In One Hand

By Anthony Bruno

A thrilling read Customer Rating See Detailed Ratings
Posted August 18, 2010, 10:13 PM EST: A thrilling read, "In One Hand" quickly takes you by the hand and leads you through the early adult life of the main character, Tony Sardelli. A Brooklyn born only child of very loving Italian parents, Tony is first headed to the U.S.Army. From here he swiftly picks you up and engulfs you in both the very good and very hard times of his early adulthood. Army life, N.Y.C. Police Department, friendship, marriage, devotion, and integrity all displayed with the undertones of both his loving, Christian Italian upbringing and his tough Brooklyn attitude keeps the reader engulfed in this story. The author's candid description of the many people who actually touched his life brings you face to face with them, truly allowing you to grasp each character while keeping you in touch throughout this true, fast paced life story. The many surprises in this story kept me hungry for more, making it a fast moving, eye opening, enjoyable read! I highly recommend "In One Hand".

Great Read Customer Rating See Detailed Ratings
Posted October 9, 2010, 1:07 PM EST: In One Hand is an easy read, the kind of book that keeps you saying "I'll read just one more chapter" Mr. Bruno introduces his character as a young man as he enters into the army, and then quickly brings us to what becomes Tony's first love. the 7th precinct. The author gives us a true look at what being a N.Y.C. police officer was like in the 60's. The friendships he made, as well as the hard decisions that kept him true to his own beliefs. Tony Sardelli is a character that you love and hate at the same time. Living a playboy life style, he is the man that most women have loved once in their life, and the man that most men want to be like. Tony has a very cocky attitude, and never apologizes for it. He is a man who controls but will not be controlled. His relationship with his wife, a famous movie star and a wealthy woman show us that Tony will stay in control and do things his way. That is until the author introduces Allison. the one woman that went against everything that Tony wanted, but the one woman he couldn't seem to walk away from. The relationship with Allison introduces a new side of Tony, a tender side. A side that Tony tries to hide. Allison keeps drawing him back like a magnet, until he meets Kristin, the one person that lets Tony walk away from Allison for good. Kristin, the one person who can give Tony everything he wants, or so he thinks. And then, the author gives us the most surprising ending. One that could not be anticipated. I hope that the author is working on a sequel. I am anxious to know what happens to our character. Enjoyable read! I highly recommend "In One Hand".

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jul 16, 2010
• ISBN: 9781452020204

Anthony Bruno

Anthony served in the US Army, during the Viet Nam era, and is currently retired from the New York City police dept. Married and the proud father of two, he was born in Brooklyn, and now resides in Middle Village, New York.

Book preview

CONTENTS

PART I THE BOY CHAPTERS 1-30

PART II THE MAN CHAPTERS 1-72

PART III THE ROSE CHAPTERS 1-35

PART I

THE BOY

CHAPTER 1

Have you ever had sexual intercourse with a sheep?

Tony gaped at the Lieutenant.

Lieutenant Turner seized the moment of silence. Leaning forward aggressively, he snapped, Just answer yes or no, further unnerving the young recruit.

N-no, Tony gulped. He couldn’t see the quivering gauges on the machine next to him, but he was sure his answer had been registered as a lie. The queasiness in his stomach was growing into a heavy gnawing.

In his native Brooklyn, that question would mean an instant rumble. It was a matter of pride. Now all he could do was sit back and let four months of Army discipline muzzle his civilian reaction.

Turner would now look at him. The young man was close to six feet tall, with a good build and dark Italian good looks. Turner knew that he strutted and swaggered on his home turf. Here, he was just another eighteen-year old, his youth and inexperience reigning. The Lieutenant smiled. It was a knowing smile, one that grew from years of experience and administering hundreds of lie detector tests. Turner was amused at his discomfort. Suddenly, he began spewing out questions as if on a double time drill.

Have you ever been arrested for a crime?

No. Tony nervously waiting for the next question

Have you ever taken drugs of any kind?

No.

Have you ever taken part of or have you ever been a member of any organization planning the overthrow of the government of the United States?

No sir. Now relaxed, he was falling into the rhythm of the questions. These were the kind he had expected to hear.

Are you or is any member of your family a member of the Communist Party? The gnawing in his stomach was now being replaced by excitement. After all, a Top Secret Crypto clearance was the highest the U.S. Government granted and he just knew he was close to getting one.

No, he replied firmly.

Have you ever had sexual intercourse with a sheep? Turner deliberately threw this into his straight line of questioning.

Tony wasn’t thrown as much this time. This question must be important to his clearance and he was determined not to let it unnerve him. He wished however, he could corset his jittery stomach.

No, he said again. Firmly. Decisively. He could almost hear the laughter behind the Lieutenant’s vastly amused smile. Then the pace became double time again.

Are you a homosexual?

No. Turner would have been knocked senseless for a question like that in Brooklyn.

Are you or were you at any time in your life aroused by the sight of an undressed male?

Tony was now back in Brooklyn again. He and his friends stood at a street corner talking to the neighborhood girls. Homosexuals were aliens, non-existent during those years. They kept to their closets and park bathrooms. He had never known one and hoped he never would. Girls. That’s what made a guy a man. The more you had, the manlier you were. Fags? If they had shown up in our neighborhood they would have been kicked out. No mercy. They’re sick people, not to be pitied. Feel sorry for their parents, that’s whose problem they are, not ours.

Tony.

