D.O.C.
by
Éclaireur
a.k.a.
Donna
''Yep, that's my name.
Funny thing is no one here has ever asked me my name. Well I think that is about to change.
October 3, 1944
"Hey Doc, I got a whole lot of mail for you this morning. What give's?" Kirby had just arrived with the mail truck. Seems he was being "delivered" too, after having to spend a few days at the aid station. He figured, might as well hitch a ride back as long as it was going his way. So Kirby was the first to see all the mail waiting for his squad mate addressed solely to D.O.C.
Odd, he thought, that so many people would call him Doc. But hey, he's from Arkansas so what did he expect, right?
"Here's your mail Doc. Why so many addressed to you today?"
Doc, ignoring Kirby, looks into the bag at all the letters with his name on them.
"Well lookie here, I think I must be getting cards from my whole family. Imagine that, would ya"
With a sly smile on his face, Doc started to open his mail and began to read out loud,
"Let's see, this first one's from my ma"
And it reads",
"Happy Birthday Son.
I wish ya was home. Your cousin Edna and that man she married are finally splittin up. Thank our good Lord up above for that. Now I know we ain't the type of family to call it quit's on anyone but, that low life son of a gun was really never part of this family. So good riddens to bad rubbish, is what I always say. Well there's nothing much else to say except, my boy, Me and ya pa are so dang proud of ya and I know your grandma Jean in heaven, is looking down smiling at her one and only favorite grand-son on this, his day.
Happy Birthday my Boy!
Love ya Doc,
Ma…
As Doc was putting down that card and picking up another, Kirby reached for it. Scratching his head he asked,
"Your own mother calls you Doc? That's a bit odd isn't it?"
Doc, pretending to ignore Kirby, went on to the next card. That sly smile never leaving his face. He started to read,
"This one's from my Uncle Ned,"
"Hey there Doc, how's my favorite nephew doin? Can't wait till your back home so's we can go fishin. It's been real quite since you've been gone. Not really a whole lot to report. Oh, your cousin Edna finally got wise and left that no good ground snake she went and hitched up with a while back. I always thought Edna was a smart girl. I guess even the smartest sometimes makes a mistake or two, right my boy.
Well, you stay safe over there and try and have a good Birthday.
Hope you're home soon Doc.
Take care.
Uncle Ned.
"What, is ol' Uncle Ned your mom's brother? Is this a family nick name or something?"
Kirby was really getting annoyed at the fact that Doc would not answer his questions.
"Nope, Uncle Ned is my pa's younger brother. Truth be told, we're more like brothers than Uncle and nephew. He's just a couple of years older than me."
But again Doc skirted around the question concerning his name. Something was truly up here and Kirby had made up his mind that he wasn't leaving Doc's side till he got to the bottom of it!
After going through card after card, with Doc reading them one by one, Kirby was finally getting to the end of the bag. He reached in and handed Doc the next to the last card.
"Hey, this is a surprise. A card from my Grandpa Orville. He's really up there in age. I think he'll be turn-in 89 comin this here January. I sure do miss him. He's one of the best dang story tellers in our parts. I could listen to that man for hours. Only problem being, he never learned how to read nor write. All them stories are plum stuck in his head. When I get back, I'm thinkin of having him tell me them again and me written them down for the whole family to enjoy and never forget. That would be something."
Caught up in Doc's enthusiasm over his many card and notes, Kirby asks,
"Well hey, what's in your Grandpa Orville's card if he can't read or write?"
"Well, what my ma usually does is read a few bible verses to him, then he picks one out and ma snips it from this one ol' bible that he keeps just for that purpose.
Psalms 127:3-5 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
Kirby's puzzled look was no surprise
,
"Well what do you suppose your old Grand dad meant by that verse?"
"Well it seems that he also had ma write this little note to go with it",
Doc continues,
"Doc, did ya know your cousin Edna is a free woman again. She sure is a looker and she can cook like no one else in the family. Maybe you should drop her a line and see how's she's doin?"
Then his mother adds,
"Just pay no mind to your grand pa. You don't need to be thinkin along those lines when you're over there fightin that there war!"
His mother adds,
"Your Grandpa also wants' me to tell ya,"
"Love ya grand son, and
Doc, please come home to your family real soon."
X"
All Doc could do was shake his head at the last part and wipe a tear away from his eye.
Kirby looks away so Doc won't see that he noticed him crying and reached into the bag for the last card.
"Here Doc, looks like this is the end of em."
"Oh good heavens."
Was all Doc could say.
"It's from my Cousin Edna. Why am I not surprised?"
Kirby, with a big ''I Bet I Know What She Wants'' grin on his face, couldn't help but ask,
"So what do ya suppose ol' cousin Edna has to say?"
Kirby's smile, if it was possible, seemed to get even bigger with that question.
