1. Warning: Mentions of suicide and murder in this chapter.
2. Italian translation for molto bene: very good, fanculo: fuck, cuore impavido: brave heart
3. German translation for liebchen: sweetheart
4. 'Pretty Ballerina' is a beautiful love song by the Left Banke.
5. Swarovski jewelers was established in Austria in 1895.
6. I named the bar in this chapter, 'The Peppercorn Tavern,' after a local bar in New Jersey.
7 New England Clam Chowder, a famous chowder soup, originated in the 18th century.
8. Apologies ahead of time. Brandon is supposed to be an uncomfortable character.
*GC*
Three nights after Corporal Jenson had found him cleaning off his bloody knuckles, Brandon had continued to hang around Gomer, often doing anything and everything he could to get the two of them alone, "coincidently" showing up to the same places that the sweet Private happened to be, having him work the mess hall when he wasn't in rehearsal. Sometimes, he would go as far as sneaking into Company B's barracks at an uncertain hour of the night to watch Gomer sleep, successfully sneaking out before anyone caught him in a barracks other than his own. His lust for Gomer seemed to grow, and he would do anything and everything in his power to have the sweet Private for himself. However, these feelings never came with regret, for Brandon didn't feel good about lusting after someone considered kind, pure, and innocent. He had expressed this in his journal before it was time for him to go to bed:
It's been a month in Camp Henderson, and these thoughts have driven me crazier than ever. The first time I laid my eyes on that Private, I thought he was the most beautiful man I'd ever seen; those deep brown eyes...those soft lips...that thick brown hair... he's enough to drive me insane on the inside. The closer I get to him, the more I want to take him and have my way with him. However, he's so pure and innocent that some part of me feels the utmost regret for wanting him that way. Someone like Pyle deserves better than how I'm feeling. The one thing I can say about him is that he isn't like the others, which makes me want him even more. God, how I wish to have him and to touch that soft, milky white skin...and get him into my bed without question. Even though I feel guilty harboring after him like this, I can't help myself but to still take him in this way. How I want to touch him...and place myself inside him...until there isn't any more of him I can take.
After writing his entry, Brandon placed his diary on the nightstand and opened the drawer. He took out the handkerchief, sniffing into it, as he stiffened below the waist. Gomer's natural musky scent was enough to get Brandon high, and it was something how his scent lingered on the small piece of cloth. As he smiled to himself, his other hand made its way down his shorts. While in the middle of sniffing and pleasuring himself, the door opened, and a voice called out, "Sergeant Harris..."
Startled, Brandon saw Jenson flinch when he yelled, "Corporal Jenson, do you know how to knock? God, what is with you people not knocking before entering?"
Taken aback, Jenson looked at his substitute commanding officer. Brandon realized he scared Jenson by yelling. His expression became remorseful, "Sorry...I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting you to come in."
All the young Corporal could do was stand at the doorway, bewildered at the Bostonian Sergeant lying in a compromising position in his bunk. As Brandon cleared his throat, he asked Jenson, "Was there something I could help you with?"
"Uh...I was going to say the mess hall is all cleaned up, and I sent the men on their way...and I'm going to wash up before I turn in." Jenson managed to explain.
Watching the Corporal grab his stuff for his shower, Brandon spoke up, "Hey, Corporal..."
Jenson turned to face the Bostonian Sergeant, not expecting to be asked, "Have you ever been in love?"
"Uh...not that I can think of..." Jenson answered awkwardly. "How come?"
"No reason," Brandon spoke. "Being in love is a wonderful feeling. Wouldn't you agree?"
Nodding his head slowly, Jenson awkwardly walked into the bathroom to wash up while Brandon turned out the lamp on his nightstand. As the shower started running on the other side of the door, this allowed Brandon to relieve himself of the excitement he was feeling below the belt. Closing his eyes shut, Brandon pleasured himself, picturing the sweet Private underneath him, doing things to him he had done to so many others in the past. The sheer thought of Gomer smiling was enough to get Brandon off in ways he'd never imagined. As he got to his tipping point, he let out a loud cry into the night, thankfully not loud enough for anyone to hear, let alone Jenson. Panting in and out, the Bostonian Sergeant smiled a big smile to himself, knowing he had fulfilled his excitement; how he had to take Gomer for himself...and no one was going to stop him, not even Gomer's Sergeant, whom Brandon has a long distaste for.
*GC*
Two nights went by, and Boyle and Katie finally had time to see one another off the base, as they sat on her living room couch, listening to music on the radio. She leaned against his chest, taking in the sound of his beating heart. Boyle had his arm around her, kissing the top of her head.
"It's nice to spend time together finally." The Corporal stated.
"I know..." Katie replied faintly. "We just hired a new nurse to the infirmary."
"Oh really?" Boyle asked.
"Yes...Private Slater's girlfriend." Katie chuckled.
Boyle laughed, replying to Katie's news, "He's going to love that for sure."
"He doesn't even know." Katie giggled. "She hasn't bothered telling him."
"I want to be there when she tells him." Boyle responded, eying Katie rub her temples, "Hey, you alright?"
"Oh yes...just a bit tired, is all," Katie replied.
"You've been working very hard, love," Boyle told Katie, kissing the top of her head. "Just relax, alright?"
Katie looked up at her love, smiling at him. Although he didn't want to admit it, Boyle could tell Katie hadn't been feeling well for a little bit, but she never said anything. He held her closer to him, whispering into her ear, "You are so beautiful."
Katie smiled at her love's words. The song on the radio that played was 'Pretty Ballerina' by the Left Banke.
"This is such a pretty song, Chuck," Katie stated.
The Corporal stood up from his seat, bringing Katie to her feet, "Dance with me then..."
"I'd love to, Corporal." Katie giggled as she got into a dance position with Boyle.
Soft music filled the air of the small living room as the two love birds swayed back and forth. Working so hard in his outfit, Boyle loved the relaxation, especially when he got to be with his lady. As for Katie, she was grateful to have found a man who adored her, despite their circumstances. She knew Boyle loved her and cared for her without having to say it. Lost in the moment, the two were startled when the music on the radio changed to, "We interrupt this program for a breaking local news report. Reports state that a young college student has gone missing in the Southern California location. Police believe this could be a potential homicide in the area..."
Katie looked at Boyle with a worried expression, "Stuff like this has never happened here."
"Yeah, now that you mention it," Boyle replied.
As they listened to the radio program, Katie held onto Boyle's arm tightly, resting her head on his shoulder. Meanwhile, back on the base, music rehearsal ran longer than expected, and Gomer decided to go and call his grandmother afterward. He was in the rec room, standing in the phone booth talking to his Grandma.
"We've been doin' our drills as usual, and I've been assigned to the mess hall a lot more lately. I think the new mess hall Sergeant likes my cookin' skills. He even has me servin' the men for chow. We've become really close friends. But I still miss Andy and everyone back home."
"That's great, Gomie," Lynette spoke on the other line.
"Get this, Grandma...we're makin' apple dump cake for dessert. I had to teach Sergeant Harris had to make it, and he couldn't believe how easy it was. I will deny I ever said this, but he's a much better cook than Sergeant Hacker."
"Very nice, Gomie. I'm so happy you are usin' my old recipe."
Feeling like something was wrong with Lynette, the Private asked, "Grandma, are you okay?"
"Oh, yes, Gomie. Just tired, is all."
"Well, I sure hope I didn't wake you."
"Oh, Gomer, you could never bother me. I wish I could see you." Lynette chuckled.
"Golly, I hope you can too. I sure do miss you. I can always write you and call, but it ain't the same." Gomer explained.
"I know, baby." Lynette softly agreed.
"So after the General's birthday, I'll take a leave and come see you, Andy, and all of them."
