Sailor

By Michael Goines

SAILOR: It’s often said that sailors have a woman in every port and a hustle for each day of the week. Now some would say that it’s just an old cliché, but one sailor actually lived that life. As with all things, nothings for nothing, and there’s always a price to pay, and some price tags are steeper than others. His adventure inside that dark world of fast money and beautiful women would lead him to the doorstep of death, and at the hour of dust before dawn the last grain of sand was about to fall.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Michael Goines
• Release date: Mar 8, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458144096

Book preview

Sailor

By

Michael L. Goines

Published by Michael L. Goines at Smashwords.

This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific places or living persons. Sailor: All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2010 Michael L. Goines

Dedicated to all who have sailed the seas, and survived the madness!

A shout out for the usual or not so usual suspects.

For previewing the manuscript; Peace, Love & Happiness to;

Courtney Mulqueen-Glass, Ketrice Perkins and Lakia Scott

For her art work:

A very special thank you to; Te’Shanna Wilson.

It’s often said that sailors have a woman in every port and a hustle for each day of the week. Some would say that it’s just an old cliché, but one sailor actually lived that life. As with all things, nothing for nothing there’s always a price to pay, and some price tags are steeper than others. His adventure into that dark world of fast money and beautiful women would lead him to the doorstep of death, and at the hour of dust before dawn the last grain of sand was about to fall.

Chapter #1 - Fly the Coop:

The journey started when the world was without cell phones or personal computers, and just two years removed from the decade that featured an unpopular war, civil rights, mind blowing-music, a man walking on the moon and those You gotta believe Miracle Mets.

Those topsy-turvy times served as the formative years for Bro G. The social climate instilled in him distrust for the establishment; it also gave him a yearning for the finer things in life. Being one of four siblings in a middle class two-parent household with strong family bonds the brother understood that money wasn’t everything, but it was better to have than not.

Bro G was an intelligent, well-rounded person with lots of friends and associates in all circles of life. He was a handsome young man that was street smart and savvy well beyond his years. Born and raised in Chill city he was tough enough, well prepared and ready to fly the coop. It was make or break time for the brother and there was no turning back.

In spite of his lacking sleep Bro G was up early in the morning feeling energized. He was thinking about the good time that he had with his friends the night before. They were smoking pot, drinking booze and talking smack, all the usual stuff. The brother was wondering when or if they’ll get together again. In a few hours he’ll be on a jet flying out to Illinois for the US Navy boot camp.

Being away from his friends wasn’t a problem for the brother, his girlfriend Gladys was a different story. She was a bright, very attractive young woman, and had recently informed the brother that she was pregnant. Bro G wasn’t thrilled about it, but he was willing to do the right thing.

Gladys had her sights set on marriage prior to dropping the pregnancy news, so that was an ongoing conversation. The brother was open to the idea of marriage; he was also astute enough to know that he wasn’t ready for that type of commitment. The brother was juggling a few girls, so Gladys wasn’t the only one but she was definitely number one, and the only one truly in his heart.

The brother was facing his first crossroad; one way or another he had to step-up, so college or the military were his top two options. He wanted his independence so a steady income and world travel at Uncle Sam’s expense seemed like a good idea and the better option, but marriage had to wait.

The brother was daydreaming when his father entered his bedroom to wish him well with words of encouragement. That common moment between a father and son meant the world to Bro G. His father had been hard on him, and for good reason.

As an established musician his father kept late hours or was often on the road working, but he had his finger on the pulse of things. He gave Bro G and his older brother Frank a lot of rope, encouraging them to utilize their creativity, and advising them to always be their own man and never a follower, but without hesitation he’d reel them in for just nearing the line. Bro G was frequently on that line, and occasionally far over it, so he often felt the wrath of his father’s discipline.

Mr. G was well respected in the neighborhood, but as with most men he wasn't without his faults. Many a night Bro G would hear his mother reading his dad the riot act. He took notice of how his father kept his cool under pressure and was always calm and collective denying everything. He also observed that his father never resorted to violence.

