Greek Island

by Druga, Jacqueline

  That was it. That could be it. The dog.

  If indeed the dog was the reason for Jade’s depression, then we would have a foundation to work on, to discuss.

  We needed something.

  I sent the boys on the first mission to talk to their mother, and to also find out what her state was with me. I obviously wasn’t going to go visit her if she was going to blast me. Her blasting me would only make me angry and then we were back to square one.

  While they did that, I had a construction meeting with Marcus. We planned out that getting the wood and supplies would take precedence over visiting Charleston. The construction of privacy rooms would focus our camp, while we went out.

  After our meeting and after getting the ‘she’s cool with you Captain’ from the boys, I headed off to see Jade.

  ***

  Let me tell you a bit about Ray. One of the most predictable men I ever met in my life, yet he was still able to surprise me. Considering that I hadn’t known him too long, I would venture to guess that he would continue to occasionally pull something out of character.

  “I heard the old broad was a general,” Ray’s voice carried to me down the hall.

  Just as I stopped walking, and just as I was about to think, ‘did he just spew forth that loudly’, Mary Agnes’ retorted from the library, “Yes she was, NCO.”

  I cringed.

  Ray rolled his eyes and offered the ‘bird’ to an unknowing and unseeing Mary Agnes. He held something behind his back, peeked in the library, and then picked up the speed to me.

  “What do you have?” I asked.

  “I know you’re on your way to see your wife. Thought I may give you some assistance.” He brought forth a bottle of wine.

  “Merlot.” I took it. “Where did you get this?”

  “Basement of the resort. Whole shit load of booze buried pretty damned deep.” He winked.

  “You suited up and went out.”

  “Nah.” He waved out his hand. “I just went out. At 32 Rads, my exposure was minimum. I decontaminated. I’m good.”

  “You did this for me?”

  “Sure,” Ray said. “And then I picked up a bottle of bourbon for me.”

  “Bourbon?” Mary Agnes seemingly leapt from the library. “Did I hear someone say bourbon?”

  Ray twitched his head and whispered, “At least we know her hearing aid don’t need adjusted.”

  Hands behind her back, Mary Agnes strutted to us as if she were up to something.

  “Ma’am,” I said.

  “Cut the shit with the Ma’am.”

  “It’s respectful.”

  “OK, fine.” She shrugged. “What you got there?” she asked.

  Ray breathed out. “Isn’t really any of your business, now is it?”

  She crinkled her face at Ray. “I just want to know because I sure as shit would love a drink. And …. I sure as shit deserve a drink with all the …. Shit, pardon the pun; I’d dealt with in his camp.”

  “She does,” I said.

  “I’ll share,” Ray replied. “You wanna go down a few shots toots?”

  “Toots?” she questioned.

  “Ray,” I spoke like a kindergarten teacher scolding. “A little respect.”

  “What? You want me to call her Ma’am?” Ray asked. “I’ll call her Mrs. Whatever she is but I won’t …” he stopped when he caught me glance. “Fine. Ma’am.”

  “Toots is fine, too.” Mary Agnes smiled. “I know it sounds strange, but my husband called me toots all the time.”

  Ray asked. “Did he pass in the recent war or the civil war?”

  I withheld my chuckle.

  Mary Agnes opened her mouth and released a mock airy laugh. “Asshole,” she called him. “Actually, my husband died about ten years ago. Never remarried.”

  “Really?” he asked. “That surprises me.”

  Why was Ray sarcastic with her? And mostly, why was she enjoying it.

  Mary Agnes chuckled. “Always thought you reminded me of my husband, Ray. Now I know with that picking on me sarcasm. I like you. Let’s go have them shots.”

  “You ... you aren’t gonna make any unwanted sexual advances on me, are you?” Ray questioned.

  Mary Agnes just laughed. “No. Why would I? You may remind me of my husband, but I’m betting you ain’t hung like my husband was.”

  I coughed, almost dropped my merlot.