"Sounds wonderful, baby. Listen, Gomie, I'm sorry to cut you off, but I'm gonna nap. I sent you a little somethin' in the mail, so get yourself somethin' to eat when you get it."
"Thank you, Grandma. You rest up. I have to get back into the barracks anyway. I love you to the stars and back."
"I love you to the sun, moon, and stars."
The Private hung up the phone, then exited the phone booth. He returned to the barracks, where he saw the other men around the radio. Gomer walked in, holding his music folder, asking the other men, "What's goin' on?"
"Oh, hey, Gome," Perez called over.
The sweet Private moved closer to the other men as they listened to what was going on in the news report, "Police say that 18-year-old Gregory Plemons was last seen at a bar, playing pool. When he didn't return, his roommates reported him missing. More details on that report."
Once the news report was finished, the music continued to play. Gomer interjected, "Oh my...who would think someone goin' missin' where we all go on liberty?"
"Gomer, don't be naïve. Anywhere can be dangerous if you ain't careful." Frankie stated. "But speaking of missing people? Do you remember that guy from basic training, Harry Phillips?"
"What about him?" Duke asked.
"I just heard he went missing a year or two ago, and they found him hung in his motel room," Frankie stated.
"Oh no! How horrible!" Gomer cried out. "Poor Harry. Horrible, just horrible!"
"Are you kidding me, Gomer?" Duke laughed. "More like champagne for everyone. I couldn't stand that guy."
"I don't think anyone could, Duke." Frankie chimed in as they laughed.
It was when Gomer stood up, looking his friends in the eye, "You two shouldn't say things like that. Wishin' death on someone is wrong, whether they are good or bad. You don't want that on your conscious, no sir-ree."
"Gomer, he treated you like shit, and you're sympathizing with him?" Duke was dumbfounded.
"I didn't like the guy, but I would never celebrate his death, especially how he died." Gomer tried to get Duke to understand. "You really shouldn't say things like that, Duke."
The sweet Private's friend took a deep breath, then said, "You're right, Gome. Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."
"It's alright, Duke. I don't want that on your conscious, is all." Gomer responded.
*GC*
The following day, Carter sat alone in the duty hut with the radio playing. As he sorted through his mail from weeks ago, he saw that he got a letter from the girl he raised in Korea, Sue-Lin. He read her letter to himself as she told him she was living in Long Beach, just an hour or two away from Camp Henderson, and her baby had just turned three. What melted Carter's heart was that she named her little girl, 'Louisa,' after her "Papa Louie." He couldn't help but think back on the times in Korea since he saw Brandon at Camp Henderson. Despite his presence being a nuisance to him, he couldn't help but reminisce about memories of Korea, significantly when he and Louie raised her. Carter recalled telling Gomer how the Marines found her and raised her on the base, but she always took to him and Louie the most. He smiled at the time when Louie tried to teach the small girl Italian, but she never would budge with learning the language. He smiled back at a memory of Korea involving the young child:
*Korea 1952*
The little girl ate oatmeal made by Louie; he managed to sneak into the mess hall to fix her something quickly, missing the mess hall Sergeant and Brandon Harris completely. Carter was impressed that he got the little girl to eat. It was safe to say that Louie was the only one she would eat for.
"How do you do that?" Carter asked, impressed.
"Growing up with my mother in the kitchen, I might have learned a few tips and tricks."
The young Carter smiled at the Italian American Private. As Sue Lin ate her food, Louie tried to get her to say a phrase in Italian, "Come on, Sue Lin...say it with me...molto bene."
All Sue Lin did was eat her food.
Carter saw this and chuckled, "Still tryin' to teach her Italian?"
"Yep, and she still ain't budgin'," Louie stated.
Laughing again, Carter knelt to Sue Lin's level and asked, "How is your food, Sue Lin?"
"Good..." was all the little girl said as she chewed her oatmeal.
Carter smiled, then looked up at Louie, "See...she likes it."
Louie chuckled and shook his head. He held the spoon up to the child's mouth as Carter continued to speak, "Did you know she's afraid of Harris?"
"Yeah. The other day, she called him the Gold Monster." Louie stated, making Carter laugh.
"I have other names for him, but I'll drink to that."
After a few more bites, Sue Lin looked up at Louie, "Papa Louie, full."
"That's it? Come on, honey. Just a few more bites." Louie insisted.
"No." Sue Lin pouted. "I wanna play!"
"Sue Lin, Papa Louie said two more bites. Then you can play. Okay?" Carter asked the small child.
Thinking for a moment, Sue Lin replied, "Okay."
Louie glared up at Carter, who smiled smugly at him in return. Louie fed her two more bites of food when Carter spoke, "She's gonna eat good because of you."
"If it weren't for me, she'd be eating the crap they give us during chow. Trust me, cuore impavido; I ate good, she's going to eat good." Louie stated as he picked up the bowl of oatmeal. "Hey, I'm going to bring this back to the mess hall, okay?"
"Sure thing," Carter replied.
When Louie got up, he banged his knee on the small table, dropping the bowl of oatmeal on the floor. "Ahh! Fanculo!"
Carter looked up at Louie, who was rubbing his knee. Jokingly, Carter replied, "Way to go."
The Italian American glared at Carter, who smiled smugly at him. Next thing they knew, Sue Lin fell from running, but instead of crying about it, she cried out, "Ahh, fanculo!"
The two men, who took it upon themselves to raise the small girl, exchanged glances before bursting out in laughter.
"I think that's the most Italian she'll say." Carter laughed.
"I'm afraid so," Louie replied.
*Flashback ends*
Carter smiled as he closed up the letter, placing it inside his desk. That was when he realized that he had to organize his messy desk. As he was throwing out old papers and making the top of his desk look a little more presentable, he couldn't help but reminisce at how Louie was always the organized one, and he was the messy one. Ironically, Gomer was the one who made him want to be neater since their incident in the food bunker. Was this love, or was it just someone influencing him? At that moment, Boyle stood by the door, noticing Carter cleaning his desk. This time, he knocked so as not to scare Carter like last time. The Sergeant looked up, grinning at his Corporal.
"Spring cleaning?" Boyle joked.
"Just felt like cleaning up, is all," Carter replied as he threw out papers in his waste basket. "How's your girl doin'?"
"She's okay. She just hadn't been feeling well lately." Boyle wondered.
"What's wrong with her?" Carter asked.
"She's been nauseous. Tired more so than usual. I'm guessing she ate something, but I grabbed the invitations for the General's birthday anyway." Boyle changed the topic.
"Oh, great. Thank you." Carter responded.
Boyle placed the invitations on Carter's desk before walking over to sit at his own desk. Carter looked at Boyle when a thought came to his mind, 'She isn't...or is she...eh, don't overthink it. It ain't your business?'
"Oh...and I have it on good authority that Mendes and Jackson will return soon," Boyle added, abhorrence in his tone. "Not that I want to see Jackson back here after he tried to hurt Kathryn."
"I hope they are moved to another platoon when they get back. I'm telling ya, Boyle, one more slip up from either one of them; I'm not going to be as nice as I was at first." Carter responded.
"You're nice?" Boyle joked.
"Fuck off," Carter responded as the two shared a laugh.
As Boyle settled in, the Sergeant picked up the letter he received from Sue Lin, saying, "Boyle, did I ever tell you I raised a small child while in Korea?"
"Vaguely," Boyle answered. "Why do you ask?"
"No, I just got a letter from her a couple of weeks ago, and I am just opening it up now." Carter chuckled. "Her baby just turned three. Can't you believe it?"
"No kidding? That's nice." Boyle replied happily. "Are you going to plan a visit?"
