“Um. Something for the kids I think.” Thomas said with an unsure tone, while both men stared at the empty parking lot. James could see his future crime being perfectly executed from this angle. It was as if he was watching a movie. “Wanna go fishing tomorrow?” Thomas said. “Yup,” said James, still staring out the window. Both continued to gaze at the empty lot, almost hypnotized. On Monday morning James sat in the truck, sipping his coffee while the anticipation of the day ahead increased. Waiting for Thomas, he heard the familiar thumps of Grey on the back door. Without looking, James popped the door. A couple of minutes went by before Thomas opened the passenger door. Thomas climbed in with a thud and let out a sigh of exhaustion. James put the truck in gear and eased out. “Hey. What about Grey?” Thomas said as he touched James’s shoulder. “He’s already in.” “Well how the fuck did that fat ass beat me here?” Thomas looked over at James with a stern look before both men let out a chuckle. James thought of how he would miss the talks with Thomas and even miss seeing Grey five times a week. As James made his way down the street he felt a surge of anxiety run through his body. He felt as if this was his first day driving the truck and he was being evaluated somehow. “Three.” James said quietly. “Huh, what’s three?” “What?” “You said three.” Thomas replied. James looked at Thomas then back to the road. He shrugged his shoulders and was quite for a couple of seconds. “You know how I never talk about Nam?” James said, looking straight out the windshield, with a more serious tone. “Ya,” Thomas said, hesitating and unsure of what was to come. “Well, now’s your chance. You can ask me anything.” Thomas’s eyes immediately lit up. He didn’t know where this was coming from, but he didn’t care either. With his mouth open for a good two seconds before he spoke, he finally said. “You were a sniper right?” All these years in the truck without a single conversation about Vietnam, Thomas wasn’t about to waste this moment. He had a thousand questions to ask James, maybe more. “Ya,” James said, nodding his head lightly. “How many kills?” Thomas was already thinking of his next question. “46 confirmed,” James said. He paused then squinted his eyes. “But there were more.” “You kill anybody important, you know, high up?” Thomas was like a kid in a candy store. Sitting next to a Vietnam hero for so many years and not being able to talk about it was torture to him. James went quiet for a couple of seconds, and then he nodded his head forward a few times before he spoke, as if he was in agreement with himself. “There was this night. We made it to a make-shift base behind enemy lines. There must have been about thirty Marines stationed there. Stone 64 theMeadow
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