The Castaway Hotel - 9 - 2. Chapter 2 - Army Life

Now that we were into July, I had to start making arrangements for several things to happen. First of all, it was time for Brandon and Nick to go spend time with their parents, however Nick wouldn’t be coming back. He would be staying in Oklahoma to attend college and Brandon would be returning for only a couple of days, before he went back to college too.

I also had another event to arrange for, but first I had to talk it over with the rest of the family. I didn’t want to commit to anything without their approval and I wasn’t certain how many would want to participate. I suspected most would, but I wasn’t positive all of them would want to go.

After talking this over with each boy individually, all of them agreed they wanted to go see Frankie when he graduated from A.I.T. Since I had spent so much money on our vacation, I didn’t want to incur the additional expense of flying everyone to Missouri. Besides, once we got there we’d have to rent a vehicle anyway, so I considered my options. It would take a little longer if we didn’t fly and I really didn’t want to drive the whole distance myself, especially since Jake wasn’t going to be able to go. He had already used up all of his days off and didn’t feel he could take off any extra time off, so he would be staying behind. Of course, I could have some of the boys share the driving time with me, but the problem was that if we drove, we’d also have to take two vehicles. Therefore, I opted to charter a bus and use a professional driver instead.

Since Frankie’s graduation ceremony was on Friday again, we would leave Wednesday night and arrive Thursday night. We’d spend Friday and Saturday with Frankie and then leave again Saturday night, so we’d be home Sunday evening. That way, I’d only have to be away from work for one additional day, since I’d already been away so long on vacation.

When it came time to leave, I drove the Yukon and Dustin was in the driver’s seat of the Suburban, as we left for the bus station. We left Jake the other vehicles and he could use whichever he wanted while we were gone. We arrived at the terminal well in advance of our scheduled departure time and the driver was a very friendly man in his 40’s. After explaining we were just a family, and not a group, and going to see a family member in the service, we got underway.

He drove straight through the night and only made a rest stop, about four hours later. Of course, there was a toilet on the bus for us to use, but the driver had to make a stop at a rest area, so he could do the same. When he did, the rest of us picked up some drinks and snacks, and then about four hours later, we stopped for breakfast.

After downing a very filling meal at one of those national chain restaurants, we drove on. I sat near the driver and chatted with him, so he didn’t fall asleep, as we looked for a motel. We found one a short time later and stopped and checked in. Although the boys and I had slept a little on the bus, we felt we could still use some place to clean up and change, and we’d use the motel pool while the driver got some shuteye.

The driver woke up by late afternoon and we boarded the bus again. Fortunately, we got to St. Louis after the rush hour, so we had few problems with the traffic. We stopped for a late dinner once we passed through St. Louis and then drove on to our motel, just a short distance away from Fort Leonard Wood. In fact, it was the same place Andrew, Jesse and I had stayed when we came here for Frankie’s graduation from basic training. Both boys pointed out this fact to me, as well as to the others, and then they made themselves right at home.

Since Jake wasn’t with us, the two little ones were going to share a room with me. Since there were sixteen of us and we were splitting up between four rooms, someone else would have to be in with us too, so Sammy volunteered. Since we’d be spending two nights here, Andrew and Jesse agreed to each spend a night sleeping with me, while the other shared a bed with Sammy. Andrew told Jesse he could spend the first night with me, which seemed to please Jesse.

After settling in, we spent some time at the pool, before we retired for the night. The ceremony was scheduled at ten the following morning, so we’d get up around 7:00, get ready, eat and then have the bus driver take us to Baker Theater.

Andrew and Jesse had packed the uniforms Frankie’s friends had bought them the last time we were here and wanted to wear them to the graduation. I thought that would be fine and I figured Frankie would get a kick out of seeing them in them too. Some of the other boys teased the pair that they might have to stay here, if someone thought they were really in the army, and joked that they might even get sent over to Iraq. Andrew and Jesse were enjoying the attention and the other boys weren’t getting to them, as they’d hoped.

Of course, Andrew and Jesse got a lot more attention after we arrived at the theater and the young man that greeted us even saluted the pair, before he showed us to our seats. Both boys thought that was pretty special and saluted him back, which caused some of the other visitors to comment and snap a picture or two. Damn, I didn’t even think to do that.

