Read Yellow Birds for Free Online Page A
Authors: Kevin Powers
picking honeysuckle off the fence.
I went outside to smoke and see my mother off. I kissed her on the cheek and surprised myself with the force of my lips. “You need to quit those things,” she said.
“I know, Ma. I will.” I stubbed the cherry out beneath my boot. She hugged me and I could smell her hair, her perfume, my whole life back home. “I’ll write as soon as I can, OK?”
She stepped slowly away from me, raised her hand to wave and turned and walked toward the car. I remember following her taillights as they turned out of the parking lot, watched them grow smaller as they passed the PT field and turned again toward the guard shack at the base’s exit, where they disappeared. I lit another cigarette.
Most of the families had gone by then. Most but Murph’s mother and a few others I didn’t know. I saw Murph leading her by the hand throughout the gymnasium, investigating each small cluster of remaining people briefly, then moving on. I didn’t realize they were looking for me until Murph turned in my direction and I saw him mouth something to his mother. I got up from the chair where I’d been sitting and waited for them to cross over the painted lines of the basketball court that had been used for our festivities.
Mrs. LaDonna Murphy hugged me tightly when I met her. She was small and frail-looking in a weathered sort of way, but younger than my mother. She smiled broadly when she looked at me, still wrapping her arms around my waist, looking up and showing me teeth slightly browned by smoke. Her hair was a faded blond worn in a bun, and she had on jeans and a blue button-up work shirt.
“Five more minutes, men,” one of the NCOs called.
She released me from her embrace and said excitedly, “I’m just so proud of you guys. Daniel’s told me so much about you. I feel like I know you already.”
“Yes, ma’am. Me too.”
“So y’all are getting to be good friends?”
I looked over at Murph and he gave me an apologetic shrug. “Yes, ma’am,” I said. “We room together and everything.”
“Well, I want you to know if y’all need anything, I’m gonna take care of you. Y’all will get more care packages than anyone.”
“That’s really kind of you, Mrs. Murphy.”
Sterling called Murph to help another private sweep up red, white and blue confetti from around the three-point line of the court.
“And you’re gonna look out for him, right?” she asked.
“Um, yes, ma’am.”
“And Daniel, he’s doing a good job?”
“Yes, ma’am, very good.” How the hell should I know, lady? I wanted to say. I barely knew the guy. Stop. Stop asking me questions. I don’t want to be accountable. I don’t know anything about this.
“John, promise me that you’ll take care of him.”
“Of course.” Sure, sure, I thought. Now you reassure me and I’ll go back and go to bed.
“Nothing’s gonna happen to him, right? Promise that you’ll bring him home to me.”
“I promise,” I said. “I promise I’ll bring him home to you.”
Sterling caught me later as I was walking back from the gym to our barracks. He was sitting on the front stoop and I stopped to smoke a cigarette. “It’s kind of nice out tonight, huh, Sarge?”
He stood up and started pacing back and forth. “I overheard you talking to Private Murphy’s mother.”
“Oh, right. That.”
“You shouldn’t have done that, Private.”
“What?”
He stopped and put his hands on his hips. “C’mon. Promises? Really? You’re making fucking promises now?”
I was annoyed. “I was just trying to make her feel better, Sarge,” I said. “It’s not a big deal.”
He knocked me to the ground quickly and hit me twice in the face, once below the eye and once directly in the mouth. I felt his knuckles fold my lips under my teeth. I felt my front teeth cut into my top lip, the blood running hot and metallic into my mouth. My lips swelled immediately. My cheek had been cut by a ring he wore on his right
I went outside to smoke and see my mother off. I kissed her on the cheek and surprised myself with the force of my lips. “You need to quit those things,” she said.
“I know, Ma. I will.” I stubbed the cherry out beneath my boot. She hugged me and I could smell her hair, her perfume, my whole life back home. “I’ll write as soon as I can, OK?”
She stepped slowly away from me, raised her hand to wave and turned and walked toward the car. I remember following her taillights as they turned out of the parking lot, watched them grow smaller as they passed the PT field and turned again toward the guard shack at the base’s exit, where they disappeared. I lit another cigarette.
Most of the families had gone by then. Most but Murph’s mother and a few others I didn’t know. I saw Murph leading her by the hand throughout the gymnasium, investigating each small cluster of remaining people briefly, then moving on. I didn’t realize they were looking for me until Murph turned in my direction and I saw him mouth something to his mother. I got up from the chair where I’d been sitting and waited for them to cross over the painted lines of the basketball court that had been used for our festivities.
Mrs. LaDonna Murphy hugged me tightly when I met her. She was small and frail-looking in a weathered sort of way, but younger than my mother. She smiled broadly when she looked at me, still wrapping her arms around my waist, looking up and showing me teeth slightly browned by smoke. Her hair was a faded blond worn in a bun, and she had on jeans and a blue button-up work shirt.
“Five more minutes, men,” one of the NCOs called.
She released me from her embrace and said excitedly, “I’m just so proud of you guys. Daniel’s told me so much about you. I feel like I know you already.”
“Yes, ma’am. Me too.”
“So y’all are getting to be good friends?”
I looked over at Murph and he gave me an apologetic shrug. “Yes, ma’am,” I said. “We room together and everything.”
“Well, I want you to know if y’all need anything, I’m gonna take care of you. Y’all will get more care packages than anyone.”
“That’s really kind of you, Mrs. Murphy.”
Sterling called Murph to help another private sweep up red, white and blue confetti from around the three-point line of the court.
“And you’re gonna look out for him, right?” she asked.
“Um, yes, ma’am.”
“And Daniel, he’s doing a good job?”
“Yes, ma’am, very good.” How the hell should I know, lady? I wanted to say. I barely knew the guy. Stop. Stop asking me questions. I don’t want to be accountable. I don’t know anything about this.
“John, promise me that you’ll take care of him.”
“Of course.” Sure, sure, I thought. Now you reassure me and I’ll go back and go to bed.
“Nothing’s gonna happen to him, right? Promise that you’ll bring him home to me.”
“I promise,” I said. “I promise I’ll bring him home to you.”
Sterling caught me later as I was walking back from the gym to our barracks. He was sitting on the front stoop and I stopped to smoke a cigarette. “It’s kind of nice out tonight, huh, Sarge?”
He stood up and started pacing back and forth. “I overheard you talking to Private Murphy’s mother.”
“Oh, right. That.”
“You shouldn’t have done that, Private.”
“What?”
He stopped and put his hands on his hips. “C’mon. Promises? Really? You’re making fucking promises now?”
I was annoyed. “I was just trying to make her feel better, Sarge,” I said. “It’s not a big deal.”
He knocked me to the ground quickly and hit me twice in the face, once below the eye and once directly in the mouth. I felt his knuckles fold my lips under my teeth. I felt my front teeth cut into my top lip, the blood running hot and metallic into my mouth. My lips swelled immediately. My cheek had been cut by a ring he wore on his right
Similar Books
Whatever the Cost
Lynn Kelling
Serious Men
Manu Joseph
WalkingSin
Lynn LaFleur
Worth the Weight
Mara Jacobs
Nobody's Hero
Liz Lee
Styxx (DH #33)
Sherrilyn Kenyon
Mate of the Alpha
Marie Mason
Mate of Her Heart
R. E. Butler