Getaway 6
"Are you all right, miss?"
"Fine, thanks. I'm just waiting for someone," Faith answered lifting her head from its resting place on her knees. She fixed a polite smile on her face looked up at the latest of a long string of people who meant well. It was almost as bad as being home.
How could he just leave me here, she thought stretching her legs out in front of her. She leaned back bracing her elbows on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. She scanned the Mall for any sign of Bosco.
He planned this all along. It was his idea to leave the crutches in the car, she grumbled inwardly remembering.
"Come on, Faith. You said ya only need 'em for balance or if ya get weak. I won't let ya fall," Bosco said.
Yeah, you wouldn't let me fall, but you'd desert me without a backward glance, she thought bitterly.
You did tell him to get lost, her conscience argued.
He could have gotten lost after dropping me off at Penn Station instead of letting me sit here on these steps. Faith sighed looking at the reflection of the Washington Monument in The Reflecting Pool. It could be worse. It could be raining. She closed her eyes and leaned back letting the sun warm her face. Even worse she could be home, in her room, hiding from her family.
Bosco's eyes scanned the names on the Vietnam Memorial. He walked slowly trying to find the name of his uncle.
"Who you lookin' for kid?" an old man asked blocking Bosco's path. The man was dressed in jeans and a black POW/MIA tee shirt under an old camouflage jacket. The jacket was covered with patches one of which Bosco knew well. It was a 75th Infantry Ranger insignia patch.
"Yes, sir, my uncle, Michael Marzitelli. He was a Ranger in the 75th," Bosco answered.
"Oh, yeah? Imagine that! I knew Mikey. Look at this," the man said smiling. He reached into a pocket pulling out a picture. He handed Bosco a picture of a smiling man holding a small child on his shoulders.
"That's me. Where'd you get this?" Bosco asked amazed looking at the picture of the soldier whose shoulders he was perched on. He turned the picture over to see his name and his uncle's inscribed neatly on the back the date, 1972, and a brown smudge.
"Mikey, he gave that to me. He saved my life," the man said his voice cracking. "He gave it to me and told me to find you and here you are a findin' me. He's over here," the man said motioning toward a section of the wall. He handed Bosco a piece of paper and a black crayon.
"I don't remember him. What was he like," Bosco asked putting the paper over his uncle's name and rubbing it with the crayon. He watched the name appear on the paper then stepped back. The old man was still looking at the picture lost in thought.
"You ever serve, son?"
"Yes sir, I was with the 75th too. I was in Kuwait in '91."
"Then you know what he was like. He was a Ranger," the man answered looking up. "He saved my life then he went back in. 'No man left behind'. He got hit carryin' out this guy," he said pointing out the name of a man one line above. "He made it back to the lift point, but he didn't make it until the chopper got there. He gave me this picture. He was always readin' your Ma's letters about you to us. He never shut up about you," the man said smiling at the memory.
"Can I get a copy a that picture? Here's my card. You could send it to the precinct and I'd get it," Bosco said pulling one of his cards from his wallet.
"NYPD, huh? That's what he said he was gonna do when he got home too. You come down just to see Mikey?"
"No, sir, my partner needed a vacation. Ma's been wantin' to come. She gets upset thinkin' about her brother though. I'll take her this and see if I can talk her into comin' down here."
"Your partner? Where is he?"
"She's over at the Lincoln Memorial. She got shot in the line and I needed a break from...."
"You left her behind? She's stuck up there and you left her behind? What the hell's the matter with you?" the man thundered. Bosco took a step back holding up his hands.
"Whoa! This is Washington DC and according to her, she can take care of herself. She told me to get lost," Bosco said walking backward.
"I told Mikey to get lost too when he came back for me. A Ranger doesn't leave a man behind. You get back over there now," the man said putting the picture and Bosco's card in his pocket. He pointed in the direction of the Lincoln Memorial before turning to the next visitor to help them find the one they'd lost.
"Yes, sir," Bosco mumbled turning and walking back up the incline away from the monument.
Bosco picked up two sandwiches and a Coke then headed back to Faith. He saw her lying back on the steps soaking up the sun. Was she smiling? He couldn't tell from this angle, but it looked like she was. Maybe she's ready to let him help her.
She had made it all the way to the top of the steps and into the monument without his help, but once there she leaned against a column. Every attempt he made to help her was met with hostile glowering and sarcasm. When she wouldn't even let him help her back down the steps, he'd had enough.
"Faith, I've about had it with this pissy attitude of yours. I'm just tryin' to help."
"I don't need your help, Bosco so get lost!"
