CHAPTER 5
Tim
One day later
R eady to do this?” I say to Duke as I jump out of my big ‘ol Ford pickup truck, and move quickly towards the area where he’s waiting.
“Waiting on you, old man,” he shoots back at me. Smart-ass SEAL.
“We can’t all afford to have Uncle Sam paying to keep us so damn fit these last twelve months.”
“You’re the one who decided to swing with the 1st Civ Div, brother,” Duke says, making reference to the term us military types use for civilian life, the First Civilian Division.
I give him a firm handshake and a quick embrace. It was too bad Duke couldn’t wait up for me yesterday. I always enjoy going back and forth with him. Smart-ass versus smart-ass. Yesterday I was looking forward to showing him my plans for the room I want to add onto my house. The guy’s a genius with his hands. I felt bad offering him a job as a lowly gardener, but he needed something quick to build up his cash flow as he transitioned to life after the Navy.
“When am I ever late?” I ask.
“If you’re not ten minutes early…”
“You’re ten minutes late, yeah I know. I know.”
“Civilian life is making you soft. Let’s get inside and harden you back up before your bad habits start wearing off on me.”
We walk through the door and check out a couple pistols. I haven’t fired a single round in over a year now, but that doesn’t mean Duke’s got an edge on me today at the indoor pistol range. I’m still competitive as hell, and he knows it.
“How’s the apartment?” I ask as the targets get set up.
“It’s good, man. Nothing fancy, but it sure beats sleeping on a cot in the Middle East falling asleep to mortar rounds.”
“I hear that.”
Duke stayed in one year longer than me. We were from different worlds, but once we were assigned to our first team together we were literally like brothers, and not just brothers in arms. We were brothers for life. I had encouraged him to get out at the same time I did, but he was mission critical and had to do two more six-month deployments, both to the Middle East. Thank god he came back in one piece, not that I expected anything less. Duke is a survivor who bleeds red, white, and blue.
Pap! Pap! Pap! The sounds of my pistol fire echo through the range. It doesn’t take binoculars to see I just landed three headshots, dead center. “With a daughter, these skills never go out of practice.”
Duke laughs, but it’s more like an exhale out of his nose than a full-on belly rattler. He’s always been single, so he has no idea what it means to have a family, let alone a little girl.
My wife and I decided to stop at one. We agreed on just one and then to spoil her completely. Personally I could have gone for a big family, and at forty-one there was still time, but my wife was devoted to her own career and I admired her for that. One had been more than enough. We love our little Daisy with everything we’ve got.
It was tough, all those years I was deployed, never seeing her as much as any of the three of us wanted. The Internet wasn’t what it was today, so satellite phones in the middle of nowhere, shared by thousands of guys, wasn’t really cutting it. They’ve got it easy these days. Sailors have smartphones with Skype and video chats. I’m not angry. Good for them. Just wish we had that when I was playing the distant dad role.
But I’m back in town now. Got my nice retirement check and I’m running a little security business on the side. Yeah, it’s cliché, but it’s what I know. And I know it damn well.
“Nice shootin’,” Duke says.
“Thanks,” I say, stepping back to let him have a go. “How’s the business going?”
“Not bad. You know I like this yard work stuff. Working with my hands, being out in the sun. There’s a science and an art to it, and it’s challenging. You get to use all of your mind and your body too.”
“The work you did at my place was more than worth what I paid you. You sure I can’t—”
“Tim, we discussed this. Eighty-five percent of market wages. I don’t want a penny more than what I deserve, and a friend discount of fifteen percent is really a lot less than you deserve.”
“Okay, but if you change your mind…”
“Not happening, for multiple reasons. One of which is that business is picking up.”
“That’s great. And it makes sense. Daisy said you did a bang-up job.”
“Thanks. She’s a…nice girl you got there, Duke.”
“Thanks. Our one and only.”
Duke lines up for his shot.
“Surprised it took you two this long to finally bump into each other.”
Pap! Pap! Pap!
“Ouch! Where’s your aim?” I say. Duke’s three shots have missed by a country mile. They’re all over the place, not even in a group. Something is definitely off.
“Gun’s a little off.”
“Come on! Never blame your equipment. You know that. Let me see that thing.”
I take the gun and line up.
Pap! Pap! Pap!
“See there. Three in the chest. Just like what would happen if anyone tried to mess with my family.” I turn and look at Duke. “Or my friends.” He looks down. “Cheer up, buddy. Ain’t your fault you’re not as good a shot as I am,” I tease.
We spend the next forty-five minutes lighting up the targets, or should I say I do. I can’t miss, and Duke can’t hit. I can see something’s bothering him. I know it’s tough transitioning back to civilian life, but he’ll get used to it just as I did a year ago. It’ll take a few months, that’s for sure, but it’ll come.
We leave the range and his mind seems to be wandering.
“Cheeseburgers?”
“Sounds good,” he says.
Twenty minutes later we’re biting into some of the finest cheeseburgers in the state. The onions, and pickles, and lettuce are just pouring out of those sesame seed buns which are holding 100% USDA Certified Angus Beef. God, I love being a man!
“What’s on your mind, sailor?” I ask. It’s bugging me seeing my friend down like this.
“Nothing, my man. I’m all good.”
“Don’t try that B.S. on me. I’ve known you half my life, and I can clearly see something’s off.”
He bites into his burger, trying to ignore me.
“Money troubles? I can float you if you need some cash to get going.”
“Naw, I’m good there. I’ve got my pension so I can always get by on that.”
“Ladies treating you all right?”
He takes a swig from his beer.
“That’s it, ain’t it? Women. Can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em, although Karen is one-of-a-kind. We’ve never had so much as one little argument all these years.”
Still nothing.
“Damn. This one’s got you good. Want to talk about her?”
Silence.
“Come on, man. What’s her name?”
He’s taps his fingertips across the table from pinky to index. He does it again, picking up the pace. I notice the table moving a little and look down and see he’s up on the ball of his foot, bouncing his heel up and down, his knee following suit.
“The might Duke’s finally met the one lady who’s got him tongue tied.”
The sounds of his fingertips across the table are louder and faster now, and his knee is bouncing up and down uncontrollably.
“Can you at least tell me her name?”
“D-something,” he mumbles.
“D, what?”
“Daisy,” he says, under his breath.
I laugh and take a sip of my beer. “Ain’t that a coincidence? That’s the same name as my…”
He buries his head in his hands, his elbows on the table.
I feel my blood turn cold, then hot. My hairs are standing on end. If this were anybody else I’d already be kicking their ass, and I’m considering it at this very moment.
I stand up from the table and flip my tray over.
“How in the fuck is that for loyalty!” I say, as I storm over to my truck and tear out of the lot, sending gravel flying every which way behind me.