Chapter Three – Newkirk Again

Newkirk was sitting at the table in Barracks Two with the newest member of Colonel Hogan's team – Sergeant Andrew Carter. Carter had only been in camp a couple weeks since his transfer from Stalag 5, but the Englishman and the American had begun to form a bond of friendship. Newkirk couldn't explain why – the two men were as opposite as they could be. Carter was a farm boy from the middle of America, naïve to the ways of the world. He was a street-wise bloke from the middle of London, getting into mischief since he was a lad.

As Newkirk shuffled the cards, he asked, "What'll it be, Andrew?"

"I don't know," Carter replied. "I don't know how to play very many card games. The only thing I played back home was 'Go Fish' with my mother."

Newkirk was surprised. "You're pulling my leg, mate!" he exclaimed. "You mean you never learned how to play gin-rummy back in Leapfrog?"

"That's Bullfrog," Carter corrected. "No, my mother didn't believe in gambling."

"Gambling!" Newkirk laughed. "Now why did she think a ruddy simple game like gin-rummy was gambling?"

Carter shrugged. "I dunno," he said. "She just said that nothing good ever came out of gambling."

Newkirk held back a laugh. "After some of the nights I had on the East-End, I'd agree with her," he muttered. "Andrew, I think it's time you learned how to play."

"I don't know, Newkirk," Carter started. "Mother was pretty serious about it."

"Come on, Andrew," Newkirk protested. "You're a bloody prisoner of war now. It's time to cut those apron strings and become a man. You didn't plan to stay at home with your mother all your life, did you?"

"Oh, not at all," Carter replied. "Me and my girl, Mary Jane, plan to get married after the war is over."

"Mary Jane?" Newkirk asked. "Let me guess. You've been sweethearts since you were kids." Carter nodded. "And you're going to get married and live in a house next door to your parents."

Carter shook his head. "No, not next door," he replied. "We're going to live in the room above the garage until we can find a place of our own in the neighborhood."

Newkirk's jaw dropped. "You're not bloody serious," he deadpanned. "You mean to tell me you only have one girl?"

"Of course!" Carter replied. "She's the only girl for me."

"But how do you know this, if you don't sample what the world has to offer?" Newkirk asked.

"You mean date other girls?" Carter asked. "I don't think Mary Jane would like that."

Newkirk held back a laugh. "Andrew, when you are playing the field, you don't tell them about the others."

"But that wouldn't be honest," Carter said seriously.

Newkirk shook his head. "You're hopeless, you know that?" he replied. "So you're going to marry Mary Jane and live in the same neighborhood as your parents. How quaint!"

"Sure!" Carter said excitedly. "Me and Mary Jane are hoping that we can buy old man Johnson's house on the corner someday. He's getting pretty old and …"

"Please, spare me the details," Newkirk said, waving his hands in the air. "I'm going to teach you how to play gin-rummy, even if you're mother doesn't like it."

Carter shrugged. "Okay by me," he replied. "It is hard to play?"

Newkirk shook his head. "No, it's pretty easy," he said, shuffling the cards. "But first, we have to decide what the stakes are."

"Stakes?" Carter asked, looking confused.

"Sure, the stakes," Newkirk said. "We have to decide how much each point is worth, so that when the game is over, the loser can pay the winner."

"That sounds an awful lot like gambling," Carter said.

"It's not a bit like gambling," Newkirk said reassuringly. "You see, gambling is based on luck – you bet money in the hopes you are lucky enough to win. Gin-rummy is based on skill – you're using your old noggin to try and outthink your opponent."

"You mean it's like baseball," Carter said.

"Baseball, blackjack, something like that," Newkirk replied nonchalantly as he dealt the cards.

"Blackjack?" Carter asked. "What's that?"

Newkirk smiled. "You have a lot to learn, Andrew," he said.

The barracks door opened, allowing Hogan, LeBeau and Kinch to enter the room.

"Are we missing something?" LeBeau asked.

"No," replied Newkirk. "I'm just teaching Andrew here how to play cards."

"Newkirk, go easy on him," Hogan warned. "He's new to the camp and hasn't been warned about you yet."

Newkirk stared back at Hogan with a look of innocence. "Colonel, I don't know what you mean," he said. "I'm just teaching my friend here how to play gin-rummy. He's never played before."

A small smirk crossed Hogan's face. "I see," he said slowly, crossing over to sit next to Carter. "You don't mind if I watch, do you?"

"Not at all," Newkirk said. "The more the merrier, I always say."

"And when do you always say that, Newkirk?" Kinch asked as he climbed into his bunk.

"I think I started saying it just about a minute ago," Newkirk replied. He turned to Carter and began to explain the rules of the game. After a quick rundown, he asked, "You got it?"

Carter shrugged. "I think so," he replied as he picked up his cards and looked at them.

Hogan glanced at the cards in Carter's hand and almost choked on his breath.

"You okay, sir?" Newkirk asked.

Hogan tried to stop coughing and after a moment, he was able to answer. "Yes, there must be something in the air," he rasped. "But don't let me keep you from your game."

Newkirk smiled. "Not a chance, sir," he replied. "Now Andrew, do you know what you're supposed to do?"

"I think so, but can you tell me again what the objective of the game is?" Carter asked.

Newkirk sighed. This obviously wasn't going to be easy. "What your supposed to do is to get a hand full of sets of at least three of the same card or at least three consecutive cards of the same suit."

"You mean like this?" Carter asked, putting his cards face up on the table in front of him.

Hogan burst out laughing as Newkirk stared at the cards on the table. "I believe the correct thing to say is gin, Carter!" he exclaimed.

"Bloody 'ell," Newkirk muttered. "Never played the game before in his life and I deal him a winning hand."

"You mean I win?" Carter asked. "Wow, imagine that."

Kinch was laughing in his bunk. "Yes, imagine that, Newkirk," he said mockingly.

----- ---- -----

The sound of a key clicking in the cell door interrupted Newkirk's thoughts. As the door opened, he raised his hands to shield his eyes from the blinding light of the outside hallway. After a moment, he could see the silhouette of a large man in the doorway.

"Get up," a harsh voice ordered. "You're coming with me."

"Where?" Newkirk asked.

"We'll ask the questions here," the voice said. "You just make sure you answer them correctly. If you don't …" The voice paused while the man chuckled. "Let's just say that we have some very effective ways of getting the answers we want."

Ain't that ruddy wonderful, thought Newkirk.