by Abbi Hemp
The other reason was that I hadn’t seen a sexy American woman in over a year, at least not one in person. With no females stationed at FOB Rushmore, I spent long stretches of time forgetting what it was like to be around a woman, at least one I’d be interested in.
As I approached the CHU (Containerized Housing Unit) she had all to herself, I cleared my mind of all negative thoughts. Normally, I would have nothing to do with a woman life her, a liberal media elitist, spending time with her wouldn’t be all bad.
The door to her CHU opened, and she walked out. The setting sun lit up her face, making her skin glow. She nodded her head when she noticed me. I smiled and stepped faster. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Roger making a beeline for her too. Fuck.
“Hey,” I said. “Your bandage is off. How are you feeling?”
I stopped in front of her, hoping Roger went away.
“Better, thanks. The CO yelled at me. How pissed is he?”
“I’ve been avoiding him all day,” I said with a sheepish grin.
“I don’t blame you. That guy has issues.”
“He’s kept us safe.”
“Hello, beautiful,” Roger Ericson said as he walked up.
Mercy turned her head to the huge, burly man everyone hated.
“Hey yourself.”
“I heard you got in some trouble today,” Roger continued, ignoring me.
“Yeah, and I took care of it,” I said. “We were on our way to eat.”
“We were?” Mercy asked.
“Yeah, we were.” I held my hand out. “You ready?”
“I’ll come with you,” Roger said.
“No, that’s okay.”
I stared into his eyes. He didn’t flinch.
“Now, boys,” Mercy said. “No fighting over me.”
She stepped in between us and walked toward the chow building.
“Hold on a minute,” Roger mumbled, grabbing my arm.
I looked down at his hand then up to his face.
“What?”
“About the secret operation.”
“Yeah? What about it? I said I’m getting out.”
He laughed, his bulky body shaking.
“There’s no getting out once you’re in, stupid.”
“We’ll talk about it later, okay?”
“You gonna hit that?”
He nodded at Mercy as she walked away.
“A gentleman never tells.”
“You ain’t no fucking gentleman, Tyler. We both know that.”
“Whatever, man. I’ll catch up with you later.”
I jogged toward Mercy before he went on about our illicit activities in Afghanistan.
“Hey,” I called out. “Hold up.”
“You can’t keep up with a wounded woman? How the hell are we going to win this war?”
“Funny,” I said, not laughing as I slowed down beside her. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
“Did your CO send you to babysit me?” she asked.
“No, of course not. Although if he did, I would never tell you.”
She kept up her pace. Outside the mess hall, she stopped and turned to face me.
“What?” I asked when she said nothing.
“Exactly. What do you want?”
“I thought we would dine together. If you’re wanting to go into the villages without soldiers, I can see about going with you undercover in local garb.”
“You would do that for me?”
“I might,” I said, not ready to commit all the way.
“Fine. We can eat and talk if you’ll help me get what I need to tell my story.”
“What paper do you work for again?” I asked.
“I don’t work for a newspaper. They’re all dying. I write online for an audience around the world.”
“Uh huh,” I said, not interested.
I couldn’t think clearly with her sizable breasts pressing against an Army-issued green tee-shirt at least two sizes too small. Her hard nipples were clearly visible through the cloth.
“Come on,” she said. “I’m starving.”
Behind us, Roger called out, “Tyler! Come here!”
I sighed then said, “I have to go.”
“Wow. He’s got that kind of control over you?”
“You don’t understand,” I said.
“You’ll have to tell me sometime.”
“Maybe I will,” I said, not breaking eye contact.
“Come on, Tyler! Now!” Roger bellowed.
“I’ll take you on a date tomorrow or later this week.”
She tilted her head to the left and peered at me.
“A date?”
I grinned.
“A working date. I’ll get you into a nearby village friendly to our side. They might answer your questions and help with your story.”
“That would be wonderful,” she said. “Thanks again.”
“No problem. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Yeah,” she said. “Tomorrow.”
“Come on, Tyler, you faggot!”
I rolled my eyes. She laughed then turned and went inside the mess hall.
What the fuck does he want now? I wondered as I turned and walked back toward Roger. I regretted ever having gotten into anything with him.
FOUR
Tyler
The next day, I convinced Jeffries to let me take her to a nearby village so small it wasn’t on any maps. I told him it would keep her under control and happy. He agreed, to my surprise but delight. After I had permission, I went to tell Mercy the good news.
Part of my attraction to her was the fact she was the only American woman for miles around, but more than that, I found her interesting. For one, she had traveled thousands of miles from her home to one of the most dangerous places in the world. That took guts.
As I walked toward her sleeping quarters, I wondered where she lived back in the States. Did she have a boyfriend? The closer I got, the more questions floated through my brain. Getting them answered would not be a bad way to spend the day with her.
