SLIVKO
"Hey Reg are you ready to go home? I know I am," Mills says.
"Hell yeah, bud. My mom is gonna make me a cake when I get home – she promised," I answer, trying to picture my mother's face. The memory of the taste of cake waters my tongue, but it's my mother I can't wait to see.
"Cole, whattabout you man?"
The older soldier grunts in response, which is how he usually responds to questions about home. Sometimes Mills can get him to talk, but I wonder if he really has anything to go home to.
"Hey, Mills, how many letters did ya end up writing her," Reles asks him, referring to his mother.
"Eh," Mills groans. "Ten, fifteen?"
"And how many letters did she write you?" I ask, butting in to the conversation.
"I dunno.. Three, four?"
I clenched my jaw while sucking air through my teeth in a form of both mockery and pathetic sympathy.
"Man, you've got a shitty Mom," Cole confirms, an air of genuine sympathy evident in his tone.
Reles and I both sputter out laughter, teasingly.
Mills rolls his eyes and stares at the letter he's writing his mother right now in his lap. "Okay, alright. Real funny guys. I'll be sure to tell her that when I see her in the next 48 hours."
Laughter slowly fading, Reles gazes up at the ceiling of the hangar in which we sit, awaiting our approval to travel back home.
"I can't wait to go home and see my girlfriend, man."
"There ain't no way you've got a girlfriend Reles," Cole laughs.
"Why not?"
"You're too quiet."
"I do too. She's a real good-lookin girl, I tell ya."
Cole turns his attention to me.
"How bout you Reggie boy?" I hate it when he calls me that. "You got a girl back home?"
"Damn right I do."
That was a lie.
"I don't believe you, man," Mills says. "Back when we first met, you said–"
"– I said, yeah, I got a nice girl. She's the prettiest out of any girl you guys have ever seen."
Mills glares at me with evil eyes, but grins mischievously. "Okay, Reg, what's she look like then?"
Cole has somehow managed to keep quiet all this time, but he's stifling silent laughter – I can see it in his eyes. Reles grins at me, and he waves me on.
"Well," I start. "She's got blue eyes, real blue." I guess I'll tell the lie the way I wish they were. "And uh, nice hair. Like mine."
The guys all laugh.
"Like you?" Mills chuckles. "She's got a fluffy ass head of hair like you? Poor thing."
Cole is slapping his knee and I feel my cheeks heat up in anger.
"Hey, I have nice hair – the ladies dig it. Especially when I wear my trusty bandana."
"You mean to tell us that you used to wear that thing before the army?" Cole asked.
"No.."
"Son, you ain't got a girlfriend."
"I do – she's got wavy hair, slightly darker than mine, and–"
"– she got a nice rack?" Mills asks.
"What?"
"You know," he says, proceeding to cup his hands to his chest as if holding imaginary breasts.
"Hey, don't disrespect my girl like that!" I say, disgusted by the guys' lack of shame for asking such a shallow question. "But yeah," I lie, "she's got a nice rack. Not too big though, but she's got a nice butt, also."
"Yeah, man!" Reles laughs.
Mills, still doubting me, asks the question I've been dreading. "Okay, Slivko. What's her name?"
Shit. My mind draws a blank.
"A-Anastasia," I lie.
"Ooh, pretty white girl name," Mills jokes. "She Russian though?"
"No – I-I don't know."
"Son, how do you not know?" Cole asks, slapping his knee again.
"She could be the enemy," Reles teases, choking on laughter.
"She older, or younger?" Mills asks.
Don't stutter again, man.
"Younger. She's mature for her age," I add, building on the lies.
"Damn, son." Cole laughs again.
"I'd like to meet this Anastasia," Mills says, slyly.
"Same here," Reles says, still laughing.
"Sounds like a model," Cole says. "What's she into, shopping, tea parties?" He giggles.
"Nah, she's more the uh.. artsy type. More modern..ized. Into changing the world and stuff."
Yeah, they all know you're lying dude. Nice.
"I see.." Mills teases, pretending to believe me.
"Yeah, well, you don't got a girl Mills."
"That's right I don't, Reg. But when I return from war all the ladies'll be after me."
"That's right, once we're home by the end of the week, we'll all be 'heroes,'" Cole says, quoting "heroes" with his fingers. "We'll be the soldiers who quit the war."
Quit. Yeah.. I've been worrying about that.
"Hey boys," Chapman greets us, walking up from behind us. "Cole."
"Major," Mills, Reles, Cole, and I all salute Major Chapman before he sits down on a folding stool amongst our group.
"At ease." We drop out solute and wait for what the Major has to say.
Chapman reaches behind his neck and scratches it, and I know something's up.
"I've got some news, boys," he starts, his southern accent sounding disappointed as hell. "We're not going home just yet."
What?
The fading image of my mother in the back of my mind flickers out of sight, and I want that cake more than ever. I want to meet that girl I'd described – any girl, so long as she's my type. I want to go home, and kiss the ground of my homeland– the ground I'd been shipped over here to fight for.
But Chapman's telling me I can't go home? Bullshit.
"Colonel Packard has been asked by the government to take our Sky Devil Squadron back into the Pacific to escort a scientific expedition. We've got hold of some satellite photos that the Russians'll have in a matter of days. The scientists believe that it's crucial the U.S. sets foot on this recently discovered island before they do. I'm truly sorry I have to inform you of this change of plans, but the Colonel has reassured me of the urgency of our mission."
I look around at the other guys. Just minutes ago they were laughing, joking, and teasing me, like usual. Now their expressions are solemn, which makes perfect sense considering we've all just been reminded we're still drafted to hell.
"Again, I really am sorry, men. I've been waiting to see my wife and kid back home. Billy.."
"It's not your fault, Chapman," Reles reassures him.
The Major offers a sad smile, then stands up to get ready, perhaps. "We're supposed to leave tomorrow morning. 5:00 am, sharp."
"See ya Chapman," I say, and he waves at us all and then leaves.
"Well, that's great," Cole says.
Mills reaches over and punches my shoulder. "Aw man. I was really looking forward to meeting your Anastasia."
//
So there's chapter 2 – I hope you guys liked it! Don't forget to vote & comment if you did. If you guys have any suggestions for how I should keep on writing this I'd be glad to read them. Delilah & Reg'll meet in the next chapter, in case you didn't already guess that. ;)
– autumn