by Jeff Holmes
Roni leaned across and hugged him as he finished. Scott had never felt more alive. He climbed off the bed and put the guitar away, then climbed back on. He had a question for her.
“Tell me about two years ago,” he said.
“Right after Christmas when we were seniors, I found out about a contest for architectural art that one of the big design firms in Denver was sponsoring,” she said. “It was a big deal; the winner won a $2,500 scholarship to any school in the state.
“So I spent the next three-and-a-half months at my drawing table. I did up this 5,000 square-foot house in the foothills,” she said. “There were 12 rooms, three different views of each one. The deadline was April 15. I worked right up until the last day, then I actually drove to Denver to drop it off at their office; I wasn’t about to trust it in the mail.
“I finally received my rejection letter the day after the John Denver concert at Red Rocks,” she said. “They hated it; said it was ‘amateurish, even for a high school student.’
“So I was done. I dumped my plans to go to Boulder, and decided to go to Greeley. I was done with design.
“But since everything has happened with us and talking about the future and stuff, I decided I really wanted to try it again,” she said. “So I started applying at a few places.”
“And, Manhattan?” Scott asked.
Roni took a deep breath. “I’ve been accepted at five places for design school; Nebraska and Kansas State are my favorites. I’d never been to Kansas State, so that’s why I planned the trip that way. I walked around campus and around Aggieville and I really love it, Footer. I even talked to an advisor.
“I haven’t said anything because I don’t want you to think that I’m trying to push anything, Scott,” she said. “When I applied there, I didn’t even realize it was just 10 miles from Fort Riley.
“If you want more room, I’ll go to Nebraska; we’ll go slower. I want you to have everything you’ve ever dreamed of in life; I want you to get you chance to play again, I want you to be happy. You always say I saved you – twice – and someday you have to return the favor.
Her left hand reached across the pizza box to touch his face. “You already have, Footer. You saved me when you held me that night and you saved me when you wrote back and you saved me when you kept living through this and you saved me when you called me collect from the hospital. No matter what you say next, I couldn’t love you more and I can’t believe you love me this much.”
Scott put his hand over hers. He smiled and looked deeply into those baby blue eyes.
“I can’t think of anything in the world I would love more than to have you spend the next few years with me in the middle of Kansas, Miss Roni Rae McIntyre,” he said, taking her hand and kissing it. “I can’t believe you love me this much.”
It was 2000 hours. She set the wine glasses next to the Styrofoam ice bucket and tossed the pizza box on the other table. She climbed off the bed and as she did, with her back to Scott, she lifted the jersey off of her body and turned to face him.
He’d dreamt of this moment, since what, forever? She stood before him naked. Her long hair cascaded down over her shoulders and hung to her beautiful breasts. She had a soft smile on her face, and she was trembling at the same time.
“Make love to me, Scott,” she said. “Make love to me forever.”
He climbed off the bed and pulled off his shirt, walking to her. Looking deeply into her eyes, he slipped off his shorts and went to her. He pulled back the covers then picked her up in his arms and set her on the bed.
No words were spoken. None were needed. They instinctively just knew what to do. And their eyes never left one another. It was hot and sweaty and passionate and at the same time soft and loving and very tender. By the time they finally collapsed, Scott noticed that it was nearly 2330.
They smoked a joint as they were wrapped in each other’s arms.
“Sooooo…does this make up for Memorial Day?” she asked with a little giggle.
“Ummm…yeah,” he said. “I don’t think all the feeling has come back to my feet.”
“That’s good,” she said. “I would probably have been having my period next weekend, anyway.”
They both laughed loudly. Scott put out the roach in the ashtray as they settled under the covers to sleep. The TV silently glowed across the room.
“I love you, Footer.”
“I love you, Roni.”
****
CHAPTER 9
The clock on the bedside table read 5:00 as Scott stood in the bathroom, checking himself over. He was in his khakis and he and Andy had to be back on post in an hour.
He was checking to make sure his shirt buttons, belt buckle and fly were lined up, or dressed, as the Army called it. He’d been thinking for a while the Army needed to learn English or something.
He peeked back into the bedroom. Roni was wrapped up in the covers, snuggled into the pillows. He had already decided that watching her sleep was one of his favorite things in the world. So beautiful, so peaceful, and always with this little smile on her face – as if she knew something no one else knew.
Scott grabbed a Coke out of the ice and dug through the food bag and found some more of his mom’s cookies. Roni had done a great job of packing for the trip and for the munchies. Scott still had a case of them from the night before.
He picked up the phone and dialed Andy and Mollie’s room number. On the second ring Mollie answered.
“Hello?” she said, in a sleepy voice.
“Is he dressed?” Scott whispered.
“Barely. He said 10 minutes.” Mollie replied.
“Great. Thanks, Mollie. Bye.” Scott hung up.
“Hey soldier boy.”
Scott turned around. She was lying in exactly the same position, but her eyes were open.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he said. “I’m just getting ready to go.”
She sat up and the covers fell off her. In the glow of the TV her soft skin and curve of her breasts looked so warm to Scott. It was all he could do not to rip off the khakis and jump back in bed with her. Instead, he just sat down next to her on the bed.
