April 7th 1958
"Watch your hands!" Margaret shook a spoon at him.
"Sorry," he was messing around, "I just can't help myself." He teased her.
"I have to get this cake done for your daughter's birthday and you have only one thing on your mind?" she gave him an annoyed, yet amused smile.
"My daughter? I thought she was the milk man's?"
Margaret's mouth dropped. He just wouldn't stop. Her smile was still there. It turned into more of a smirk when she threw a spoonful of batter at him. "Serves you right."
He took his finger and pulled it from his forehead and nose and ate it. He did deserve it; he liked fooling with her. He loved making her laugh. "I think you used too much salt."
"You're hopeless," she went back to the cake.
"Thank you," he began going through the mail he had just brought in. There was a bit more than usual. "Let's see. A postcard from your dad, a birthday card for Jess from your mom and one from your sis - hey look," he got excited, "a letter from Beej."
"From BJ?" she was just as thrilled, "well don't just sit there open it," she hurried him.
"Yes ma'am," he responded to her order. "Hawkeye, You are a difficult person to get a hold of. Not as difficult as Margaret, but still difficult. I've tried calling, but you're always in Portland or something like that. So, I just figured I'd try writing rather than calling. Did you know that on July 27th, this July 27th, we've been home for five years? A whole five years can you believe it? It doesn't seem possible does it? Anyway, I'm getting everyone together here at the new house. Bring your Dad and anyone else you think you should bring. Let me know, I can't wait to hear from you. By the way, do you have any idea where Margaret could be? Colonel Potter said she quit the army, unbelievable isn't it? And Charles said that he had heard she was in Boston for a while, but it's like she just fell off the planet. Hope to see you soon, BJ. PS - you should never hang up your phone unless you're sure there's no one on the other end." He read the last part like a question. He never hung up on anybody, "What is he talking." it hit him.
"What?" she saw the quirky smile on his face.
"The funny man from 'Calfonia'," he pointed to the letter.
"Oh, you didn't."
"I think I did."
"Five years," she sat down.
"What?" he barely heard what she whispered.
"Sometimes it feels a hundred years away and then it seems like it was yesterday. The death, the destruction, the audacity of it all."
"Hey you're beginning to sing an all too familiar tune there," he didn't want the thought to depress them. He knew exactly how she felt. Sometimes he would wake up thinking he was still in the Swamp.
"You know a few good things came out of that hell hole. Hey, it's Jess' birthday," he tried to cheer her up and get her mind off of it.
"Like what?" she couldn't believe he could say that. Memories were flowing back to her. She couldn't think of anything that she enjoyed other than the people she became dear friends with.
"Well, BJ changed my perspective on marriage, Charles cooled my ego, you helped me to understand women,"
"What are you talking about? You still don't understand about women."
He smiled a little. "Maybe not, but you came out of your disciplined olive- drab shell. Klinger got married, twice, one he meant. But the most important one in my book is, us."
"Us?" she gave him a lost look.
"Miraculously if it weren't for that 'Police Action', my dear Mrs. Pierce, we would have never met," he wiped her beginning tears and kissed her forehead.
"You're right," she said softly. She had never thought about it that way. "I hate it when you're right," she put her arms around his neck.
They began to laugh. They had grown up so much in the last four years. They were in charge of an office, husband and wife, and even parents, yet they were still the same people. The same, only wiser and more experienced.
Hawkeye stopped the joyous hearty chuckle. He had an evil grin on his face. The whole thing started from an idea that evolved into an elaborate plot. The chuckling was replaced by a devilish cackling.
"What?" she knew he was planning something. Margaret hadn't heard that that one in quite a while. Though she hadn't heard it that deep and sincere since before they came home from Korea.
"I just had a brilliant idea," he grinned with an ever-prankish spark.
"Please, you're killing me with suspense," she said very sarcastically.
"We should have them come here," the large smirk was plastered on his face.
"Watch your hands!" Margaret shook a spoon at him.
"Sorry," he was messing around, "I just can't help myself." He teased her.
"I have to get this cake done for your daughter's birthday and you have only one thing on your mind?" she gave him an annoyed, yet amused smile.
"My daughter? I thought she was the milk man's?"
Margaret's mouth dropped. He just wouldn't stop. Her smile was still there. It turned into more of a smirk when she threw a spoonful of batter at him. "Serves you right."
He took his finger and pulled it from his forehead and nose and ate it. He did deserve it; he liked fooling with her. He loved making her laugh. "I think you used too much salt."
"You're hopeless," she went back to the cake.
"Thank you," he began going through the mail he had just brought in. There was a bit more than usual. "Let's see. A postcard from your dad, a birthday card for Jess from your mom and one from your sis - hey look," he got excited, "a letter from Beej."
"From BJ?" she was just as thrilled, "well don't just sit there open it," she hurried him.
"Yes ma'am," he responded to her order. "Hawkeye, You are a difficult person to get a hold of. Not as difficult as Margaret, but still difficult. I've tried calling, but you're always in Portland or something like that. So, I just figured I'd try writing rather than calling. Did you know that on July 27th, this July 27th, we've been home for five years? A whole five years can you believe it? It doesn't seem possible does it? Anyway, I'm getting everyone together here at the new house. Bring your Dad and anyone else you think you should bring. Let me know, I can't wait to hear from you. By the way, do you have any idea where Margaret could be? Colonel Potter said she quit the army, unbelievable isn't it? And Charles said that he had heard she was in Boston for a while, but it's like she just fell off the planet. Hope to see you soon, BJ. PS - you should never hang up your phone unless you're sure there's no one on the other end." He read the last part like a question. He never hung up on anybody, "What is he talking." it hit him.
"What?" she saw the quirky smile on his face.
"The funny man from 'Calfonia'," he pointed to the letter.
"Oh, you didn't."
"I think I did."
"Five years," she sat down.
"What?" he barely heard what she whispered.
"Sometimes it feels a hundred years away and then it seems like it was yesterday. The death, the destruction, the audacity of it all."
"Hey you're beginning to sing an all too familiar tune there," he didn't want the thought to depress them. He knew exactly how she felt. Sometimes he would wake up thinking he was still in the Swamp.
"You know a few good things came out of that hell hole. Hey, it's Jess' birthday," he tried to cheer her up and get her mind off of it.
"Like what?" she couldn't believe he could say that. Memories were flowing back to her. She couldn't think of anything that she enjoyed other than the people she became dear friends with.
"Well, BJ changed my perspective on marriage, Charles cooled my ego, you helped me to understand women,"
"What are you talking about? You still don't understand about women."
He smiled a little. "Maybe not, but you came out of your disciplined olive- drab shell. Klinger got married, twice, one he meant. But the most important one in my book is, us."
"Us?" she gave him a lost look.
"Miraculously if it weren't for that 'Police Action', my dear Mrs. Pierce, we would have never met," he wiped her beginning tears and kissed her forehead.
"You're right," she said softly. She had never thought about it that way. "I hate it when you're right," she put her arms around his neck.
They began to laugh. They had grown up so much in the last four years. They were in charge of an office, husband and wife, and even parents, yet they were still the same people. The same, only wiser and more experienced.
Hawkeye stopped the joyous hearty chuckle. He had an evil grin on his face. The whole thing started from an idea that evolved into an elaborate plot. The chuckling was replaced by a devilish cackling.
"What?" she knew he was planning something. Margaret hadn't heard that that one in quite a while. Though she hadn't heard it that deep and sincere since before they came home from Korea.
"I just had a brilliant idea," he grinned with an ever-prankish spark.
"Please, you're killing me with suspense," she said very sarcastically.
"We should have them come here," the large smirk was plastered on his face.