Page 60 of Stone

Looking to the heavens, I sighed. “Dad. I’m not gay. I’ve gotta girlfriend, remember?”

“Are you sure? Maybe you like both,” he suggested.

I let out an angry growl. “For fuck’s sake, Pop. I’m not gay.”

“Shame.” Dad sniffed. “It might’ve made ya more interestin’.” He barked a laugh. “So, tell me, if you’re not in shit and you’re not gay, why the fuck you callin’ me from the SOI when I know for a fact it’s a big ol’ no-no. You must’ve suckedsomeone’scock.”

Scraping a hand down my face, I gathered my thoughts. “My lieutenant just called me in for a meet. He’s impressed with my shooting scores and asked me to consider changing my MOS.”

Dad hesitated briefly before asking, “What were your scores?”

I ran through them, telling him the story about the officers taking bets on me.

He busted out laughing. “What do you expect, Son? You could hit a bullseye before you could read. I didn’t raise you with a weapon in your hand so you could go into the military and get yourself killed. Preparing you for this shit was my job, boy, and you know I ain’t no shirker.”

I bit back my first retort. My dad was a lazy fucker who had the boys running around after his ass ninety percent of the time. He was the biggest goddamned shirker I knew. But instead of telling him so, I changed the subject. “The fact is, Dad, my lieutenant wants me to change my MOS.”

“Not a shocker, Son,” he murmured, all humor suddenly gone. “You’re a natural rifleman. Not many men I know can pick up a gun, point it, and know instinctively where the bullet will land. When you handle a weapon, it becomes an extension of your body. It’s no surprise that your instructors see your ability; I saw it when you were seven years old.” He cleared his throat, probably because saying nice things burned his gullet. “So then, you weird little bastard, what you gonna do?”

“I dunno,” I replied, my tone a little lost. “It’s come outta nowhere. One minute, I’m happily settled on a quiet enlistmentin auto repairs; the next minute, my lieutenant throws me a curveball. It’s a lot to think about, but I admit, it’s flattering that the officers like what I can do.” I paused briefly before asking the question on the tip of my tongue, “What do you think I should do, Pop?”

Silence reigned for a good minute while Dad considered my words. Eventually, he said something that made me stop in my tracks: “Son, knowing what you know now, think about the next three years with your head under the hood of a car. What does it make you feel?”

Without even thinking about it, I said one word, “Bored.”

“Right,” he muttered. “Now, think about the next three years while you learn about the most sophisticated weapons systems in the world and how to utilize ‘em. Think about traveling and training alongside scouts and snipers. Think about killin’, ‘cause, Son, they won’t train you to be a machine and not expect you to blow heads off. And there’s somethin’ else, John, and you gotta take it into account. There’s talk on the news about troubles between Kuwait and Iraq. If it all kicks off, you’ll be sent to the Middle East quicker than I can take a piss. The good ol’ U.S of A likes its oil, and anybody who gets in the way of it will get themselves in some shit. Now, tell me again, what does it make you feel?”

“Nervous but excited,” I admitted.

Dad chuckled softly. “We have a winner.”

“Fuck.” I raised a hand to rub my chin. “Leesy’s gonna kill me.”

“Probably, though Saddam Hussein will probably get ya first. Remember though, there’s one more person who’s gonna hit the damned roof, and frankly, Son, I’d take Saddam over her any day of the fuckin’ week.”

I closed my eyes and sighed. “Ma.”

Dad cackled. “She’ll hunt you down, boy, and I’ll go with her just so I can watch her take a rolling pin to ya. You know nothin’ riles me up like your ma when she’s on the warpath. It’s how I got her pregnant with you. We had a fight one night, and she gave me a black eye. I got that damned hard that I thought my dick was gonna punch through denim. I fucked her so good that she—”

“Stop!” I gagged. “Jesus, Dad, my ears are bleeding.”

He cackled again before muttering, “Leave your ma to me. If it’s what you really want, you gotta do it. Believe me, what ifs will haunt ya, John. It’s okay to have regrets, ‘cause at least having regrets means you did somethin’ outta the ordinary.”

I smiled. Sometimes, Bandit Stone was as wise as he was crazy. “What do you really think, Dad? In your gut?”

“I think I want you safe, Son,” he replied, his voice softer than I’d heard for years. “But I also think you’re capable of keepingyourselfsafe, even when the chips are down. I’ve been where you are, John. I felt the same excitement that’s filling your lungs right now. I get it, and I want it for ya, but I’m also a dad, and the thought of my only child going somewhere dangerous makes me wanna hurl. Still, I want you to experience everything life throws at ya, and you won’t do that while your mind’s preoccupied with engines, getting wed, and having babies.”

“I’ve been thinking about somethin’ else,” I confessed. “I’d like to learn about weapons for the club, Dad. If I go into the Infantry, they’ll teach me tactical shit as well as weaponry. I’ve got big boots to fill one day, and I think doin’ this will give me the confidence to lead.” It was a big admission because I was conveying my deepest insecurity.

“Maybe,” Dad said thoughtfully. “But there’s still a lot I can teach you about running the club. The key is don’t back down. If anyone gets outta line, you make an example of ‘em. Give those boys an inch, and they’ll take a mile.”

My chest tightened at Dad’s words. If only life were that simple. “You can’t teach me confidence, Dad. That’s gotta come from me. I think doing this will prove my abilities beyond reproach.”

“You don’t need to prove shit to anyone, Son,” Dad protested.

“I do, Dad,” I argued gently, my heart twisting as a realization hit me in the chest. “I think I have to prove it to myself.”

Dad let out another chuckle, before saying what I already knew in my heart, even before I picked up the phone and dialed his number, “I think you already have the answer, John.”

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