Nick thought. Lamont had taken a lot of hits in the past two years. It would be enough to make anyone think about getting out. Hell, he had his own thoughts about getting out, and he hadn't been hurt as bad as Lamont. Sooner or later, everyone got out. The only difference was whether you went out on two feet or in a box with a flag over it, if there was enough of you left to put in a box.
"When were you planning on leaving?" Nick asked.
" It'll take time to replace me," Lamont said. "I don't want to leave the team short."
Nick knew that if Lamont had made up his mind to go, nothing he could say would change it.
" You'll stay until we find someone to take your place?" Nick said.
" Yeah. Until the end of the year, anyway. Harker ought to find someone by then. Then I'm gone."
"Ah, shit," Ronnie said. "Who's going to jump in the water if you're not around?"
Because of Lamont's time with the SEALS, anything involving boats and water on missions had fallen to him.
" Didn't they teach you Jarheads to swim in Recon? Course, that's kind of like the YMCA. I guess you're finally going to have to learn how," Lamont said.
" Marines are smart enough to stay out of the water. Fish crap in it." Ronnie sipped his club soda.
Lamont changed the subject. "Nick, how's it going between you and Selena? When's the wedding?"
"You're asking me? How would I know?"
"Oh, oh. Like that, is it?"
"I never know where I stand with her," Nick said. He told them about what had happened earlier at the jewelry store. "I wanted to surprise her. I thought she'd be pleased."
"You surprised her all right," Ronnie said. "You should've just bought the ring and given it to her without taking her into the store."
"What if she didn't like it?'
"What if she didn't? Then you could just go back to the store with her and have her pick a ring she liked."
"But that's why I went in there with her in the first place."
"You know what your problem is?" Lamont said.
Nick was beginning to get annoyed, thinking about what had happened with Selena.
"No, I don't know what my problem is. Why don't you enlighten me?"
" The problem is you're thinking like a guy instead of like Selena. A guy says to himself, self, I think I'll go in this store with my honey and buy a nice diamond ring. It's a jewelry store, right? Got to be a lot of rings in there. Shouldn't take long."
"So? What's wrong with that?"
"Nothing, so far. Where it went wrong was when you picked the first one you saw and said, 'let's get that one.'"
"It was a nice ring."
"That's got nothing to do with it," Lamont said. "That's how a guy shops. We go to a store, we see something that works and we buy it. We don't spend a lot of time thinking about it. Women don't do it that way."
Ronnie was nodding his head in agreement.
"What was I supposed to do?"
"You were supposed to let her look at rings until she decided she wanted to think about it some more."
"But what's there to think about? " Nick asked. "There must've been a hundred rings in that damn store. Any one of them would of worked."
Lamont turned to Ronnie. "See what I mean?"
"Hopeless," Ronnie said. He turned to Nick. "That's not what Selena wants."
"You, too? Okay, Einstein, what does she want?"
"She wants it to be special when she chooses a ring." It was Lamont's turn to nod his head. Ronnie continued. "You made it seem like buying a pair of socks."
Nick looked at his two friends and their serious expressions.
"I think you're wrong. I'm picking up on second thoughts about getting married."
"Hers or yours?" Lamont said.
CHAPTER 9
Jagadev Muhkerjee walked the grounds perimeter of the Indian Embassy in Manila and looked again at his watch. It was a very nice watch, with a little button he could push to light the dial. It was 3:30 in the morning, a half hour from the end of his shift and exactly 2 1/2 minutes since the last time he'd looked.
Jagadev was bored and tired. He wanted nothing more than a quiet smoke and hours of
"When were you planning on leaving?" Nick asked.
" It'll take time to replace me," Lamont said. "I don't want to leave the team short."
Nick knew that if Lamont had made up his mind to go, nothing he could say would change it.
" You'll stay until we find someone to take your place?" Nick said.
" Yeah. Until the end of the year, anyway. Harker ought to find someone by then. Then I'm gone."
"Ah, shit," Ronnie said. "Who's going to jump in the water if you're not around?"
Because of Lamont's time with the SEALS, anything involving boats and water on missions had fallen to him.
" Didn't they teach you Jarheads to swim in Recon? Course, that's kind of like the YMCA. I guess you're finally going to have to learn how," Lamont said.
" Marines are smart enough to stay out of the water. Fish crap in it." Ronnie sipped his club soda.
Lamont changed the subject. "Nick, how's it going between you and Selena? When's the wedding?"
"You're asking me? How would I know?"
"Oh, oh. Like that, is it?"
"I never know where I stand with her," Nick said. He told them about what had happened earlier at the jewelry store. "I wanted to surprise her. I thought she'd be pleased."
"You surprised her all right," Ronnie said. "You should've just bought the ring and given it to her without taking her into the store."
"What if she didn't like it?'
"What if she didn't? Then you could just go back to the store with her and have her pick a ring she liked."
"But that's why I went in there with her in the first place."
"You know what your problem is?" Lamont said.
Nick was beginning to get annoyed, thinking about what had happened with Selena.
"No, I don't know what my problem is. Why don't you enlighten me?"
" The problem is you're thinking like a guy instead of like Selena. A guy says to himself, self, I think I'll go in this store with my honey and buy a nice diamond ring. It's a jewelry store, right? Got to be a lot of rings in there. Shouldn't take long."
"So? What's wrong with that?"
"Nothing, so far. Where it went wrong was when you picked the first one you saw and said, 'let's get that one.'"
"It was a nice ring."
"That's got nothing to do with it," Lamont said. "That's how a guy shops. We go to a store, we see something that works and we buy it. We don't spend a lot of time thinking about it. Women don't do it that way."
Ronnie was nodding his head in agreement.
"What was I supposed to do?"
"You were supposed to let her look at rings until she decided she wanted to think about it some more."
"But what's there to think about? " Nick asked. "There must've been a hundred rings in that damn store. Any one of them would of worked."
Lamont turned to Ronnie. "See what I mean?"
"Hopeless," Ronnie said. He turned to Nick. "That's not what Selena wants."
"You, too? Okay, Einstein, what does she want?"
"She wants it to be special when she chooses a ring." It was Lamont's turn to nod his head. Ronnie continued. "You made it seem like buying a pair of socks."
Nick looked at his two friends and their serious expressions.
"I think you're wrong. I'm picking up on second thoughts about getting married."
"Hers or yours?" Lamont said.
CHAPTER 9
Jagadev Muhkerjee walked the grounds perimeter of the Indian Embassy in Manila and looked again at his watch. It was a very nice watch, with a little button he could push to light the dial. It was 3:30 in the morning, a half hour from the end of his shift and exactly 2 1/2 minutes since the last time he'd looked.
Jagadev was bored and tired. He wanted nothing more than a quiet smoke and hours of
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