Semper Fi (12 page)

She patted the corner of her mouth with her napkin. “A couple of hours. Not too far.” She clucked her tongue at Adam beside her as he dropped a dollop of potato salad onto the polished wood table. Ronald grumbled something under his breath.

Sophie glared at her brother. “You’re such a goober.”

Jim’s tone sharpened. “Sophie.”

“Sorry,” she muttered.

Jim went on. “Did you tell your grandparents about your math test? She got a perfect score.”

“What does she need to learn math for?” Ronald asked with a frown.

Sophie glanced between her father and grandfather, hesitating. “I’m good at it, Grandpa.”

He smiled kindly at her. “That kind of learnin’ isn’t for girls. You just need to cook and clean like your momma.”

Jim spoke evenly. “Ann was good at school too.”

“Don’t remind me.” Ronald glared. “Wanted to go to
college
.” He spat the word out like it was a curse. “Should have stayed home with us.”

Lorraine cleared her throat. “Now, now, let’s not get into that. Sophie, that’s real good that you’re doing well in your classes.”

Sophie nodded with her eyes on her plate.

After twenty more tortuous minutes of stilted talk, lunch was over and Lorraine and Sophie cleaned up while Jim helped Adam rebuild the train set in the sitting room, since Adam wanted to show his grandparents. Cal escaped outside and walked over to the barn to say hello to Mabel and get clear of any more loaded conversations.

He was sweeping up a stall when the floor creaked and Ronald appeared. The man put a cigarette between his lips and offered the pack to Cal. They both puffed away, and Cal desperately tried to think of something to say. “You’re from up in the mountains? Beautiful country.”

Ronald grunted, which seemed to be his favorite way of communicating.

“A dairy farmer, is that right?”

“Uh-huh. Best kind of farming there is.” Ronald coughed and took another drag. “Apples.” He snorted dismissively. “One bad storm and the whole crop’s ruined for the year.”

“I suppose every kind of farming has its risks.”

Ronald watched Cal with a speculative gleam as he exhaled a cloud of smoke. Finally he said, “So, you’re a Marine.”

“I was. I stopped wearing my dog tags last year, but I guess I’ll always be a Marine. That’s what they say.” The Marine motto echoed in his mind:
semper fidelis
—always faithful. He wondered if Ronald had fought in the first war, but didn’t ask. “How was your winter in the Catskills?”

“My only child died at the start of it.”

Shifting his weight, Cal took a nervous puff. “I’m very sorry. I always heard wonderful things about Ann.”

“She should have stayed with her family. Now she’s dead and gone because of him.”

Cal’s hackles rose. “It wasn’t Jim’s fault. I can only imagine how difficult it must be for you—”

“Her mother talked me into letting her go work near that school. She got all those ideas in her head. Then she met him and stayed here in the
valley
.”

He said the word with the same scorn he might direct toward the city, Cal suspected.

“She should have come home. The Johnson boy was all ready to marry her. Could have combined our land. But no, she insisted on Jim Bennett. Look where it got her.”

“It was a terrible accident, sir.”

Ronald tossed his cigarette to the floor and ground it out with the toe of his scuffed, lace-up shoe just as the hay ignited. “Wasn’t no accident.”

The tension in Cal’s body increased tenfold. “Of course it was.”

“Things were never the same once he came back. Annie tried to hide it, but we could see. He’d barely look her way, while she tried and tried to please him.”

Cal frowned. That didn’t sound at all like Jim. “I’m sure it was an adjustment for everyone when he returned home.”

A grunt. “Last summer Lorraine came down for a surprise visit and there was our girl with a black eye. Gave some sorry excuse about opening a cupboard door too fast. I know it was him.”

Cal’s mouth dropped open before he inhaled sharply. “Jim would never hit a woman. Never.”

“’Course you’d say that.”

“Because it’s true! I know him better than anyone, and I know he would never have hurt your daughter.”

