From Here to Eternity_ The Restored Edit - Jones, James [263]
The cook on the table sat up irritably. “What the hell do you guys want? This aint no goddam all night restaurant. You suppose to eat when you go on post or when you come off. And thats all.”
“We dont want to eat,” Prew said.
“You woke me up,” the cook said.
“But we’ll take a cup of coffee?” Prew said.
“Like hell,” the cook said indignantly. “How you expect me to get any sleep, guys comin in all hours. You aint got no business in here unless you getting ready to go on post.”
“A cup of coffee aint going to bother you any,” Prew said.
“Like hell,” the cook said angrily. “Its already bothered me. Its woke me up. I aint no goddam——”
The corporal’s head came up again, and his eyes opened on nothing. Then he looked at the cook. “Shut up, will you?” he said, “for god sake? Its you thats makin all the noise. Leave them have a cup of coffee, long as they be quiet.”
“A lot you know,” the cook said indignantly. “Oh, balls,” he said, and stretched back out.
“Go ahead and get your coffee,” the corporal said. “But be quiet.” His head dropped in slow stages and his eyes shut, on nothing. He settled himself blissfully.
The coffee was still hot and they stood against the warm stove while they drank it.
“We better get there early,” Friday whispered nervously. “He come back and we aint there he liable to think we ditched him.”
“Okay,” Prew whispered luxuriously, “pretty soon,” not wanting to think about the stumbling back down along the wire through the dark without a flash and the slapping at the clouds of mosquitoes that would be rising from the grass at every step.
They sipped at the coffee in the breathing silence.
“We better go soon,” Friday whispered nervously.
Prew set his cup down. “Goddam it, come on then,” he whispered. “Lets get it over with.”
“Man,” Friday said happily when they were outside, “we’ll show him some real git-tar playin, man, when ole Andy comes over with the truck. We’ll show him Infantry.”
“Yeah,” Prew said, stumbling along. “God damn this hole.”
Slade was already waiting for them at the wire.
“I thought you werent going to come back. I was about ready to give it up and go home.”
“Listen,” Prew said, “when we tell a guy we’ll do a thing, by god we do it. And he can count on it. We dont welch.”
Slade turned his flashlight on at their feet. “Sure,” he grinned, “I knew that too. Its just that I’ve been around these pricks in the Air Corps too long, is all.”
“You better turn your light off,” Friday said. “We’re supposed to stay blacked out on this problem.”
“Oh,” Slade said quickly. “Sure.” He shut it off. “You fellows must think I’m awful green. How do I get across this fence?”
“Have to go back up,” Prew said, “and come through the gap we left for our trucks.”
“How far is it?”
“Hundred and fifty, two hundred yards back this way.”
“Okay,” Slade grinned. “I’ll walk it up and come back down by myself. Theres no need for you fellows to have to walk clear up there just for me. You’re doing enough for me the way it is.”
“Oh, no,” Prew said, “we dont mind walking it. You liable to get lost in here if you dont know the path.”
“I can follow the wire down,” Slade said.
“We got to go back ourselves anyway,” Friday said quickly, waving his hand uselessly around his ears again.
“Oh,” Slade said. “Okay then. But I want you to know you dont have to on my account. You’re doing enough for me the way it is, fellows.”
“The kitchen’s back up that way,” Prew explained, as they started back up toward the bivouac, them on one side, Slade on the other, stumbling over roots and bumping into branches.
“Dont these mosquitoes bother you none?” Friday said.
“Naw,” Slade said. He hesitated. “I almost kind of like them, in a way.”
“Like them!” Friday said.
“Yes,” Slade said embarrassedly. “Not exactly like them, you know, but they make me feel like I’m really doing something. They make this horseshit more like real soldiering. You can stand out here and imagine you’re really soldiering. Of course they’re not anything, not really, not compared to what you guys have to put up with, I bet.”
“I dont