hands on my jeans. My knees felt like jelly as I walked across the dining room that seemed to get bigger as I approached the counter. Jack swirled around on the stool and smiled at me. “Well, hello there, pretty lady.”
No one had ever called me pretty or a lady. I imagined my whole body melting into the floor like the wicked witch on The Wizard of Oz . I managed a weak smile to match my jellified knees. No words came from my mouth as I sw ooned over his sculptured face.
Andy spoke for me. “This is Annette.”
Jack pointed toward me with the hand holding the cigarette. “Yeah, far out! I remember you. You’re sister to that Ken Doll…” Jack pinched his nose with two fingers on his other hand. “Ah, Adam…something.”
The thought of someone making fun of Adam made me laugh. A giggle slipped from my throat. “Ken Doll?”
Jack looked at me, amused. “Yeah, you know, all up-tight and stiff-like. He’s your brother, right?”
I hid the grin behind my hand. “Yeah, I guess so.”
Jack patted the stool next to him. “Here, pretty lady, take a load off.”
He said it again. Jack’s charm drew me in as he looked at me sideways.
“You don’t remember me, do you? I’m the guy who used to wink at you in the drug store.”
Suddenly, I recognized the freckle-faced boy behind the lunch counter who made me laugh. Heat trickled over my face. “Oh yeah, I remember you now.”
His beautiful green eyes studied my face. “You want a drink or something?”
I shook my head. “Nah, I’m supposed to be working.”
Jack turned back to the counter. “Hey, Bro, how about getting me one of Rosie’s famous dough burgers?”
“Sure thing, Man.” Andy disappeared behind the kitchen door.
Jack turned his drink bottle up and put it back down. “Yeah, I remember you coming in on Saturdays with your mama. How many sisters and brothers do you have?”
“One sister, two brothers.”
Jack lit another cigarette. “Yeah, right on. I remember you, for sure. Of course, that was before I went to Nam.”
My eyes nearly popped out of my head when I realized that I was talking to someone who had fought in a war clear on the other side of the world. “You were in Vietnam?”
Jack took a drag from his cigarette and said, “Yep. I was waiting to hear from the Navy Seals. Special Forces like that need smart guys like me, you know. So, I was just sitting around waiting to be called, and damn if the Army didn’t get me first. Drafted. Bummer, Man!”
“For real, did you like being in the Army?”
Jack laughed. “Hell-blazes, no! The army is nothing but one big hassle. I don’t like hassles. I’m cool. I like taking it easy, see?”
Andy came back and put the sandwich on the counter, but Jack was way too wound up to eat. Andy leaned on the counter to hear Jack’s war story.
“I had this sergeant, see. He was the meanest son of a you-know-what you ever saw. He was always yelling right up in your face. I didn’t feel so bad for myself because I’m a pretty tough dude. It was the other guys I felt sorry for. So this sergeant starts cussing and raising all kinds of Cain at us, orders us to get in the trenches, you know, like nasty swamps. Well, I’m cool and down for just about anything, but snakes and such…no way, Buddy. I don’t want no part of that. You know what I mean?”
Jack jumped off the stool and threw in a few hand g estures to punctuate his story.
“Well, so this high and mighty dude says for me to get my –uh, you know what – down in that swamp. I said, ‘Well the hell no!’ He said to me , ‘Boy, you’re gettin’ in that swamp, or I’ll write you up and have you thrown in the brig.’ Now, that really pissed me off ’cause I don’t take too kindly to getting snake bit. So he starts walking back to his tent to write me up, like he said. I take that big gun I’ve been carrying around for days but never got a chance to use and BAM! I shoot his ass!”
Andy’s eyebrows shot up. “Did
No one had ever called me pretty or a lady. I imagined my whole body melting into the floor like the wicked witch on The Wizard of Oz . I managed a weak smile to match my jellified knees. No words came from my mouth as I sw ooned over his sculptured face.
Andy spoke for me. “This is Annette.”
Jack pointed toward me with the hand holding the cigarette. “Yeah, far out! I remember you. You’re sister to that Ken Doll…” Jack pinched his nose with two fingers on his other hand. “Ah, Adam…something.”
The thought of someone making fun of Adam made me laugh. A giggle slipped from my throat. “Ken Doll?”
Jack looked at me, amused. “Yeah, you know, all up-tight and stiff-like. He’s your brother, right?”
I hid the grin behind my hand. “Yeah, I guess so.”
Jack patted the stool next to him. “Here, pretty lady, take a load off.”
He said it again. Jack’s charm drew me in as he looked at me sideways.
“You don’t remember me, do you? I’m the guy who used to wink at you in the drug store.”
Suddenly, I recognized the freckle-faced boy behind the lunch counter who made me laugh. Heat trickled over my face. “Oh yeah, I remember you now.”
His beautiful green eyes studied my face. “You want a drink or something?”
I shook my head. “Nah, I’m supposed to be working.”
Jack turned back to the counter. “Hey, Bro, how about getting me one of Rosie’s famous dough burgers?”
“Sure thing, Man.” Andy disappeared behind the kitchen door.
Jack turned his drink bottle up and put it back down. “Yeah, I remember you coming in on Saturdays with your mama. How many sisters and brothers do you have?”
“One sister, two brothers.”
Jack lit another cigarette. “Yeah, right on. I remember you, for sure. Of course, that was before I went to Nam.”
My eyes nearly popped out of my head when I realized that I was talking to someone who had fought in a war clear on the other side of the world. “You were in Vietnam?”
Jack took a drag from his cigarette and said, “Yep. I was waiting to hear from the Navy Seals. Special Forces like that need smart guys like me, you know. So, I was just sitting around waiting to be called, and damn if the Army didn’t get me first. Drafted. Bummer, Man!”
“For real, did you like being in the Army?”
Jack laughed. “Hell-blazes, no! The army is nothing but one big hassle. I don’t like hassles. I’m cool. I like taking it easy, see?”
Andy came back and put the sandwich on the counter, but Jack was way too wound up to eat. Andy leaned on the counter to hear Jack’s war story.
“I had this sergeant, see. He was the meanest son of a you-know-what you ever saw. He was always yelling right up in your face. I didn’t feel so bad for myself because I’m a pretty tough dude. It was the other guys I felt sorry for. So this sergeant starts cussing and raising all kinds of Cain at us, orders us to get in the trenches, you know, like nasty swamps. Well, I’m cool and down for just about anything, but snakes and such…no way, Buddy. I don’t want no part of that. You know what I mean?”
Jack jumped off the stool and threw in a few hand g estures to punctuate his story.
“Well, so this high and mighty dude says for me to get my –uh, you know what – down in that swamp. I said, ‘Well the hell no!’ He said to me , ‘Boy, you’re gettin’ in that swamp, or I’ll write you up and have you thrown in the brig.’ Now, that really pissed me off ’cause I don’t take too kindly to getting snake bit. So he starts walking back to his tent to write me up, like he said. I take that big gun I’ve been carrying around for days but never got a chance to use and BAM! I shoot his ass!”
Andy’s eyebrows shot up. “Did
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