I did notice there were about half as many people in attendance today, than the last time we came, if you excluded everyone that was with me. I guess that’s to be expected, but I felt bad for the young men who didn’t have anyone here for them, before they set out to defend our country.

The ceremony was similar to Frankie’s graduation from basic training, except the awards were slightly different. Frankie was recognized, with a handful of others in his company, for exceptional achievement and was one of the few that were also promoted. This time he received a promotion from Private (E2, with a single stripe) to Private First Class (E3, with one stripe and a rocker underneath). I was extremely proud of him, yet again.

When we met up with Frankie outside, after the ceremony had concluded, he gave each of his brothers a very warm greeting. When he came to Andrew and Jesse, he showered them with even more attention than on our previous trip and commented how great they looked in their uniforms, which pleased both boys.

Frankie’s friend from home was here with him again, but the other trainees we had met on our last visit weren’t. They had gone to different forts for A.I.T., because they were pursuing other specializations. Frankie did, however, introduce us to a couple of others he’d made friends with during this cycle, and since none of them had anyone else show up, I invited them to join us during our stay. They were a little hesitant at first, until Frankie assured them it was all right and promised they’d have a good time, so they gave in. They were free until Sunday night, since they had no bed check on Saturday, so we could do any number of things.

We started off by taking everyone out to lunch and allowing Frankie’s friends to get to know the family better. Frankie had told them a lot about us before we’d arrived, so we were able to forgo the typical comments and questions we would have otherwise faced. Once again, Frankie seemed to have made friends with the cream of the crop and we had a very pleasurable time with them.

Once Frankie’s friends began to feel comfortable with us, they began to tease Frankie a bit.

“Hey, Currie,” one of them yelled, “you must be a celebrity or something. Nobody else got a busload of people showing up for his graduation.”

“Yeah, I’m surprised there’s no press coverage or anything,” another added. “Shit, there should be a whole bunch of photographers here to snap pictures of this proud family.”

“Hell, the press should be here just to feature our youngest recruits,” someone else suggested, while indicating Andrew and Jesse. “Two young Curries enlisted to defend our country before they were even old enough to go to high school.” This elicited a smile or laugh from everyone, including the two boys.

“Man, your family could become the poster family for Stars and Stripes and its patriotic family of the year,” his friend from back home teased. “The Curries defend the world from the evil axis. Heck, maybe we could get them all to enlist before they go back home.”

“Let them finish college, before you start making other plans for them,” Frankie countered, because he wasn’t quite as amused by this suggestion. He didn’t mind committing himself, but he knew many of his brothers didn’t belong in the service and would make their mark in other ways.

The playful banter stopped a short time later, and then Frankie and his friends went to get permission to take us around the base, so they could show us some of the other areas they wanted us to see. When confronted by their request, the company commander called the battalion commander, who in turn called the brigade commander. If I knew it was going to cause this much work and trouble, I would have told them to forget about it. However, a short time later we were told we had been cleared. I was surprised by this courtesy, but even more so when we were informed the appropriate parties were being notified that our bus had been cleared for this, so we should not get stopped or hassled. Frankie and his friends then got on the bus with us, and while one of them gave the bus driver directions as to where to go, the others told us about everything we were seeing.

To my amazement, the rest of my boys seemed very interested in what they were being told and what they were viewing, as we wandered by their training areas and a few other locations. Frankie and his friends seemed pleased this was going so well, so they began sharing anecdotal information about their time here. It wasn’t as humorous as the stories we heard about basic training, but some were cute, even if they weren’t hilarious.

That evening, we also went out to dinner together and then just sat around chatting and having a few drinks together. We dropped Frankie’s friends off at their barracks, but Frankie wanted to stay with us. He was going to stay in my room; since he’d talked Jesse and Sammy into letting him share their bed. Jesse seemed just as enamored with Frankie as he had been on our first visit and I realized he was sporting a huge case of hero worship. Frankie didn’t seem to mind, so I allowed them to spend as much time together as could be arranged.

The next morning, after breakfast, we picked up Frankie’s friends again and they suggested we go to the Lake of the Ozarks State Park. It wasn’t very far away and the bus driver agreed to drive us, so we were off. It was quite a lovely ride, as we traveled along the Ozark Mountains to our destination, but I definitely wouldn’t want to take this same trip during the winter.

