PEN PALS- CHAPTER 4

Disclaimer- Radar, Trapper, Hawkeye and all the other characters from M*A*S*H are sadly not my own. Only Nancy and the people in her world in Savannah are my creation.

Radar carried Nancy's picture with him everywhere and looked at it when he thought no one was watching.

"Who's the girl, Radar?"

It was Trapper John's voice. Radar quickly stuffed the picture back in his shirt pocket. Trapper was one of the last people he wanted looking over his shoulder; the other one being Hawkeye. Those two would tease him about it any chance they got.

Radar shrugged and answered, "Just a girl."

"She's cute. Is she your girlfriend?"

"No, she's my pen pal. That's all."

"Too bad."

"Yes, it is," Radar sighed.

This dumb conversation could go on forever. Radar wished the doctor would just go away and leave him alone. Only thing was, now Trapper would tell Hawkeye about her. Oh well, too late now. He'd just have to put up with their teasing. Maybe it would be worth it.

Dear Nancy,

Thanks for your letter and the photo. I like your dogs and cats. It's funny to think that little Buster bosses around Brutus. I would love to see that. And there must be an interesting story about your cat Clyde. Compared to Romeo and Juliet, who look like a king and queen of the cat world, Clyde looks pretty scruffy. I hope you don't mind me saying that.

So you're from Savannah? It must be nice to be so close to the ocean. You can go to the beach anytime you want to. I sure wish I could. The first time I saw the ocean was when I flew over the Pacific to come to Korea.

Have you ever been on a farm? Time sure seems to pass differently there than the way it does in the army. In the army, somebody is telling you what to do from the time you wake up until you go to bed. On the farm, I got up before sunrise to start my day. Nobody told me what to do. I guess it was because I had learned farm work when I was very young. Anyway, I'd rather be my own boss on the farm than be bossed around by other people like I am now.

Since you're a secretary, I guess you have other people boss you around, too? I just hope they're nicer to you than people are to me here.

Well, I have got to go. Someone's yelling for me.

Please write soon.

Your pen pal,

Radar

P.S. The best thing about the picture you sent is you! I just wanted to make sure you know that.

It was the end of October when Nancy received Radar's letter. She realized that her gift for him had to go out in the mail right away if there was any chance he would get it by Christmas. She was doubly glad she had started working on it right after she wrote her first letter to him.

Nancy was so thankful that her mother had taught her how to crochet. She would treasure those lessons and the memories that went along with them all her life because it helped her feel close to her mother even though she was gone.

She crocheted Radar a red scarf and a pair of gloves. They weren't perfect, but they looked pretty good to her. More importantly, they would help keep him warm. Nancy hoped he would like them.

Dear Radar,

Thanks for your letter. Dad says he can tell when I got the letter from you because I was in a good mood for days. Does that mean I'm grouchy the rest of the time? I sure hope not!

You said it there must be an interesting story about Clyde. You're right. He wandered up on my front porch one day a couple of years ago. You could tell he'd been a pretty bad fight. He was limping and half of his right ear was missing. Clyde was dirty and pitiful looking. My Dad and I took him to our vet to get him patched up. When we got home, my Dad said, "Well I guess we have another cat now. I know there's no use in telling you that you can't keep him. I'm not going to fight that battle with you because I won't win. Besides he'll ruffle King Romeo and Queen Juliet's feathers and I want to see that."

Dad was right. Romeo and Juliet didn't want to have anything to do with him. I guess they thought they were too good to associate with a scruffy old alley cat. I think that's why he's my favorite of the three cats I have because he has character not class.

Since it will probably be Christmas by the time you get this letter, I am sending along a little gift for you. I hope you'll like it. I made it; please don't hold that against me. Just kidding!

I hope this will be the only Christmas you will have to spend so far away from home. Please take care of yourself. God Bless you.

Your pen pal,

Nancy

Nancy dropped the letter at the Post Office before she went into work the next day. It was Monday, which always seems twice as long as any other day of the week. The things that happened to her at work that day made it seem like an eternity.

It started off with Mr. Peterson insisting she retype a three page letter that should have gone out the previous Monday. It was really hard to type the thing in a hurry without making a lot of mistakes, but she managed to have it finished by eleven o'clock. Then she had to call several customers that were behind on paying their insurance premiums. How she hated doing that!

She returned from lunch to see what looked like a three foot stack of papers that need filing. Nancy had no idea who dropped them on her desk. "Oh great, now I get to spend the afternoon with my head stuck in a file cabinet!"

If that wasn't bad enough, someone passed by her while she was bent over put papers away and pinched her on the behind, not once but twice. Nancy wasn't sure who did it, but she had a pretty good idea it was Mr. Peterson's nephew, Nicky. He'd been watching her so much that it was beginning to make her nervous.

If she caught him doing it again, she would slap his brains out; even if it cost her job.

An idea came to her suddenly. She pulled out the picture of Radar out of her purse and propped it up against the phone on her desk. Corporal O'Reilly had just been promoted from pen pal to boyfriend in the Army who was stationed in Korea. Maybe that would keep Nicky Peterson from bothering her anymore. Somehow, she'd tell Radar about in the next letter she wrote him.

Now Nancy has promoted Radar from pen pal to boyfriend. Wonder if she'll tell him about in the next letter she writes to him?

Thanks for reading!