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 Sherm, I yelled over the deafening roar,  what the fuck are we gonna do?
 What?
 WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? THEY RE COMING IN.
 Relax, yo. It s just a helicopter.
 What? I cupped my hand to my ear and gripped the gun tighter. My palms were
sweaty.
 A HELICOPTER. IT S A FUCKING HELICOPTER.
I gaped at him, my heart racing in my chest, then the noise started to
subside. The speed and rhythm decreased, and then stopped altogether. Finally,
all we could hear was the distant, muffled whine of an engine, then even that
stopped.
 They ve landed. Sherm grinned. The look on his face was very close to joy.
 Who landed? What the fuck are you talking about, Sherm? That was a goddamned
helicopter. Who was in it?
 The York County Quick Response Unit, he said with obvious pride.  They
finally arrived. Sounds like they landed in the parking lot.
 Oh great, I sighed sarcastically.
 Damn straight, he replied.  Now things should get really interesting around
here.
His laughter seemed almost as loud as the chopper s blades had been, and just
as sharp.
FOURTEEN
Eventually, we all relaxed again, as best we could given the circumstances. I
convinced Sherm to bring in one of the big bottles of water for the cooler,
and we gave everybody a sip. I dribbled some down John s throat too.
Sherm was bored.
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 So tell us, Dugan. How long have you been banging Sharon?
Corded, ropy muscles rippled underneath Dugan s chambray work shirt as he
bristled, straining against his bonds.
 Why, you little piece of shit. You d better hope I don t get loose, boy. I ll
strangle you with my bare hands.
Sharon tried to shush him, but Dugan ignored her.
 I won t have him talking that way about you. Enough is enough!
Sherm laughed.  Hey, man, all I did was ask you a question. But since you
don t want to answer nicely . . .
He picked up the gun and walked toward Dugan.
 I ve fucking had it with you people. I don t care if the commando squad is
here or not. It s time for somebody to die.
My heart started racing in my chest.
 Come on, Sherm.
 Stay out of this, Tommy.
 Hey, Roy stammered.  Now wait just a minute, Sherm. Wait a darn minute!
 Nope. I don t think so, Roy. I asked him a simple question and he decided to
call me names and threaten me instead. I don t play that shit.
Dugan stared at the pistol in Sherm s hand. His eyes were defiant and filled
with hate. He did not speak.
Sherm leveled the gun at him.
 We met in high school, Sharon interrupted.  We were sweethearts when I was a
junior and he was a senior.
Sherm glanced down at her, smiled, and looked back at Dugan.
 See, your girlfriend answered politely.
He sat down again. Dugan fumed, and Sharon looked embarrassed.
 So you were high school sweethearts. Sounds like the perfect romance. Go on.
Dugan began to speak.
 I got drafted in  69, and two weeks after I graduated, I was on my way to
basic training at Fort Bragg. I couldn t afford college, and there was no way
I was dodging the draft, running off to Canada like some of the freaks from
this town. I was with the First Cavalry in Vietnam. Sharon wrote to me at
first, but 
He trailed off, and Sharon continued for him.
 But I was still in school and still young, and Vietnam seemed so very far
away.
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Her voice was quiet, thoughtful and apologetic all at once. I got the feeling
that she was talking to him more than the rest of us.
 While he was over there, I watched my friends date and go to the prom and the
Sadie Hawkins dances and to the drive-in on Friday nights, and all I did was
sit at home, waiting to hear if he was alive or not. Waiting for a letter
every day and crying myself to sleep on nights when one didn t show up.
 Until Lee. His voice was hoarse, and even after all these years, the memory
still bothered him whoever Lee was.
 That s right. Until Lee. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]