Old Friends

OLD FRIENDS

         Bill Coleman never knew what happened to Nick Stevens after the war, until yesterday. They had been like brothers; Bill with his red hair, and Nick with his blond hair, both cut in flattops. Wherever you saw one, you saw the other, except for the war.

         Before the war, Bill tried to reason with his friend. “Look, you can’t just not go. If you don’t join, they’ll just draft you anyway.”

         “They can draft me all they want. The Vietmanese (his odd pronunciation) people haven't done nothing to me or to this country. I’m not about to go over there and kill them or get killed for a bunch of politicians in D. C.”

         “So what will you do?” Bill worried that his best friend would do something stupid like run off to Canada.

         “Canada," said Nick

         “Are you crazy? “You’ll have to give up your citizenship. You’ll never be allowed to come back to America!”

                  Nick shrugged his shoulders.

         A few days later, Nick called him from Canada to say goodbye.

         Bill had to wait a year before he could join the Marines and go off to war. Convinced that he was saving the world from communism, he was itching to get into the fight. However, after six months in country, his attitude changed. He bagan to think that Nick might be the sane one..



         One cold, rainy night while on R&R in Hong Kong, alone in his hotel room, Bill wrote a letter to his mother. Dear Mom, it read:

          I realize now that war is wrong. I have seen and done things that I never dreamed of doing or seeing. I am fed up and sick of this whole frikken nightmare. No matter how much I shower, I can’t rid myself of the stench and the dirt. These people don't give tinker's tool if we are fight and die for them. Most of want us to leave them alone so they can grow their rice and raise their kids to do the same. And the city people  -- hell, they see us as rich fools -- just a way to make easy money. I wouldn't  trust any of them no farther than I can throw an elephant. Their only loyalty is to money. I want out, but I'm a Marine and I’ll do my duty for another 119 days, 3 hours, and 22 minutes. Then I get my tailbone on the big silver bird and leave this God forsaken place. Sorry for the rant, Mom. I love you and Dad. Tell sis I send my love and I’ll bring her something nice when I get home. As always, Love, your son, Bill.

         Satisfied, he held the letter by one corner and lit the opposite corner with his Zippo lighter. He took another swig from the half-empty bottle of Jack Daniels and watched as the bright orange flames consumed his sorrow..

         That night, while he slept off the booze in his hotel room, his entire platoon, along with most of Charlie Company was annihilated in an ambush.

          Forty years later, Bill ran into his old friend, Nick on the internet. He learned that Nick lives in Detroit, Michigan, just a few miles from the men's shelter where he lives.

         At their old hangout on the corner of 8 mile and Gratiot, although much older, they recognized each other immediately. Bill learns that Nick is married, retired, and has a passle of grandkids. Nick asked, “What about you, Bill? You married?"

         Bill took  a healthy pull off his bottle of Jack Daniels wrapped in a brown paper bag. "Nah. After three times I just couldn't seem to get the hang of it.”

         Their laughter was uneasy.