Queen of Hearts is Your Best Bet
From my imagination, any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. Thanks to Karen B for her help. By the way don't use anything in this this story without my consent.
I was driving down a two-lane blacktop, thinking about long ago and far away. I came out this road when I first left Seymour so many years ago. Seymour is a small town of around 8,000 people. It is a nice town that anybody would want to grow up in. I drove along and the town cemetery appeared on my left and thoughts jumped into my mind, so I slowed down and pulled into it.
Dix had not been in my thoughts in a while. Dixon Waylon Barber was my best friend in high school. He was the left tackle, and I was the tight end on our high school football team. I hadn't been to the cemetery since his funeral. I was part of the military team that carried his casket to the grave site except I had two guys nearly carrying me. Having thrown such a fit that the old doctor at Walter Reed bound me up tight and gave me some pain pills, cussed me, and told me to go to the funeral. He had been a medic in Vietnam then went to medical school after the war and became a doctor.
^~~~~~~~~~~~^
Dix and I were easing down a street in Fallujah. We were walking point and there was a parked car ahead of us with a man in it. We were about 30 yards from it. We were weapons up, checking the roofs and were observing the vehicle very closely.
"Stay frosty Jake, I don't like anything about this!" Those were the last words he ever said.
I was on the left side of the street and Dix on the right. Apparently, Dix saw something and for some reason he started running toward the car. I screamed for him to stop and took off after him, but he kept going and he got to the car and stuck his M-4 in the window with it on full auto. I heard his weapon firing and maybe a second later the world blew up. I felt my face burning and things hitting my back as I went down. I had time to half turn my body away from the blast. I thought I saw what was left of Dix sliding down a wall across the street from where the car had been. I don't know how I saw it, maybe I just imagined it, but I still have nightmares about it. I passed out and didn't really get awake until I was in Landstuhl Regional Medical Center - Kaiserslautern, Germany.
I had shrapnel wounds in my left leg and arm. I had started turning to my right as the blast went off and I had flash burns on the left side of my face and my left eye was bandaged up. I had shrapnel wounds, really car part wounds, in my back and my left side between my armpit and my knee. I was in Landstuhl for a week then they shipped me to Walter Reed hospital in the states. My left arm had lots of wounds in it. A big piece had torn my bicep muscle, my left leg had a large wound above my knee, and I had tissue damage and cartilage and ligament damage to my knee. The doctors in Germany sewed up my bicep and picked out all the shrapnel in me and fixed my flesh wound on my thigh but I was to get my other damage fixed at Walter Reed.
At Walter Reed they repaired my Ligament and cartilage damage and put a brace on my knee. I was supposed to have a cast, but the flesh wounds needed to be open so no cast. After a week I could barely get around with a rolling walker and a knee brace on my left leg. I had been healing for two weeks. My wounds had scabbed over, and the bleeding had stopped. They finally put a cast on my left leg, and I could maneuver better. I had to be at Dix's funeral.
I found out while I was at Walter Reed that the explosion had been gigantic. It had taken out a whole block. No one knew how I had survived. Apparently, I had somehow turned to my right and went down, and the blast was cone shaped and let me miss the full force of the it. I was in the middle of the street and the buildings that collapsed didn't fall on me. When I screamed for Dix to stop, it put the platoon on alert and they all took cover, and they were about 75 yards behind us. None of them had a scratch. Some had hearing problems for a while. Luckily, I had my earplugs in. I don't remember putting them in. When you are walking point, you want all your senses working. So, why had I put them in? Additionally, I was found with my hands wedged up under my helmet. I had two fingers on my left hand jammed and the knuckles were twice their normal size. Between the flash of the explosion and the blast of it I instinctively tried to cover my ears. Somehow my fingers got caught in the webbing of my helmet or jammed into my helmet, I would never know.
I was having difficulty, wondering why I was alive? Why had I been on the left side of the road and not Dix? What did he see that I didn't? Why didn't he stop when I screamed at him? The whys were driving me crazy. The chaplain came by and talked to me. There were a lot of guys in terrible shape at Walter Reed. He talked to nearly all of us usually every day or two. He knew a lot of things about all of us. I talked to him for a long while one day. He had read the incident report.
