The Story Begins Read online

  Jaden grunted. “Does my rank make me any better than you?”

  “Negative, sir.”

  “So what makes me too good for a room in the barracks?”

  “Other than troops getting nervous, nothing, sir,” the Sergeant said, surprised that the lieutenant was willing to stay in the barracks. There certainly were enough nice hotels in which the lieutenant could have been well catered for, yet he preferred opting for the barracks.

  “Other than the three other soldiers possibly getting nervous over having an officer in the barracks and wondering how they should conduct themselves, I see no reason why I can’t bunk down in the same place that my troops do. Do you?”

  “No, sir!”

  “Then it’s settled. If there aren’t any rooms in the barracks then I’ll check into a hotel or the guest quarters back on Sullivan – Sullivan does have guest quarters lodging, right?”

  “Roger, sir.”

  AFTER checking the room assignment roster, Sergeant Phil found a vacancy. Though the rooms were double occupancy, they were partitioned by a shared shower in the middle, which the main entrance opened to, and both sections on either side of the partition had its own door, which allowed for privacy.

  Though Jaden didn’t mind the barracks, he believed Sergeant Phil right in that the soldiers, especially the one with whom he’d be sharing a room – he being one of the four who had not deployed with the rest of the unit – might perhaps be, to an extent, uncomfortable with him there; he did expect that they’d become somewhat self-conscious with him in their midst.

  Sergeant Phil had a couple of the soldiers assist the lieutenant with his luggage. As they headed up the stairs to the second floor, one of the soldiers asked, “Sir, what’s a lieutenant doing in the barracks. Lieutenants don’t stay in enlisted quarters. You should be in officers’ quarters, sir.”

  Jaden laughed. “What’s your name, soldier?” he asked as he heaved the heaviest of his suitcases up the second flight of stairs.

  “Private Johnson, sir.”

  “Private Johnson, that’s the second time I’ve heard that today. And I’ll tell you the response I gave earlier which is, just because I outrank you, does not make me any better or any more of a person than you or any other individual. If it’s good enough for you then it is good enough for me,” he explained, trying to catch his breath and trying to remember what exactly he had packed into that particular suitcase. “Of course I’ll end up moving into the officer’s quarters but not because I think that I’m too good, that’s just how the system is set up. And there are reasons for that. I don’t know the entire rationale that went into deciding to separate enlisted personnel from officers in certain aspects of military life; however, it wouldn’t surprise if one of the reasons might have been what’s happening right now,” he said, glad that they had finally cleared the stairs.

  “What’s that, sir?”

  They pushed through the double doors and walked down the hallway towards Jaden’s temporary quarters.

  “You guys are kind of nervous over having me around, aren’t you?”

  “Roger that, sir,” said the other soldier, who hadn’t said a word until now.

  “See. That’s what I mean,” Jaden said.

  “What do you think of the new lieutenant, Nelson?” Johnson asked the other soldier.

  “Sir, you are nothing like Lieutenant Krappa,” Nelson observed.

  I wonder just what kind of person this Krappa is, Jaden thought.

  “I already know that we’re going to like you around here and that the support platoon will be thrilled to have you as its platoon leader,” Nelson said.

  “How many lieutenants are there in the unit?” Jaden asked.

  “Just two, sir, you being the second,” Johnson told him.

  “So before me it was just the company commander and Lieutenant Krappa? There isn’t an XO?”

  “That’s correct, sir,” said Nelson.

  “I take it that you guys are in the infantry platoon?”

  “Unfortunately, yes, sir,” Johnson said ruefully. “It isn’t that we dislike the infantry, sir. It’s just that…” he stopped.

  Jaden helped him out. “No worries, I understand. You don’t mean to show any disrespect towards your PL but you know, based on personal experience and intelligence gathered from another source, Krappa’s abilities and qualities leave a lot to be desired.”