"I'm thinking about it. I haven't seen her since she got married, but we still keep in touch."
"Real nice, Vince." Boyle smiled in response.
It became quiet suddenly when Boyle asked, "When do you want to hand out the invitations?"
Getting up from his desk, Carter said, "Why don't we do it now?"
Boyle smiled. The Sergeant and Corporal split the invites in half. Once they broke the invites into twos, they walked out of the duty hut, heading towards the barracks, only to find the men talking amongst each other. Duke noticed Carter and Boyle walk in, shouting, "Attention!"
As the Privates stood in attention, Carter and Boyle walked in. One of the men turned down the radio as Carter spoke, "What is this? A country club? Does anyone want to tell me what you old ladies were gossiping about?"
No one said anything when Carter added, "Alright, you people, listen up! I will be handing out the invitations to General Prescott's birthday! You have until the end of the month to RSVP, and let me know if you are bringing a date to the event. If you choose to go stag, then that's your decision. Alright, everyone, take an invite."
Gomer and Duke took their invitations from Boyle as Carter interjected, "Pyle, don't forget your rehearsal later. You are excused from duties until the end of the party. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir," Gomer responded.
While no one was looking, Carter winked at Gomer, smirking at him. This caused the Private to blush. Both the Sergeant and Corporal handed out the invitations when suddenly, the music on the radio came to a halt, "We interrupt this program for a breaking local news update."
As the radio was turned up, everyone crowded around, curious to know what was going on, "Police have found the body of missing college student, Gregory Plemons, stuffed in a dumpster behind the Peppercorn Tavern. Last Thursday night, Mr. Plemons, age 18 and a native of Weston, Massachusetts, was reported missing by his college roommates when he failed to return to his college dormitory after a night out with some friends. It seems that Mr. Plemons died of a severe beating caused by a pair of brass knuckles from an alleged mugger. Plemons is survived by his parents and younger sister. The suspect is still at large. Now back to your regular programming."
After the news report, the men shuddered, knowing that someone was murdered in the city where they would all go on liberty.
"Boy...a murder in town. Do we have to be scared to even go on liberty now?" Perez asked.
"Don't let this ruin it for you, Perez. There are a lot of psychos out there." Gavin shrugged.
The news left Gomer feeling uneasy, as Carter could tell. Duke looked up at his best friend, asking, "Are you okay, buddy?"
"No, not really...golly...who would do somethin' so horrible like that?"
"Wake up and smell the coffee, Pyle!" One of the men snapped. "There are terrible people everywhere. Stop being so naïve!"
"Alright, that's enough!" Carter stepped into Gomer's defense. "All of you, find something to do. If you are on a work detail, I suggest you start your duties. Not one more word of what we just heard, and if I hear any of you bother Pyle over this, there will be repercussions. Is that clear?"
"Aye, aye, sir." The men responded.
"See to it." Carter said his piece and turned to Gomer, "Pyle, come with Boyle and me to the duty hut."
"Right, sir," Gomer replied as he followed his commanding officers.
As the three returned to the duty hut, Boyle turned to Carter, saying, "Serge, I'm going to check on Kathryn in the infirmary and make sure she's feeling okay."
"Golly...what's wrong with Nurse Katie?" Gomer asked Boyle.
"She isn't feeling well and hasn't been for a few days, to which I don't understand why she's working. But I'm going to make sure she's alright." Boyle replied.
"Do what you need to do, Boyle. Gomer, sit on my bunk. I need to speak to you." Carter told Gomer.
Once Boyle was out of sight, Carter walked into the duty hut, shutting the door behind him. He walked over to the bunk, sitting beside his love, "Are you okay?"
"Just still shaken up, I guess. I was near that area the other night." Gomer explained.
"When you went to the picture show?"
"Uh huh...you know, I could never suspect anythin' happenein' at night. It's awful. Just awful."
"Well...don't let the other men bother you about it." The Sergeant felt it was best to change the subject, "Gomer, can I ask you something?"
"Anythin', Vince."
"How does Harris act around you? Does he make you uneasy at all?"
"Uh...not really. He's been very nice. The others find him strange in particular, especially Duke. But I don't see no wrong with him." Gomer explained. "Why do you ask?"
"No reason." Carter shook his head.
"You ain't mad, are you?"
"What? No...I mean...I don't trust him." Carter nervously chuckled.
"Duke says the same thing, that he don't trust him. He and Frankie find Sergeant Harris odd." Gomer asked.
The Sergeant sighed when he answered Gomer, "Well, I've known him since Korea, and...he's always been a character. Has he done anything to you?"
"No, nothin' at all. But I am supposed to help him in the mess hall at the end of the week." The Private explained, catching Carter off guard.
"I know...he has men in his outfit that could do the job you are doin'. I don't know why he needs you." The Sergeant replied. "But then again, the food quality has gone up since havin' you around."
Gomer blushed in response.
"Did you like that thick clam soup? Personally, for me, it was too thick and quite hard to chew." Gomer asked. "I ain't never heard of soup with fish before. The thought still makes me nauseous."
"Yeah, I consider the food I ate in Korea gourmet before I would ever eat that again."
The Private and Sergeant laughed. Gomer didn't particularly like Brandon's clam chowder on the mess hall menu. The Sergeant decided to change the topic once again, as he patted Gomer on the knee, "So...do you have any ideas of who to ask to the General's party?"
"Well...I wanted to go with you." Gomer spoke up.
Frowning, Carter replied to Gomer's statement, "You know we can't be obvious to anyone except the ones who know about us."
This statement also made Gomer frown, "There ain't anyone else I'd rather go with than you."
"Well...you know...things have to be the way they are, sadly," Carter replied, suddenly remembering what he was going to tell Gomer. "Hey, I was going to suggest you go into town, but then I remembered..."
"I should be fine, Vince. You don't need to worry 'bout me." Gomer smiled.
Carter returned the smile, saying, "Okay. I'll call Sergeant Cunningham and tell him you need to take a break from rehearsal."
"You sure I won't..."
"It's fine. Besides, he owes me a favor." Carter chuckled as he stood up and walked over to his desk, taking out a liberty pass, then handed it to Gomer, "Go into town, distract yourself...get yourself a soda or see a monster picture or whatever. Take the day."
The sweet Private smiled at his love. As Carter helped Gomer to his feet, the Private gave the Sergeant a sweet but passionate kiss. Carter chuckled when they broke apart, "What was that for?"
"I don't know. I just wanted to do that." Gomer replied bashfully.
Carter smiled, bringing his love in for another kiss. As Gomer left the duty hut, an idea came to mind, making him race back to the barracks, getting ready to head into town. He ran to his locker, grabbed what he needed to shower, and ran out. Moments later, Gomer walked back into his barracks, feeling refreshed. As he prepared to walk out, Duke stopped him, saying, "Oh, Gomer, you goin' into town?"
"I was plannin' to. How come?" He asked.
"Okay. Could you wait on me? I want to come too. Alana wants to meet with me."
"Sure thing, Duke!"
*GC*
In the infirmary, Katie was giving a patient his medicine when another fellow nurse walked into the room, "Nurse Katie, Corporal Boyle is in the lobby."
"Oh, okay. Thank you, Linda." Katie smiled faintly.
Linda, a petite nurse, observed Katie, saying, "You okay? You look tired."
"Oh...yeah. I might need a nap after this." Katie chuckled.
"Well, I'll take over, and you go to your sweetheart."
Katie smiled at Linda and left the room. As she walked towards the lobby, she saw Boyle standing there. A smile appeared on her face, "Hi. What are you doing here? I thought you had a lot of paperwork to complete."
"I wanted to check on you. How do you feel?" Boyle asked Katie as he took her into his arms.