He shook himself, returning to Atlanta, Georgia, where he was taking this lie detector test; where he’d gone through two months of Cryptography school.

No, he answered. No.

Do you like girls?

Yes.

Are you aroused by them at certain times?"

Oh God yes, he thought. He couldn’t tell the Lieutenant about his first weekend in Augusta, when he received the first and unbeknown to him at the time, the last weekend pass before starting school. He had screwed three different girls in two days.

He never had problems with them. Meeting them or bedding them. It was the only thing in life that really came easy to him.

Yes, he replied out loud.

Have you ever fucked a sheep? Turner didn’t lose a beat.

He could have laughed aloud. The question seemed almost routine to him now. The whole test was becoming easy. It was like making love he thought. After the first time, you wonder if that’s all there is to it. After the second time, you find out about all the mistakes you made the first time. The third time, you get it down pat. You handle it easily.

No, he answered. Cool. Calm. Brooklyn. He almost looked forward to the next question. But the test was over. That threw him more than the questions would have.

Turner unstrapped him from the machine. Tony looked at it, his fate. He was sure he’d passed, but right now he had something else on his mind.

You can go now Private. Turner wasn’t even looking at him anymore. He was reaching for some folders on his desk.

Uh…before I go Lieutenant, can I ask you just one question?

Sure Private. The Lieutenant looking at him with amused interest. He knew what was coming.

Sir…you have my records, he told him. You know that I’m from Brooklyn, New York…right?

Yes….

Uh…off the record Sir?

Off the record Tony.

Well, off the record, Sir, I never saw a real live sheep, except in the movies…

Yes…

Well I mean Sir, he was unable to look Turner directly in the eyes. Who fucks sheep?

Well Private, Turner trying his best to refrain from laughing, The Army drafts many men from the mid-West. Many of these men are shepherds. After spending weeks alone with their flocks, some of these men want female companionship. And, genetically, a sheep’s vagina is supposedly similar to that of a human female….

Oh, he nodded vigorously so the Lieutenant now knew he needn’t explain any further.

Standing up, he thought about what the Lieutenant had just said. What sick bastards those farmers are. Imagine, screwing a sheep. That’s something to tell the guys back home about.

Before he left, he asked the Lieutenant, Sir, how’d I do?

I’m not at liberty to tell you that right now Private. The results will be forwarded to your company. Turner added. You’ll be notified soon though. I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it.

Tony smiled inwardly. His gut feeling was that he had passed. Now all he had to do was wait for the orders telling him where he was to go. But even that didn’t matter. What counted was that he’d be part of a team, coding and decoding messages of Top Secret importance.

There was a touch of Brooklyn cockiness in his salute. He thanked the Lieutenant and left.

Looking up as he was leaving, a mysterious smile suddenly crossed Turner’s face. During their brief encounter he knew everything he had to know about the young man. Everything that was unspoken. However, his sixth sense made him feel something else. Something else that told him inwardly that this young man would be experiencing much more in the years to come. More than his getting uptight over fucking a sheep. Much more.

There is a saying among soldiers that there are three ways of doing things. The right way, the wrong way and the Army way.

CHAPTER 2

Lying on the grass outside his barracks, he began to think about all the events that had happened to him during these last four months. His two months of basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey to Fort Gordon, here in Augusta Georgia, where he had now spent another two months learning how to code and decode messages of Top Secret importance. God, he had so much to write home about. So much he had wanted to share with his mom and dad, in that certain way that an only child could. However, the Army had put a security stop on that when they made him sign a document stating that he would not, for a period of the next twenty years, divulge to anyone, what he had learned as a Cryptographer."

So Top Secret was this course in Cryptography, that when his schooling was over, no pictures were allowed to be taken of the graduating class. He and his classmates were even kept segregated from the rest of the Army base, and if they were allowed to leave the post at all, it was only when the Army would issue them a four-hour pass accompanied by an Army escort, usually an M.P.

The people living in Augusta never really had any use for Army personnel anyway, so spending an hour or two in town was quite sufficient. Besides, it was only a four-block town and hawkers selling bibles or pimps selling the services of their wives or sisters to anyone wearing a uniform would only interrupt a walk down Main St.. The Army being aware of this, had more M.P.’s on duty in that four-block area than in all of Augusta itself.

For a minute, his train of thought was broken by the sound of a radio turned on in the barracks. How ironic it was, he thought, that he had never been in Georgia until now and the number one record in the country was Georgia On My Mind. As he listened to Ray Charles sing, he was now positive that the only ingredient missing from this beautiful August afternoon was the companionship of a female lying next to him.

The waiting, the time passing ever so slowly, the monotony of boredom, the anticipation, the unsureness of where he was going was now beginning to envelop his insides. Maybe this job will be too much for an eighteen-year old. Can I handle it? It must be important. It has to be. It’s been two days, he thought to himself, since I was asked if I ever fucked a sheep. My God, what a stupid question. Why would the Army ask a dumb question like that? Who the fuck would screw a sheep anyway? Not a guy from New York. Like Lt. Turner said, probably some farmer from out West. Who cares anyway? That’s his problem, not mine.

But he was sure that this was something big. No K.P., no having to get up in the morning for reveille, no one giving him orders. Even having chow whenever he wanted. No work details, and no having to police the area. Any area.