When it came to conflict resolution with women, his father’s example served as a major learning tool, a lesson that Bro G would never forget. No matter if you’re right or wrong; never raise your hand to a woman. And the most important lesson of all; Never confess to anything!

As a youngster, Bro G was very mischievous and he would do things, just because. And on at least one occasion he and his friends drew the attention of the police.

Just for laughs they made a life-size dummy with bottles of ketchup mix with water in the stuffing for special effects. Their plan was to throw the dummy off the roof of a tall building, betting if it would bounce or not.

That dummy hit the ground with a loud thump, and the ketchup splattered everywhere! At first look the people below thought that a real person had been thrown off the roof, so someone called the police. When the cops arrived, one of the brave officers gave chase, but he couldn’t catch or identify them. He told his partner that it was a bunch of stupid kids that ran really fast!

The neighborhood was close-knit so no one would serve them up to the police, but a neighbor took Bro G to task, and his parents lowered the boom on him. He understood and appreciated all the tough love and support from his family and neighbors, but Bro G was driven to follow his own path, and he was definitely marching to a different beat.

While packing the last of his personal items Bro G heard his younger sister and baby brother stirring about, but they weren’t engaged in their normal morning madness of picking at each other, and that caught his attention. There was also the aroma of food cooking, which was odd because his mother never cooked breakfast during the week. She had her hands full getting the youngster’s out the door on time for school, and as she would say, If you can wash and dress by yourself, you can fix your own breakfast!

When he entered the kitchen his mother greeted him with a smile, but there was sadness in her eyes. She was disappointed that he had chosen the military instead of college, especially after he took a year off to do, in her words, nothing. Bro G tried to ease her mind by assuring his mother that he would attend college in the future, matter-of-fact he gave his word, and in their family…your word was bond.

As they're having breakfast he teased his baby brother and sister, telling them that he would come back and kick their butts if they didn’t behave. Being true to the bloodline his sister put on her tough girl look, replying You can try!

Just after breakfast his brother Frank arrived to drive him to the airport. Frank was in his 3rd year of college and living on campus. Bro G would occasionally hang-out at the college partying with Frank and his friends, aka The Nod Squad. Those weekend stays on campus provided him with a first-hand look into what college life was all about, and that higher education wasn’t a book thing. The brother learned to appreciate good marijuana, and to enjoy the fruits of horny college girls who thought that he was, So cute!

As Bro G was saying goodbye his mother told him to stay out of trouble, and not to volunteer for anything dangerous. He smiled at her and she gave him…That look!

When they pulled off Frank handed him a joint and told the brother to enjoy it; reminding him that boot camp was a no pot zone. They talked and joked along the way and Frank questioned why he hadn’t told their parents about Gladys being pregnant. Bro G shrugged his shoulders saying that they would know soon enough.

Good luck with that! Frank joked, he then offered advice. You better buy some butt cushion because her mother is gonna kick your ass!

They arrived at the airport on time and the brother took for granted that he would be in the air soon, but as usual, the flight was delayed. It was six hours later when he finally arrived in Chi-town.

The brother thought that he would have time for a quick snack, but shore patrol was standing at the gate, directing all recruits to a bus that would take them to the naval center. They sat on that bus for hours waiting to depart, and when they finally arrived at the base they were warmly greeted by instructors, screaming at them!

After being hurried into formation they received their first dose of standard military procedures, Hurry up and Wait! A long day was about to become longer.

Common Sense:

The recruits were ushered from one long line to another and building to building for processing, which took hours to complete. As the clock struck 3 am they were finally assigned to barracks and bunks, and if anyone was looking forward to a good long sleep, they were sadly mistaken because reveille was at 6 am.

As they settled in most of the recruits used the time to make introductions, but one guy took it to the extreme; he was running around like a desperate politician campaigning for votes.

Martin; a kiss-up, goodie-good shoe type person had career goals, and being selected as the R.P.O.C, (recruit petty officer candidate) was of the utmost importance to him. When he approached Bro G with his spiel the brother interrupted him. You can be an admiral for all I care, just don’t bring me any grief! Following Bro G’s lead, Martin was labeled with the nickname, The Admiral.