When we arrived at the park, we started off by taking a swim. There was also a nice sandy beach at the swimming area, so after we were in the water for a while, the boys suggested we could sign out a volleyball and play a few games, because we had more than enough for four teams. There were nets already set up on the beach, at a location farthest away from the water, yet still in the sand. I only played in a couple of the games, but the boys kept going, as the next team challenged the winners to another match.

While the others were continuing their games, I took Andrew and Jesse out for a ride in a rowboat. Seeing I was the only thing powering the craft, it’s a wonder we traveled very far at all. However, that pair seemed to really enjoy their time alone with me and splashed each other, and me, as we traveled along. It was a very relaxing time, since I allowed us to drift quite a bit and only rowed on the way out and when we were ready to come back in.

After I turned the boat in, we went back to where the others were still playing volleyball. Once those boys began to tire too, we all got on the bus and returned to the base. After dropping the others off to clean up and change, we went back to the motel to do the same, before picking them up again. We were all going out to dinner together again and this would be our final outing as a group, since we had to leave a short time later. I’m not sure if the boys were quite as sad about the thought of ending our visit with Frankie, but I knew it was going to be rough on me.

I had Frankie and his friends pick out the restaurant, and after we got there, I announced this meal was going to serve several functions. Since everyone looked confused, I thought I’d explain.

“The primary reason for this meal is because we all need to eat, but this will also be the last time we will be dining together, before we return home. Therefore, it was serve as a farewell meal and a good luck send off, as you all go to your various assignments. However, there is another reason, which some of you may be totally oblivious about. This coming Tuesday is Frank’s birthday and he’ll be turning twenty-one, so I want to celebrate that special event tonight too. I’m afraid the only present we have for you now is that we’re all together, but we’ll make up for it when you get back home.” I think Frankie’s friends were all impressed that I had made a special deal out of this and all congratulated him, as soon as I finished speaking.

“Dad, you know sharing this with all of you is present enough,” he offered, before he got some ribbing from his buddies.

“What is this, the movie of the week?” his buddy from back home teased. “Is this going to be shown on the Hallmark channel or Lifetime? Don’t be a fool, take whatever presents he wants to give you and run!” Frankie’s other friends began to laugh.

“Yeah, Frank,” another chimed in. “Maybe you can weasel a new car out of this or something.”

“Maybe,” Frankie admitted, “and this may sound corny, but having them all here means more than the rest of you could ever imagine.” Seeing the sincerity on Frankie’s face and sensing the emotion in his words, the others stopped joking around and realized Frankie meant what he said.

“Hey, we were only having some fun with ya,” another added. “I guess we might be a little jealous about how lucky you are. Let’s face it, you’re the only one whose family came to see him, even though they all knew we might be going off to war next.” That comment seriously dampened the good time we were having, so I thought I’d try to pick things up again.

“Guys, we’re here for all of you,” I stated. “If Frank feels this close to you, then we do too, and we thank you for whatever you may do to protect the country, and us, in the future.”

The rest of my boys quickly chimed in their agreement, to let Frankie’s friends understand I was speaking for all of us. That’s when Andrew and Jesse stood up in front of their chairs and saluted them. I think seeing them do this was almost as touching as seeing John-John salute his father’s casket (President Kennedy) so many years ago. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house, since people at the adjoining tables either witnessed or were informed about what my two little ones had done, as well.

For the remainder of our time there, I spent as much of it as I could speaking with Frankie and his friends. Before we parted company, they all thanked me for a great couple of days and expressed their feelings that Frankie was lucky to be part of such a wonderful family. I told Frankie to give all of them our address and urged each of them to keep in touch, before wishing them well. In addition to promising he would, Frankie also said he’d let me know where he was going to be posted next, just as soon as he received his orders.

After leaving the restaurant, we dropped Frankie and his friends off at their barracks, because they’d be staying there until they received their orders. After saying good-bye to each of them, I pulled Frankie aside for a couple of minutes, because I had something else to tell him.

“You know I’d set up an account in each one of your names, shortly after you first came to live with me,” I began. “Well, now that you’re twenty-one, I’ve had the account signed over for you to control and do with as you wish.”

“Dad, you don’t have to do that,” Frankie protested. “Use that money to help take care of everyone else. Please.”

“Frankie, I have accounts set up for all of you and I’ve still had plenty of money to take care of everyone,” I answered. “Just consider this one of your birthday presents and use it wisely. I have plenty of confidence you will and it may help you get off to a good start when your enlistment is up.”