This was Wednesday. Only two more days and he would know where he was going and when he would have to get there. Only two more days to go and he would learn that maybe there is some truth to it. All good things come to those who wait. And so it was happening. He was becoming indoctrinated into The Army Way. He now glanced at his watch. He needn’t have bothered though, his stomach informed him it was about time for lunch anyway. This day was an unusually hot one even for Georgia. The mess hall, where he was now eating, was half empty and only a few men were on line waiting to get their second helping of leftovers. Food waste in the Army was unheard of. Those poor guys, he thought to himself. Anybody who would want seconds of Army chow didn’t have a mom who could cook like he did. Italian food, American food, any food she prepared was terrific.

A meal, in his mind, wasn’t complete unless he finished it with a cup of coffee. As he got up from the table to get one, a short stocky little man dressed in fatigues and sweating unmercifully, stopped his ascent.

You Anthony Sardelli? the little guy would ask.

A quick glance at the man’s arm told him that this little Corporal had to be the company clerk. Funny he thought, how company clerks were all Corporal’s possessing an overabundance of nerves all working overtime.

Cautiously, he answered Yea…

Now with a slight attempt to slow down his pace, the Corporal in a Southern drawl, which could only have belonged in the backwoods of Mississippi, continued.

I wasted my whole fuckin lunch hour looking for you hood… To a Southerner anyone born up north was considered a hoodlum. Especially if you came from New York. Tony wouldn’t normally overlook such an insult, but this wasn’t the time. He was sure they would meet again so he just listened as the young man continued.

It is now 12:30, the Corporal said, with a quick glance at his wristwatch. Ya’ll better have yo’ ass in Captain Bennett’s office at 1:00 o’clock…an don’t be late hood…the Captain don’t cotton to anyone being late… hesitating, before adding with a smirk, especially a fuckin Yankee…

Before he could say a word, the Corporal was off, probably on some other meaningless venture somehow always connected with company clerks.

Finally. Finally, the orders of transfer must have arrived.

The next half hour was made somehow even longer for him than the last week had been. Allowing his young mind to wonder, he tried to imagine all of the places where the U.S. Army could send a soldier. Any one of numerous countries around the world. Wouldn’t it be nice though if the Army could be thoughtful enough to keep him in the States. Anywhere in the States was home. Never really having been away from New York until now, the thought of being sent to another country made his stomach tighten. At least if he were kept in the States he would never be more than only a phone call from his mom and dad. Right now, even Georgia seemed like a million miles from home.

With some time remaining before his appointment with Captain Bennett, he now felt the need for spiritual guidance. And, like so many times in the past few weeks, he was drawn to the Chapel of Saint Bernard’s.

It was a small chapel, not nearly as big or as beautiful as Saint Francis his home parish but Tony always found comfort in the Church. Any church, so long as it was Catholic was home to him.

After wetting the tips of his fingers in the Holy Water fountain, which was at the entrance of the Church, he made the sign of the Cross and walked down the aisle. The wooden floors reminding him of the floors in St. Francis when he was an altar boy. Man that was so long ago. Almost ten years now. He remembered how proud his mom was. To an Italian mother, being an altar boy was one step toward bestowing on her the greatest gift of all time. Having your son become a Priest. She was already comparing him to Father Georgio, the neighborhood priest who died a hero’s death in World War Two.

He stopped in front of a marble statue of the Madonna. He reached into his pocket, took out some change, deposited it in the slot and lit a candle.

He stood almost motionless for a few minutes; just staring at the statue, then blessed himself again and walked out.

CHAPTER 3

The short time spent in Church gave him the confidence he needed to see Captain Bennett. Now his fate was in God’s hands, and whatever his orders were, he would be ready to accept them.

Not forgetting the hood remark made only a short time ago, he passed by the desk of the little southern Corporal who made it, making sure that their eyes would meet. Coldly staring at him, he would make sure that this little nothing would get the message.

He then walked to the door behind the Corporal’s desk and knocked on it twice.

Come in…

Standing at attention, he promptly saluted.

Private Sardelli reporting as ordered, Sir…

Stand at ease Private, Captain Bennett replied, returning the salute.

Private, your schooling here is now completed…you’ve attained high grades, and we feel that you are now ready to serve your government and country well…you have an important job to do now…do it well…you have been cleared for the highest clearance your country can give a person. Here are you orders…

With a smile that came from knowing where he would be stationed, Captain Bennett stood up and extended his hand. Tony reached over the desk and shook it.

You’ve been given a great opportunity son, the Captain added. Take advantage of it…Good luck…

Thank you Sir… A quick salute followed by an about face, his insides were bursting with pride. He couldn’t wait to open the envelope, which now held him a hostage in suspense. So quick was his exit from the building, he didn’t even hear the words good luck uttered by the young Corporal from Mississippi.

Once outside he nervously tried opening the envelope. It seemed like an eternity was passing and then he knew. There it was in black and white. She did it again. The Blessed Mother had done it again. His prayers were answered. About as close to home as he could get and what an honor this would be for his mom and dad.

His orders read: Private First Class Anthony Sardelli will report no later than two days upon issuance of these orders, to Fort Myer, Virginia for classification and indoctrination period, before being assigned to Cryptography duty in the PENTAGON, WASHINGTON, D.C.

CHAPTER 4

All aboard…

Hearing this, Tony quickly ended his phone conversation with his dad. He anxiously called home from the train station telling his parents the good news, that he would be spending, he hoped, the remainder of his hitch in Washington, D.C. allowing him the luxury of going home on weekends whenever he wanted.