Faith had then plopped down on the steps exactly where she was sitting when Bosco returned. He half expected her to have gotten down the steps and into a cab by now. Seeing her sitting there made him feel like a bigger jerk than ever.
"I got ya a sandwich, Faith. You about ready to go?" Bosco asked sitting next to her on the steps.
"I've been ready to go for the two hours you left me sittin' here for," Faith said turning her head and glaring at him.
"It wasn't two hours. You'll never guess who I met over at the Vietnam Memorial."
"A 'once in a lifetime piece of ass' was she? Now are you ready to ditch me and let me get on with my vacation?"
"No, I met a guy who served with my uncle in Vietnam," Bosco said plopping the sandwich on her stomach when she wouldn't take it from him. The feeling that he was being a jerk was fading fast. "I'm not ditchin' ya and I'm not gonna let you ditch me either so ya better get used to it."
"Yeah, right," Faith grumbled picking up the sandwich and unwrapping it. She sat up taking a bite and proceeded to ignore Bosco completely.
"You know we could have a lot of fun if you'd stop bein' so crabby. Is it that time of the month or somethin'?"
"This sandwich is terrible," Faith said throwing the sandwich back at him.
Bosco ground his teeth together biting back the suggestion about where she could stick that sandwich and stood up. He grabbed her, slinging her over his shoulder in the carry he'd learned in the Army. A Ranger never leaves a man behind, but that didn't mean he had to put up with every complaint.
"Dammit, Bosco, you put me down right now!"
"Fine," Bosco said standing her on her feet at the edge of The Reflecting Pool. "I just want you to know, I'm not Fred. I'm not gonna take your shit lyin' down the way he does."
Bosco punctuated his remark by pushing Faith backward into the water. Watching her splash and sputter brought a satisfied smile to his face.
"Bosco! Help me! I can't stand up," Faith cried flailing her arms and sinking below the water. The smile faded as Bosco jumped into the pool and waded through the water to her.
"I'm so sorry, Faith. I got ya," Bosco said leaning forward to try and pull her out of the water. He expected her to hit him. He expected her to yell. What he didn't expect was her sinister smile and his legs being swept out from under him.
Faith struggled to her feet laughing as Bosco came up from under the water. It may have been the way the sun was reflecting on the water or her imagination, but she could have sworn she saw steam rising from his ears.
She wasn't laughing when Bosco grabbed her knees dunking her again. She came up and started splashing water at him. They were both laughing so hard they didn't hear the Park Rangers running toward them yelling. Bosco saw them first.
"Oh shit, Faith. We're in trouble now," Bosco said grabbing Faith and slinging her over his shoulder. He climbed out of The Reflecting Pool and ran across the Mall.
"Faster, Bos," Faith yelled as she watched the Park Rangers running behind them.
Bosco was running toward the Vietnam Memorial. He saw the old man standing in his path. The man smiled and nodded moving so that Bosco could run past then started yelling at the Park Rangers. He pointed into the trees in the opposite direction.
"Rangers lead the way!" the man called to Bosco's quickly retreating back. Faith waved to the man as they turned the corner out of sight.
Bosco ran all the way back to the car. He dropped Faith on the ground, unlocking the door then sprinted around to the driver's side. He collapsed inside before scanning the area.
"Who was that guy?" Faith asked once she'd caught her breath. She was still laughing as she pulled a leaf from Bosco's hair.
"That's the guy I was tryin' to tell you about. He knew my uncle in Vietnam. He had a picture of me with him and everything," Bosco said smiling. His smile faded when he reached into his pocket and pulled out the folded slip of paper with the rubbing of his uncle's name on it. It was soaking wet and fell to pieces in his hands.
"I'm sorry, Bos. Why don't you go back?"
"Nah, I think the Park Rangers would be able to put two and two together if they saw a soaking wet guy carryin' a soggy woman over his shoulder at the Memorial. Doesn't take a cracker jack police detective to tie us to the crime," Bosco said smirking over at her.
"I could stay here in the car."
"And have that old guy rip me a new one for leavin' ya again? No thanks. Dammit, I didn't even get his name," Bosco said looking down at the dripping paper. "We better get outta here. Ready to hit the beach?"
"Let's get some distance then go somewhere and change clothes. If we're goin' to a beach, I need a suit and sun screen," Faith replied pulling Bosco's jacket from the back seat and wrapping up in it in an attempt to get warm.
"Hey, that's my jacket!"
"Yeah it is. I'm not gettin' my jacket all wet. Let's go already before they figure out what happened to us," Faith said smiling.
Geez, if all it took was dunkin' her to get her to lighten up, he would have pushed her off a pier years ago.