I stopped in front of her CHU and knocked on the door. It opened right away. She stood in the doorway, dressed in camouflage pants with another ill-fitting and revealing tee-shirt.
“Yeah?” she asked. “I’m busy right now.”
“You don’t want to go to the village?”
“Oh, you were being serious?”
I nodded.
“Yeah. I got permission from the CO. He doesn’t want me in civilian garb, but I know the village elders here. They’ll talk to you.”
She stared into my eyes. I swore I saw the gears turning in her head.
“Okay,” she said after a few tense and silent moments.
“Great. You ready now or you got something else to do?”
“Roger wanted me to come see him about something. I was on my way there.”
“Screw Roger,” I said. “You should be careful around him.”
“Yeah? Why’s that?”
“I don’t want to go into specifics. We’re on a tight deadline. If we’re doing this, we need to go now.”
“Sure.” She patted her black messenger bag. “I have everything I need in here.”
“You’re lucky. I wish my equipment was that light.” I smiled. “Let’s get out of here. Harris is driving us.”
“You two friends?” she asked as we walked toward where the Humvees and trucks were parked.
“Army buddies I guess you could say. We met in the military. I’m not sure if we’ll meet up after we get out. Why?”
“Just curious. I want my piece on FOB Rushmore to be human.”
“You been at this journalism thing long?”
“Ever since high school.”
“And how many years is that?”
“Are you asking my age, Tyler?”
I grinned.
“Not at all. Just curious.”
We reached the parking area. Harris raised a hand into the air.
“Let’s go
, people!”
“You’re in the back,” I said, opening the door.
“As long as you don’t expect me to shoot the gun or anything.”
“Only in the case of an emergency.”
She smiled then climbed into the back. I got into the passenger seat, the butt of my M16A4 on the floorboard between my legs.
“Let’s rock-and-roll,” Harris said.
“Is he always this full of energy?” Mercy asked, one hand on each of the two front seats.
“You don’t know the half of it.”
The Humvee slipped into gear and lurched forward, pushing her back.
“Careful,” Harris yelled over the roar of the engine.
I glanced back at her, impressed at her determination.
“We’ll hand out medical supplies and water while we’re there,” I shouted.
She stayed silent, looking out at the barren landscape. I turned forward and stared out the windshield, looking for anything out of the ordinary in the distance. In Afghanistan, anything could happen at any moment. The only ones who survived were the ones who stayed on their toes.
Harris stepped on the gas pedal. The giant vehicle rushed forward. It would be a hell of a day.
* * *
Ten minutes later, we rolled up to the entrance of the village. An old man sat on a huge tire on the side of the road. I kept my eyes on him as we passed, not sure if I recognized him or not.
“We’re here,” I said. “Be sure not to wander off.”
“Trust me. I learned my lesson yesterday.”
I turned to Harris.
“Park by Aamir's house.”
“Already on it.”
“He’s the village elder,” I explained.
“Have you known him long?”
“Always with the questions, huh?”
“It’s my job.”
The Humvee stopped. Harris killed the engine. I opened the door and hopped out, waiting for Mercy to climb down. At least a dozen village children swarmed around the vehicle, all excitedly raising their hands and yelling at the same time.
“Enough!” Aamir said as he emerged from the house, stroking his long, white beard.
At the sound of his voice, the children scattered.
“Welcome, my friend Tyler,” he said, ignoring Mercy’s presence.
“Thank you, Aamir. I brought someone to talk with you. This is Mercy.”
She offered her hand. The old man stared at it as if she were offering him a pile of dung.
“How are things?” I asked him, hoping to avoid a confrontation.
Mercy dropped her arm, not getting upset.
“They are peaceful now,” he said. “Have you come for the samples?”
I glanced over at Mercy then back to him.
“We’ll talk about that later,” I said. “We brought gifts. Maybe Mercy can speak to your wife and daughters?”
“Fine,” he said then raised his hand into the air.
A half-dozen men all dressed similar stepped out from behind two of the mud-brick houses and made their way over to us.
“Help with the gifts,” Aamir told them.
They walked to the back of the Humvee as Harris opened it then set cases of water onto the dry, dusty ground.
It’s gonna be a long day.
“I’ll take you to the other families who want to talk,” I said to Mercy.
“I’d like to talk to Aamir too,” she said, looking at him. “Is that okay?”
“Maybe later.” I took her hand. “Let’s go.”
She pulled her hand from mine as we walked away.
“I’m trying not to lose friends here,” I said. “You have to understand the culture is different here.”
“I don’t care about the way they treat women. There’s something he’s hiding. What did he mean by samples?”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said then pointed. “Look, there’s Malilah. She’s a terrific person to interview.”
“I’ll sort this out,” Mercy said as we continued walking toward the Afghan woman.
“I don’t doubt it. You stay here with Malilah. I need to talk to Aamir alone.”