“Then what the hell was she running away from? Died all alone out in a ditch in the night. She must have been coming home to her mother and me! Just like we always wanted. I wish that son of a bitch had been killed over there. Annie would still be alive. We could sell this useless place and bring her and the children back home where they belong.”

Cal’s hands clenched into fists. “You’ve suffered a terrible loss, Mr. Shelton. I think you should go spend some time with your grandchildren and stop talking nonsense.”

“I know the truth, and so does our Lord almighty. Jim Bennett will burn in the hellfire for what he’s done to my daughter.” With that, he stalked from the barn.

Cal trembled with rage. The man had some nerve spewing his poisonous accusations at Jim’s own home. Outside of war, Jim wouldn’t hurt a fly, let alone his wife. Of that, Cal was utterly certain. It wasn’t even a question. He had half a mind to call out Ronald Shelton and tell Jim what had been said, but he couldn’t see what good it would do.

Wincing as the smoldering end of his forgotten cigarette scorched his fingers, Cal quickly stubbed it out and went to make sure Ronald Shelton didn’t cause trouble.

“You are the men of H Company, Second Battalion, First Regiment, First Marine Division. I’m your company commander, Captain Brown.” The young captain walked along the line of men, surveying them carefully. Of medium height and build, with sandy hair and a snub nose, he was unremarkable, but carried an unmistakable air of quiet authority. “This is a machine gun and heavy mortar company.”

They all listened intently as Brown explained their new training regimen. Jim had been assigned to be a mortarman, and Cal had quickly offered to be his partner. It was a relief having Cal there, and Jim thanked God they’d been lucky enough to be assigned the same company. It was silly, but he’d come to think of his friend as a sort of guardian angel.

“This is not boot camp. You are United States Marines, and you should be damn proud of that.”

Jim stood a little straighter, and could sense his fellow men doing the same.

“You are going to learn your new weapons inside and out. Before long, you’ll be able to assemble your mortars and machine guns with your eyes closed. So let’s get to work.”

The days at New River began to blend together in a haze of firing drills and lessons on weapon parts and names. Jim and Cal worked with 60mm mortars. Over and over, they hauled the forty-five pound tube, bipod and base plate and set up their weapon.

As Cal unfolded the bipod and snapped its legs into the base plate, he grumbled good-naturedly. “At least we can call this one a gun.”

When the sight was snapped into place and the tube of the mortar pointed at a high angle, they mimed dropping the shell into the muzzle. Lining up the sight was an intricate business, and they learned how to use a compass to get a reading on their target area and line up their aiming stake in front of the gun.

With a young recruit named Greg Sullivan, whom everyone already called Sully, they rotated as number one and two gunners and ammo carrier, competing with other teams to be the fastest. When they moved on to using live ammo, Jim couldn’t help but feel nervous. Cal was acting as number one gunner, and at his command of “Hanging!” Jim dropped the shell into the tube.

Cal shouted, “Fire!” and they all ducked their heads.

The shell soared right toward its target, exploding in a black cloud of smoke as deadly metal shrapnel scattered the area. They cheered loudly at their success. But as they walked back from the drilling grounds that evening in casual route march, Jim couldn’t help but wonder what the shrapnel would do to a man.

Cal nudged him. “What’s eating you?”

“Nothing.”

“Uh-huh. Come on. There’s something on your mind.”

Jim relented. “I was thinking about that mortar. Wondering what kind of weapons the Japs will be lobbing back at us.”

Cal frowned, silent for a few moments. “I haven’t really thought about it. It’s strange—most of the time the war still feels so far away. Doesn’t it?”

“Yeah. It does.”

“I mean, I know that’s what we’re doing all this training for. We wouldn’t be here if there wasn’t a war. You’d be on the apple farm and I’d be a useless bastard with a Princeton degree and a fancy car. But…” He shrugged. “It doesn’t seem real.”