“I don’t understand why you keep doing all these things for me, but thank you,” Frankie responded. “You’ve been so good to me and I don’t know if I really deserved it. I was a real bastard when I first came to stay with you and I never blamed you for sending me away. I deserved it, but then I didn’t understood why you let me come back afterward. You’ve always been more than fair to me and I only hope some day I can give you something in return.”

“You already have,” I replied, “by turning into the wonderful young man you are today. Frankie, I love you dearly, as much as I love any of the others, and you only got a second chance because you deserved it. You proved to me that you were man enough to accept responsibility for what you had done when you first stayed with us and then apologized to both Trey and me for your actions. That is what earned you another chance, so it was you, along with Trey’s approval, which brought you back to our family. The only person you have to thank is yourself for turning your life around and becoming the great young man you are today.”

“But I couldn’t have done it without you,” he pointed out.

“Maybe I showed you the way, but you had to choose to walk that path on your own,” I explained. “Therefore, you deserve more credit that I do for what has happened since.” At that point, Frankie merely hugged me and then took off for his barracks. I could tell he was choked up and was afraid of having an emotional outburst in public, so he opted to head inside, knowing full well that I understood how he felt.

Once I got back on the bus, we set off for home. Frankie had stopped and looked back before entering his barracks, so we all waved at him as we drove away. He waved back and then I continued to watch him, as he seemed to grow smaller, until he eventually faded from sight.

Now that we were on the road again, the boys chatted for a while about their time there and then began to doze off. I did too, although only briefly, and then I moved forward to chat with the bus driver. I knew this was a long and boring drive for him, since most of it was done on the interstates, so he thanked me for keeping him company. While we chatted, he told me he had been impressed with my boys and complimented me on all of them, especially Frankie. He said Frankie was very impressive and it was easy to see that his friends looked up and admired him. I thanked him for his kind words and then we started chatting about other things. None of our conversation was earth shattering, but we did discuss where we were on 9/11, about the war in Iraq and whether we thought Saddam had been involved with the disaster. We also speculated as to how long we thought it would take before Bin Laden and Saddam were captured and brought to justice.

During our time together, we also chatted about the economy and how current events might help to shape the future, before we turned our attention to lighter topics, like sports, our favorite television shows and what music we liked. I quickly discovered he was a big ‘American Idol’ fan, although I got the impression he preferred the ‘Nashville Star’ program more, since his favorite genre was country music. I mostly listened to his observations during this time, because I knew he wouldn’t be sleeping if he was talking, and I didn’t really have much to offer along this line.

Our conversation was only interrupted by a brief stop at a rest area, when he filled up the bus and used the facilities. Some of my boys also got off the bus, but most of them talked one of the others into bringing back what they wanted instead. They were getting kind of lazy.

The next morning we stopped for breakfast and then rode a little longer, before stopping and getting rooms. Although most of the boys had slept on the bus, I hadn’t really, so I made sure some of them watched over the younger ones, while I took a nap. From what they told me, most were going to watch television in their rooms or swim in the pool, until it was time to leave again.

I went around and located all of them after I awoke and then we went off to grab a bite to eat. Even though I didn’t realize it at the time, the driver was also up and eating at the nearby restaurant we walked to. Once we finished, we went back to our rooms, grabbed our things and loaded them on the bus, so we were ready to leave when the bus driver gave us the word. We drove straight through from that point on and arrived back at the bus terminal Sunday evening. After Dustin and I drove the rest of the way home, we unloaded our belongings and settled in. Jake was as happy to see us, as I was to see him, and he admitted the house was very quiet and lonely while we were away. I think I made him forget about that, once we were alone in our room.

The next few days were kind of quiet, after I returned to work. Thursday night I received a call from Robert, because he felt it was time to check up on us again. He asked about our vacation and I also told him about our trip to see Frankie. We were having a very pleasant conversation, and then Robert dropped a bombshell.

“Pop, I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, but I think you have the right to know,” he began, which made me begin to worry. I had no idea what he was getting at.

“Have you been in contact with Marie at all?” he asked next, which confused me even more.

“I did receive a short email from her, but I haven’t really talked to her since the blowup at the house,” I confirmed. “Why, what does that have to do with anything?”

“I just asked, to see if she might have contacted you and explained the situation herself,” he replied.

“What situation?” I asked, rather tersely.