Hurriedly boarding the train, he took what he was sure would be his last look at Georgia.

After giving the conductor his ticket, he was directed to a compartment. A compartment, he knew, that he would be sharing with another soldier. The Army in all their infinite wisdom would never allow anyone the luxury of sleeping alone. A privacy that he had missed since his induction.

Later, he would find out how wrong he was. He was issued a single compartment, and be rewarded with not only the gift of privacy, but with what he would always remember as being the best night’s sleep he would ever experience. The rocking chair sleep of a moving train.

He was awakened at 8 a.m. by a knock on the door and a voice informing him that breakfast was now being served. The train, he thought, was about two hours outside of Washington and bacon and eggs with some coffee sure sounded good right now.

As he dressed he tried to imagine what lied ahead for him. What might be awaiting him in the nation’s Capital? However, one thing you learn rather quickly in the Army is that you never second-guess them. Just let things happen.

From his compartment window, he could see the Washington Monument as the train slowly pulled into the station. It was now Saturday but God how he wished it was Friday. After getting bedded down, he could have taken the Greyhound bus home for two days, and be back on Monday. However, it didn’t allow him much time now and it didn’t make too much sense to go home for one day. There was always next weekend, so he would have to wait to see his folks, and settle for a phone call.

When he embarked from the train, the Army, with its usual style, would have a bus standing by for Fort Myer. It was there, that he would be told where to report on Monday. But right now, what he wanted most of all was his living quarters, a nice hot shower and some relaxation.

It was about 1 p.m. when he learned that he would be quartered at a small fort located in Arlington, Virginia about three miles outside of Washington. Every morning he would be boarded on a bus that would take him to the Pentagon for a days work, and return him back again that evening. He would also be afforded the luxury of his own private room and a Class A pass, which meant that he would be able to come and go as he pleased, on or off post.

Unlike the Army posts he had seen thus far, Arlington Hall Station was small. Very small he thought, but beautiful and very quaint. It was kept immaculately clean, with an overabundance of trees, grass and flowers. The post resembled a beautiful park.

Standing under a tree, he surveyed what he thought and hoped would now be his home for the remaining year and a half. He liked what he saw, and he was happy for the first time in four months. The expectations that this place might hold for him were very high. Now, convinced of how lucky he was he looked for the post Chapel where he could go to give thanks.

What he didn’t know however, is that it would be here, at Arlington Hall, that his life would start molding into a pattern. A pattern of life that would stay with him, as he grew older. It would start right here, in a little county in Virginia, where he would experience for the first time, feelings he had never had before. The feelings of giving, loving and hating. The feelings necessary to mold a boy into a man.

CHAPTER 5

Throughout his life he never had a problem making friends. Girls or guys, older or younger, people always liked him. Back in Brooklyn, he had his share of girlfriends and guy friends, but no one ever was able to get even remotely close to him. This could have been attributed to the fact that he was an only child. His friends would always go home after a day’s play to their sisters and brothers, and what he was sure was always a lively house, while he would go home alone only to do homework, watch some TV, and be alone with his thoughts. His mom and dad would always be there, but he somehow always longed for that companionship that only came with having a brother or sister. He was never spoiled, as is often the case of an only child, his mom saw to that. His father, always leaving that job to his wife, never needed to discipline him. Mom did that quite well. She punished him when he had to be, sometimes feeling the need to hit him either with her hands or any object that might be in the vicinity. She kept him in check and he respected her for it. She always managed to keep him out of trouble. If it wasn’t for her, he thought, he would have ended up like so many of his childhood friends did, either in jail, alcoholics or drug addicts.

It was Saturday evening and he was all unpacked and squared away in his new quarters. Now, with time on his hands, he felt the need for some relaxation, some music, some talk and possibly, some female companionship.

Outside his quarters, he could hear music and laughter coming from down the street. Walking there, he would see a sign outside the door telling him that this was the N.C.O. Club. As he was about to enter the building, a voice yelled out to him from behind.

You’re not allowed in there…

Turning quickly, he saw a man sharply dressed in civilian clothes. From the way the man was dressed, he gathered that this guy was about to go off post, probably somewhere where the action was.

Why not? he asked sarcastically.

Because…Privates ain’t allowed to go into the N.C.O. Club that’s why…it’s only for E-4s or higher….

Oh..He replied, sort of downhearted because he was only an E-3. He would have to wait for his next promotion to Corporal before being allowed entry into this Club.

You just get here?

Yea, this afternoon…what’s your name? Tony asked.

Frank…Frank Vitale, What’s yours?

All right, Cheech, the Italian nickname for Frank or Francesco. Glad to meet a fellow paisan. Frank could only smile.

I’m Tony…Tony Sardelli…

With that, a certain chemistry would immediately develop between the two. A chemistry that told them both that a deep and formidable friendship was about to start.

Where you from? Tony felt the need to ask.

New Jersey, responded Frank. How about you?

New York, he shot back, a touch of pride in his voice, then adding, Brooklyn to be exact…

Brooklyn, New York? Frank asked, suddenly bringing his hand up to his chin as if he was pondering a thought. Then, looking him directly in the eyes and with no trace of emotion showing on his face, added, Never heard of it…

Now taken aback, he looked at him with a surprised expression…. Frank looked back at him, and then, suddenly both men began to laugh aloud. A laugh that expressed to them, that they truly could become friends. And as fate would have it, very close friends in the years to come.

