“Did he tell you and Larry to ‘look sharp’?”
“What are you talking about? I always look good.” Corby stood and carried his tray to the kitchen. “No. He just said for the two of us to show up and ask for Sergeant Houston.” Corby put his tray on the counter and turned to face Em. “Who is your meeting with?”
“All I know is to be in Cannon’s office at fourteen hundred hours. Don’t be late and look sharp!” Em replied.
“Just you and Jack?” Corby’s questions were only beginning.
“As far as I know,” Em replied once more. “Remember what he said in his office? His friend needed a couple of go-getters.” Em left out the part about needing brains in their heads. “Well, he said his friend’s name this morning. He told Jack and me that his friend was Colonel Philip Roth. I think our meeting is with him.”
“How do you know it’s not my meeting that is with Colonel Roth? I mean, I have to go to the flight line, and your meeting is in Cannon’s office. Maybe he just needs two new chow runners. You do have to look sharp in the chow runner line,” Corby said this as he walked through the doorway and assumed his place in formation. It was now only five thirty in the morning. They had a long morning to think about things.
They marched to the base hospital where they got in line behind their sister flight. (“Sister flight” is a term used to describe another flight that will graduate simultaneously.) Em knew there were vaccinations to receive. This was probably the beginning of them, he thought. The sergeants congregated in the foyer while the flights waited outside. They were at ease, so they were mulling around while they chatted.
“Em, I’ve been thinking about this. I’m pretty sure that once we leave here, we’re not gonna be together anymore. That’s okay though. I’m all right here. I think I’m supposed to be here!” Em could see that Corby really meant it. He had come so far from the scared little boy that he was just a few weeks ago. All he needed was a little push. As amazing as it was that Corby had triumphed, Em felt that maybe only Corby could have endured such punishment.
Em looked at his friend and said, “Corby, no matter where we go, and I’m not so sure it won’t be together, remember to stay on top of things, just like you are now. I have so much faith in you and your ability to make the best of any situation. This ensures me that everything will be fine, no matter where we end up. We have to take care of ourselves.” Em felt almost as if he were going to shed a tear. The feelings overwhelmed him, so he changed the subject.
“Ready for the needle?” he asked the entire group of half a dozen that surrounded him.
“How do you know it’s a needle?” Hamilton asked.
“What else could it be, Hambone?” Corby said this and punched Hamilton, hard in the upper arm. “And it’s gonna hurt…right here!”
Hamilton screamed and nursed the lump that grew instantly on the back of his arm. Everyone laughed as they backed up a step. None of them wanted to receive the next punch. They were led into the hospital hallway. They were now at attention, so no one was talking. Em could see a GI disappearing into the doorway at the end of the hallway. He heard no screams coming from inside the room. The rumors said that each one of them could receive up to twenty injections. How many diseases could there be in the world? Em thought. As he slowly inched forward, getting closer to the doorway, he thought he heard grunts from inside the room. Aside from the grunts, there was almost no noise at all. He knew that most of his flight was behind him. Jack was directly behind him, then Morris, then Smith. Em had no idea where Corby and Larry were. He assumed they were somewhere in the rear of formation. Corby did not like surprises. He avoided them whenever he suspected one would show up. When given a choice, he chose the end of the line.
Em finally arrived at the doorway. He leaned, ever so slightly, to get a look inside. The first thing he saw made his heart stop momentarily. Seated at a small table, ten feet away, sat one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen, next to Irene, of course. It was also the first time he had seen a woman in over a month. He tried to stop himself, but he just could not stop staring at her. She was tall, he could tell even though she was seated. At that instant, she looked up from a stack of papers, and their eyes met. Em felt as though he was going to jump out of his skin. He backed up, just a bit, but stepped on Jack’s boots. The back of his head crashed into Jack’s nose. Jack almost laughed. He assumed that Em was getting scared of the needle. He was very careful not to attract unwanted attention. He remained at attention.
“Story, Emory, 2876!” Em heard Cannon’s voice coming from inside the room. Em had not heard him before now.
Em sat on a small bench that sat in front of the table. The girl was reading his nameplate. Wow! She wants to know my name, Em thought. She quickly looked away and sifted through the stack of papers in front of her. She retrieved one from somewhere near the bottom of the stack and placed it in front of her.
“Have you ever been vaccinated before?” Hers was the sweetest voice he had ever heard. It was the first time he heard the slow Texas drawl, unlike his and Corby’s accent, but definitely Southern and so much smoother. He stared back at her crystal blue eyes. Her golden hair sparkled. She was staring straight back at him.
“Wake up, hillbilly!” Cannon’s voice brought Em out of a deep trance.
“I’m sorry,” Em blurted.
“Have you ever been vaccinated before?” she repeated.
Em was vaguely aware of her asking the first time. “No, ma’am,” he finally managed to say.
She hurriedly flipped through the stack of papers, pausing to stamp one out of every few. “Please remove your shirt and proceed to the next station,” she spoke so slowly that Em felt momentarily helpless again. He wanted to stay here and listen to her sweet voice the rest of the morning.
Em got up and walked through the next doorway. He paused and turned to see Jack, smiling his most perfect smile, take his seat on the bench. Em could not believe what he saw next. Jack had already removed his shirt. He sat on the bench and flexed his muscles. His strong chest bounced. He boldly reached across the desk and took the girl’s hand in his. She was already blushing and pulled her hand back quickly. She repeated the words, “Have you ever been vaccinated before?” Em turned and walked through the doorway.
Once again, he was back in line. This time, however, they were not at attention. He was there only seconds before Jack came up behind him. “You freak show,” Em began. “Who are you trying to impress with those twigs?” Em was smiling. Jack was grinning back at him. “What are you grinning at?” Em asked him.
“I think she likes me.” Jack could hardly contain himself.
“What about green eyes back home?” Em jokingly asked him.
“Did you even see that goddess in there?” Jack asked.
“Well, that’s probably the last time you’ll ever see her,” Em replied.
“Don’t bet on it.” Jack grinned knowingly as he said this.
When they had received their third injection, Em noticed that Cannon had followed them from room to room. Em rubbed his already-sore arm. Thank goodness, it was only three vaccinations today, he thought. They were told to expect no more injections for approximately one week. Along with the injections, they had to drink a couple of vials of some nasty liquid. Then they were permitted to assemble outside the rear of the hospital.
Sitting