“Is it safe?”
“You’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“I haven’t lost a reporter in my charge yet.”
“No? How many reporters have you helped before?”
“Well, to be honest, you’re my first.”
I grinned. She rolled her eyes then quickened her pace.
After stopping, I stared at her a moment, loving the way her body moved. The women of the village would treat her nice and keep her safe. I needed to talk with Aamir.
* * *
“You can’t let anyone know what we’re doing,” I said to Aamir as we sat on cushions on the floor in his living room. “Do you understand? It’s important.”
He waved my concerns away with his hand.
“Are you ready to see the samples?”
“Yes,” I said nervously.
Roger had gotten me involved with some crazy shit.
Aamir pulled out a wooden box and opened the lid. Inside, I saw what appeared to be a metallic rock of some sorts.
“This is one of the smaller pieces we have mined.”
“How much can you get?” I asked, reaching for it.
He pulled the box away.
“We can get as much as you want for the right price. I do not want to sell poppies like the others. You must give us a fair price. Two men have died so far getting this material.”
I nodded my head.
“I’ll need to bring the sample to Roger.”
He stared at me with his ancient eyes, wrinkles running like rivers from them.
“I will trust you, but do not cross me.”
“You have nothing to worry about,” I said. “We need to keep this quiet, though. As I told you before, we’re not supposed to be transporting this stuff.”
“I will sell to the Chinese if you do not want. Rare Earth minerals are booming business.”
Harris stepped into the room.
“You ready to leave?” he asked, holding his rifle at the ready.
I glanced up at him.
“Yeah. Give me a minute, okay?”
“I’ll be outside,” he said.
I turned back to Aamir.
“Thank you again,” I said, holding out a hand.
He gave me the box. I got to my feet.
“I will return soon with money and an order,” I said.
“Fine. Safe travels.”
As I walked out of the room and his simple house, I thought about my apartment back in New York City, especially how much I missed it. Small and overpriced, it took a year in Afghanistan to realize how much I had loved the space.
Outside, I saw Mercy standing nearby. She walked over.
“How’d your meeting with Aamir go?”
“Fine,” I said, hating that she was so damn curious. “You get to talk to the villagers?”
“Some of them, yeah.”
“Great. We should get back.”
“This wasn’t very romantic,” she said.
“Excuse me?”
I tilted my head as I stared at her.
“You called this a date yesterday, but it wasn’t very romantic.”
“I guess not,” I said, grinning. “I’ll make it up to you.”
“No worries. I was just observing.”
I motioned toward the Humvee with my hand.
“After you.”
She walked away. I watched her ass sway back and forth.
Why does this damn woman have such a power over me?
On the ride back to the base, I failed to come up with any answers.
FIVE
Mercy
Back at the base, I went to my sleeping quarters. They had given me an entire double-room dwelling because they did not want me bunking with the men.
I sat at a plain wooden desk in the room and stared at the blank page on
the laptop screen for a few minutes. Memories of the villagers popped in my head.
What had Aamir meant about showing Tyler samples? Were the rumors about soldiers running a drug smuggling operation true? They had to be, but I needed proof.
As I waited for inspiration to strike, I heard two men laughing as they walked outside. It reminded me of the seriousness of my situation. I banged out a few words.
The questions on the page laughed at my ignorance, but I wasn’t ready to give up on solving the mystery. With only two weeks, I needed to make progress.
I sighed, unable to work, and dug my expensive satellite phone out of my messenger bag. The debate over whether to call my dad or my best friend Jennifer lasted about two seconds.
“Hello?” Jennifer answered.
I smiled, loving the sound of her voice.
“Hey, you. It’s not too late, is it?”
“It’s early,” she said then yawned.
“I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, it’s like eight-thirty in the morning or some crazy shit.”
“That’s not early,” I said. “You need to get up and talk. Grab a coffee.”
“Nag, nag, nag. Even from halfway around the world, you’re nagging me.”
“You love it,” I said.
She sighed.
“I do. You know me so well. Hold on.”
“I don’t have much time on this phone,” I said.
“I’m back. What did you say?”
“Just that I don’t have much time on this phone over here. Afghanistan is crazy.”
“You doing okay?”
“Not really,” I admitted.
“So, traveling to some godforsaken country halfway around the world wasn’t a smart idea after all, huh? I think I remember telling you that.”
“It’s not bad,” I said. “Just strange and different. Oh!” I sat up in my chair. “You’ll never guess what happened. I almost got kidnapped by the Taliban!”
“Get out of here. You’re not funny.”
“I’m serious. When I went into the city on my own without a military escort to do some intel, they saw me and grabbed me.”
“How did you get away?”
The sound of water hitting water hit my ears.
“You are not going to the bathroom while talking to me, are you?”
“I’m sorry. Your phone is dying, and I couldn’t wait. I’m done now.”