“Pop, I happened to call her a week ago, just to see how she was doing and she happened to mention she was pregnant again,” Robert advised me. “She says she’s due in the middle of August, so you’re going to be a grandfather again. Hell, this one might even be born on your birthday.”

I was taken aback by the news. Not only was Marie going to have another child, but it also might be born on the same day I was. The news rocked my world in the sense that I was going to be a grandfather again, but it was tempered by the fact that I also might never see this grandchild. I didn’t know if Adrian would declare a truce long enough for me to visit or for them to bring the baby here, but I hoped that might happen. It was hard enough not seeing any of them, but not getting to meet my newest grandchild was more than I thought I could handle. Damn, maybe that’s what they were hoping for, that I’d fold and give in to their demands. I won’t do that, no matter how badly I wish to see this child, but I pray they might relent long enough for a short visit, one way or the other.

I had been dwelling on this development for over a week, while trying to see if I could come up with a way to improve the situation. I wanted to call Marie and speak with her directly, but I didn’t want to place Robert in the middle, by having her know he had blabbed to me. It wouldn’t be difficult for her to figure out he was my source and I felt she and Adrian might get upset and not speak with him any longer, if they found out. I was still debating this issue, when I received a call.

“Hi, Dad, it’s me,” the voice said.

“Hi, Frankie. What’s up?” I replied.

“Well, I told you I’d call once I received my orders,” he stated. “So I’m keeping my word.”

“Okay, where are you going and what will you be doing?” I asked.

“Dad, are you sure you are ready for this?” Frankie countered.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” I followed, while wondering what he was getting at.

“Dad, at first it looked as if I was going to be deployed to Iraq,” Frankie answered, “but that’s changed. I was told my battalion and brigade commanders fought to have a couple of us get a special posting. I’m going to be sent to Guantanamo, that’s in Cuba, to work in the prisons there.”

“I know where Guantanamo is,” I countered, “but I didn’t know there was a prison there.”

“Yes. There is,” he advised me. “I guess in 2003 the military brought ten prisoners from Afghanistan, because they felt they were too dangerous to leave over there. Since then, they’ve also brought a few terrorists to join them and I understand there going to be adding a new section onto the prison in early next year.”

I didn’t respond for a few seconds, so I heard Frankie’s voice again. “Dad, are you still there? Are you all right?”

“Yes, Frankie,” I replied. “I was just trying to put this into perspective and assess what it was going to mean for you. Even though we thought you might be sent to Iraq, this changes things. It sounds as if these are the most dangerous of the prisoners, so I hope it’s fairly safe and secure there.”

“I’m sure it is,” he confirmed, “but I was told the CO wanted us to be sent there for the experience. The two of us that have been assigned there both have our two-year degrees and were at the top of our class during training. I guess they were impressed with us and thought this could help us advance in our careers.”

“That part sounds good,” I admitted, “and I guess we should just be proud that you did well enough to be selected. The few, the proud…”

“Dad, I’m not a Marine,” he teased.

“But what is it going to be like for you when you’re not working?” I followed.

“I guess there’s a pretty big base down there, mostly Navy,” he informed me, “but I hear there’s plenty of stuff to occupy us. I’ve been told there’s a mixed group working at the prison, including C.I.A. and private contractors. This is supposed to be top-notch and pretty advanced stuff, so I’m kind of excited about it too.” This information made me feel a little better, but I was still concerned.

“Frankie, just be careful while you’re there,” I advised him. “These are dangerous men and who knows what they’re capable of, if they get the chance. I’d like to get you back in one piece and still breathing.”

“That’s what I want too, Dad,” he confirmed, “but I knew what I was getting into when I signed up. I’ll be fine, so don’t worry.”

“Frankie, you know I’ll worry, no matter what you tell me,” I countered, “but please keep in touch. I want to hear from you as often as possible, whether it is in the form of a letter, email or phone call. I know you’ll probably have Internet access there, so keep that in mind too, especially if you can get a web-cam hookup.

“I will, Dad,” he concurred. “I love you and Uncle Jake, plus all my brothers too. Please make sure to tell them I said that. Okay?”

“Of course,’ I agreed. “I’ll be happy to pass your message along. Take care, son. I love you and can’t wait until you return from there safely.”

“Me too! Bye, Dad,” he finished.

Now, I had something else on my plate to think about.