  “I’m …” I pointed back. “Gonna open this and go talk to Jade.”

  Mary Agnes said, “Alcohol is a depressant. You think that’s a good idea?”

  “Oh, my God.” I blurted. “Can I do anything right? My wife used to get giddy on wine. This is perfect.”

  “In all seriousness, Captain,” Mary Agnes said. “I know I came down on you. It’s only because I want you to do the right thing. I’m thinking of the camp, you know. But I also can sympathize with you. I probably wouldn’t be patient either if she was my wife.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  Both her and Ray wished me luck, walked away to go get sloshed, I suppose and I returned on my journey to see Jade.

  ***

  The boys had adhered to my wishes and afforded Jade and I some privacy. When I arrived back at the dorm, Jade was sitting up on the bunk. Her back propped against the pillows, knees close to her chest, arms around her legs, and chin on her knees.

  I sat on the bunk and offered her a glass of wine. “Here. Merlot. Courtesy of Ray.”

  She was reluctant, but Jade took it. At first she sipped, and then she gulped. I freshened her glass.

  “Talk to me.”

  She shook her head.

  “Please?”

  “Hal, I can’t.”

  “Is it … is it because you don’t think I’m sensitive enough?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “It’s because …. It’s because ….”

  “I won’t understand?”

  She glanced at me.

  “How about I talk?” I asked. “I have been giving it a lot of thought. A lot. I know what has happened to this world is tough. I know this. I’m trying with everything I am to understand where this depression and extreme sadness is coming from. I’m correct, aren’t I; by assuming it is not your family?”

  “It’s not my family.”

  “I know what it is.” I stared at my wine.

  “You do?”

  “Yeah, I believe I do. And I believe I can be mature about it.” There that sounded good. Knowing me, she probably thought I’d make fun of her about being so upset about the dog.

  “You can?” she asked.

  “Absolutely. With all that happened. I believe I can understand anything. My God, how you must have loved him.”

  Jade burst into tears.

  “That’s it then, isn’t it?”

  Jade nodded.

  “Oh, Jade.” I ran my hand down her face. “I’m better than that. Please understand I am better than to abandon you when you are so down. When you grieve so deeply. I’m here. No matter what the reason.”

  “Oh, Hal. Thank you.” She rested her hand against mine.

  I smiled gently. “I know you spent a lot of time with him.”

  “I did.”

  I took a drink of my wine, set it down, and faced her. “Talk to me. Talk to me about it.”

  “I love him. I love him so much.”

  “I know. I can see that. I didn’t think it was possible. But I can see that now. The turmoil you must be going through.”

  “I am. And I was ashamed, too. Embarrassed to let you know I was so upset and sad about this.”

  “No need to be embarrassed.”

  “I’d thought you’d be so angry at me for being so weak.”

  “Do I look angry?” I gave a reassuring look. I was proud of myself. Sensitive. Understanding and keeping a straight face.

  “No, and this helps. It does.”

  “So go on. Talk.”

  “I didn’t realize how much he meant to me until I thought about him. The atta
ck. Him being alone when it happened. Was he afraid? Was he brave? Did he think of me?”

  “I’m sure he did. And Jade, I’m sure he never felt anything.”

  She nodded. “That doesn’t help though. He was there for me. When I was sad, he made me laugh.”

  “Yes, I know.” I pictured her playing with our Harry, smiling. Yes. He did make her smile. “I would wonder why you were so happy sometimes when I came home from work.”

  “It was him. When you weren’t there, I talked to him. I talked to him a lot.”

  “Of course.” I smiled. I remember how many times she vented on the dog, “You bitched to him, too.”

  “More than you realize. And he listened. He was good to me. I need you to know that.”

  “Of course.”

  “It was years together.”

  “I know.”

  “And Hal, I need you to know. It was more than just sex.”

  “Of ….” My mouth froze mid sentence. Sex? My eyebrows cocked. The playing, the smiles with the dog, the talking to the dog.