  After getting all of his belongings into the room, he thanked the soldiers for their aid then, closing the door behind him, crashed onto the bed, happy that he could finally rest. He lay on the bed waiting for sleep to overtake him.

  As he lay there, he remembered Aminah. While thinking of her, it dawned upon him that, unlike with others he didn’t know, he had enjoyed his, albeit brief, conversation with her and wasn’t initially annoyed in the least when she had started a conversation with him. He then thought of the elderly couple as well; there too he hadn’t found them annoying, though in their case it might have been because they were elderly.

  He lay there thinking, very much intrigued by the fact that he hadn’t minded Aminah’s conversation nor that of the old couple, but had that of Mindy and others he didn’t know in the past. He had tried to shun them yet they had insisted on forcing conversations upon him regardless. He wasn’t so sure that Mindy should count, though, because as sweet as she was, she was a tad bit irritating and would have probably annoyed even Christ.

  THE following morning, in hopes of avoiding a queue, Sergeant Phil and the lieutenant left the barracks at 0800 for the Housing Office at Sullivan Barracks. Though it was no more than a twenty-minute drive, Jaden had not want to risk leaving later, reasoning that there might have been others who thought as he did.

  Conveniently, the Housing Office was situated on the third floor of the same building in which he had been the day prior. Once he had signed his name onto the roster that lay atop a podium outside the office entrance, he was tended to five minutes later.

  The process hardly took any time at all. The woman who tended to him asked for a copy of his orders, made copies of the same, explained the rules for staying in the quarters, had him sign on a couple of dotted lines, handed him two sets of keys, explained where the quarters were located and then he was done.

  “That was easy,” he said to the lady.

  She smiled. “Efficiency, my dear,” she said kindly. “We have to be. You got here early; had you arrived 30 minutes later, you just might have found yourself very much discouraged by the number of people that will soon be outside that door, all looking for a place to lay their head,” she explained.

  “Thank goodness I had the sense to come when I did. I suspected that something like that might happen had I decided to come in a bit later. Thank you, ma’am,” he said, rising from his seat.

  “You’re quite welcome, Lieutenant. Welcome to Germany. You’ll have a lot of fun.”

  “Thanks again. Bye.”

  “Bye,” she said, before filing away his folder into one of her desk drawers.

  He was then off to the classroom downstairs.

  “ANY idea what exactly this entails?” Jaden asked the guy sitting beside him.

  “What I’ve been told is that essentially over the next four days, we’ll be undergoing a crash course of sorts in German culture; learning basic German words to help us get by, also things that may be acceptable back home but not here. That kind of stuff,” his neighbor explained.

  “Sounds like fun!” Jaden said. “I’m really looking forward to it. Thanks, dude.”

  “Don’t mention it.”

  After a few minutes of waiting, the same PSB sergeant from the day before walked in. “Good morning,” she said while placing a clipboard onto the podium at the front of the classroom. “I’ll be taking roll call before your class begins,” she announced. She then called out and checked off names as they were answered.

  “Just one missing,” she said, after having gone through the list.

  Jaden looked arou
nd and believed a mistake to have been made. Aminah wasn’t there and neither was her name called. And if Aminah’s name hadn’t been called, chances were that others might have been absent as well. “Excuse me, Sergeant,” he called out.

  “Yes, sir?”

  “I think that we might be missing more people.”

  “Negative, sir, we aren’t missing anyone else.” Then she explained. “What it is, sir, is that the classes are divided, and not necessarily everyone that you saw in here yesterday when you arrived will be in the same orientation class.”

  “I see. Okay. Thanks for the clarification.”

  “One administrative note before I leave,” she said as she slid the pen back into her sleeve pocket. “You will all be in uniform over the next three days, however on Friday, the final day of your orientation, please dress casually as you will be taking a trip downtown with your instructor. Are there any questions at this time?” she asked, looking around the classroom.

  The class was quiet.