"I'm better than yesterday, but still very tired," Katie replied.
"Want me to bring you anything?" Boyle asked.
"Oh, sweetheart, I'm fine," Katie replied as she kissed Boyle. "You don't need to worry about me."
The Corporal smiled at his love; she was so lovely. Boyle then remembered to ask the beautiful nurse, "Now that I have you here anyway, I have a question."
"And what might that be?" Katie chuckled as she was still in Boyle's grasp.
"Well...Did you want to escort me to General Prescott's birthday party next month?"
The nurse chuckled at Boyle's question, replying, "Corporal Chuck Boyle, I'd love to be your date."
The two kissed in the lobby, not caring what anyone was thinking or saying. Of course, their relationship still caused looks and whispers, but they didn't care. Boyle loved Katie, and that was enough for both of them.
*GC*
While in town, Gomer and Duke separated; while Duke headed over to Alana's place, Gomer made his way to the jewelers. After walking a couple of blocks, he looked around the jewelry store. The General's birthday party was only around the corner, and much to Gomer and Carter's disappointment, they couldn't go to the party together. Being as positive as he could, the Private held his head high, confident that what he had planned would work. Thank goodness that Grandma Pyle sent him some money to buy whatever he wanted. Gomer walked into the jewelry shop, scoping through the beautiful selection of cufflinks in the display glass; the ones that caught his eye were in white gold, and the plate was covered in black, blue, and silver crystals, making them look like a starry night. As he carefully observed them, a young sales girl approached him.
"Hello! Welcome to Harry's Jewelers. My name is Stacey. Are you looking for anything in particular?"
"Why, hello there!" Gomer greeted her. "I was just lookin' at them here, cufflinks."
"Oh...well...these white gold ones that you are looking at have genuine Swarovski crystals."
"Genuine? Shazam!" Gomer softly exclaimed.
"Yes, and I've always loved these." Stacey gushed over the cufflinks. "They are on sale too!"
"On sale? Shazam!"
Stacey chuckled, saying, "I take it you are interested in these?"
"Yes, ma'am."
The young sales girl opened up the case for Gomer, took out the cufflinks, placing them on the counter for the Private to get a good look at. Gomer picked up the box, admiring how they sparkled.
"Goooolly..."
"Also, they are buy one, get another pair 50% off. Would you like me to hold on to these while you still look around?"
"50% off? Sh-"
"Shazam." Stacey finished Gomer's sentence, making him chuckle. "Feel free to have a look."
As the Private looked around, he couldn't find anything he liked until he saw a pair of brass cufflinks with black crystals covering the plate."
'That brass goes well with Vince's eyes.' Gomer thought to himself when Stacey walked over, "I see you found another pair?"
"Yes. I'll take these ones, too, please?"
The young sales girl took the brass cufflinks to the register. The Private watched as she carefully wrapped up the boxes, placing them inside a gift bag. When she was done, she rang up the total on the register, "Okay, Private. That will be $150.00."
Gomer carefully took out his money, counting $150.00 in cash. He handed his money to the sales girl, who then took it from him, trusting it to ensure she had the total amount. Once she counted it, she placed it in the register, put the two boxes in the bag, then handed it to Gomer.
"You enjoy, Marine." Stacey smiled.
"You too, ma'am, and thank you!" Gomer replied ecstatically.
Once he was finished shopping in the jewelry store, the Private walked out, smiling to himself, when he felt someone bump into him.
"Oh, excuse me! I..." Gomer looked to see it was Brandon he bumped into. "Oh, hey, Sergeant Harris!"
"Private Gomer Pyle! What a coincidence!" Brandon replied with enthusiasm.
"It seems like we always run into each other on liberty." Gomer smiled.
Brandon eyed the bag in Gomer's hand, "You do a little shopping?"
"Oh, this? I wanted something that might go with my dress blues for the General's birthday party! Say, what brings you here?"
"Well...I let Corporal Jenson be in charge while I stepped away from the base. Say, where else were you headed?"
"Well, I was gonna go to the Bluebird Cafe for a chocolate soda," Gomer said.
"Mind if I join you?" Brandon asked.
"Well...I don't see why not? I don't want to interrupt your plans."
"You could never interrupt my plans." Brandon smiled.
"Well then, off we go!" Gomer stated ecstatically.
As the two headed to the cafe, they talked about anything and everything that came to mind. When they passed the bar where the murder of the young man was, Gomer stopped to look ahead. Brandon noticed this, saying, "What's wrong?"
"I heard on the news that some young fella's life was taken. He was missin', and they just found him. Hard to believe that somethin' so horrible could happen where we go for liberty." Gomer explained sadly.
"Well," Brandon put his hand on Gomer's back, trying to lead him away, "don't worry about it."
"But I can't stop thinkin' about it. What if that were someone we both knew?"
"Thank God it wasn't."
"I know, but what if..."
"Look," Brandon snapped, showing how perturbed he was at Gomer's dismal attitude toward someone he didn't know, "the guy is dead! Everyone needs to get over it! It wasn't you, me, or anyone else, so stop worrying about it!"
Gomer was taken aback at how the Bostonian Sergeant was snapping at him. It was when Brandon softened his expression, saying, "I'm sorry, Gomer. I didn't mean to yell."
"It...it's okay...you just shocked me, is all." Gomer softly stated.
Brandon exhaled a deep breath before saying, "Let's not think about that. Come on. It's a beautiful day, and the Bluebird Cafe is calling for us."
The Private faintly smiled as they continued their walk. As they walked inside the cafe, they saw the last table was a booth that could fit four. Gomer smiled as he led Brandon toward the table. They then took a seat when Jenny came up to them.
"Hey there, Gomer. Hey there, dream boat." Jenny greeted the two.
"Hey, Miss Jenny!" The sweet Private greeted them while Brandon just gave her a small smile.
"What can I get you, boys?" Jenny asked.
"Chocolate soda please?" Gomer replied.
As Jenny wrote his order, she turned to Brandon, "How about you, handsome?"
Looking up at her, Brandon replied, "Coffee, please?"
The waitress wrote down their orders and walked off. As they were alone, Gomer looked at Brandon, smiling, "Thank you for joinin' me today."
"Anything for you, Private," Brandon replied as he patted Gomer's thigh. "How have you been liking mess hall duty with me?"
"It's been fun. I do enjoy the company of the other fellas." The Private answered.
"I hope Sergeant Carter isn't giving you a hard time." Brandon chuckled.
"Not at all...but I think he prefers me to be on his platoon." Gomer kindly explained.
"Understood!" Brandon chuckled. "I hope he knows I like your company, Private. Although it is a shame, I wish you would consider switching platoons."
"But you're only here for a short time." Gomer reminded Brandon.
The Private pointing this out only seemed to annoy Brandon. Not wanting to show irritation, the Bostonian Sergeant changed the topic, "I have a little gift for you."
Gomer curiously gave Brandon a look of wonder. Brandon pulled a box out of his pocket, handing it to the sweet Private, who opened it up. It was a gold ring with a red plated dot in the middle.
"Goooollly...thank you, Sergeant Harris! This means a lot to me!" Gomer took the ring out of the box, placing it on his middle finger.
"Think of it as solidifying our friendship." Brandon chuckled.
"Indeed! Thank you so much for this ring. Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
The Bostonian Sergeant patted Gomer on the thigh, smiling at him. Gomer then eyed the door, seeing Duke and Alana walk arm-in-arm through the door. He watched as Duke removed his cap while he and Alana scoped out a place to sit because the restaurant was engaged with many customers. Like the first time he met her, Gomer noticed Alana dressed adequately in a white shift dress, adorn in a red floral pattern, white gloves, and matching red pumps while holding a black Givenchy clutch. Her makeup was done very lightly; the only noticeable things on her face were mascara and pink lipstick. Her hair was down, and she wore a red headband in her hair. Gomer waved to both of them, and as Duke saw his friend waving, he walked himself and Alana over. Brandon noticed Duke walk over and make an acrimonious face. Duke caught Brandon's look of disgust but chose to ignore it.