"Son, there are no explanations for so many things in life. I'm a religious man but I humorously explain things sometimes as per the old Forest Gump term, Shit Happens. I don't think that is a curse word. It's just trashy and poor grammar. But sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't happen and the why of it would take someone a lot smarter than me to have a definite answer."
"For whatever reason you are alive. In my mind our lord and savior, Jesus Christ, decided that you were not meant to die on that street in Fallujah that day and he swooped down and put his loving arms around you and kept you safe. Was I you, when you are all healed up, you need to go to some peaceful place with no one around and get down on your knees and thank him? Then when you get home to your mother you need to thank her for all those prayers that she sent up for your safety. Tell her that they were answered and for her to always keep you in her prayers."
^~~~~~~~~~~~^
"Son, I know your dumb ass is going no matter what I say", said my doctor. I understand how you feel about your buddy. I got you on a MATS plane going down there. If I am asked, you went AWOL. Attend the funeral and honor your buddy then get your ass back up here before you bleed to death or get an infection and die. I know you can't let him go that last mile alone. I respect you more that you will ever realize for what you are doing under the circumstances, now get your ass on that plane."
The grumpy old bastard had two orderlies take me to the plane and get me situated. They took me up the tailgate ramp into the plane. I was on a gurney so I could lie down if I needed to. I looked out at him on the tarmac, and he saluted me. I couldn't salute him because I was holding myself up with my right arm. The tough old son of a bitch was a pussy at heart.
I was flown home on MATS (Military Air Transport Service) plane. My dad met me at the airbase. I had my walker and one of the guys who came off the plane was helping me. We walked up to my dad with the guy helping me stay vertical, "Dad", he turned around and looked at me. I was so messed up he didn't even know me. When he finally sensed it was me, I had never seen my dad cry, but he burst out crying. "Oh, damn son" and he could not say anything else. He helped me to his car, and he was crying all the way. He opened the passenger door and let the seat all the way back then tilted the back rest till it was on the back seat. He helped me in and supported me with pillows and put the seat belt on me.
He looked at me, "How the hell are you still with us? Have you got a left arm? Is that eye gone?" Tears were running down his face and he wanted to hug me but was afraid he would hurt me.
"The arm is wrapped to my body so I could make the trip. The eye got burned, I am not sure If it will ever work, I got to go back as soon as the funeral is over. I am living on pain pills. My left leg is in bad shape I got a cast on it to keep it stiff. These burns will heal up."
"Hell Dad, poor Dix is gone. There is only some raw meat in that box he will be buried in. He saved the whole platoon, and he is getting the Medal of Honor. I had to be here to honor him. He was the best friend I ever had."
"I know you do son; I know you do. I will be right beside you all the way." He made me as comfortable as he could under the circumstances. We got stuck in traffic, so we were late and couldn't go by our house. Dad called mom and told her we were going straight to the cemetery. She said she would meet us there. We got there as they were bringing the Casket out of the hearse to the grave site. I stopped and dad held me, and I saluted as they carried Dix over, then someone was hugging me, I knew it was Mona by her smell.
She was hysterical, "Oh Damn Baby, I am so sorry, please forgive me I didn't mean any of it."
I knew she was talking about what she said to me after I beat Ron Andrews's ass so long ago.
I was in pain and emotional hell, "Mona, I can't talk. I got to take care of Dix!"
Mr. Barber had heard the commotion and he came up to me, "We will both take care of him, Jake."
Dad was on my right side and Dix's dad on my left. He was holding my back and my left hip. Dad was holding my right side. They helped me over to where the Barbers were sitting under the canopy. I could not sit so I stood with Dix's dad and dad supporting me. Mom saw me and just started crying. She was holding Dix's mother and consoling her. The funeral was going on and I had been there about 10 minutes when I knew I was going to pass out. I looked at dad and I told him,
"Dad, I'm not going to make it." I looked at Dix's mother, "Mildred, I'm sorry for making a disturbance."
I felt myself going down and dad and Mac Barber grabbed me and eased me down. Then there was something cool on my face. I smelled Mona again, she was saying the ambulance with be here in about a minute. Unknown to me when she saw me, she knew I wasn't going to make it and called an ambulance to come to the cemetery and standby. Then she was in the ambulance with me. I was in and out of consciousness, but I smelled her.
