Day LXXI

Free smokes!

     “Yea, too bad ain’t nobody eva gonna na, uh,  bwa!”

     I slammed him a low five, he flipped it back to me, and we howled together,

     “He, hee hee, heee heee heee, who who, whoooo!” all the way to the airport.

     When we got there, he refused to take my money.

     “Na na na, man ya spendoodits be no good ta me, bwa. Enjoy ya flight!”

     “If an ya eva gits back home, man, look me up, I’m ina book.” I said.

     “Will do, and stay cool, bwa!” he said as he waved goodbye.

     I still remember him laughing his head off as he drove away. I never saw him again. He probably married, and stayed there. He only had about 9 more months left on his enlistment, and I knew he wasn’t going to go for another four years.

     It’s a long flight to the PI, almost 24 hours. But, first I came home on a 30 day leave.  My mom couldn’t get over how much I smoked. I had four cartons in my duffle bag. They were supposed to last me the month. But family being what it is, everybody started taking a pack every once in a while. They thought my duffle bag was a free tobacco gift shop. My smokes lasted about three weeks at the most.

     About a week before my leave was up, I went to a dance with some pals. It was a New Years Eve dance. I remember we went in uniform. I hated to do that because, when not on base, or at work, I was always in civilian clothes. One pal was in the Army, a pal a his was in the Navy, and me in the Air Force. They really thought it was a cool idea, but I didn’t. I almost didn’t go.