Chapter 2 - In the Evening
"I do like this sight", Rick said dreamily, gazing intently up at the clear nightly sky. "It's beautiful. And it makes you think somehow. Imagine all those stars up there having planets, and amongst them planets like ours, and on them people like we are looking up to the sky, imagining people like they are somewhere out there, maybe imagining us, but knowing they will never know us, just as we will never know them. That's a bit sad, isn't it?"
"You're not getting sentimental, Rick, I hope?" Beni commented, fiddling with a loose piece of wood from the windowsill.
Rick sighed. It was useless to talk about philosophy with Beni. The kid never said what he was thinking, though it was clear he was thinking about the same. "Do you miss Budapest?" Rick asked instead.
There was a little pause. Beni seemed to consider this. "I don't know", he finally answered. "Maybe I miss it sometimes. I really don't know. I don't know if I would return, I mean, when they let me."
"Does that mean you have no parents? Or any other relatives?" Rick wanted to know.
"Of course I have." In the dim light the shadows shifted and grew deeper on Beni's face as he frowned. "But they wouldn't take me back, I suppose."
"They wouldn't?" Rick was a bit surprised. What kind of parents were these, kicking out their son and wanting him never to return? Or did Beni only seem so innocent? Had he committed some kind of crime maybe? Or was he just an unwanted boy without a future and had therefore joined the Foreign Legion? Rick had never thought about this.
"They wouldn't", Beni said firmly. "Never. Not after what I've done. I mean, it was not I alone. But they blamed me for it all and kicked me out."
When he fell silent Rick waited for a while, but when it became clear his friend wouldn't go on he asked: "So what terrible thing did they accuse you of?"
There came a little giggle from his side. "They found me in the same bed as my sister. Completely naked. It was easy to guess what had happened for them."
Oh. "So you've been in love with your own sister?"
Beni giggled again. "Not really in love, you know. She actually asked me to do it. I was stupid enough to say I would. So I visited her at night, and, well, we just did it. I should have known she wouldn't help me in such a situation. She had never cared much about me before, you know. I was just the silly little brother." He shrugged. "At least it was a wonderful night. The first and only time in my life."
Comfortingly, Rick put a hand on his shoulder. "They'll certainly take you back someday, Beni. That's not a real crime. Do you really think they'd kick out their only son?"
"Oh, come on, Rick, you don't know my father."
"Maybe you just think so. Maybe he'll take you back nonetheless." Rick just couldn't believe it.
Beni produced a sound not far different from a dog's growl. "You don't know him, Rick. You don't know him. He kicked me out the same day. I had planned to go to university, but I had to forget it. No place to live and no money. And he didn't take me back, he was so angry at me."
Now Rick understood where Beni's talent to provide himself with extra food came from: It had been trained on the markets and in the bars of Budapest. "So you joined the Foreign Legion because it was so hard to survive on the street?"
Beni grinned and shook his head. "Nah. I'm tougher than you think. The reason for joining... It's a different story."
"Oh, little Gabor and his dull friend from America", a voice suddenly came from behind them. "And what are you talking about? Do you miss your mommy or what?" It was the stout Italian Rick had met first when he had come to the new room, and he was smirking. "You, American, what makes you protect that little slimy piglet? Does he crawl into your bed at night when we others are sleeping to pay you his reward?"
"I think you've been drinking again", Rick answered as calm as he could, "or else you wouldn't speak like that. I'd advise you to go back to our room if you don't want any officers seeing you in this state."
But his roommate didn't heed his words. "You'd lend me the boy perhaps?" he jeered on. "Or do you need him to fall asleep? Are you a teddy bear, Gabor? Is this what you are?"
"You leave the boy", Rick growled. He noticed that his friend had stepped away from the rude Italian and was trying to hide behind his back.
"So you claim him to be yours after all!" The Italian laughed an ugly laugh. "You come here, Gabor, you little rosy monkey! You go and sweep the floors for me!"
"I won't!" Beni squeaked from behind Rick's back. He always got a rather high-pitched voice when he was angry or excited.
"You'll do it alright!" The drunkard stepped forward with an amazing velocity, grabbed the fidgeting Hungarian by the shoulders and hit him in the face, but the next moment he gave a cry of pain and wrath and sprang back. "He bit me! That little bastard bit me! Just you wait, you little dirty..."
"What's going on here?" A stern voice made them all jump. It was an officer. A rather angry-looking officer. "You, Guerrini, you keep your hands off your future corporal!"
Rick and the Italian both looked at Beni, as surprised as the kid himself. "But Sir!" he stammered. "I'm only a recruit..."
"Are you O'Connell, yes or no?" the officer asked impatienly.
"I'm O'Connell", Rick quickly explained. "He's my friend. His name is Gabor."
"Alright, O'Connell. You'll be promoted to corporal tomorrow. First thing in the morning."
They all were silent, and Rick had to smile with pride. "Big deal, Rick", Beni finally said.