  “Okay. If you need anything, my office is the third door on the left upon exiting the classroom. We have several personnel in the office, any of whom can assist you if you find that you do have questions at a later time. The instructor will be here in about ten minutes. Until then feel free to grab a snack, some coffee, tea and the like. You can find those, among other breakfast items, at the USO which, as a reminder, is the adjacent building you placed your luggage in when you arrived. Again, welcome to Germany,” she said before exiting the classroom.

  Jaden didn’t feel like having tea, coffee, a snack, or any other refreshment but decided that he’d step outside and stretch his legs rather than wait in the classroom. Stepping outside he noticed a bank across from him. With ample time to walk over and grab a brochure, he started out across the parking lot. En route he noticed a vehicle with a banner atop its windshield which read, ‘The South Will Rise Again.’

  “Great! Another uneducated Southern ambassador proudly representing the United States,” he said while smiling, thinking back to the five-finger stamp he had impressed upon Lieutenant Johnson’s face. He also thought of Dave worrying about him leaving the Germans with an unflattering view of Americans.

  After grabbing a brochure and on his way back, immediately after he had walked past the vehicle, he heard the door open. He ventured a look and saw a tall Caucasian male in uniform step out and shut the door. He hadn’t noticed him in the car before. Then, noticing the individual’s name tape, he recalled the name called out in class which had gone unanswered. It was the same. Why can I not get away from such people? he wondered.

  As he entered the building, he murmured, “Well, God, I guess you must be bored out of your mind and no longer really put much thought or effort into creation, huh!”

  A couple of minutes after taking his seat, a sweet-looking, petite lady with graying hair walked into the classroom. “Guten Morgen!” she said as she set her books upon the podium. “I’m Frau Steinberger and I’ll be your instructor. Let me start off by saying welcome to Germany. I’m certain that you will find your time here both enjoyable and memorable. It’s a beautiful country and has lots to offer. It has a rich history, magnificent castles, great food, festivals, and a great deal more.

  “The intent of this class,” she continued, “is to help you transition and adapt to your adoptive country. Most of you will be here between two and three years, if not longer, and as such it would be beneficial if you were to pick up a thing or two about local customs, and at least a few German words, if not fluency.” She then commenced to walk among the students. “The class will be four days long, in three of which we will be going over some very basic lessons that will help you gradually integrate into your new surroundings. And on the final day of class, we will be taking a trip downtown where you will get an opportunity to practice some of the basic words you will learn in class; and also get an opportunity to try out some German dishes.”

  Jaden didn’t much care for the classroom bit but eagerly anticipated the visit into the city.

  A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER: During the last break on the final day of class, feeling jetlagged Jaden lay his head on his desk while all but one of his fellow students stepped outside. No sooner had he done so than he heard a voice. “Raise your head and remain seated upright, Lieutenant!” Unsure if it was he whom those words were directed to, he sluggishly raised his head and looked about him. Other than one other individual, there were no others in the class. Obviously, those words were, indeed, intended for him. And it didn’t surprise him that the demand had come from none other than the man he had seen in the parking lot proudly displaying his banner.

  Again Jaden looked all about him as though one trying to be absolutely certain that it could only have been him the Southerner addressed. Certain that he was not jetlagged enough to have missed a third person in the class, he then said, “Obviously you’re talking to me.”

  “Obviously!” was the cold response.

  Noticing the rank of captain on the individual’s uniform, he asked respectfully, “Something wrong, sir?”

  “You’re a lieutenant, you should be setting the example,” the Captain barked.

  Jaden didn’t bother wondering why the captain had assumed an acrimonious tone. The answer was all too obvious. He, however, continued to address him respectfully. “I must be missing something, sir, because I’m not tracking. Am I out of line and unaware of it?” he asked, puzzled as to why the captain wanted him to sit upright.

  “Do not lay your head down!” said the Captain, this time with impatience in his voice.

