of the room. The last thing he wanted was to be noticed. His plan to get through basic training was simple—lie low, keep your mouth shut, and don’t volunteer for anything. Em really believed the war was soon to be a part of history. He hoped that the training he was about to receive would be used to fly soldiers home from “over there.” He also hoped, and this was his greatest hope, that Corby could somehow keep up and maybe even excel in his training. He had always kind of looked out for Corby. He really was like a little brother.
*****
Once, when Em and Corby were twelve years old, they were riding horses along the fencerow of Em’s father’s farm. His father had told him that the fence was in pretty good shape. It should not take them more than an hour and a half to ride it and repair any area of concern. However, as Em learned—not for the first time—when Corby was involved, things usually got out of hand.
They had begun their task around seven o’clock in the morning. It was now almost noon, and they were barely halfway around the seventy-five acres. Corby had accomplished nothing. Between seven and eight, all they had done was saddle the horses. Every time he watched Corby saddle one of the horses, it was as if he was watching him do it for the first time. Every time, the first thing Corby would do was throw the saddle on backward. Then he would swear and try to calm the horse. Once, the saddle was on the horse’s back. He needed to get the strap under the horse’s belly. As he reached under the horse, trying to reach the other end of the strap, he looked as though he was tickling the poor animal. The horse began to sidestep, and he bent over even farther, walking like a duck, reaching for the strap. While he walked blindly, he forgot how close he was to the pond. He waddled straight under the horse and into the water. However, he did manage to grab the strap. This enabled him to pull the saddle off the horse and onto his head, sending him and the saddle into the muddy water.
When he and Corby had finally begun to ride the fencerow at eight forty-five, Corby’s trouble seemed to escalate. His father’s farm was notorious for the rock that seemed to grow from the ground. Over the years, some interesting things had been built from the endless supply of field rock. Now, Corby was navigating his horse through a very uneven section of creek bottom. Dynamite, Corby’s horse, decided that Corby’s route was not that acceptable, so he proceeded to return to the main trail. The shortest path was straight up the bank. He went that way. He did not care who was on his back. His only concern was getting himself under the branch. The person on his back would have to look out for himself.
Corby dove off the side of the horse and landed in the watery creek bed. This was not the last time he would wind up in the creek. Em rode over to Corby’s horse and calmed him down. Corby climbed out of the creek. After helping Corby back onto his horse, Em persuaded him to stay on the path.
The next couple of hours went as smoothly as possible where Corby was concerned. There were only two places where they had to repair any fence, but here it was almost eleven o’clock in the morning, and they had a long way to go. Em wished they had brought some food. Just then, Corby and his horse started to gallop. Before Em could do anything, the distance between his and Corby’s horse grew. Still not too concerned, Em picked up his pace. When Corby’s horse took a sudden right turn, Em looked up the hill. The barn was visible, but just barely. Corby’s horse, controlling all navigation, was headed straight for the barn. He did not seem at all concerned about the honey locust trees in his path. Em kicked Sugar, his horse, and she galloped toward Corby and Dynamite.
Sugar was definitely the fastest of Em’s four horses, and she caught up to Corby before they reached the thorn trees. Sugar had no trouble maneuvering around Dynamite and cutting him off. Another second and Corby would have been pierced in several parts of his anatomy. When Dynamite finally calmed down, he would not let Corby mount him again. Em reluctantly gave up Sugar and finished the day riding Dynamite. “Now, Corby, stay behind me and let’s get this done. I’m hungry.”
The boys continued riding, not seeing any other places that needed mending. They talked about nothing in particular. Soon, they arrived at the mouth of the creek, where their small creek ran into a larger one, which led to the Ohio River. The creek surrounded the ridge where Em wanted to build a house someday.
They rode the last section of fence where the creek began. Em pointed to the small pool of water that seemed to be feeding the entire creek. His father had shown him this when he was a small boy. He was just as fascinated now as he was then. Water came straight from the ground. This phenomenon was possible because of an underground spring that never ceased to produce cool, clean, running water. This really helped out when the county experienced droughts. No matter how dry it was, the spring always fed the creek with clean water. The cows stayed down here in the summertime. They would not drink from the pond, only from the creek.
Em told Corby of his plan to build a house. He told him that if he looked up the hill right then, he could see where the house’s roof would be.
“Em, I’m sorry I made this take so long. I’m always slowing you down,” Corby said.
“Don’t worry about it, Corb. If you weren’t here, it wouldn’t be any fun at all.” Em knew how much Corby thought of their friendship. He had to admit to himself that he cared as much as Corby. He wondered at that time if the two of them would always be friends.
****
Just as Em started to relax, the barracks erupted with chaos. It seemed every other group had arrived at the same exact moment. He immediately began to search for Corby. He walked to the other side of the room where Corby’s bunk was. He saw several frightened faces searching for their names. He looked down to check the name on Corby’s bunk again. When he straightened up and turned around, Corby was staring at him. He had the biggest grin Em had ever seen on his face. “I-thought-we-were-separated-for-good-Em-I-sure-am-glad-to-see-you,” he said this as though the whole sentence were one word.
“How’s it going, Corb?” Em asked him.
Before Corby could respond, their new “Mom” entered. “All you girls better be where you are supposed to be, and I mean one minute ago!”
Em was already getting used to all the screaming; however, he noticed that Corby flinched every time Mom got a little louder. Em knew that not only would their friendship be tested but also every other aspect of their being. Mom continued to scream. Every once in a while, he would single someone out and get right in their face. Most of the time, Em thought that they brought the attention onto themselves. Em started to practice being invisible. He noticed everyone’s faces. It was hard not to, now that they were all bald. He had only spoken to a couple of the others in his group, but after the trip to the barber, he had difficulty distinguishing one from another. He tried to pick out some of the faces from earlier, but it was so hard to tell who was who with everyone dressed in the same olive-green fatigues. The poor souls that Mom had found to be amusing were trying desperately not to be noticed. Em believed that their efforts would prove to be futile. He knew that Mom had branded them. He was happy to see that Corby was not one of them.
When the lights finally went out, the whispering began immediately. Em and Corby caught up on the day’s events. Em already noticed a slight change in Corby. He saw a hint of confidence in him.
“Em, I want you to meet Larry. We’ve been watching out for each other all day,” Corby whispered. Corby continued to talk just as he always did. Em knew it would get him into trouble someday. Em felt a little uneasy as he listened to his friend. He could not understand the feelings he was experiencing. Was it envy that Corby had found a friend so fast? Was it actually envy? Em realized he kind of enjoyed having Corby depend on him. It was kind of like being a father. He really wanted Corby excel here, but something inside of him wanted Corby to still need him. He liked being the “big brother.” With only his two sisters at home, Corby had saved him from many tea parties when they were younger.
