O'hara's Choice - Leon Uris [55]
Captain Storm held down a table on the garden lawn with Major Boone and Captain X.
“You have thoroughly charmed my men,” Maple said. “A number of them have already inquired about service in the Corps.”
“And what did you tell them?” Ben asked.
“I told them these past four days were pastry. Get up at four-thirty in the morning and drill with these sons of bitches till midnight just one day and you’ll need no further convincing to remain in the navy.”
Tobias and Ben smiled, cats licking their chops.
“Your instructors are pretty blunt,” Maple said. “Has Commandant Ballard attended any of these classes?”
Tobias scratched his jaw. “He kind of gives us a wide berth.”
“He should. Some of what was said was borderline treason.”
“He knows what we’re up to.”
“I must say I was impressed by that O’Hara kid,” Maple said.
“You know who he is,” Ben said.
“Yeah, I know, Paddy O’Hara’s son. Those words, I’ll remember them.” Richard Maple pressed his fingers together, closed his eyes, and tried to remember. “ ‘A great new emerging world power need not invoke fear among nations so long as it remains guided by a noble idea.’ “
“Fucking poetry,” Tobias said.
“He’s a pretty good kid,” Ben agreed cautiously, for he sensed a little quid pro quo coming up.
“Any chance that if I sent over two or three promising plebes to take your next AMP course in its entirety, I might chat with O’Hara?”
“Somewhat less than none,” Storm answered.
“We’ll shoot him first,” Ben added.
“How long before you complete this first AMP course?” Maple pressed.
“It’s our initial class. We don’t know exactly what our cutoff date is. A second group is being formed now, at least on paper.”
“Where are your people going to be stationed when they graduate?”
“About half of them haven’t had sea duty. They’ll automatically have to do a cruise aboard ship,” Storm said. “O’Hara hasn’t done sea duty yet.”
“And you know how hard we’re fighting to keep Marines aboard the ships,” Ben added quickly.
The near-empty gin-and-tonic glasses were given short shrift when reinforcements arrived. Maple realized he wasn’t going to budge them.
“All right, you bastards,” Captain X said, “I want to bring the entire upper class of midshipmen over here for the same seminar. Satisfied?”
“Are you satisfied?” Ben asked.
“You’re mavericks, both of you. Some of your zeal needs to be tempered, but your case is infallible. You see our future with clarity. You speak the truth and I have to support you. Try to make it a little easier for me.”
Maple looked up to see Zachary O’Hara approaching with Beth Shaughnessy between him and Corporal Varnik.
“Excuse me, sirs,” Zachary said.
“Yes?”
“My best buddy, Corporal Varnik, and his sweetheart, Beth Shaughnessy. Varnik and I don’t waltz very well, Captain Maple, and she wondered if you would do her the honor of a dance.”
“The honor would be mine,” Captain X said gallantly.
The band resumed and Maple whisked Beth to the dance floor with dash.
“O’Hara, how the hell did you know waltzes were coming up next?” Storm asked suddenly.
“I requested them from Warrant Officer Sousa,” Zach answered.
• 17 •
EMILY
Three Weeks Later—Inverness
When shadows crossed Emily’s apartment, it gave Horace a bit of the shivers. A purplish hue and blinking lights from the dancing aspen leaves outside and the medicinal smell, not unlike an undertaker’s, all made him uneasy.
Emily sat in the purple light, hair knotted tight, pallid, grown spinsterishly ugly. The eyes were glazed now. She wandered, pit-pat, this that. A giggle.
The nurse indicated to Horace that Emily was very tired from the visit and he’d best go.
“Good-bye, Emily,” Horace said.
She looked at him curiously, then held up her hand to be patted and kissed.
“We will see each other again soon, Emily.”
“Yes, it’s Mother’s birthday, or is it Upton’s .