Memories
He finally found the hand gun. “I’ll show that little loudmouth.”
“Now where did I put the clip? Gotta’ be around here somewhere. It’s sure as hell not in the closet. Have to check with Marie and see if she knows where it is.”
Searching aimlessly and talking to himself, he stumbled around the foyer, looking for something he had misplaced. “Marie. You seen the damned clip for this weapon?”
“Hey, no one can talk to me that way. That little shit Carl, down at the Senior Center, says I’m a coward does he? I’ll show him a coward, that old codger. Call me a chicken, southern redneck and a Christian zealot, does he. And says I’m all talk and no action. I’m sure as the devil no coward. . I’ll show that little shit head, that I’m not afraid of anybody. I don’t have to take crap from him. I’ll show him a little action.”
“Marie. Answer me. Where the hell are you?” He rambled on, searching.
“I did my tours in Nam. Two of ‘em. Well one and the shortened one in ‘67, anyway. God damn, it seems like yesterday. When I re-upped they flew us second tour guys back right away. Guess they needed two timers in there fast. As we got off the big bird, the huey medvac helo landed on the pad right next us and they hit it with a RPG just as it touched down. Must have been a willie peter round as the smoke burned your nose and was white; we couldn’t put the damned fire out. I didn’t think the slopes even had white phosphorous. Anyway, when it hit the cockpit on the co-pilots side, it blew him the hell right out of the huey. Body parts all over the tarmac. The pilot was still strapped in and he was on fire, and smokin’; but there wasn’t a sound but for the poppin’ and hissin’ of him ‘a burnin’ there in the cockpit. Sounded just like when we make cracklin’s back home on the farm. Couldn’t put him out. He didn’t make a sound. Still strapped in the left hand seat. Ears and nose burned off. Face black, lips pulled back like he was grinnin’, teeth a’ showin’ white. I still see him in dreams. The smoke was bad but the smell was worse. God how I’d like to forget that awful smell. I still get sick just thinking about him and remembering like it was yesterday. Sweetish it was.”
”The wounded grunts in the back were a different story. There were four of them strapped down on stretchers. Couldn’t move. The one guy near the door, his leg was on fire. White phosphorous. Can’t put it out. Just gotta’ burn out. I remember yanking the whole stretcher out and trying the extinguisher but the fire wouldn’t go out. In the field we had to dig the stuff outa the wound with a knife. And the grunt was screaming. “Put it out! Put it out!” I remember. He was a black guy. Had a big bandage on his head and his neck and God, did he scream. Sounded like a crazy man. Between the sounds and the smell, I near passed out. Heard he finally lost the leg. Think his name was Darius. Damn. Seems like yesterday. Funny I’d remember his name and all those details.”
“Hell I’m ramblin’ again. That’s what Marie calls it. I’m just rememberin’.
I’m sure as hell no coward. Did Carl really call me a coward? Think he said, ‘You’re too chicken to go to Iraq.’ That’s the same as callin’ me a coward, ain’t it? Well by God, I paid my dues and I’m sure as hell not a chicken.”
“Now where in the hell is the clip for this weapon. Can’t remember where in hell I put it though. Try the storage closet on the patio. No, not here. Crap, this is all gardening stuff in here. For Christ’s sake here’s the TV remote. What’s it doin’ out here? Been looking for that for a week. Marie must have left it out here. And I’ll be damned, here are the other car keys. . Wait a minute, Marie couldn’t have left the remote out here. She passed last month, I think. Or was it March, Marie? She’s kinda forgetful. Found my cell phone in the freezer where she musta’ left it.