Jim slapped Cal’s arm lightly. “Except you could never be useless.”

“Oh, I think my father would disagree. Quite vehemently, in fact.”

Captain Brown shouted, “Company! Atten-shun!”

This meant they were nearing the base, and they always entered looking sharp. As one, their slouches disappeared and the men marched in time, rifles straight and heads high.

A few hours later they were out on the local road, slouching once more. “Come on, give some fighting men a lift!” Cal stuck his thumb out as he shouted, but the car sped by them into the night. “Traitor!”

Jim and the others laughed as they walked along the side of the road. They’d been given free time, which after boot camp felt utterly foreign. A few other men in their company had decided the only thing to do was hitchhike to New Bern.

As another car zoomed by, Jim asked, “Why don’t we just have a drink around here? There’s a bar right down the street.” Granted, it was little more than a shack, but surely it would serve their purposes.

One of the men answered, “Because there ain’t no girls out here in the boondocks!”

Barely eighteen, Sully agreed vehemently. “I need to pop my cherry before I go face those Nips.”

Cal slapped Jim on the back. “You may be a married man, but the rest of us aren’t.”

Soon they were piled in the back of a pickup truck that dropped them outside a dive bar in town. Sure enough, there were girls aplenty, and Jim spent the evening chatting with Cal and trying to avoid the women’s avid gazes. He nudged Cal. “You don’t have to keep me company. Like you said, you’re not married. Go on and find a girl to dance with.”

Cal drank his beer. “Nah, let the other guys have their fill.” He gazed around. “It’s strange, isn’t it? Our superiors treating us with respect and letting us have time off. I don’t quite know what to do with myself without that son of a gun Tyrell watching me like a hawk.”

“I can’t say I’ll miss him.” It was odd to think they’d likely never see Tyrell again, and that he was screaming at his new recruits now.

“No, can’t say I will either, but I have to admit he knows what he’s doing. I’ve never worked that hard in my life. I feel like a new man.”

“So go dance. You don’t want to sit here with me all night. I’m no fun.” Jim smiled ruefully. “Can’t dance to save my life.”

“Did someone say dancing?” A blonde with red lips and a wide smile appeared at their table. “How about it?”

Before Jim could answer, Cal was already standing and edging away. “Sure, my buddy would love to dance with you.”

Jim shot to his feet and tried to sidestep the woman, but her painted fingers grasped his arm.

“Come on, sugar. Won’t you take a twirl with me?”

“Uh…I…” Jim hated to be rude, and quickly gave up the fight. “Of course, ma’am. It would be my pleasure.”

Holding the woman at arm’s length, Jim swayed awkwardly with her on the small, scuffed area of floor reserved for dancing. When the song ended, he tried to step away, but she edged closer and held on tighter. After another song went by, Jim offered to buy her a drink just to get off the dance floor.

Of course this led to a long conversation consisting of the woman rattling on while Jim nodded. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but he hated small talk. When he spotted Cal and a local man by the door, he interrupted. “Sorry, ma’am, but I need to go with my friend. Cal!”

Cal jerked at the sound of his name, looking back with a strangely guilty expression. “We’re just getting some air.” The man beside him disappeared outside.

Jim hurried to the door. “But we should get going, right?”

“Nah, not yet. Stay and have fun. I’ll be back in five. We’re just smoking.”

Gazing around at the thick haze in the room, Jim raised an eyebrow. “Not enough smoke in here?”

“Go on and dance with the lady again, Jim. I’ll be right back.” The door closed behind him.

“Oh yes, let’s dance again! You’re a marvellous dancer.” The woman appeared by his side.

Jim’s gaze kept finding the door, and four songs went by before Cal returned alone. He looked strangely flushed considering it was a mild night. With a winning smile, Cal took the hand of a woman sitting alone and joined them on the dance floor.

As the tempo increased, Cal whirled by in a blur, and Jim couldn’t quite catch his eye.