"Why, Duke! What a surprise!" Gomer cried out.
"Gomer Pyle, I'd like you to meet Alana Jane Frasier." Duke introduced his lady to his best friend, not knowing they'd already. "Alana, this is my good buddy, Gomer Pyle."
"Why, hello there, Gomer." Alana held out to hand to Gomer.
"A pleasure, Miss Alana," Gomer replied as he took Alana's hand.
"This is also Sergeant Brandon Harris." Duke introduced Alana to Brandon, who just nodded in response.
"What brings you two love birds here?" Gomer asked.
Once his attention turned away, Gomer didn't see Brandon make an even more annoyed face as his leg shook under the table.
"Well, Gilbert had the fine idea to grab lunch, but we have nowhere to sit..." Alana looked up at Duke.
"Hey, it ain't my fault that it's busy today. I didn't even think it would be this busy." Duke countered Alana's objection.
"Oh...that's too bad. Well, why don't you join Sergeant Harris and me? We could sure use the company." The sweet Private offered, not realizing this added to Brandon's inner anger.
Duke and Alana exchanged looks when Duke replied, "Well...okay! Sure! Thanks for offering, buddy."
At that moment, Brandon slammed his fists on the table, startling the other three. He got out of the booth, confusing Gomer, "Sergeant Harris, where are you going?"
"Oh...I remembered I had to do something on the base. But I will see you later?" Brandon replied, masking his anger at Gomer.
"Uh...okay...sure." The sweet Private replied.
Brandon turned to Alana, "It was nice to have met you, Amanda."
"It's Alana," the New York beauty corrected him, "and my feelings exactly."
The Bostonian Sergeant nodded his head before he left the booth. As he walked off, he deliberately bumped into Duke's shoulder, causing him to almost bump into Alana. He glared at Duke, who returned the gesture. Once Brandon made it out the door, Duke shook his head, whispering to himself while rubbing where he was bumped into, "Mother fucker..."
"What was that about?" Alana asked as she placed her hand on Duke's injured shoulder.
"Who knows? The guy is weird." Duke shrugged it off. "Come on, baby, let's sit down."
Gomer slid to the side as Duke let Alana in the booth before sitting beside her. She placed her clutch between herself and Duke when Jenny walked by with Gomer's soda and Brandon's coffee. Confused, she asked, "Huh...where did that handsome dream boat go?"
This description made Duke want to throw up in his mouth.
"Oh, Sergeant Harris? He had to go." Gomer explained to his favorite waitress.
"That's too bad. I made his coffee extra special." Jenny sadly replied.
"I'll gladly take it." Duke offered.
Jenny placed the coffee in front of Duke, then took out her notepad to take orders, "What may I get for you, Private Slater?"
"Uh...the grilled cheese," Duke told Jenny.
Jenny wrote Duke's order before turning to Alana, "What about you, cutie?"
"Oh...I'll have a chocolate ice cream soda like Gomer. Also, I would love a burger with everything and a side of French fries," Alana replied as she eyed Duke.
"A burger with everything?" Duke asked, impressed by how much Alana could eat, despite her petite frame.
"Burger with everything, liebchen," Alana replied, looking at Duke with love-filled eyes.
"Oh, I love a woman who can eat." Duke gushed as he and Alana shared a kiss.
Jenny took down their orders, then walked off, leaving the three alone.
"I'm sorry, Sergeant Harris did that. I don't know what came over him. He's normally very nice." Gomer expressed.
"Gomer, you have nothing to feel sorry for," Alana reassured Gomer.
"No, she's right, Gomer. Don't let it bring you down." Duke added. "Plus, he's a character."
"I guess your right, but it's so good to see you two!" Gomer gloated.
"Likewise, Mr. Gomer Pyle." Alana smiled.
"I take it your interview went well?" Gomer asked Alana, confusing Duke.
"Wait...what interview?"
The sweet Private realized he had made a mistake; he wasn't supposed to let it be known that Alana had a job interview with the infirmary. The New York beauty turned to Duke, saying, "I didn't want to say anything, but Gomer let the cat out of the bag. I had gotten interviewed at the infirmary on the base. Gomer here was kind enough to escort me to the infirmary, where we got to know one another. It's safe to say we're now real good friends, Gilbert."
Taking it all in, Duke looked at Gomer, who replied, "It's all true, Duke. She didn't want to let you know she was on the base because it was supposed to be a surprise...but I guess I spoiled it all."
"Gomer, it's fine!" Alana chuckled as she placed a hand over Gomer's hand. "Besides, I'm glad you said something because I was hired on the spot."
The news made Gomer and Duke happy.
"Well, for goodness sake! Miss Alana, that's wonderful!" Gomer cried out.
"Congratulations, baby doll!" Duke added as he kissed Alana on the lips.
"Thank you, sweetheart. I have to say, my ability to speak German certainly helped. I leave the children's hospital at the end of next week, and then I'll be working side by side with Katie." Alana mentioned.
"Well, Miss Alana, I have to say I'm happy for you. So, congratulations, congratulations, congratulations! It's gonna be nice seein' you on the base more often." Gomer expressed his excitement for his new friend.
"I appreciate the kind words, Gomer." Alana squeezed his hand.
Duke smirked at the two, "So I take it you are now best friends?"
"You can say that." Alana teased Duke.
At that moment, Jenny returned, placing Duke's grilled cheese in front of him. She then put Alana's food in front of her, finally placing a plate of pickles in front of Gomer.
"On the house for my favorite customer." Jenny winked at the sweet Private.
"Gosh, Miss Jenny, thanks!" Gomer smiled at his favorite waitress.
When Jenny walked off, Duke smiled at Gomer as he consumed his chocolate soda with pickles, "Gee, Gomer. How do you do that to yourself?"
"Duke, you haven't lived until you've eaten a chocolate soda with pickles. Say, Duke, if you ain't gonna eat your pickles, I'll be glad to take them."
"I'm not sure my stomach can handle it," Duke responded as he placed his pickles on Gomer's plate.
"Oh please...when I was a little girl, not only did I rough house with my older brothers, I used to eat worms." Alana chuckled. "I guess that changes your mind about me, Gilbert?"
"Not at all, baby," Duke replied, kissing her on the cheek.
"Golly, you two make such a handsome pair." Gomer expressed. "I've never seen you so in love, Duke."
This expression made Duke blush. Alana smiled at Duke as she wrapped her arms around his resting arm. Her eyes then narrowed at the bag sitting beside Gomer, "I see you've done some shopping."
"Why yes. It's just a little somethin' I brought...you know...for the party." Gomer blushed.
"I can't blame you there. A little shopping never hurt anybody." Alana said, sipping her chocolate soda.
Gomer chuckled as he sipped his coffee. Before she spoke again, Alana took a bite of her burger, then began to talk, "So Gomer...Gilbert and I were talking, and he told me that you also have a sweetheart on the base."
"I do..." Gomer gushed.
"He also mentioned that you both can't exactly go to the General's birthday party as dates, which upsets me." Alana expressed sincerity in her words.
"Well..." Gomer stirred his straw in his ice cream soda, "it is what it is, I suppose."
"That's why I came up with a solution. Gomer, would you like to escort Gilbert and me to the party?"
Surprised at this request, Gomer looked at Duke, who replied, "She insisted we take you. I said it was fine by me."
The sweet Private couldn't help but smile. He turned to Alana, saying in response, "Why I'd be honored to go with you two."