  “Excuse me, sir?” Jaden asked, incredulous at the captain’s demand. “Why not, Captain? We’re on a break,” he explained as though that were not obvious to the captain.

  “Don’t lay your head down, Lieutenant! You’re setting a bad example.”

  Brow furrowed, Jaden looked around yet again. He was addled; was it he that was losing his mind, or was the captain the one detached from reality?

  “Sir, there isn’t anyone in here. And even if there were, we are on a break and I can lay my head down if I so choose.” He talked to the captain slowly as though addressing someone who was very much detached from reality yet was still reachable and not completely gone.

  “Lieutenant, I said don’t lay your head down and that’s final!” the Captain roared.

  Jaden was in no mood to humor him. He calmly rose and approached the captain. Stoic and with eyes locked on the lieutenant, the captain remained seated. The lieutenant stopped before the captain’s desk, looked at his name tape again, which read Grapass, then leaned in towards him and said, “With all due respect, Captain Grab-ass-”

  “It’s Grapass,” the Captain interjected sternly.

  “I stand corrected, Captain Crapped-ass,” the Lieutenant further taunted, “I’ll do whatever the hell I please. We’re on a break and if I feel like laying my head down that’s exactly what the hell I’m going to do!” he said cavalierly.

  “How dare you disrespect a superior officer?” the Captain shouted, still seated. “I’ll be contacting your Command about this and have you disciplined accordingly.”

  “You know, Captain Crapped-ass, I know your kind all too well, you ignorant Southern fuck!” he said emphatically. Though Jaden meant not to insult the entire South for he knew better, his choice of words was intended to irk the captain even more.

  The captain’s anger was all too evident as he shot up to his feet.

  Jaden noticed that the captain’s nostrils flared. He found this amusing. He was aware that lots of people’s nostrils flared at some time or another, some could even control it but in this he found a delightful opportunity to further incite the captain. He laughed then said, “Make your nostrils flare again. It amuses me, brute creature.”

  The captain failed to restrain himself and threw a punch. Jaden was faster. Dodging the blow he quickly grabbed the captain’s fist and twisted his wrist, forcing the captain to bellow in pain. “Sit down, Captain!” he s
aid solemnly. Even as he was making the demand, he could not fathom why as he wasn’t actually expecting a captain to heed the words of a second lieutenant. Of course neither had he been anticipating an assault attempt by the captain. To his surprise, however, the captain fought not but yielded and did as he was told. Then, quite suddenly, there was a change in the captain’s demeanor and color. He went pale and became acquiescent.

  Jaden was immediately reminded of Lieutenant Johnson, who had also gone pale quite suddenly. This sudden change threw Jaden off but he quickly regained his bearing when it appeared the captain was not about to have some kind of an epileptic attack. Looking at his watch and seeing that five minutes still remained in the break, and not hearing any footsteps approaching the class, he asked the captain, “What branch of the Service are you in, Captain?”

  “Field Artillery,” he replied meekly.

  “Of course you are. Why aren’t I surprised? No wonder you strike me as also being one of those impossibly benighted soldiers who actually truly believe that a real soldier does not need sleep and can survive on a five-minute power nap, and then be good for another 72 hour period. You probably also believe that you’re stronger than the elements and are so hardcore that you’d happily do physical training even in the face of a tornado because you think yourself a real soldier, and that’s what real soldiers do, you bird-brained fuck! We have a few minutes remaining in the break and I’ll be using them to rest my head. If you ever cross me again, my dear Captain, rest assured that you’d be safer in hell than if I were to lay my hands on you. Now, we’ll pretend as though none of this ever happened.”

  The lieutenant then walked away. But rather than return to his seat, which was to the front of the classroom, the captain being closer to the rear, Jaden opted to seat himself where he could keep an eye on the captain’s activities, if any; human beings, in this day and age, had become somewhat insane and very unpredictable, he decided. He concluded that sitting to the rear of the captain would afford him a better vantage point.