“You look so cute in your little soldier suit,” she said. “Do you have the keys?”
Scott held them up, and they dangled in the glow. “I’ll take the weed and some of the other stuff out and pack them now so you don’t have to.”
“Leave Mollie and I a joint.” Roni added. “And don’t wreck my car!”
“Wreck it? We’re taking it to Kansas, baby,” he said, leaning in to kiss her.
“I’m very proud of you,” she said. “And I love you so much.”
“Why did it take us so long to get here?” Scott asked her.
“I don’t know,” she said. “But I’m glad we’re here now. You’d better get going; don’t want to be late for your last day.”
“See you after the ceremony,” Scott said.
“I promise to look better than I do right now,” she said.
“You look great right now,” Scott said, grabbing his bag and the cooler and giving her a kiss goodbye.
“I’m NAKED right now,” she said, standing on her knees on the bed.
“I know,” Scott said with a grin as went out the door. “Love you.”
Scott guided the Sky Bird to the curb behind the barracks just as the rest of the platoon was heading out for formation. He and Andy locked the doors and sprinted between the buildings to blend in with the group in front of the barracks. It was easy to see who’d been off post and who’d been on, as there was a mix of fatigues and khakis in the formation.
Drill Sergeant Sprouil stood in front of the formation. “Second Platoon!” he shouted. “Let’s see if your sorry asses can march to breakfast one more time.”
They could. It was a happy morning for everyone. It was time to go. After breakfast, Sprouil came over to Scott. “When you get back, go park the pretty blue car up there next to mine, Mitchell. The captain wants it out of the way
.”
“I will, drill sergeant.” Scott said. Having the car here solved some problems. When he returned to the barracks, he pulled the car next to Sprouil’s green and khaki Grand Prix. The parking area looked like a Pontiac showroom.
He ran back to the barracks and grabbed his winter coat and the long-sleeved shirt and jeans he’d worn in March. Roni had brought him four pairs of shorts, about a half-dozen t-shirts and extra socks and underwear. Scott packed the winter stuff in the trunk, then snatched the “special” cigarette pack Roni had brought.
Rick had taken all the real cigarettes out of a pack of Scott’s Marlboro Menthols, put six nicely rolled joints in it and replaced the rest of the pack with the real thing. Roni wrapped it in the t-shirts and stuffed them deep in his duffle bag. She’d thought of everything.
There was a last-day-of-school feel to everything; nothing seemed organized. The guys who were headed out on leave were rushing around, getting leave papers finalized, making arrangements to get to the bus station or the airport. “You’ve have thought some of these guys would have thought of this shit already,” Andy said to Scott.
“Well, not everyone plans as well as you, Andrew,” Scott replied.
They gazed around the barracks. The mattresses were all off the bunks now and stacked up on the back dock. D-5-2 would be shut down for four weeks before the next cycle came in the second week in June.
“I wonder,” Scott asked, “what the next guys who are going to be in here next are doing right now?”
“Probably,” Andy said, “wishing they were us.”
“Probably,” Scott agreed.
At 0930, the men of D-5-2 lined up for the final march to graduation. Before Adams called the final formation to attention, Sprouil and Alexander stood before Second Platoon one last time.
“It has been an honor, gentlemen, to have trained all of you,” Alexander said. “Our next platoon will have a lot to live up to. You came here as children, but you’re leaving as men.”
“You’ve worked hard,” Sprouil said. “I didn’t think some of you could do it, but you all did. It’s been an absolute honor to work with you, and I’d be proud to serve with any of you.”
For the first few weeks of basic training, Scott hated those guys. It was as if, in the midst of his pain, they had been sent out of the mouth of Hell just to torment him. But as time went on, he understood; you could either be beaten or win, Sgt. Alexander had always said. For a long time, Scott was beaten, but between these two drills, and Roni’s letters, he’d survived. He’d won.
They marched on to the parade grounds under the cloudless Missouri sky. Bleachers were filled with family and friends of D-5-2 and A-4-4 and both brigade commanders and a host of other officers stood on the reviewing stand.
As they marched into position in front of the reviewing stand and were put at parade rest, Scott finally had a chance to scan. He finally spotted Mollie’s sun-bleached hair. Cheryl Day was sitting on one side and Roni was on the other. She looked stunning in a blue, flowered sundress.
“Look at our ladies, Day,” Scott whispered to Andy.
“I am,” he said. “Bet your ass I am.”
Roni had pulled the front of her hair back and had it braided behind her head. Her shoulders were bare except for the straps of her dress and she even took her sunglasses off so she could lock eye contact with Scott.
As he listened to the officers drone on about “Duty, Honor, Country” from the reviewing stand, Scott’s thoughts wandered. In some ways, things had happened so quickly in the last few months for him and Roni. They had gone from being friends to being lovers to planning the next few years together in Kansas. Was it too fast?
But at the same time, it really hadn’t been. They had been together forever and he had loved her for as long as he could remember.
Last night, Roni had asked him to make love to her forever. Forever sounded incredible. They were each other’s best friends and Scott never wanted to be apart from her. And from Rick and Maggie’s wedding on, it appeared they might not be apart ever again.