"No one should have to go alone," Alana replied.
With that said, the three continued their outing talking and laughing amongst one another. The sweet Private couldn't help but smile every time he saw Alana share her fries with Duke; he was very happy for his friend after watching him go through one failed relationship after another, being left heartbroken and humiliated. Gomer knew Duke might be goofy, but he was a good friend and person, and he deserved to find the love he had.
After lunch, Gomer, Duke, and Alana walked out of the cafe, laughing over something Duke had said.
"Well, I'm headed back to the base, in case you need me to wait on you, Duke?" Gomer asked.
"Go on ahead, Gome. I'm just going to walk Al back to her apartment." Duke answered.
"Alrighty then! Miss Alana, it was nice seein' you again."
"Likewise, Gomer. I hope to see you very soon." Alana spoke as she took Gomer's hand and squeezed it.
The sweet Private smiled at his friends before turning away and walking towards the bus stop. When Duke and Alana walked off, the New York beauty turned to Duke, saying, "That went well. He's such a sweetheart."
"It sure did." Duke smiled back at Alana. "Come on, let's head on back to your place."
Alana noticed how Duke was eager to return to her place.
"Well, aren't you ever so jaunty, Gilbert?" Alana chuckled with a look of mischief written on her face. "Say...what do you have in mind?"
Not saying anything else, Duke returned the sly smile. Moments after getting to Alana's apartment, the two made love to make it up to one another for not being able to see each other until today. Laying back on Alana's bed, the two lovers caught their breaths after making love. Alana looked at her love, seeing his face light up with the biggest smile she'd ever seen.
"That...that was better than anything I've ever experienced..." Duke panted, his smile not leaving his face.
"Why, Private First Class Slater, don't you have the insatiable appetite?" Alana pestered.
"For you, I do." Duke brought Alana into his arms, kissing her soft lips. "Oh, baby...have I ever told you that you're incredible?"
"I love you, Gilbert Slater," Alana replied.
Once again, the two shared a sweet kiss. Duke took Alana into his arms while she rested her head on his chest.
These words brought a smile to Duke. He truly did love her, probably more than anyone he'd ever gone with. The two embraced in each other's arms as the music played on Alana's record player. Alana then remembered she had a thought come to mind, "Okay...I just have to ask, what was that Sergeant's problem?"
"Oh him? He's a weird guy. No one on the base likes him. The men in his outfit can't wait for their real Sergeant to return."
Alana looked up and saw where Brandon bumped into Duke. His shoulder was starting to form a black and blue bruise. Furrowing her eyebrows, she stated, "Gilbert, your shoulder is bruised. He nudged you pretty hard."
Duke looked down at his bare shoulder, noticing Alana was correct; Brandon did nudge him pretty hard.
"You should put ice on that when you get back to the base to prevent swelling."
"I'll be fine, baby. Trust me...I've had worse happen to me." Duke chuckled.
"I'm not sure if I want to know." Alana chuckled. "Can I ask another question?"
"Anything. What is it?" Duke responded as he kissed the top of her head.
Alana sighed, then asked, "Is that guy obsessed with Gomer? I noticed he got pretty exasperated when you and I showed up."
Thinking about what Alana was saying, Duke replied, "Now that you mention it...he's been trying to get Gomer alone. It seems odd. At the same time, Gomer is the type to see the best in everyone."
"If I were you, I would keep an eye on him. That's just me."
"Yeah..." was all Duke said in reply.
The New York beauty looked up at Duke, cupping his face with her hand, "You're a good friend to him."
Duke smiled at her right before the two shared a kiss. When the kiss broke, Duke asked, "So...you gonna explain why you used to eat worms?"
Alana looked up at Duke, who just laughed out of response. She playfully punched his bruised shoulder.
"Ow! Unnecessary!" He cried out.
His reaction only made the New York beauty chuckle as he glared at her.
*GC*
Back in an alleyway near the cafe, Brandon was punching a brick wall with his bare fists until his knuckles couldn't take it anymore. How dare Duke Slater show up out of nowhere. Who the hell did Slater think he was?
"Fuck you, Slater! Fuck you for showing up when I had him alone!" Brandon grumbled to himself.
Out of breath from punching the brick wall, the Bostonian Sergeant took a cigarette out from his pocket, lighting it up. As he puffed on his cigarette, he turned to see Jenny, the waitress staring at him.
"Can I help you?" He asked in an icy tone.
Taken aback, Jenny muttered, "Oh no. I heard noises, and I just thought...I will smoke over there."
Before she could walk away, Brandon's features and voice softened, "Wait..."
Jenny turned around when Brandon spoke again, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you."
The waitress then looked down at Brandon's fists, "You're bleeding."
"Oh, this?" The Bostonian Sergeant chuckled. "Don't worry about that. I had many pent-up frustrations, and I had to get them out. Not the best way, huh?"
The two chuckled when Jenny said, "Would you like me to bandage those up or..."
"No. It's fine." Brandon placed a hand on Jenny's shoulder. "Say...I recall you telling Gomer that you think I'm a dream?"
Jenny felt Brandon inching in closer to her as her heart raced.
"Well...I have mentioned to him that I do think you are cute." Jenny blushed.
"Really?" Brandon flirted with the waitress. "It's a real shame we don't know each other well."
Jenny smiled sheepishly at the Bostonian Sergeant as the two smoked their cigarettes in the alleyway.
*GC*
Meanwhile, in the infirmary, Katie went to grab her jacket, saying goodbye to a fellow nurse; after a long 5 am shift, she was ready to go home and rest. As she was about to slip on her blue jacket, Linda, the nurse from earlier, caught her before she left, "Oh, Katie! I realized I have to take my daughter to the Doctor this Friday. Would you mind switching shifts with me?"
"Oh sure, Linda. I don't mind swi..." Katie stopped herself mid-sentence when she suddenly felt nauseous. Linda became concerned for her coworker, asking, "Katie, are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine. I need to..."
Not wasting time, Katie pushed Linda out of the way, heading towards the nearest restroom. Linda went to find Doctor Kreziler while Katie took care of herself. Sitting on the bathroom floor, Katie felt tears stream down her face while she wiped the corners of her mouth; she felt weak and wasn't sure what it was from.
"Oh, God. I hope I'm not..." Katie muttered to herself.
From the outside, someone knocked on the door.
"Someone is in here!" Katie cried out, her eyes still watering.
"It's Dr. Kreziler, Kathryn. Are you okay?"
Katie stood up, wiping her hands on her nurse dress uniform, as she opened the door to face her boss.
"I'm okay, Doctor. I've just been feeling nauseated lately." Katie nervously chuckled. "Maybe it was something I ate?"
Concerned for his best nurse, Dr. Kreziler gave her a stern glance as he felt her forehead, "You look sickly, and you feel warm."
The Doctor's observation made Katie's cheeks turn red.
"Well, why don't I examine you? It wouldn't hurt to do so." Dr. Kreziler suggested.
"I would appreciate that. Thank you, Doctor." As she followed the Doctor, Katie smiled weakly.
Did he know? The Doctor showed great concern for her while the same thought kept running through her mind: was she pregnant?
During the interval, Gomer returned to the base on the bus in the nick of time. As he walked into the barracks, Frankie looked up from cleaning his rifle, watching his friend walk in, "Hey, Gome."
"Hey there, Frankie!" Gomer greeted.
The sweet Private's friend then eyed the bag in Gomer's hand. "What's with the bag?"
"Oh, just got a little somethin' for the General's birthday party." Gomer smiled.
"Very nice, Gome," Frankie replied. "Where's Duke? Wasn't he with you?"