How’d you like to go to a party? Frank asked. Lot’s of broads there. They won’t mind one more guy…

Sure, he answered, why not…

With that, Frank bent over to pick up his guitar case.

You play the guitar?

Nah, he answered quickly. I just like carrying it…..

Funny, Tony shot back. How long you been playing?

About fifteen years,

You a PFC too?

Yea…

Hey…you suppose they’ll mind the uniform? I could go change into civvies.

Don’t sweat it…the broads in D.C. out number us guys seven to one…they’ll probably have you undressed before midnight anyway…

A feeling of belonging suddenly came over him. With the comfort of a new Italian friend walking beside him, Tony was very sure he would like it here.

CHAPTER 6

Summer was over, and this beautiful autumn night found him sitting across the street from his living quarters under a somewhat oversized elm tree.

He had just finished eating dinner, and sitting under this tree became sort of a nightly ritual for them. It was here, at the start of each evening that he would meet with Frank and a new friend they had just met, Paul Saccone. They would spend this time discussing the day’s events and then plan whatever escapade they would encounter for the coming night.

All three men were housed in different quarters and all three had different jobs. Frank was in charge of the Motor Pool, while Paul was an accountant. Both of them worked on post, while Tony was being bussed to the Pentagon and back every day.

Like Tony, Paul was from New York. He had his own car on post, so all three men would go home together every Friday night. They would first drop Frank off in New Jersey, then pick him up at a prearranged time and location on Sunday night and make it back to the post for Monday morning reveille.

Tonight, Frank was the first to join him. While Paul and Tony became friends, it was Frank that he would always remain closer to. Both men were five years older than him, but all three had so much in common that the age difference was overlooked. Their favorite topic was girls, but this time, curiosity would take over the better part of tonight’s conversation. While their topics would always be about what had happened to either Frank or Paul during their working hours, Tony, was never allowed to discuss his work, and would just sit by silently listening. Both men knew and respected the high secrecy of the younger man’s job, but there just might have been something he could tell them.

Hey kid…isn’t there anything at all you can add to this somewhat dull conversation, the ever-curious Paul asked.

The young man thought for a while, and then began to tell of an incident that had happened a few days ago.

This might be a little hard for you guys to believe, but I swear to God it happened. And the best part is that I was standing right there throughout the whole incident.

Okay, okay, responded an impatient Paul, longing to hear something that could give him a clue as to what Tony does for the Army. Tell the fuckin story…

Well, you know how hard it is to get into my area of work. Number one, you first have to have the need to know. Number two; if you want to get through the front door, you have to do it by appointment only. If your lucky, the wait is only two weeks…and I don’t give a fuck who you are, even President Kennedy has to have an appointment. And number three, you have to have a Top Secret Crypto clearance to get in…Anyway, I’m coming back from lunch, and when I get to the front door, there’s this Brigadier General and his flunky Second Lieutenant standing in front of me…The M.P. on duty asks him his name, then goes into the book to see if this General and his aide have an appointment. This M.P. is a good kid. He’s from South Carolina and everybody likes him. He’s been there even longer than me, so I guess he knows his job and does it pretty good. Otherwise, his ass would be patrolling the D.C. streets picking up drunken soldiers…Well, now he looks up from the book, looks right in the Generals eyes, and tells him how sorry he is, but because his name isn’t in the appointment book, he won’t let the General in…I mean, can you imagine this. A kid corporal, telling a Brigadier General, that he can’t do something. In the meantime, this little hard on Second Looie, now has to show his stuff, and he starts demanding the kid’s name and serial number. The General chimes in and starts yelling something about the Corporals ass being in Korea by tomorrow morning if he doesn’t let him by. Now, I see the kid starting to sweat…I don’t blame him, you’d sweat too if you were him at that moment…All of a sudden, the General makes a move towards the door. Well, this kid’s got the biggest pair of balls I ever saw because he takes one step back, cocks his forty five, points it in the Generals eyes, and tells him that if he takes another step, he’s gonna blow his face off…Now the General gets the message that this kid is crazy enough to do what he says, and he takes off like a bat outa hell with his flunky second Looie right behind him. Next thing I know, the whole fuckin place is loaded with brass. Captains and Colonels all over the place. Man it looked like a fuckin invasion. They took the kid off the door and rushed him away to some office. That’s the last anybody saw of him …yesterday, some other kid was on that door…

What’dya think they’ll do to him? Frank asked.

"Do to him??…Shit, I went in this morning and what do you think I see…This same kid that we thought would be in the stockade right now, or in front of a fuckin firing squad, is standing there at that same door grinning from ear to ear…But that’s not the best part…This same fuckin rebel, who was a Corporal when all this happened, is now a fuckin Staff Sergeant…Imagine that…a promotion…. all because he had the balls to stand up and follow his orders, the kid’s now a hero to every fuckin M.P. in the Pentagon.

That kid’s gonna be telling that fuckin story for the rest of his life, Frank added.

Yea, added Paul…And you can bet that them rebel bastards down South will change the story from the kid becoming a Sergeant to becoming an Officer…and that it really wasn’t a General he stopped, but President Kennedy himself…

The three men laughed, all nodding in agreement.

What’re you doing tonight? Frank asked Tony. You gonna see Laura? You two are getting pretty serious.