As the new graduates of basic training were about to march off, Scott looked at his sweet lady. “I love you,” he mouthed to her.
She tenderly put her hand over her heart. She must have been thinking exactly the same thing.
The next few hours went by too fast. They marched back to Fifth Brigade for their farewell dinner at the mess hall; steaks and shrimp, and all the fixings, for everyone. Roni and Scott sat with the Days, the Pepitones, the Perrsons, and Carl and his wife at one big table. Talk was light and breezy and everyone was so relaxed. After lunch, they walked out of the mess hall for the last time together.
It was 1300 hours and the bus to San Antonio wasn’t leaving until 1630. Roni wanted to wait to leave when Scott did, but he wanted her to get on the road. “You don’t like to drive in the dark,” he reminded her. “If you leave by 2:00, you’ll make it to Manhattan before it gets dark.”
“But I want to leave when you do,” she protested.
The Days were leaving by 1400, so it was decided Roni would follow them off the post. They would head east up I-44 to St. Louis for their 1700 flight back to L.A.; Roni would head northwest to the roads that would take her to Kansas City, and finally to Manhattan and Kansas State University.
Sgt. Alexander let her and Mollie into one of operations shack offices to change clothes. They came out giggling and both went over and gave Alexander a hug.
“Thank you,” Roni said.
Ever the southern gentleman, Alexander tipped his hat once last time. “Ladies, it’s an honor to have met you.”
Scott helped Roni load the last of her stuff into the car. He put his guitar case in the front seat and stuck an old fatigue cap on the top of it.
“What,” Roni said, “is that supposed to be?”
“It’s your passenger,” Dale said. “It doesn’t look like you’re alone. That’s a great idea, Scott.”
Just then, the tender moment was broken.
“Ladies, ladies, Nolan Moreland III at your service, but you can call me Slick Man,” he said, wandering into the middle of the group. “I’m the man with the plan and all the women in his hands, but you can understand, because I am Slick Man.”
He then kissed Roni and Mollie each on the hand and as he walked away, he turned to the guys and said, “Don’t forget, boys, the infantry always has your back!”
“What,” asked Cheryl, “was that?”
“We’ve never been sure,” Andy said.
Roni hugged Dale and Cheryl and thanked them for everything. Scott shook hands with both of them, but Cheryl had to hug him. “Thanks for being his friend,” she said.
“My pleasure,” he said.
Mollie gave him a hug as Roni was hugging Andy. “We’re going to see you again, right?” she asked.
“You’d better believe it,” Scott said.
Roni was talking quietly to Andy and he was smiling and nodding. Then Roni and Mollie hugged like long-lost sisters. They had already planned on swapping the guys’ addresses once they settled in. Roni had done the same thing with Mary Esposito. The boys in ‘San Antone’ were going to be able to stay in touch with their missing compadres. Roni had made herself the D-5-2 social director.
The rest of the guys were there, saying goodbye to the Days, too. Scott finally went over to Andy.
“You have no clue what you did for me,” Scott said. “You made this place bearable and you gave me the best gift ever.”
“No charge,” he said. “Thanks for being there.”
They hugged, and Andy climbed into the front seat of the van.
Roni was telling the rest of the guys goodbye when Scott looked up and their eyes met. It hadn’t even been 24 hours, but it was time. And it would be six more weeks. He walked to the driver’s side of the Sky Bird and Roni met him there.
“So…” he said.
“Yeah, so….” she said.
“Be careful,” he said, starting to tear up
.
“Hey, I have my passenger,” she said, tears coming down her face. “Call me Sunday, OK?
“Absolutely,” he said. “I’m so glad you came, baby. You don’t know…”
“Yeah I do,” she said. “I had to come. I love you.”
“Love me forever?” he asked.
“Forever,” she said. They kissed and held each other for a long moment. Scott finally reached down and opened the car door. “OK, get going.”
She slid into the seat. Scott leaned down and kissed her one last time. “Bye, Baby.”
“Bye, Baby.”
Dale fired up the van and pulled away from the curb. Roni slipped on her sunglasses and followed, blowing Scott a kiss. He put his hand to his heart and watched the baby blue Sky Bird pull around the corner and out of sight.
Carl was standing there. The Pepitones, Perrsons and Debi Forsburg had already hit the road. “Well, fuck,” Scott said, regaining his composure. “I don’t know about you Swede, but I need a beer before we leave for Texas. You in?”
“Damn right I am,” Carl said.
They then headed to the snack bar. It was time to turn a page.
****
CHAPTER 10
The medical training was almost secondary for Scott. He was learning a lot, but this was just a warm-up for July and August and his Emergency Medical Technician training. He’d already been promoted to PFC when he arrived at Fort Sam, and once he completed EMT, he would make Specialist 4th Class, or Spec 4, which would mean bigger money.
And he was watching his money. He hoped when he went home on leave, he could talk to Roni’s dad about getting a truck. Scott and Roni had talked over the possibilities of needing two vehicles right away, but decided it would work out better. Because of how late she had been accepted to the design program, she wouldn’t start until January. In the meantime, she was on a full-court press to find a job in Manhattan.