I didn't know if I was going to make it or not. So, I touched Mona's arm, "I have always loved you just in case I wake up with Dix." She kissed my forehead, "and I have always loved you, Jake Hanson. But you are not leaving me I will not let you, now relax and don't get your heart rate up."
I was in a hospital bed when I finally woke up. It was the hospital where Mona worked, and she was taking care of me. She had redressed my wounds. I had been there for two days. She had contacted my doctor at Walter Reed that I was OK to transport, and the old bastard sent a plane just to get my dumb ass as he called me. She was in the ambulance that took me to the plane, and she said goodbye and kissed me, and I told her I would be back one day. I just didn't know it would be as long as it turned out to be.
^~~~~~~~~~~~^
I stopped my car and walked over to Dix's grave. I walked around and found a big shiny rock and put it on his monument as I knelt and put my hand on it.
"I've missed you, Buddy. It still doesn't seem real. You will always be with me. That explosion drove a sliver of one of your bones into me. I was nearly healed when it was discovered. They were going to operate on me again. I asked the doctor if it would hurt to leave it alone. He said there was no infection, and I would probably never know it was there. So, a part of you will always be with me."
"I'm back for good, I hope. I cannot be sure because I have been in the wind so long. I will look after your mom and dad when I get settled. Maybe I can be a little comfort to them. Your dad and mine carried me to this grave site on the day of your funeral. Mona was here for the funeral. She is divorced now, and I may try to be friends with her again. I just don't know."
"Can you believe that shit is still going on in the sandbox? I have been in the middle of a lot of it. I will tell you about it someday. I am leaving you for a while. I will try to visit you often now that I am home. I love you man."
^~~~~~~~~~~~^
Dix and I had gotten out of high school and he was going into the Army. He wanted a career in the Army, and I wanted to go to college, as Mona and I had planned to do. But that seemed over as she had taken up with Romeo.
Romeo was Ron Andrews a guy that moved into our town the summer before our senior year. His dad had money and Ron drove a flashy car. He was in our senior class and graduated with us.
^~~~~~~~~~~~^
We were sitting at Dairy Queen having a burger and a coke. "Jake, come on and enlist in the Army with me. You and I can breeze through basic training. We can choose what field we want our careers in."
"I don't know Dix. I am thinking about Mona. I need to talk to her and straighten things out."
"You haven't heard, have you?"
I looked at him wondering what he was talking about.
"Mom and Dad got a wedding invitation from her and Romeo."
I felt like I had taken a punch to the stomach. I just leaned over the steering wheel.
"I'm sorry Jake, I thought you knew."
I was sick and I drove Dix home. He kept telling me how sorry he was, for telling me about the wedding. I was sure mom and dad had hidden their invitation from me. Then I went home, and Romeo's car was at Mona's house next door. I got in the house and I lay on my bed thinking about her marrying him. I was stuck next door having to watch all the festivities for the next month until the wedding. I had to leave and get away, so I called Dix.
"Dix, let's go Army."
I told mom and dad that I was joining the Army and they were not too surprised. I had been hang-dogging about Mona for months. There was some sadness and tears from mom, but they didn't try to talk me out of it.
Dix and his mom and dad picked me up. I had a bag packed. Dix came to the door, and I told mom and dad goodbye and we walked out to their car. I looked over and Mona was on their porch. She was looking at us and I did not wave or anything. We got in the car and pulled out of the driveway. Mom and dad were waving at me as we drove past Mona on the porch, and I could tell it just dawned on her that I was leaving. She ran out to the street and waved, and I could see concern on her face, but I was probably on the highway to hell, and it did not matter.
^~~~~~~~~~~~^
Mona and I had grown up living next to each other. I used to carry her books to the Elementary School about five blocks from where we lived. She was a cute little girl and grew up to be the town beauty. In her senior year she was miss Seymour and was one of the 10 finalists at the state beauty pageant. We had dated up through our junior year and a new guy moved to town. His dad was the new CEO of the biggest Plant in town. He was a cocky guy and drove a new convertible to school. He got acquainted with Mona the summer before our senior year. I thought Mona and I had an understanding but apparently, we didn't. Before school started, they were dating and on the first day of school she rode to school in his new convertible. My old pickup and I just did not stand a chance. I couldn't stand the guy.