  “It was. Yes, we were intimate …”

  “Oh my God.” My hand shot to my mouth. Had I been away from home so much? Had I been out of the loop so far that I drive my wife to obscure, bestiality behavior? “Jade. Forgive me. But …. When did you start having sex with our dog?”

  “With our dog?”

  “Yes.”

  “Hal! I never had sex with the dog. That’s sick.”

  “Well, you …” I stood and held out m y hand. “You just said you had…”

  Stop.

  My entire being and heart sunk to the pits of my soul.

  My revelation became Jade’s revelation.

  “You were talking about the dog?” she asked.

  “And you weren’t.”

  “No.”

  I swallowed. I swallowed the huge lump in my throat. After which, I reached for the bottle of wine and took a long drink. I wiped the back of my hand over my mouth, handed the bottle to Jade, and turned.

  “Hal! Hal! Stop.”

  “Jade. No. you stop.” I halted her. “I can’t be sensitive about this. I can’t be understanding about this. You la … you were …. You la…” I couldn’t even bring myself to say it. I choked on the word. “You …another man?”

  She lowered her head.

  “Maybe someone else should be listening to you. I’m sorry. I can’t.” I shook my head. “I can’t.”

  ***

  The walk to find Ray was an interesting one. I went not only down the hall, but through a series of emotions and not a single one was predominant.

  My wife had not only cheated, she had an affair, and not only that, she was in love with another man.

  I was angry at her and at myself. Sad because I had failed. Hurt because she had crushed me. I felt vindictive and spiteful. I wanted to tell her, who the hell cares if you are depressed. Curl up and die. I would have liked to have said that in my bitterness, but I couldn’t. As much as those words wanted to spew forth from my mouth, I didn’t want her to die. The boys loved their mother.

  The boys. Would I tell them, allow them find out. I didn’t know. I examined my life with Jade and the five years we had been together. Could I have prevented it? Did I cause it? I was bombarded with questions and thoughts en route to see Ray and the route wasn’t that long. So imagine how my mind went.

  Despite the fact it was late, I just wanted to tear into something. Killing the man who had been sleeping with my wife was not an option. He was more than likely dead and that delivered a sense of no resolution.

  Tear into something.

  Construction.

  The walls and wood in the basement of the resort.

  I offered that suggestion to Ray and he offered me a drink. I took it, then another.

  I was pretty glad I did, because perhaps that helped me handle Mary Agnes, who laughed when I told them what had happened. I poured my heart out. Told every detail and she laughed.

  “Woman,” I said.

  Ray snickered. “Have another drink.”

  I did then turn to Mary Agnes. “Why are you laughing at the fact that my wife cheated on me.”

  She shook her head. “I’m not laughing about your wife cheating, Captain. I’m laughing at the fact that you thought you were talking about the family dog.”

  I closed my eyes.

  “She said she loved him, you understood,” Mary Agnes said. “She laughed with him. Talk to him. You understood. And when she mentioned sex …”

  At that moment Ray, couldn’t help it, he burst into laughter.

  “God.” I closed my eyes tighter. “It’s not funny.”

  “Not the affair,” Ray said. “But the dog thought. I can only imagine what was going through your mind when she said it wasn’t the sex.”

  “I thought of a picture I once saw on the net with a Dalmatian having sex with this woman. That’s what I thought of. Only I pictured Harry. Our Mutt, Benji, terrier mix dog in …” I cringed. “How could I be so stupid?”

  “About what?” Mary Agnes asked. “The affair or about thinking it was the dog.”

  “Both,” I replied.

  “You trusted your wife. You love her. Why would you even think it was another man when you had it in your mindset it was the dog. I would have thought the same thing.”

  “Thank you.” I said then waited. Both her and Ray were in a mood to be sarcastic, and I expected some sort of remark. But she didn’t. She sipped her drink.

  “Anyhow …” She gasped out. “Did you just leave when she told you?”