Nah…Laura’s the one getting serious…I gotta cool her off for awhile…I think I’ll go down to the N.C.O. Club tonight…maybe I’ll allow some broad to get lucky and take advantage of my talents…Tell Laura I’ll call her later this week.

In the past two months, both he and Frank had received promotions to E-4 status, now enabling them to use the facilities of the N.C.O. Club. Paul was already an E-4 when they first met him. They had also been dating two girls they met in the Club who shared the same apartment. Almost all of the girls working in D.C. were Southerners, all of them working in some capacity for the Federal Government, so it wasn’t a novelty to find four or five girls sharing the same apartment and keeping their rent costs down.

Turning to Paul, Tony asked,…What’re you doing tonight? Frankie has a date with Laura’s roommate Ginger, but how about you? What’dya say we go down to the Club…Should be a good night for broads…a whole busload of WAC’s just came in from Fort Myer…that means a lot of happy G.I.’s tonight…

Paul smiled, "Nah…you fuck one WAC and you fucked them all…I got some work to get out…Last months payroll got all screwed up and I gotta help bail out that scumbag that fucked it up.

Now with their nights planned, the three men were ready to leave. All of them in different directions.

CHAPTER 7

It was only a short walk from Tony’s quarters to the N.C.O. Club. Dressed in his civilian clothes, it was exactly 10:00 p.m. when he walked in. And, just like he had told his two buddies, there it was, a schmorgasbord. WAC’s all over the place. They outnumbered the G.I.‘s at least four to one, and he was quite certain now that any guy who couldn’t get laid in here tonight would’ve had to resemble Quasimodo and even he might have had a shot tonight.

As he made his way to the bar, ignoring at least three passes thrown at him, his eye caught a glimpse of a blonde standing at the far end of the bar. Nice looking chic he thought, but look at all those guys surrounding her. He immediately tried to ignore her, blaming it on the fact that he arrived there too late. She was probably taken by now anyway.

In what would become his usual style, he turned, drink in hand and surveyed the bar. Never be in a hurry he thought. Wait until you’ve seen them all before you make any moves.

A tap on his shoulder forced him to turn, only to be confronted by the bartender. The lady on the end of the bar wants to buy you a drink…

He looked and sure as hell, it was the blonde. Suddenly, guys didn’t surround her anymore. How come he wondered? Later he would find out. But right now, he had just been paid a compliment and he wasn’t going to blow it. After all, broads don’t buy guys drinks. They’re not supposed to anyway.

His attention now turned back to the bartender.

I’ll have a Jack Daniel’s and water. And ask the lady if she would like to come over and join me…

The message was relayed, and in a short while the attractive blonde was quickly making her way over to him.

Hi. she said with a smile.

Hi, he returned, checking her out from head to toe, and finally coming to the conclusion that she must be an Army WAC. Probably a nurse, he thought. They always were the best looking of all the WAC’s. It always seemed to be he thought, that one of the qualifications for being a nurse in the Army was that you had to be good looking and sexy. If you were going to die for your country, he was sure that the last thing a G.I. would want to see was an ugly nurse.

What’s your name? she asked.

Tony…what’s yours?

Lisa…

You come here often?

No, not really…I saw you the last time I was in here but I happened to have a date with me…

You got a date tonight? he asked, hoping she would say no.

No, Lisa answered with a smile that told him she liked his question.

She was in her mid thirties, long blonde hair tied in a ponytail, about five feet six inches and the most beautiful set of shapely legs he had ever seen.

He was tempted to ask her about how she got rid of all those guys around her when he walked in, but somehow, her drink answered that question for him.

She was drinking a Vodka Martini. From past experiences, Tony had found out that any broad who drinks Martinis, usually has or tries to have, a touch of class. This one he sensed had that class. So if she wanted to be alone, whoever was with her would quickly have gotten the message.

The voice of Johnny Mathis was now coming from the loud jukebox, singing Chances Are.

Let’s dance… He made it sound like an order but it apparently went over Lisa’s head, or perhaps it was that she had seen in him what she wanted, and didn’t mind the order at all.

As they danced, he knew by the way she was holding him, the way she was rubbing against him, and the way she nibbled his ear, that he would be making love to her that night. The only thing he couldn’t figure out was where.

He had no car and payday was a week away. No money to take her to a motel. If she was a WAC, and he was positive she was, her barracks and his, were off limits. And she definitely wasn’t the grass type. Plus, there was no back room here. If only she was like Rosie the Riveter back in Brooklyn. Rosie would always have the solution as to where to fuck, he thought to himself. Just then, shades of Rosie the Riveter began to emerge.

Let’s go, Lisa whispered softly, invitingly.

Not really knowing or caring where they were going, he followed her like the Pied Piper. She led him to a car, a late model Cadillac, threw him the keys and issued the order. You drive…

As they drove off post, he was now certain that this was no WAC. He was sure of it, only his youth preventing him from asking any questions. He didn’t want to blow what he was sure was a good thing tonight with a lot of stupid questions.

She directed him to a home, not far from Arlington Hall, in a little town called Alexandria. When they pulled in front of the home, he was in awe of the four posts in front of the all white house. The lawn was well kept and judging from the size of it, he had to assume that only a hired gardener could ever do it justice. The long driveway, leading to the front door was all blacktop and he was sure that this had to be a dream. Frankie and Paul would never believe this one.