"He was, but he decided to take his lady home. We both ran into Sergeant Harris today. He seemed angry when he saw Duke and Miss Alana; I'm not sure why." Gomer mentioned, confused as to why Brandon acted the way he did at the cafe.
"I'm not too sure, buddy. He's a strange guy." Frankie stated.
"But he's real nice when you get to know him." Gomer defended Brandon.
"Whatever you say, pal," Frankie muttered, returning to what he was doing.
All Gomer did was smirk at his friend, open up his locker, and place the bag of cufflinks in his locker.
*GC*
After Jenny got off work, she invited the Bostonian Sergeant to her apartment, where they proceeded in a lovemaking session, which lasted hours, but who was counting? Jenny could admit it was the most romantic and passionate lovemaking she's ever experienced. As they lay in her bed, each smoking a cigarette, she had to ask him, "What's with the welts on your back?"
Realizing she saw them, Brandon made up some lie, "Oh...a couple of the guys and I were fucking around on the base with a belt. Don't worry about it."
"Okay..." Jenny nervously chuckled as she puffed her cigarette. "You know, the first time I saw you, I kept wondering to myself, 'Who is that blonde god that graces the Bluebird Cafe with his presence?' I never thought we'd be laying here together."
"Funny how things turn out, huh?" Brandon chuckled, then put out his cigarette. "You know, between us...this is the first time I've been with a woman in a long time? Don't get me wrong...I love women, but I like experimenting with men occasionally."
The waitress puffed her cigarette and said, "No judgment from me. I like a man who experiments."
Brandon leaned in to kiss Jenny, then spoke, "Say, do you mind if I use your bathroom? I want to shower before I get back to the base."
"As you wish," Jenny responded.
The waitress watched as Brandon climbed out of bed and walked to the shower. She noticed his tone and muscular his body was. The term 'blonde god' didn't do him enough justice. She watched as he closed the door and only heard him turn the water on. She laid in her bed, smoking her cigarette, eventually putting it out when she had no more smoke left. As Jenny got up, she placed on her pink silk robe, then glanced to the side, seeing Brandon's wallet. Curiously, she grabbed it and opened it up, not seeing much, except something that caught her eye...several photos of young Marine Privates, inside the side pocket, including Gomer.
"Why does he have a photo of Gomer?" She asked herself.
"Find anything interesting?" Brandon asked, startling her.
"Oh...I thought you were..." Jenny stuttered with her words.
"I had to ask you something else...then I saw you were snooping through my wallet. You know I don't care for people snooping through my stuff, let alone my wallet."
Jenny was speechless, suddenly having a wrong feeling wash over her. Brandon sighed, continuing to speak, "I trust you not to say anything, don't worry. But I can't take that chance since I see you know too much."
It was at that moment Jenny realized Brandon was going to kill her. She tried to get away until Brandon pushed her onto her bed, covering her face with a pillow as she struggled for air. She tried fighting him off her, but he was too strong, pressing down on the pillow until he realized her life had been completely sucked out of her.
"I didn't want to do it. I hope you understand. Do I feel bad? Eh...sort of, since you are nice enough girl and all." Brandon told the lifeless Jenny. "But you can't stop me from having him to myself."
Figuring he'd have to stage the murder as a suicide, he decided to deal with it later when he jumped into the shower, cleaning himself off of the woman he had under him hours ago.
*GC*
A few days later, Gomer was back on mess hall duty, much to Carter's dismay. Once dinner cleared, Gomer cleaned up the mess left behind, taking his time doing so. Brandon would often watch him a mop and scrub down tables intently; thankfully, Gomer had been oblivious to Brandon's staring since the only thing on his mind was how he would present the cufflinks to his love. The Bostonian Sergeant walked behind Gomer and spoke up, "Well...I must say, Private, the mess hall looks good as new!"
The Bostonian Sergeant praised Gomer's cleaning skills. Gomer knew Brandon could've gone to the NCO club with the other officers, but he chose to stay behind, dismiss everyone else, and help him out. The sweet Private looked up at his friend, beaming.
"Well, Grandma Pyle did teach me how to make up a clean house. I guess you can say my skills came in handy." Gomer stated.
"You can say that for sure." Brandon chuckled as he stood behind Gomer, placing his hands on his shoulders. "You know, I was going to consider asking Colonel Grey for a permanent transfer, and I can work the mess hall, maybe having you in my platoon."
"Well, as much as I appreciate that offer, I would have to decline. I tried with Sergeant Hacker's platoon, but it didn't work. Besides, I like my platoon much more, especially Sergeant Carter."
"But you forget I'm not Sergeant Hacker." Brandon reminded Gomer, still trying to convince him to switch over platoons. "And I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be much of a hard ass on you like Vince Carter."
"I know, and I appreciate your offer, but I still like my platoon best," Gomer replied.
Brandon scoffed as he sat on the table, replying, "Well, it was worth a shot."
Gomer sat on the table beside Brandon, still admiring his clean kitchen work.
"Grandma Pyle would be proud," he said to Brandon.
"Sounds like Grandma Pyle taught you all you know." Brandon sat beside Gomer.
"Yes, sir. She taught me how to make a bed, cook, bake, and, my favorite, hook rugs. Have you ever hooked rugs? Gomer asked.
"No." Brandon chuckled.
The sweet Private smirked at the Bostonian Sergeant, returning to what he was talking about, "But she always guaranteed I knew how to do my chores correctly."
"Is she deceased?" Brandon asked Gomer.
"Oh no, she's still alive. I still call her when I get the chance to." Gomer replied.
Brandon scoffed, "I hope I get to meet her one day."
"She would like you. She knows a good person when she meets one. She could teach you how to cook her recipes.
"Oh, Private, I have memorized so many recipes at this point in my life, thanks to my mother." Brandon chuckled. "I'm telling you, if it weren't for my mother, I wouldn't know how to cook."
Confused, Gomer looked at Brandon, saying, "I thought you said you wasn't close with your momma."
Baffled with what to say next, the Bostonian Sergeant followed up with, "Right...uh...let's just say the kitchen and household chores is where we had common ground while my old man was gettin' drunk off his ass."
This made the Private chuckle.
"I guess I'm lucky that Grandpa Pyle never had an interest in pickin' up the bottle. However, he would drink the occasional whisky when there was a celebration goin' on or if he was in one of his moods. But he was never as bad as Otis back at home; he was the town drunk of Mayberry? He would show up to Sheriff Taylor's office and lock himself up. Andy would let him sleep it off."
Brandon chuckled at Gomer's story, staring at him intently, "Well, he doesn't sound as bad as my old man."
Gomer caught onto Brandon staring at him, "Why do you keep starin' at me?"
"Sorry." The Bostonian Sergeant chuckled. "Just spaced out. I didn't make you uncomfortable, did I?"
"No, not at all." The sweet Private reassured him.
"That's good to know," Brandon said as he placed his hand on Gomer's thigh, "Can I tell you something, Private?"
"Uh...sure..." Gomer wasn't sure how to feel right now.
At that moment, the Private noticed that Brandon had been very touchy with him since they met; whether on the arm, the shoulders, his knee, or his thighs, Brandon always had a reason to put his hands on Gomer.
"I don't want to appear weird, but you have the most adorable smile on the base," Brandon confessed.
The sweet Private was utterly taken aback by Brandon's come-on. Not knowing what to make of it, Gomer stuttered, "G...glory be, Sergeant Harris, I..."
Brandon silenced Gomer with a kiss, cutting him off mid-sentence. The sweet Private didn't know what to make of Brandon kissing him. Quickly pulling away, Gomer cried out, "Sergeant Harris!"