She had been mostly unavailable for me after about a month into summer vacation. I was working a summer job and did not have a lot of free time and wasn't aware of what was going on. Then I noticed the red convertible at her house now and then and he was picking her up for dates by the time school started. After the first day of school, she called me that afternoon.
"Jake, I guess I should have called you before now, but Ron Andrews and I are going steady. So, I won't be going out with anybody else. I'm sorry and I hope you are not mad, but we really like each other."
I had seen the red convertible on the lower side of town at the house of a flirty mattress back that had graduated the year before. He had been taking her to the drive-in and parking on the river. Some of my buddies had told me about it. But what was I going to say so I just kept quiet?
"Are you not talking to me, Jake?"
"What is there for me to say Mona? You told me how it is, so what can I say? Have a good life, bye."
I hung up the phone and it immediately started ringing again so I took it off the hook and went to my room.
^~~~~~~~~~~~^
The next day after football practice I was going to my truck and Romeo and his three new followers tried to cut me off. I knew the three guys and if he thought he had backup he was sadly mistaken. They would run at the drop of a hat.
"Why did you hang up on Mona? "I just kept walking because I didn't want any trouble on the school grounds. I had gotten a suspension for fighting before. I walked across the street to the parking lot. It was owned by a parking company and you had to pay to park. It was not school property, so I went over to my pickup and opened it and took off my football jacket and put it inside and slipped on my leather gloves I kept in the truck. He was rushing up and stopped up short when I turned around and moved toward him. He thought he had me treed but now he was second guessing himself. He was going to run a bluff.
"Mona is a hot little piece. I don't blame you for being pissed that I took her away from you."
"I'll give her back to you after I've had her a while." He had an arrogant smirk.
I looked at Job and his two buddies. I knew them and they knew me. "Job, you sure you want in on this? No matter what, it won't be over until I say it's over, no matter how long it takes."
He knew what I was telling him, that if it took years, I would beat his ass like I had done before, and he knew I would do it again. He and his pals started backing away. Romeo said, as he grabbed my arm, "Talk to me asshole, I'm the one that's going to kick your ass."
I took control of his arm and twisted it behind him and shoved him and he fell on his face in the dirt. He got up and came at me and I kicked him in the nuts, and he went down again. I drug him up and gave him three shots one to each eye and one to his nose and kisser and stepped out of the way and he fell flat on his face. Blood flew everywhere, I looked around and couldn't see anybody, so I got in my truck and left. As I drove, I thought, he will call the police, so I pulled behind a beer joint and stopped by their dumpster. I saw blood on my shirt, so I took it off and got a spare I kept in my truck. I took off my gloves that he had not even noticed I was wearing. I put them under stuff in the dumpster. I got a couple of handy wipes and wiped my face and hands and dropped them in also. I wiped off my boots and I put on my clean shirt and my football jacket. Then waited a while and drove back on the street and had gotten about two blocks and the Police pulled me over.
The cop told me to step out of the truck. So I turned off my truck put it in gear and got out. He looked at my Driver's License and compared my face and handed it back to me. The cop looked me over and had a questioning look on his face. I knew I didn't look like I had been in a fight. The other cop brought Romeo up to us.
"Mr. Andrews, Is this the man you say beat you up?" He looked like a raccoon with a fat lip and a flat nose and both eyes turning black.
"Yes, it is, I want him in jail."
"Well Mr. Andrews, he doesn't look like he has been in a fight. There is not a mark on him, and his hands are not injured, and he looks fresh as a daisy. What do you have to say, Mr. Hanson?"
I wasn't going to jail for kicking his ass. "Officer, I was just leaving football practice and this guy, and three punks were in the school parking lot. One of the punks was Job Jacobson, you probably know of him. He has been in your jail a few times. They were all together talking, and I thought it was a dope deal going on, so I didn't pay any attention to the bullshit he was throwing my way. I just got in my truck and left. He must have welshed on Job and they all beat him up. From looking at him they messed him up good."r"