Chapter 7

The whole day the next day, Monday, Eddie’s head was swimming. There were so many things happening in his life at the same moment. ET2 Schwimmer kept giving him knowing looks, but the technician had no idea that having his estranged son on board was just an additional hurdle for him to get over. During the afternoon, he stopped by sickbay, to see if Al was available. He was bandaging a cut on a snipes’ hand, but Eddie just stuck his head in and asked:

“Chief Tory, would you be willing to go ashore with me this evening? I know it’s a work night, so I won’t keep you out too late. I know you need all the beauty sleep you can get!”

The snipe stifled a laugh, but Al responded:

“Look who’s talking! You’re usually in bed before me.” he taunted.

“Hence the need for you to get more sleep, chief!” he chortled.

The snipe gave the hospital corpsman a thanks and left quickly, laughing all the way out the door.

“So, my erstwhile friend, why do we need to hit the beach tonight? Do you have some hot women lined up?” he asked hopefully.

“Unfortunately, no. I just need to talk to you about a shitload of stuff before I lose my fucking mind.”

“Too late! Of all the things you’ve ever lost, I’ll bet you miss your mind the most.” Al snickered.

“Ha, ha! Honest, Al, I need to talk to you!” Eddie pleaded.

“Okay, buddy. Are we going to eat, or drink, or both. I don’t need a hangover, so let’s practice moderation on the latter, and I don’t care about the former. Mongolian BBQ, again?” he suggested.

“That’s fine, but no WestPac Widows”. Eddie demanded.

“Fine! I’m not that horny, yet.” Al agreed.

Leaving the ship, the two chiefs made small talk, but Eddie kept mum about what he wanted to talk to his friend about. On a Monday night, patronage at the Chiefs’ Club was sparse, so there was hardly a line at the Mongolian BBQ grill plate. Eddie was still experimenting with his mixture of ingredients to be tossed together on the large, heavy steel grill. Al was an old hand at this style of food, so he went down the line of ingredients perfunctorily adding the ones he wanted and showed Eddie how to pile his bowl so high it seemed destined to avalanche, but skill at placement prevented it from happening. At Eddie’s insistence, they had chosen a two-person table in a corner, to give them some semblance of privacy. When they had their bowls of sizzling meat and veggies, they sat down at their table where their drink orders and a bowl of steamed rice had been served. Digging into their meal, Al gave Eddie the chance to open the conversation. Finally, Al did it himself:

“Come on, buddy. Knocking up your UroDoc girlfriend shouldn’t be that big a deal. She’s happy. What’s got you spooked?”

“Al, you have no idea. Lorna’s letter was fucking surprising, but I’m not really all that shook up, except for me not being around when another of my children is born. That part has me bummed, but there are other things I need to talk to you about, since you’re the best friend I think I’ve ever had in my whole fucking Navy career.” he exclaimed.

“I appreciate you saying that buddy. So, what else is there?” Al asked.

“I’ve told you a number of times about how my wife is such a non-sexual person, and she’s not flexible one inch on her allowance of giving me access to her booty. Do you remember me telling you about how often I can jump her bones?” he reminded.

“Yeah, I got the picture the first time. That’s why I never give you shit about your Tomcatting around, you schmuck! I don’t blame you one bit. I’m just a couple steps behind you in my extramarital affairs. So, what’s new about that?” Al inquired.

“I got a second letter the day I got the one from Lorna. It was from my son, Steven. He told me that my wife was becoming aberrant, or not acting like her normally sexually uptight self. Now, before I continue, I need to tell you that what I am about to tell you could hurt another crewmember, if this got out.”

“Don’t worry, buddy, I’ll just treat it like any other HIPAA information.” he vowed.

“Thank you, Al. I guess, once you get past the weird part, it’s no big deal, but it is definitely weird for me to believe.”

“Come on, buddy, you’re killing me here. Get to the juicy parts.” he nagged.

“Okay, my son tells me my wife has started a relationship with a neighbor woman. It apparently hasn’t been consummated yet, but the woman is bringing her along using memories my wife had as a young women, being trained by her own mother. Not to be lesbian, but to feel that only a woman knows what a woman needs and men do not, which explains a lot about my wife’s fucked up beliefs. It’s not a stretch to imagine Carol’s mother drumming it into her daughter how sex with a man is only necessary for having babies. She apparently forgot to teach Carol how she is supposed to get those feelings after she marries a man. At any rate, I’ve combined what my son told me in his letter, what my kids told me when I called them on Saturday, and what I found out from the woman’s husband, who is on this ship. He openly admitted to me that his wife is bi-sexual, and he’s enjoyed several three-ways with her and other women. As of his last communication with her, she said she had not gone all the way with my wife. Now, with that info, I want to say I have no problem with my wife have a fling with another woman. At least it shows she has some sexuality, which I was beginning to doubt. I told my kids to give her the freedom she feels she needs, and not condemnation, if her affair comes to light. I refuse to throw stones, and I’m actually happy about her getting to find a release. I may step in if I find she’s having a three-way with a man. If I can’t fuck my wife, no other man can. Comments, Al?” Eddie requested.

