into the common room and looked for Jack. At first, he did not see Jack, Larry, or Corby. He did count at least forty airmen. He needed an accurate count and fast. He screamed as loud as he could for everyone to back against the wall. Only about half of them were listening, so he proceeded down the aisle. He shoved airman after airman to the right or left and told them to stay against the wall. Then he saw Corby. He and Larry were by the rear door. Larry was holding a towel to his head. To Em’s horror, the white towel had splotches of red all over it.
“That son of a—Ow!” Larry yelled. He grimaced as he looked at Summerkamp, who had walked through the door and bumped into him, sending him unbalanced until he cracked his head on the wall. “I’m donna ged him if ids the last ting I do.” Larry was half mumbling.
Summerkamp turned around and said, “Hey. I’m sorry. How was I supposed to know you’re on the floor?”
“I wadn’t talking to you,” Larry blurted.
“You all right, Larry?” Em, always trying to be the diplomat, interrupted.
“Hey, Storybook. Where you been all day?” Corby was smiling, but when he looked down at Larry, the smile left his face. “He’s all right. Ain’t ya, Lar?” Corby looked at his friend. “Nothing we can’t handle. I think the bleeding’s stopped anyway. All we have to do is put this towel in our laundry bag, and it will be taken care of.”
“Very funny.” Em looked at Corby. They both grinned again. “No, really, what happened, Larry? Are you really all right?” Em looked again at Larry and saw his swollen nose for the first time. There was no mistaking it. Larry had been in a fight.
Suddenly, Em remembered the count. He spun around to see everyone gathering around to see what was going on. “Back on the wall!” Em screamed, and to his astonishment, everyone double-timed it against the wall. “Now, count off, starting here!” He punched the wall beside Summerkamp.
“One!” “Two!” “Three!” The count continued around the room.
“Forty-eight,” he heard Corby say behind him. “That’s including Larry. You’re forty-nine. Where’s your buddy?”
Now Em realized that Jack was not in the room. It was four fifty-seven in the afternoon, and Sergeant Cannon was pushing the radio from his office into the common room.
*****
Jack sat outside the base hospital on the grassy slope where he and his friends had sat on the day he had first seen Meredith. He looked down the hill toward the flight line and noticed the hustle and bustle. Sitting here thinking about what lay ahead, he began to think about what he would actually be doing. It was difficult to feel anything but deep dread. The fear of the unknown had always pushed him. He had been so ready to begin his adventure with Colonel Roth. Now that he feared it would never happen, he began to lose his spirit.
Meredith sat beside him leaning on his shoulder. “What are you thinking?” she asked him without looking up.
“I’m thinking about the trouble that I am definitely in,” Jack stated.
“Well, what for? Missing your meeting or punching that poor boy’s nose?” She now leaned away from him and looked into his eyes. “I knew what he said was obviously a lie. You would never say anything like that. He was absolutely horrid.”
“You’re right. I would never say anything like that.” Jack meant every word.
What Larry had said to Meredith had definitely crossed the line. Jack would have let it go if only Larry would have apologized and admitted to the lie he was telling. Even though Larry refused, Jack was going to forget about it. That was when Larry tried the rear assault again. Jack, who seemed always prepared, tossed him easily aside. When Larry had come charging, Jack moved easily to the side and raised his fist. Larry seemed to throw himself into Jack’s fist. The blood flowed within seconds. Larry retreated, and Jack had been sitting here ever since. He didn’t really care about the meeting at five o’clock in the afternoon. Whatever trouble he was in for missing the president’s speech did not compare to not being on Colonel Roth’s team. With punching Larry and seeing Meredith minutes after Sergeant Cannon had told him to stay away from her, he was sure his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was gone. So he sat on the grass with the most beautiful girl he had ever seen and hoped that the day would never end.
He wished he could tell her about her father’s team, but that could only make the situation even worse. All he had told her before was that he had heard Sergeant Cannon say something about her father going to Hawaii. He told her he was also going to Hawaii. He laughed out loud when he told her that, since it was an island, he would undoubtedly see her father.
He decided to sit still and hold her for what would probably be the one and only time. As he sat, he watched the sun begin its descent. He could smell the sweet aroma coming from her shining hair. Could he be falling for her? If he was, how could he ever make it possible to see her again? Suddenly, he sat up straight and startled her.
“What’s wrong, Jack?” she asked.
“I have to go back and straighten this thing out. I don’t want to mess this up any worse than it is already.”
“But you know you’re late already, and you were the one who was responsible for getting everyone there.” She looked at him, and when their eyes met, she felt heat rush to her face. “Jack, I don’t know why, but I know that everything will be all right. If you want, I’ll talk to Uncle Jeff.”
“What? He’s your uncle?” Jack looked at her incredulously.
She looked back at him and said, “I thought you knew. He’s my mother’s brother.”
“I had no idea. I just thought he and your dad were friends.”
“They have always been friends. Uncle Jeff introduced my parents. Daddy was fresh out of officer’s training when they first met. Uncle Jeff was only sixteen and had just enlisted in the army. They spent a few years in the same unit. Uncle Jeff saved my daddy’s life once.” She was talking and staring right into Jack’s eyes.
Jack rose to his feet and offered his hand to help her up. She took it and stood up, holding his hand tight in hers. Jack said, “I have to go.” He let go of her hand. “I’ll find a way to see you. Don’t say anything to Sergeant Cannon. I need to talk to him first.”
At that moment, she leaned in closer to him and closed her eyes. He saw her beauty once again. He was just beginning to lean in to kiss her when someone screamed, “Jack! You idiot! C’mon! We gotta go!” Jack turned and saw Em running toward him. “C’mon,” Em said again. “Hi.” Em looked at Meredith with curiosity.
“Hello, Emory. Jack has told me so much about you. I hope you can fix this mess. It really is all my fault,” Meredith said.
“It’s not going to matter if we don’t get back on the double,” Em informed her.
The looks they gave each other were almost piercing. Each one tried to read the others thoughts. Em looked away first and turned to stare at Jack. “Let’s go,” he said. “Nice to see you again, Meredith, but we really have to go.”
Jack half stumbled down the slope because he kept turning to look at her.
They double-timed it back to the barracks. Em heard an abbreviated version of the events that had taken place. He knew that it was Jack who
