Free Death by Facebook by Everett Peacock Page B

the
bartender look around. “To Private James Turner, wherever he
may be.”

    ~~~

    The
table of middle aged revelers at Burr's soda fountain finally calmed
down a bit as he stood there waving his hands lightly.
    “ What
is it Adam? Do I need another drink first?” One of the guys
was asking above the din of the place.
    “ No,
no more drinks quite yet,” Adam said.
    Agatha
finally moved her head enough for the ice cream filled straw to fall
back into the tall elegantly carved glass. “My God,” she
thought. “Is he going to embarrass me with some kind of
reminisce?”
    “ Look,”
Adam said, beaming toward Agatha. “We all came back to Burr's
tonight for a special occasion. Yes, the ice cream is worthy of a
road trip, but tonight I want to introduce an old, but apparently not
so old, friend of mine.”
    He
held out his hand toward Agatha.
    She
stood up to take it, wishing with all her might that he would keep
this short. Public displays of anything, even friendship were quite
beyond her pain threshold at the moment.
    “ Back
when I was younger and my friend Agatha was still as beautiful I
drove an old '72 Camaro to the high school dance one starry, starry
Friday night.”
    Adam
raised Agatha's hand a bit and then gently let it go, allowing her to
sit back down, a few shades redder.
    “ It
was by far the best night of my life!” Adam remained up but
reached down for his half full glass of ice cream soda. “A
toast if you will...” He paused for everyone to raise their
glasses. Agatha smiled as she did.
    “ To
the graceful nature of time that lets us occasionally enjoy again the
highlights of our youth.”
    A
rousing clinking of glasses followed with several cheers from the
other men.
    “ Now,
someone move over so I can sit next to Agatha,” Adam demanded
in a friendly tone. “We have some catching up to do.”
    Agatha
watched him move in next to her, almost as if they were both sitting
in the back seat of that Camaro again. Close and comfy.
    “ I
thought you were going to just kill me standing up and introducing
me, Adam.”
    “ Oh
that? Sorry, but if I didn't say something all those other guys were
going to ask you out.”
    She
laughed lightly at the compliment, something deep inside her heart
exploding clear and bright with happiness. Remembering their
favorite dish she asked “Shall we order the apple pie?”
    Adam
reached under the table and gently took her hand. “Of course,
my dear. Let's save the best for last.”

14

    North
Carolina was not known for its balmy winters, especially this
particularly frigid December 15 th .
The twenty five men and women lined up in the cold 0600 morning air
appeared to Sergeant Johannson like so many steam vents. Their
breaths floated above them in an ever increasing fog.
    She
walked up the line, two deep, barking out the last names in roll
call.
    “ Beninate?”
    “ Aye”
was the answer, forceful and strong.
    “ McHenry?”
    “ Here!”
    “ Samson?”
    “ Aye”
    “ Turner?”
    Silence
followed, then the soft ruffle of necks turning inside of tight
collars against the cold. The rumor was out that Turner was still in
Hawaii, and despite the attraction of that thought at this moment,
everyone knew it to be big trouble for the Private.
    “ Turner?”
Sergeant Johannson yelled more forcefully.
    No
answer.
    “ God
dammit Turner!” Johannson swore, then continued down her list.
    “ Yamaguchi ?”
    “ Here!”

    ~~~

    I
hovered, as best I could make out, above Janet's fitfully sleeping
form all night. Try as I might I couldn't read through the rapid
bursts of static and noise coming from her dreams. She had risen
twice during the darkness to throw up. Shivering each time, she
crawled back under her covers into a fetal position, snoring with
exhaustion.
    At
daybreak she roused herself, dressed in my clothes again, pulled on
my Army cap and made her way to the cafeteria. She had to, there
wasn't anything but beer cans in the refrigerator.
    Showing
my