She grabbed him by the hand, and escorted him into the house, excused herself, then went into the kitchen, while he stood looking on in amazement. Never had he been in a mansion like this, never.

She came out, explaining to him that she just wanted to leave a note for the maid, so that in the morning they could have breakfast in bed.

It was all happening so fast, that he didn’t have time now to ask all the questions that were slowly building up inside of him.

Would you like a drink? she asked in a low sultry voice.

Okay…Jack Daniel’s and water…

She went to the bar in the living room, mixed the drink, shut out the lights, returned to him promptly escorting him upstairs to the bedroom.

Hey, he said almost apologetically, I won’t be able to stay overnight. I have to get back to the post for reveille.

I know, she said assuredly. I’ve already arranged for you to get back in time.

Something about the way she had just said that, told him that Lisa had been here with enlisted men before, and that he wasn’t the first, nor would he be the last.

Quickly, she shut out the lights and passionately started kissing him. He would quickly respond, by directing her towards the vicinity of the bed. Why not he thought to himself. He had a hard on for this beautiful woman since he first saw her. Just let it happen. And happen it did. The kissing becoming more and more passionate, both their hands working rapidly covering every part of the other’s body. Clothing was being hastily removed and thrown around the room out into the darkness. The satin sheets adding to the excitement, Tony working as hard as he could to satisfy his gorgeous prey. His timing was perfect, both of them climaxing simultaneously. They lay back on the pillows, both of them sweating profusely. As she cuddled in his arms, she whispered goodnight to him and they both fell asleep.

He was awakened by a knock on the door. Looking around for a clock, he saw that it was now 6 a.m. Lisa was already up and in the bathroom, yelling for whomever it was to come in. Startled by the opening of the bedroom door, he hurriedly reached for the covers, pulling them up around his waist, now covering his naked body.

The door opened, and to his surprise, there stood a black woman in a white uniform holding a tray of food. Lisa again yelled from the bathroom for the woman to leave the tray on the table. Like a robot, the woman obeyed the order, and then left the room closing the door behind her, while never once looking at Tony.

It’s breakfast time sugar, Lisa said coming out of the bathroom in a see through nightgown, silently informing him, of what his dessert was going to be.

The eating of breakfast, followed by another round of passionate lovemaking forced him to momentarily forget about the time. When he glanced over at the clock on the table, he immediately jumped out of bed and rushed into the bathroom. It was now 6:30 and through the noise of the cold-water from the shower hitting his body, he could hear Lisa telling him not to worry about the time. She would have the maid drive him back to the post in plenty of time for reveille.

As he came out and started to dress, he suddenly noticed a picture of a uniformed soldier on the dresser. Nonchalantly, he asked who it was, and Lisa just as nonchalantly answered that it was her husband. A shocked look, coupled with a quick skip of a heartbeat, brought on by the casual way in which she said it, forced him to dress much faster.

You didn’t tell me you were married….

You didn’t ask, Lisa replied calmly, and with a smile.

As he walked over to the dresser to get a better look, what he saw sitting on the shoulders of the man in uniform would startle the life out of him. He saw four stars. Two on each of his shoulders. His heart now beating faster.

Slowly, he turned to her, and with a half scared, half angry tone to his voice he spoke.

Are you crazy? Your husband is a Major General and here I am fuckin his wife. Do you have any idea at all what will happen to me? My ass’ll be in the stockade by tonight…or even worse, he could have me sent to some country that ain’t even been chartered yet…

Don’t worry about it sugar…nothing’s going to happen…he’s been in Alaska for three months now on T.D.Y., and he’ll be up there for another month. Then suddenly breaking out into a fit of laughter she added, The old fool is up there freezing his balls off teaching a survival course.

He closed his eyes, shook his head from side to side and hurriedly made his way to the door and the stairway that would take him to the waiting maid who would drive him back to Arlington Hall.

Will I see you again sugar? Lisa yelled out.

Don’t bet on it, Tony quickly snapped, slamming the bedroom door behind him.

CHAPTER 8

No matter how much sleep he would get, he always found it difficult getting up in the morning. This morning was no exception. Monday found the three men returning back to post in the early morning hours, from their usual weekend trip home.

With only a few hours sleep, Tony was now getting dressed for work. He was allowed to work in fatigues, one of the few comforts that the Army would allow. So meticulous was he, that his fatigues would always be starched, with a sewn in crease and his boots spit shined before he would even consider leaving his room.

Sitting on his bed, now lacing his boots, his mind wondered back over the events that took place while he was at home. Both Frankie and Paul noticed that he was troubled about something. Both men were sure however that it was something their friend would rather not talk about. Each of them figuring that it had to have something to do with a female, there would be really no need getting into it. Tony could always handle female problems quite easily.

He was brought back to reality by a knock on the door informing him of a phone call. Thinking that it might be from home, he answered with an out of breath hello, after hurriedly running down the stairs.

Hi Tony, this is Laura…

Hi Laura…

You didn’t call me before you went home, so I was beginning to worry about you…is everything alright?

Yea kid…we just got in a little late this morning…how was your weekend?

Ginger and I just hung out this weekend. I wrote a letter home, and watched some T.V., that’s all…

The feeling of guilt over not calling her this weekend would suddenly surface. He would now make up for it, he thought by seeing her for lunch. Laura worked for the Post Office in D.C. only a few blocks from the Pentagon, so that would allow them the convenience of frequently meeting for lunch at an Italian restaurant nearby.