  “Yes. I couldn’t be compassionate. I couldn’t listen. I … I didn’t care at that moment how depressed she was. Now, blast me again.”

  “I’ll do no such thing,” Mary Agnes said. “You’re human. And I’m …going to go see her.” She set down her drink. “Ray, we will finish that talk later.”

  Ray nodded and raised his hand.

  “Where are you going?” I asked.

  “Like I said, to see Jade,” Mary Agnes. “Right now, she started to open up. Poured her heart out. Is in a massive state of depression. You don’t want or need to be there. Nor do you want or deserves to have to listen to it.”

  “You feel sorry for her,” I stated.

  “No, not really,” Mary Agnes said nonchalantly.

  “Then why are you going?”

  “I’m just that damn nosey.” She walked to the door. “I want to know. Want me to give you the less painful cliff notes when I’m done?”

  “No. No. Absolutely, not. No.” I shook my head. But the second she was almost gone, I called out. “Mary Agnes?”

  She turned around.

  “Yeah. I do. Just spare me sordid details.”

  She gave me a reassuring smile. “Good. You’ll need some resolution in this, Captain. And I need some excitement other than death. See you in a bit. And for God’s sake don’t kill the bourbon.”

  When she walked out, I drew silent, cupping my hands around my drink. Ray didn’t say anything, poured me some more, and just sat there as a sense of support. Support I appreciated.

  ***

  A whistle?

  Mary Agnes Whistled when I asked her about things and the talk with Jade.

  Whistled.

  Ray had returned for the evening lightly sloshed on bourbon. I handled my alcohol well, and could consume a ridiculous amount before feeling the effects. I guess that’s a family trait.

  With a message of. ‘Tell M.A. finish it if she wants, I’ll get more.’ Ray stumbled back to his dorm. A partitioned off section, he made in the boiler room.

  “How long you been together?” Mary Agnes asked.

  “Five years. Married four.”

  Again, she whistled.

  “What! What is with the whistle?”

  “She’s been with Greg three.”

  I winced and cringed, facially showed my disgust in a dramatic way. “I don’t want to know his name.”

  “Sorry.”


  “Three years?”

  Mary Agnes nodded. “Met him at the Annual Training conference.”

  My eyes widened. “She met him at ATC? Is he a soldier?”

  “I believe so yes. He was actually moving out soon.”

  Again, even wider my eyes went. “Greg Fields?”

  “She didn’t give the last name.”

  “Oh, it has to be. I made him Station Commander last year. I introduced them. God, I was the cause. I had a domestic dispute to handle at ATC and put Greg in charge of my wife.”

  Mary Agnes snapped her finger. “That’s the one. They danced all night.”

  I rubbed my eyes. “Son of a bitch.”

  “That’s the scoop. Very close.”

  “Wait a second. How did he have time? He was a station commander and recruiter.”

  “Phone calls. Day visits while the kids were in school. You went away on training a bit.” She cocked an eyebrow.

  “I’d kill him if I didn’t think he was already dead.”

  “This was too far gone. If we hadn’t been nuked, you would have.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “This fella was suppose to ship to another Battalion in three months.”

  “Phoenix.”

  “Guess what?”

  “She was leaving.”

  Mary Agnes nodded.

  “Then I would have had him court martialed for adultery.”

  “Plausible deniability, Captain. You and I know that. She leaves you. A month or so later she’s involved. You can’t prove anything if those two deny being together. Unless they brought in a third.”

  I cringed.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t think there’s any getting your wife back emotionally now.”

  “You think this depression will sink her?” I asked.

  “No, No, she’ll snap out of it. I mean of rekindling. She’s committed.”

  “I thought she was committed to me. Did the boys know?”

  Mary Agnes shook her head. “No. They didn’t.”

  “This is painful,” I said then exhaled.

  Mary Agnes reached over and laid her hand over mine. “You know, this is painful. But, you Captain, have a lot to keep you busy, to keep your mind occupied, and … you have proof that things can and are worse than learning about an affair.”