Doc opened up the last letter and began to read,
"Howdy Cousin Doc, how has ya been? I've been thinkin a whole lot abouts ya lately. I sure do hope you're a stayin safe over there in that there France place.
Oh did ya hear Jethro and I broke up? Yeah, he was just too much of a mama's boy for me. Ya know it's good to be concerned about your ma an all, but he kind of carried it a bit too far when he said we needed to move into her house and I needed to take care of all her needs.
"No"
I told him. I don't think that's what it meant when we told each other to "Love honor and obey" when we got hitched. No way am I going to live with that mean old witch of a mother of his. And I surly would never dream of obeying a thing she told me to do. So I up and left him.
Cousin Doc, maybe you would like to come over to my place when you get's out of the Army? I could cook you some of my chicken and dumplings and you could tell me all about France.
Well I do remember what today is and that is the reason for this here letter,
To wish you a Happy Birthday and hope's you can make it home real soon.
I love's ya Doc.
Stay safe
Edna."
Kirby couldn't help but laugh and Doc couldn't help but sigh. He turns to Kirby and asks,
"Ya don't think I could just up and re-enlist when all this is over do ya?"
Kirby slaps him on the back and while still laughing says,
"Why on earth would you want to do that Doc.? Ol' Cousin Edna sounds like quite a catch if you ask me. She's a looker, a cooker and also sounds like a bit of a hooker…Sounds like a perfect match."
"Oh just shut up Kirby, will ya"
Was all Doc could think to reply.
"OK, I'll forget all about your "kissing cousin" if ya do one thing for me."
Doc looked at his black mailing friend
"OK anything, just forget you ever heard of Cousin Edna and I'll do anything you ask."
Oh, this is what Kirby was hoping to hear.
"OK
D.O.C.
Edna is forgotten."
Kirby pauses for the effect of making Doc sweat.
Then asks the question that has been bothering him since Doc started reading all his Birthday cards from his large family.
"Tell me why your entire family calls you Doc?
Doc looks up, shakes his head, then smiles.
"You really want to know?"
"Yep"
Kirby answers back.
"I Really Want To Know!"
"Well it's a bit of a long story but I will cut it way down for you. Is that OK?
Kirby looks him in the eyes
"Sure Doc, that's ok. Just don't leave out any of the good parts. You sure wouldn't want ol' Caje or let's say, the Sarge to find out about your ol' "kissin cousin" now would we?"
Doc again shakes his head at his good, but sneaky friend,
"No, we defiantly don't want that."
Was all he said.
"So here it is. My mother's father, Duane, died when my mother was still quite young. It was something minor that he died from. I can't remember what my ma said it was, but it was something that only a few years after her pa's death, they found a cure for. She still ferrets over that. Anyway, when she was expecting me, she wanted to honor her pa by giving me his name. Well that's all well and good except my pa had it in his head that he wanted to honor his father also. Are you with me so far Kirby?"
Kirby, listening carefully nods he's head yes. Doc continues,
"Well I already told you, my other Grand dad's name is Orville. So together my first and middle names are Duane Orville, right. So now come's the kicker. My last name is…
"Collier"
Doc smiles as Kirby mentally puts the three names together, then looks at Doc and grins,
Doc laughs, shakes his head "yes" then continues.
"Yep, that's my name. "Duane Orville Collier". I think my mother did it on purpose. I was predestined on becoming something in the medical field. Ma saw to that. Growing up in Arkansas wasn't easy but growing up with the nick name DOC at a very young age made it doubly hard. But ya know, I think my ma did me a favor of sorts. Not everyone at the age of five could truthfully say and mean it, "When I grow up, I'm aim'en on being a Doc."
With the truth finally out, Kirby laughed.
"So when all of us call ya Doc, that IS your name. So you never thought ya needed to correct us. Wow. That's a good one Doc.
But let me think about this for awhile."
Doc turned and looked at Kirby.
"What do you mean by that Kirby?"
"Well,"
Kirby continues,
"I just don't know if that story is good enough for me to keep quite about your Cousin Edna"
"Now come on Kirby, we had a deal. I tell you my name and you keep quite about my cousin. We Had A DEAL."
"I don't remember saying "deal" and I sure don't remember shaking your hand so…."
As Kirby first starts to walk away, then realizing Doc was following him, starts to run, he shout out for all to hear,
"Hey guys, did ya know Doc has a cousin named Edna?"
Now I hope all of you reading this will forgive "our" Doc this one time for using a swear word…
"Damn-it Kirby
SHUT UP!"
The End
Happy Birthday "Doc"
This is my Birthday "Gift" to our one true Doc...Conlan Carter.
With this goes my wish that, you monsieur, have many, many more birthday's to come!
I hope you enjoyed this short story, as it was written with love!
Donna