Listen babe, I’m running a little late right now. How about meeting me for lunch today at Angelo’s around noon…

Knowing him quite intimately for the past month, Laura knew by the tone in his voice that something was wrong. She would now have to wait until lunchtime to find out. Hoping that his problem had nothing to do with their relationship, she softly answered…Okay, then hung up the phone.

CHAPTER 9

As usual, Laura arrived at Angelo’s before him. She called earlier, reserving their favorite table and was now enjoying a glass of house wine, homemade by Angelo himself, and a few of his old cronies… Angelo’s mother, an energetic woman in her late seventies, did all the cooking from an open kitchen, allowing everyone to watch, so it was no wonder that Tony found the place comfortable, with a touch of home cooking.

Laura was from South Carolina. The daughter of a Baptist Minister, she was only eighteen, with blonde hair and blue eyes, and with a body that Tony swore was right out of Playboy magazine. She was a virgin, who was never going to give herself to any man, unless they were married. That was her unwritten law. Until she met Tony that is. Until their second date. She would never be quite sure why she allowed him to be the first, but knew in her heart that she would never regret it.

He arrived minutes later and after acknowledging Angelo and his mother, plus a few of the waitresses he dated, he kissed Laura.

Hi baby, sorry I’m late…

That’s okay, we have plenty of time…

He picked up the menu and read it. No matter though, he would always order the same meal anyway.

You didn’t sound so good over the phone this morning…are you alright? she cautiously asked.

He needed that opening badly. It would now allow him to let out what he had bottled up inside of him for the last few days.

I didn’t get too much sleep this weekend…Saturday morning my father wakes me up at 7:00 a.m. just to go take the test for the Police Department…I mean, like I didn’t even study for it and here I was taking a four-hour test, only because he wants me to be a cop…he’s got this thing about cops…that’s all he ever thinks about…Christ, I don’t even know if that’s what I want to do with the rest of my life but it means so damn much to him…

How’d you do on the test, do you think you passed?

I really don’t know, it was a hell’uva hard test. We should know the results by next week, when that paper called The Chief comes out…I think I did pretty good though, you know, for not studying that is…

Laura reached across the table for his hand.

Don’t worry about it, I’m sure you passed…and with a high mark too I’ll bet…

He looked up into her eyes and smiled. He took her hand up to his lips and gently kissed it.

"That’s not what’s really bothering me though babe…you see, Saturday night, my father starts getting pains in his chest so my mother and I take him down to the emergency room over at Greenpoint Hospital. They give him an x-ray and then, the doctors come out and tell us that he’s got a spot on his lung…

Now feeling relieved that she wasn’t the reason behind his depressed state, Laura’s emotions turned to that of concern. She was well aware of the deep relationship he and his father had.

What do they think it’s from? she asked.

They think it might be tuberculosis, but the doctor said he wasn’t sure…they need some more tests…man, I wish I could be with him this week…he’s so damn scared of doctors and hospitals, he’ll probably run out on them…

Angelo personally brought the food to the table and now, with his problem out in the open, Tony began to eat heartily for the first time in two days. However, what he didn’t know was that another problem was beginning to arise. Looking up at her, he noticed a tear falling from Laura’s eye. Assuming that it was from what he had just told her, he was touched by her concern over his problem.

Hey come on babe, he’ll be alright…my father’s a fighter….

With that Laura could now tell him what she had wanted to say for some time now.

Tony, she said very softly, I love you…

It was the first time in his life that he ever heard those words from a woman other than his mom. He now found himself very uncomfortable. And so, with his youth now beginning to show, he would answer her as only he could,

Uh…is Frankie gonna see Ginger tonight?

CHAPTER 10

There will never ever be a payday on any Army post in the world, where you will not find a game of chance going on. Soldiers, trying to increase their paychecks with a little luck would always be involved in either a crap game or some sort of card game. As a matter of fact, on payday in the Army, there’s almost nothing that a soldier would not wager on.

So it was at Arlington Hall Station that this payday night would find Frankie and Tony leaving the barracks latrine where a crap game was in progress. Tony had just completed rolling five straight passes, and was now counting the money he had won, under the watchful eye of his amazed friend.

You had a good roll going, said a not so understanding Frank. Why the fuck did you stop?

Tony stopped walking, paused, and then looking up from his money would explain to his friend, a non-gambler, his reasons.

When I made my fifth pass Frankie, did you notice that big baldheaded guy who threw the dice back to me?

Yea…

Well that fuckin redneck rebel must’ve thought that I never shot crap before…he switched the dice on me….

Now, Frank’s interest was beginning to pique. Curiosity compelled him to inquire some more.

How the hell do you know that?

Easy, answered Tony with the cockiness and sureness of a detective who just solved a murder.

After I threw my fifth pass, he picked up the dice to throw them back to me…

Yea…right, Frank said excitedly.

That’s exactly what I mean Cheech…. Right…He picked up the dice with his right hand…then, I guess he thought I wasn’t looking because the dumb fuck threw them back to me fast….

So….Tony nodding his head at his friend’s lack of experience in matters such as gambling.

So my friend, that fuckin rebel sharecropper threw the dice back to me with his left hand…

Wow, said an amazed Frank. You mean he threw back a different pair of dice? A crooked pair?

"About as crooked as you can get Frank…. and you can bet your ass that as sure as God