Here's another one! Read and enjoy.

Chapter 39

"I have to go as well. Paperwork awaits me. Col., can you spare me an hour of your time today? I need to go over some admin details with you."

"Anytime Major. Just give me a heads up so I know what you want to discuss."

"How about now I can give you highlights on my way to your office and once Cpl. O'Reilly is finished here, he can pull your papers for you."

"Cummon then." Potter told her in a less than enthusiastic tone.

"Oh, I have to change, Col. This ...Give me fifteen minutes, Col."

"Alright. And Radar can finish his food in the mean time."

That meant a premature death of Radar's breakfast. I chuckled at her conning both the CO and his pediatric shadow.

"I don't see that happening. Not in the near future." I whispered to Radar who turned red again.

"Cut that out!"

"Radar, uhhh, I did not thank you for placing the call yesterday." Turning serious, I decided to make use of the opportunity.

"Guess it did not go too well."

"Yeah. Dad was not the one I wanted to call."

"Oh. Col. Potter told me to call the switchboard in Crabapple Cove but as soon as I told the operator I was calling from Korea, she patched me through to your father. That operator does not listen to anybody, does she?"

I laughed, remembering the two operators who worked the town switchboard. They did what I used to ask them to do back in college and then med school and residency. A hurried and a harried call pushing them to find Dad and patch me through so I did not run out of the few nickels I was left with before I could ask for some money.

"Not really, no. Neither of them." I smiled at the memory.

"Hey Hawk! Do you mind if I leave? Sausages are burned and Major Houlihan will be there and Col. might need something."

"Go ahead, kid." I could do with some free time to finish my letter.

Dear Dad,

How are you? We had quite some snow here yesterday all day and then some over night. Camp and the mountains behind it look very beautiful if you can ignore the occasional sound of shellfire. We may get busy soon as the pre-Christmas sales go sky high in this region and everybody wants to be a customer in our little shop.

I got your package a few days ago. Thank you very much. BJ did not know it was going to be this cold and, being from California, did not bother to pack in the heavies to fight the cold. Or maybe he was being very optimistic about the war and its premature demise. I told him to write his wife, Peg, to send him some stuff or he would freeze to death. I remember my last winters here. Cannot believe its been so long since I have been here. My second winters, second Christmas and second New Year. Thanksgiving is this Thursday. Last year, they served some surplus turkey from 1944. I kept thinking why they even bothered packaging turkey for that war but Army is something I have given up trying to understand.

How is Olivia? I hope she falls in love with Maine winter and decides to stay. Dad, I had to tell you...

That was where I was interrupted by Margaret and Col. I tried to remember my chain of thought to be interrupted yet again by Klinger. He was coming off from guard duty and did not look very happy. He had another brush with Zale.

Not being in the mood to hear his gripes right now, I excused myself and left the mess tent. Swamp was quiet and so, I settled on my cot and started writing all over again.

...Dad, I had to tell you...? What then? That was just perfect. Cursing my earlier company a little, I decided to just get to the point. Tact never got me anywhere anyway.

Dad, I had to tell you something yesterday when I called you. You may have guessed. It was about Olivia. But maybe not something you expected I would say. I am sorry you did not get my earlier letter where I told you how thrilled I was to hear you found yourself a girl. It made me feel bad a little, for denying you some happiness all those years ago but I was a kid then. I thought you could do that math now. I am not 12 anymore. And war has a way of scaring the hell out of any plans one might make. And that means me. So, even if there is no thought more cheerful than to see you again, there is always the possibility, whether we say it or not. I know it. And you know it too. So here's the deal: You tell me what you think and/or feel. I have always been open to you and now, I expect no less from you. I don't want to hear from Uncle Jim what a jerk I am to you, alright? Go to her, kiss and make up!

I want you to be happy, with or without me. So be happy.

Love you.

Miss you.

Your son.

P.S. I won't mind babysitting any offsprings of yours either. I will only charge you half the market price.

I decided that if I needed to, I would write a supplementary letter but for now, this would do.

Just then, the door opened and entered Frank.

"Morning Frank."

"Go blow up yourself, Pierce." That was a new one. Previous ones used to be less mean.

"Not a very nice thing to say so early, Frank."

"Oh yeah? You and ...and that buddy of yours. I will see you both." With that, he started pulling stuff out of his footlocker.

Seemed like BJ said something to him. This could be interesting.

" Need help with your footlocker, Frank? I was thinking of rearranging it today. And maybe finding that sex shop catalog. What do you say?"

He slammed down the lid before sitting on the locker.

"Don't you dare come near my footlocker. And for your information, there is no catalog, you sex fiend."

"Sex fiend, Frank? Who told you about that, Frank? Rawrrrr." I made a move towards him. He jumped like a weasel before getting on his cot and jumping to the other side. I laughed and kept moving towards him.

"If you kiss me Pierce..."

I cackled like Dracula and got on his cot following him. With that, he just scampered out of the Swamp. I could not keep a straight face anymore. The return to Swamp was better than expected so far as my emotional state was concerned. I decided to go nice and opened the door to scream, " FRANK! Come back. You are safe in the Swamp. Its too cold outside."

A couple of soldiers and a nurse looked at me in a quizzical manner before hurrying towards warmth. Sun was hiding behind a haze of clouds and seemed too shy to face Korea today.

I considered changing my clothes. Frank's jacket was lying on his cot after he removed it from his footlocker. I switched his with mine and removed his clusters and dumped it all on his bed. Maybe while pinning the clusters to his new wardrobe, he would do the ultimate merciful act of malpractice and stab himself. Or maybe I was hoping for too much.