“Shit, Eddie, it seems like you’ve already worked this one out, so unless you’re using me as a sounding board, or if you just want me to agree with you, we can just finish eating and go back to the ship. To make it official: I agree with you. Is there anything else?” Al wondered.

“Sorry, my friend, but there are still other things I would love to talk about, but only one I have the courage to discuss. Do you remember me telling you about the son I had, just after I joined the Navy. The mother was older than I and she couldn’t see a marriage with that age gap being accepted by her society, so I couldn’t love her, or get a chance to love my son. She married a guy near her age, and he got to raise my son. I saw my son twice: at about two years, and at his high school graduation, which I attended last year. Then ... I saw him again, at midnight on Sunday!” Eddie proclaimed.

Al’s eye grew wide, and he sat back in his chair, staring at Eddie.

“Tell me, Eddie!” Al gasped.

“Data Systems Technician Third Class Edward Franklin is my oldest son! He checked on board during my midwatch Sunday night. I recognized his name, and hometown, and he looks a lot like me, Al. I think he knows, too! I agreed we’d talk, but I have no idea what the fuck I’m going to say to him. Al, I’m scared shitless! I’ve groused for years about not being able to be with my son, and now he’d here, and I’ve turned into a coward, afraid to be confronted by the fruits of my loins.” Eddie sobbed, looking around to see if he was making a spectacle of himself.

Al sat, looking at his friend, searching his heart for some words of comfort for the tortured fellow chief sitting across the table from him. Finally:

“Hey, pal, it can’t be as bad as that! Look at it realistically: if he held any animosity toward you, why would he join the branch of the military his dead-beat dad was in. If he really felt hatred toward you, it would have been easier to get a private investigator to find you, so he could confront you and maybe blow you away. No, Eddie, my friend, I think he went through all this trouble to find you, so he could build a relationship with his biological father. Cheer up, stud!” Al advised.

“Okay, I can see why he may want to join the Navy. After all, it’s the best of all the branches, isn’t it? Hmmm. Well anyway, first he would have to know where I was at, and then he would have to know we needed the specialty he’s been trained for. For a new recruit, how would he be able to pull that off. I think it was maybe pure, dumb fucking luck he showed up here. Like ET2 Schwimmer, the only other person who knows this, said: It’s Karma, coming to kick my ass!” Eddie collapsed.

“Do you want me to referee the first time you two talk?” Al offered.

“No, Al. I need to fork my own broncs, like Louis L’Amour used to write in his western stories. I just need to find the right time and place. He’ll be busy for a few days, getting squared away and introduced to his own equipment. I’ll give him a week unless he seeks me out first.” Eddie decided.

“Alright, pal. I’ll be around if you need me. I can at least stop the bleeding and dress the wounds.” He smirked.

Tuesday morning, there was a buzz all around the ship of something coming down. Some guessed that the ship was being recalled to homeport to help defend the nation from an impending threat. Others said they heard we were being sent to the Atlantic, to help balance the coastal fleets. Some just said we would be staying in Guam for the entire remainder of the cruise, due to unknown damage to the ships’ powerplant. To the habitues of the chief’s mess, who spent their careers amid spurious scuttlebutt, they simply waited for the word to be passed. Just after ‘turn to’ was called, following lunch, the 1MC (PA) announced for all personnel topside to proceed below decks for a briefing from the captain. This was to ensure important intelligence was not broadcast topside, for anyone within hearing range to hear. The only ones to remain topside were the Quarterdeck watch, and they would be briefed shortly.

“Good afternoon, crewmembers. I’ve just received orders outlining our itinerary for the remainder of this cruise. This ship, due to our diligence in prosecuting and supporting the operations of our battle group, has been selected to form a new battle group with orders to proceed south, where we will carry out joint operations with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal New Zealand Navy. We will make port visits to several cities in both Australia and New Zealand. On our return trip to the north, we tentatively will make diplomatic visits to Fiji and American Samoa. Due to previous commitments, the ship will need to make a return visit to Yokosuka and then return to homeport via Hawaii. With the port visit in Hawaii, agents of U.S. Customs will sail to San Diego, doing their duties enroute, thus expediting the reunion between crewmembers and their families upon arrival. Any changes to these orders will be disseminated via your chain of command. Congratulations to a fine crew and I know you’ll continue to do your utmost in supporting all ships’ evolutions. That is all!”

There were hoots and hollers throughout the ship and it could be heard inside the chiefs’ mess, even amid the sudden chatter from the khaki-clad enlisted leadership. The ship still had three days in port to get ready for their trip south. There seemed to be an entirely different atmosphere among the crew, due to the change of itinerary. Not all ships going to WestPac were chosen to go south, so it was a gratifying honor to be chosen. For Chief Nolan, it was a dream come true. During his entire Navy career, the one place Eddie Nolan really wanted to visit was Australia. He’d had a love affair with, or at least a ‘crush’ on the country, since he read an article in National Geographic as a young boy. He’d been thoroughly entranced with pictures of the arid ‘outback’, especially Ayres Rock, and the many strange animals which were indigenous to Australia, and no other place on earth. His elation at the news was tempered by the ‘other’ things on his mind. He hoped to talk to DS3 Franklin before their ship left port. Apparently, so did petty officer Franklin.