Part 44 (1/2)
”Then I'll go get Toomer,” Mary Anne said, rising and going toward the back door.
”Stop, Mary Anne!” Ben shouted. ”You can't go out there!”
”Why not?” she asked.
”Because Dad ordered us to stay in the house. We're confined to quarters.”
”You're confined to quarters. He wouldn't dream in a thousand years that I would go get Toomer. So you just sit there and shoot jump shots until I get back. I won't be long, brave brother. Brave golden boy.”
”You can't go, Mary Anne. G.o.ddammit! You can't go! I can't let you.”
”You can't stop me,” she said.
”What about Vishnu, Mary Anne? What about your G.o.ddam Vishnu? What about your G.o.ddam Hindu G.o.d of self-preservation?”
Mary Anne turned and walked for the door again. Then she stopped and faced Ben, the kitchen light reflecting off one lens of her gla.s.ses, and said, ”What about Toomer, Ben?”
”All right, all right you sickening little b.i.t.c.h,” Ben screamed. ”You know I can't let you go because if something happened to you Dad would never quit punching me. But if he calls, you'd better cover for me. Sometimes you don't know when to stop, Mary Anne. You don't know when to quit running your mouth and just let things alone. I know what you're doing. I know what you're doing and it really p.i.s.ses me off.”
”I can't help it, Ben,” Mary Anne smiled with a grotesque sweetness. ”We sickening little b.i.t.c.hes just do these things sometimes. Now you better hurry. Mom keeps her extra key in the ashtray.”
”I wish she had taken the G.o.ddam car,” Ben said putting on the flight jacket his father had given him for his birthday.
”Just go get Toomer.”
Moments after Ben pulled out of the driveway and Mary Anne heard the station wagon squealing down the street, the phone rang again. She knew it would be her father and she let it ring ten times before she answered it.
”Colonel Meecham's residence. Mary Anne speaking,” she answered pleasantly.
”The phone's been ringing for three days, sportsfans. I'm glad you found time to answer it. Let me speak to Ben, on the double.”
”Don't you want to talk to your sweet, adorable oldest daughter first?”
”Hey, I don't have time to c.r.a.p around with you. Put Ben on the line.”
”I decided just tonight that I was going to name my first son after you, Dad. Isn't that a tremendous honor. Aren't you pleased beyond words. I'm going to call him Taurus or El Toro.”
”I'm gonna give you five seconds to get Ben on the phone and if you don't I'm coming right home to put a dozen hashmarks on your b.u.t.t.”
”But you can't come home, Daddy-poo. You've got the duty. They shoot Marines if they desert their posts. Before I get Ben I just want to tell you one thing I've been thinking about that I think you'll find mildly humorous.”
”You need a working over bad, hog. You're getting rock happy in this burg. Get Ben on the phone.”
”Just this one observation, Daddy-poo. You told us that you got your nickname because of your large neck and the fact that you were stationed at El Toro. Well, it occurred to me how funny it would have been if you had been stationed at a base named La Cucaracha. You'd be Colonel c.o.c.kroach Meecham right now. Pretty witty, huh?”
”Get me Ben,” Bull said in a suddenly subdued tone.
”Uh oh, the voice of the killer. He's in the bathroom, Dad. He can't come to the phone.”
”Get him on the G.o.ddam phone.”
”He says he has stomach cramps. I think he has diarrhea.”
”I don't care if he's pa.s.sing bowling b.a.l.l.s, I want him on this phone.”
”I'll go see if he can come to the phone,” she said, laying the receiver down and not returning to the phone for a full minute. When she finally picked up the phone she said, ”He's pa.s.sed out on the bathroom floor, Popsy. He's screaming for me to run out and buy him some Preparation H.”
”Mary Anne, I'm going to ask you one question and you better answer me straight. Has Ben gone to Toomer's house?”
”I cannot tell a he, Dad. That always has been one of my greatest virtues. I can joke and tease and mess around, but I just can't lie. No. Ben has not gone to Toomer's house. He's upstairs screaming for Preparation H.”
”Did he go to Toomer's place, Mary Anne?”
”Mary Anne?” she said. ”Who is that strange creature? I know who sportsfans is. I know who jocko is. I know who hog is. But who is this person, Mary Anne? I do not know such a person.”
”Is your mother's car out in the driveway? This is important, Mary Anne because Ben may be in bad trouble if he goes out there. I just called Arrabelle and she said the Pettus boys have more guns than I have short hairs. Now, you've got to tell me if Ben went to Toomer's.”
”Do you remember what you always tell us, Dad? Meechams always help out the little guy. When someone's in trouble you'll find a Meecham right there lending a helping hand.”
”I ordered him not to go. He disobeyed a direct order,” Bull said.
”Are you afraid, Dad?” Mary Anne asked.
”h.e.l.l, no,” Bull growled. ”Afraid of a few skinny grits? I've fought in two wars, sportsfans. I'm not afraid of nothing.”
”Ben's real afraid, Dad. He was too afraid to let me go with him. If he gets hurt it's going to be your fault because you didn't have the guts to help him.”
”I'm on duty for Chrissakes. I can't just waltz out of here, Mary Anne.”
”Just admit it. You're afraid. Big Bull Meecham is afraid. It's not a sin to be afraid.”
”I've fought in two G.o.ddam wars, you little broad,” Bull screamed.
”Ben's never fought in one,” she answered.
”When I get home tomorrow, Mary Anne, there better be miles and suns.h.i.+ne between us because, so help me, G.o.d, I'm going to rearrange your face.”
”Nighty-night, Daddy-poo, and one last thing.”
”What?”
”Stand by for a fighter pilot.” And Mary Anne hung up the phone.
Bull immediately called Virgil Hedgepath. When the colonel answered, Bull said, ”Virge, this is Bull. Ben's in some kind of trouble. Can you get dressed on the double and come over here for an hour as O.D.? I'm leaving now so there's gonna be a time when I am just a plain f.u.c.king deserter.”
Unhooking the Mameluke sword, Bull threw it on the desk in front of Captain Bledsoe who was the junior officer on duty with Bull.
”Cover my a.s.s, Captain. Colonel Hedgepath is on his way.”
”Aye, aye, sir. I don't think there should be any problems at all.”