"Gomer, ever since I first laid my eyes on you, ever since I first heard you sing, I thought you were the most beautiful man I've ever seen. You've shown me kindness I've never received from anyone else. I normally don't do what I did to anyone...but you...Gomer Pyle, I may have feelings for you that I haven't felt in a long time. Being near you makes me happy, and I haven't had that from anyone in my life."
Taken back, Gomer managed to say, "Golly, Sergeant Harris, I appreciate the compliments and you admittin' your feelins' to me, but I already got myself a sweetheart. You see, I've been seein' someone, and I hold him close to my heart...we've been together for some time now, and I don't want to break his heart."
Brandon stared at Gomer blankly. Did the Private reject him? Who was it that had already captured the Private's heart? Taking in a breath, Brandon said, "You're right. I'm sorry. I...I didn't know what I was thinking... tell me...who is it?"
"Who is what?" Gomer asked.
"Your sweetheart?" Brandon asked.
"Well...we're keepin' it quiet. We don't want too many people on the base knowin'. Please understand that I can't be with you in that way." Gomer was very sweet about explaining everything. "But I appreciate your friendship; I really and truly do."
Brandon took a deep breath; he used to do this in Korea when he felt himself about to lose his temper. He didn't want to scare Gomer by showing his anger at being rejected. Instead, he looked at the sweet Private, smiling at him, "I understand."
Gomer could tell Brandon wasn't happy. As silence fell into the air, Brandon got off the table, saying to Gomer, "You better get back to your station. I don't need your Sergeant chewing me out that I kept you late."
Awkwardly, Gomer stood up from the table, slowly tip-toeing away, as Brandon eyed him, "What do you think I'm going to do, hurt you? Why are you walking away like that?"
"Sorry...I'll see you later, Sergeant Harris." Gomer stuttered.
"Uh huh...sure..." Brandon responded.
Once Gomer was gone, and out of sight, the anger built up slowly inside Brandon. He clenched his fists tightly as he replayed the rejection that he received from the sweet Private. Unable to handle it anymore, the Bostonian Sergeant walked into the kitchen, grabbed a pot sitting on the countertop, and threw it against the wall, leaving a dent in the pot. He then grabbed a bunch of cooking utensils, threw them on the floor, and lashed out his anger in the kitchen. Once he got everything out of his system, he sat on the floor, lighting a cigarette, and looking at the mess he had made in the kitchen. Puffing out smoke, the Bostonian Sergeant grumbled, "I better clean this up."
What he didn't realize was that one of the younger Privates who walked by the kitchen window had witnessed what happened, horrified that this was the Sergeant who was in charge in place of Sergeant Hacker. The young Private quickly ran off being caught, reminding himself to report this to Colonel Grey when he could.
*GC*
The following day, Gomer went about his rehearsals as usual. Since being kissed by Brandon, his mind wasn't on the song he was singing, sounding complete off, when he was cut off by Sergeant Cunningham, the music coordinator for the birthday party, "Stop! Private Pyle, why do you sound so flat?"
"I'm sorry, Sergeant Cunningham. I'm tryin' my best."
Cunningham suddenly became concerned for the sweet Private; he turned to the piano play, saying, "Private DiMarco, we'll just stop here and pick it up tomorrow."
"Right," Joey replied as he got up from his seat, grabbed his piano music, and walked off. "See ya, Gomer."
"Bye, Joey," Gomer called back.
Sergeant Cunningham turned his attention back to Gomer, saying, "Pyle, if you need to take a break from rehearsal, we'll pick up where we left off tomorrow. I can tell something is on your mind."
"Are you mad, Sergeant?" Gomer asked.
"Well, I'm concerned for you. Your performance today is a bit off. Is there something you want to talk about?" Cunningham asked.
"Well...it isn't anythin' important. I just got a lot on my mind." Gomer faintly smiled.
Sergeant Cunningham nodded his head, muttering in response, "Okay. Just go and take the day. We'll resume rehearsals tomorrow. I need you to focus, Pyle. In a week, we rehearse with the Marine Corps band."
"Yes, sir," Gomer responded as he picked up his music folder, then turned to walk off the stage, exiting the rehearsal hall.
As he walked back to his quarters, all he could think of was what had happened the night before. He didn't see Brandon like that and was worried he might've given the Bostonian Sergeant the wrong idea, which might interfere with their friendship. A more significant part of him worried about what would happen if he kept this from Carter, the only man he had cared about since the day he met him. Gomer made it into the empty barracks, opened up his locker, placed his music folder into his locker, then made his way onto his bunk, laying down to think. These thoughts suddenly turned into a panic; his chest began to weigh heavily, affecting his breathing.
"Golly...all this anxiety...I can't breathe..." Gomer said to himself as he struggled to breathe.
Taking his inhaler out of his pocket, he puffed on it, then decided he would not keep this from Carter any longer; he had to tell him. Once his breathing was under control, he got up, placed his inhaler into his pocket, put his cap onto his head, and walked over to the duty hut, finding Carter and Boyle doing paperwork. When the sweet Private walked inside, he removed his cap, gripping it in the palm of his hands. Carter looked up from his desk and saw Gomer standing at the door. His face lit up as he greeted, "Hi."
"Hi..." Gomer softly spoke.
Boyle looked up from his desk, nodding hello to Gomer. While helping Boyle file, Duke greeted, "Oh, hey, Gomer."
"Hey, Duke," Gomer softly greeted back, then turned to his love. "Uh...Vince, can I talk to you?"
"What's going on?" Carter placed his pen down, showing concern for Gomer. "Why aren't you at rehearsal?"
"Uh...I just needed to tell you somethin' important." Gomer asked.
"Well, it must be since you look like someone who has somethin' on their mind." Carter chuckled.
Gomer didn't even flinch a smile, and the Sergeant could tell something was wrong with Gomer because Gomer was usually upbeat and happy. Carter, Boyle, and Duke exchanged looks. Boyle stood up from his seat and turned to Duke, saying, "Slater, want to grab a coffee with me?"
"Oh...sure, Corporal," Duke replied as he placed a stack of papers back.
Boyle got up from his chair as Duke stopped what he was doing and followed. The Corporal nodded to Carter, who gave him a look as if thanking him. Once the Corporal and Duke were out of sight, Gomer shut the door behind him; Carter motioned for Gomer to come closer. The Sergeant got up and sat on his desk as Gomer walked towards him.
"So...what's goin' on? You look as if you've seen a ghost." Carter spoke, taking Gomer's hand.
The sweet Private faintly smiled as he looked at his love, "Nothin' much..."
"Gomer, I can tell somethin' is wrong with you because you didn't just come in here to say hello," Carter stated. "Now tell me what's wrong?"
Nervously, Gomer looked down at his shoes, then up at his Sergeant and lover, "It's about Sergeant Harris..."
"Brandon? What about him?" Carter was suddenly curious.
"Well...I thought he and I was very good friends...but I might have given him the wrong idea. I notice he likes to put his hands on me from time to time."
"Put his hands on you? Where is he puttin' his hands on you?"
"Sometimes my shoulders or arms...but mostly my legs...and my thigh." Gomer nervously explained as he looked at his shoes. "Often, he would touch the small of my back when he stands behind me in the mess hall...that's the tiny part above the..."
"Gomer, I know what that is!" Carter unintentionally snapped.
"But, he does touch me a lot." Gomer continued.
Carter could only look at Gomer, nodding his head slowly.
"At first, I thought he was bein' nice...but he does it so often that I wonder why he does it," Gomer added.
The Sergeant took a breath, trying not to lose it in front of Gomer, "Did he do anything else?"
"Well...he told me last night that he liked my smile and how he liked me too..." Gomer was nervous having to explain all of this. "And then..."
"Then...what..." Carter faced Gomer again.
"He kissed me," Gomer admitted.