By the end of the week the recruits had been poked, probed and inoculated for everything. They were given instructions on how to properly make-up the bed, shaving, folding clothes and lacing shoes the navy way, and they marched in formation to and from everywhere. It was left face, right face, all the basics stuff. Oddly enough, there were people struggling with the basics; it would've been helpful if they knew left from right.

Navy boot camp was twofold, the mental classroom work and physical training such as water safety & survival, firefighting, damage control and small arms training. It was at the water safety class when Bro G came to realize that common sense…wasn't common.

The recruits were at the swimming pool standing in a long line leading to a twenty-five-foot-high diving platform. Everyone could clearly see that climbing to the top of the platform and jumping into the water was the objective. However, three out of every ten people couldn’t swim; which put them in a dilemma…what to do? All of those dumb assess nervously climbed to the top of the platform and waited for their turn. When the time came for them to step to the edge and jump, all of them went into a full-scale begging & pleading mode, which was useless…they were pushed off! They would surface in a panic, wildly splashing about as the trainer extended a poll for them to grab, which was just out of their reach, but would lead them out of the pool.

That was great entertainment for Bro G. He saw those people as fools; knowing that if he couldn’t swim, there would be absolutely no way in hell he would voluntarily climb up that platform to get pushed off.

N.S.A.:

The recruits had settled into a daily routine and friendships had been established. Needless to say that people gravitated toward their own, nevertheless there was no animosity or racial tension within the company. As a unit and individually they all got along very well.

Thomas, a white guy had approached the brothers about one of the recruits, who happen to be white, and a major screw-up! Whenever he did something wrong everyone had to suffer the consequences, and to boot; he had a serious hygiene issue.

Thomas was complaining that the guy never showered and that his body odor was overbearing. He tried politeness and reasoning, but that was a waste of time, so he suggested throwing the man a surprise shower party. That type of party required everyone’s consent, and volunteers.

The Navy would never condone their plan, and if things go wrong it could lead to disciplinary action, nevertheless it was a problematic issue that required immediate attention.

Late at night, when the man was asleep a blanket was placed over his head; he was then dragged from his bed and thrown into a cold water shower. The man put up some resistance, which earned him several slaps upside the head, and he was given a clear verbal warning, Wash your ass or we’ll be back!

That humiliation served its purpose; it had humbled him into conforming. The mission was complete, victory had been achieved, N. S. A. - No Stink Allowed!

Standup or be Stepped on:

Jerry and Doc were Bro G’s two main friends. Jerry was a gifted artist and his upbringing was similar to Bro G’s, so they had a lot in common.

Doc was a jokester so no one would've guessed that he was a major Chi-town gang banger. A judge had given him the choice of the military or jail time, so joining the navy was a no-brainer.

There was also Rock; Bro G didn’t actually consider him a friend, but under the circumstances he was ok, if you put aside the fact that he had issues and needed a little guidance.

Rock was always bragging about being a golden glove boxing champion. He was physically bigger & stronger than everyone else, which gave him the false impression that he could impose his will on everyone, the typical bully. He did manage to boss a few people around, but when he tried that BS with Bro G, the brother flipped him off.

That threw Rock off his game, it confused him because he had sized up the brother and in his opinion there was no way Bro G could handle him physically. He thought that the brother was just being a wise-ass, so Rock was planning to set the brother straight and show him who was boss.

Bro G wasn’t intimidated by anyone, and he was no stranger to violence. He’d been scrapping all his life, win some lose some, but always fight the fight. At the age of ten he was mugged by a junkie who put a knife to his throat. There was no calling the police; he got a baseball bat and his friend Ron. They tracked down that junkie and beat the crap out of him; and then they robbed the robber! The brother was a product of his environment, standup or be stepped on!

Rock wanted to put Bro G on the spot and force the brother to follow him or get labeled as Uncle Tom, so he fabricated a story, accusing the white guys of disrespecting the brothers. His solution for the problem required all the black sailors to follow his lead.

That nonsense was far from true, but Rock was going on and on and the more he talked the more comical it became, but when he asked the brother if he was down with the plan, things got quiet.

Bro G