O'hara's Choice - Leon Uris [130]
“I’m glad we’ve been able to come to this moment, Zach. I had some twinges of doubt when you got that letter from Amanda.”
“And you were worried that I wouldn’t come back from my leave?”
“I was. Not now.”
“Maybe I do have a dirty secret,” Zach said suddenly.
“You’ll come back. You’re a war lover, like your old man.”
“I’m not a war lover.”
“In order to defend what we’ve got, every generation has to ante up war lovers.”
“Ben, was there really a Yolanda?”
“Sort of. There’s always a Yolanda but the memory gets mistier with age. And if it wasn’t Yolanda, it was Cassandra or Miranda and Sally Anndra—”
“Or Amanda.”
“Or whoever is standing on the dock waving farewell to her Marine.”
“I hear you, clearly.”
“You’re going to be in the Caribbean for several months before there is a public announcement. No wives, no camp followers. We hope we don’t have to keep you there that long, but you have to make a two-year commitment.”
“I figured. Anything else?”
“You’ve got the gist.”
Ben patted himself down, hunting for tobacco. “Shit! I was in such a hurry to get out here to see you with everything, I forgot my friggin’ pipe and tobacco.”
“Stand at ease, the day may be saved,” Zach said, digging into his jacket. Two apples for two great horses. A pack of cigarettes down at the bottom.
“You smoking now?”
“I used to carry them for, you know, Lilly, when we strolled on the beach after the weather changed, and a good Marine always has . . . matches!”
They surrounded the cigarette to cut off the breeze. Ben lit up, drew, and gave a nice long “ahhh.”
“Damned, it’s nice out here,” he said, puffing contentedly, then sizing up the brand. “Real elegant smoke. Probably some crap for the French aristocracy put out by Barjac.”
“No, she told me her brother got the tobacco in Morocco. It was too expensive to put out on the market, so he makes some up for the family and a few friends.”
“Now, that is high living,” Ben said.
Zachary sniffed in an aroma he’d known before. Not that he wanted Lilly, but it was Lilly’s sweet scent. She would like to smoke on the way back up to her villa right before the lovemaking. She’d get heady and giggly and every so often she’d kiss him openmouthed and exhale the smoke into him.
“Sure nice out here,” Ben repeated.
“Ah, let me have a puff. Stirs up a naughty memory.”
Ben passed the smoke.
“I can see how you can get hooked on this,” Zach said. “I’ll have to make a New Year’s resolution not to take it up.”
Major Boone began to ascend. Zach, being the good sport, took it down to the butt. They lit another.
“Sure is nice out here.” Sure was.
“Every time I stopped by this goddamn tree, I worked out a landing or a defense.”
“You know, so did I.”
“Okay, let’s have an invasion, right now.”
“Sounds great.”
“Do you want offense or defense?”
“Both.”
“How many troops gonna make your assault?”
“How many you want?”
“One entire battalion.”
“That’s more than enough. Who’s the enemy?”
“Anyone who doesn’t agree with us.”
“The landing was sloppy. I wanna inspect them before we move inland.”
“Fall in, you creatures, on the double, goddammit! Battalion formed. All present or accounted for, SIR!”
“Jesus H. Christ. Can’t you people form a straight line! What the hell is this war dance they’re doing?”
“They have to piss, SIR!”
“They shoulda pissed when they were wading ashore.”
“In my command, SIR, no Marine pisses his pants, even when submerged.”
“Order them to piss and take three steps forward.”
“Cocks out, right face, PISS!”
“Downwind, goddammit! You, big jock, you’re pissing on my boots!”
“Battalion re-formed and eager for combat, SIR!”
“Before we go into battle, I wish to inspect them. Have your first company take off their knapsacks and open them for inspection. What the fuck is this, pictures of naked women! And you, son, when did you last brush your teeth . . . button your fly, there, Corporal . . . your fingernails are dirty. Put him on report . . . and you, what the hell you shaking for!”
“He always does that before combat, SIR!”
“I’ve come