“Golly, didn’t Marie and me have some good times together. I remember our high school senior prom like it was yesterday. I got all slicked up in my first real suit. Blue serge. Had to wear a tie; a clip-on. And by God didn’t that Old Spice smell nice. And Marie was a doll. She wore that pink strapless thing. Pretty as hell and smelled like a June morning. That durned dress, though, had wires all around her tits and when I was feelin’ her up it was like I was squeezing her through a hog wire fence. Paid seven fifty for that damned orchid corsage for her that night. We all went out to the lake after the dance, Eddie Williams, Susie Edwards, Marie and me. Eddie had a bottle of that cinnamon rum and some cokes. Christ, we drank all of the rum and I got sick and puked my guts out. We didn’t get home till 5:40 in the morning. Was her Dad mad or what? Red faced and scowlin’ like a hornet stung bull, he came at me swingin’. I thought he was going to smack me up side of my head, but stopped and just glared in my face and told me to get the hell outa’ there and stay the hell away from his daughter or he’d have my balls. I believe she eventually married Bubba Smith, had four kids and is teaching over at the grade school.
“Good. Here’s the clip but, now where did I put the damned weapon? I’m always losin’ things. Shit, I couldn’t have lost it. I just had it. Let’s see, I didn’t leave the house did I? So it’s gotta’ be here somewhere. Couch? No. Dining room table? No. Bedroom? No. Wait, check under the pillow. Here’s the son-of-a-bitch under the pillow. Musta’ put it there for safekeeping. OK. Safety on. Lock and load as ol’ Sergeant Major Anders would holler. Rough as a cob, he was.. He did thirty and out, I heard. Jeez, he was tough. Nice guy though. Made me come back three times before I qualified with the 45. He bought me a beer at the NCO club that night. Damn nice guy. But he was a tough old nut, though. Seems like only yesterday.
Safety on. No holster. Don’t need one, though, do I? Don’t need one? Why not? Whoa. What in the hell am I doing with this damned sidearm anyway? Good Christ it’s loaded! How’d that happen? A loaded automatic in the house? Good thing we don’t have any of the little ones around. Don’t think we do. Marie, all the kids growed now, aren’t they? Safety is on, thank God. I can still hear Sergeant Major Anders still beating that “safety on” stuff into us on the firing line. Saw him over in Biloxi at the VA hospital six years ago. His mind was gone. He didn’t remember me. Too much booze, I guess. Gotta’ be the booze. He’s only sixty-nine. That’s not too old. I’m seventy-six and I’m doin’ good.”
“I think I’m supposed go back to the Biloxi VA next month. But why did I need this gun? And it’s loaded at that. Wonder why? Hard to keep track of stuff today. I missed my last two appointments. Forgot ‘em. They’re all screwed up over there in Biloxi. Told me I have “Old Timer’s Disease”. Bullshit. I can remember nearly everything. I remember my service number, 425 1704. Not many guys can do that today at when they’re seventy-six. Those crappy little pills they give me don’t help my memory. I’m goin’ back on the ginseng and beer. Marie says the ginseng is good for my memory. It’s as good as this horse piss they gave me to take each morning; or was it evenings?”
“Guess I’m ready. Now where was I goin’? Oh yeah. Down to the center? Must be time to be a’goin’ there, cause I’m hungry and that’s where me and Marie get our lunch this time of day with the rest of them oldies. Must be it’s around noon or so right now I figure. Guess Carl and the rest of ‘em will be there. Like to have lunch with the old timers. They’re a lot like me. Especially Carl. He’s old and a little cranky. A Democrat and an atheist but I like the little fella’ anyway. Better get movin’. Now what in the devil am I gonna’ do with this damned weapon. It’s on safe for now. I’ll just put it behind the couch pillow and get it later. Wonder what I wanted the durned thing for, anyway.”
“Marie, better get a move on or we’ll miss lunch. Marie ! Snap to it, let’s go! Damn girl, come on.
Oh yeah, damn near forgot. She passed.
Hard to remember everything nowadays.”
Posted in Short Stories
Reilly Maginn's debut novel, BIO, a medical action thriller is a truly frightening tale of Jihadist bioterrorism. A story of weapons of mass destruction that could happen here in the US. Set in the south Pacific, a volunteer American physician/surgeon faces off against not only a deadly virus, but also the radical muslim terrorists who developed it. There is a fittingly appropriate conclusion. The novel is a real page turner and soon will appear on the big screen.
Linda Anderson December 7th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
The grisly part almost put me off what turned out to be a very good story. It has the ring of truth and what’s more, all of us oldies can relate and know it is true. A really good job developing the theme.