show such fanatic loyalty to the entire clan, but Larry, Erin, and Mark especially, now that they have accepted the treatment they receive as genuine. My mind is going down some interesting paths with the introduction of Sarah Peters and Todd becoming more central to the story. I see a possibility for a romantic matchup for Todd, but I do not yet know who his love interest might be. If I end up going down that rabbit trail, I foresee Aaron and Sylvia Micheals, Eric and Kris, and Dr. Anaya Kumar and her husband becoming more central to the story too. Valarie Conner and possibly Mark Travis might also become more visible if that happens. I'm really looking forward to the story getting to Erin's graduation on the 26th, but I don't want to rush it. I promise you all one thing, Karma is going to be in Franklin, KY that day and she is going to be doing her thing in a big way. A whole lot is going to happen that day and all of it looks to be good, at least for the Marshall-Waters clan. Judge Phillips will likely be showing up again in the next chapter.
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Post by cutter on Jul 15, 2017 17:58:45 GMT -6
Papa, I hope the results of your eye surgery are everything you hope for and more. Also, thank you for doing my research for me. It never occurred to me to look the school year up.
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