Page 45 of And Still Her Voice
“Come to look at the bridge?” he asked.
“So that’s the infamous Golden Gate.”
“That’s it,” he said and, still floating from my earlier church experience and speaking of drowning, I almost drowned in his ocean blue eyes sparkling behind a pair of black-rimmed, military-issue glasses.
“Looks more orange than gold,” I said. “How tall is it?”
“Around seven hundred fifty feet to the top.”
“If someone were to jump, would they survive?”
He searched my face. “We encounter them pretty frequently. Sometimes, we can intervene. But, to answer your question, odds would not be in the jumper’s favor.”
“I suppose that all depends on what the jumper’s favor is,” I answered, giggling nervously. He didn’t crack a smile. I noticed his jaw muscles constricting. “So, what’s that emblem on your sleeve?” I asked.
“Coast Guard.”
“Hmm. So, is that all you do all day is rescue pole vaulters?” I asked.
“Mostly, and boaters who get into trouble.”
“Sorry, but that sounds pretty boring.”
“Well, I might be getting shipped to Nam, so that ought to be exciting.”
“Vietnam?” All I’d heard about that place was that they were killing innocent women and children. “But why?”
“Part of a military assignment,” he said.
“Like what?”
“It’s top secret. If I told you, I’d have to kill you,” he said with a mischievous grin, and I smiled.
“So, you’re military?”
He nodded. “Coast Guard is military. I know how to shoot straight.”
“With what, a water pistol?” I laughed. “Do you arrest people?” I asked and then the eerie sound of a horn made me jump up from the bench.
The Coastie pivoted quickly. “Excuse me, gotta go,” he yelled, bolting away, his long legs scissor-cutting a swath toward a boathouse.
I scanned the wind-whipped waters but couldn’t see any sign of imminent danger and snugged up my sweater. Walking away, I wondered why anyone would give his life to fight and possibly be killed for our country so corrupt. Why were we even in Vietnam? I was ashamed of myself for not understanding everything going on in the world, but if I were fighting for something besides autonomy from Grandma, I might be a better, more evolved person.
***
By the time I reached the base of the bridge, I heard quick footsteps snapping behind me. I panicked, turning to see the Guardsman gaining on me. I sucked in a brackish breath. Had he heard about Dilbert? Had he come to arrest me? Did he have that authority?
“False alarm,” he said. “Do you mind if I walk with you?”
“It’s still a free country,” I said, calming myself as I looked up to see how he blocked the sun like a mountain at sunset.Oh my, he’s as tall and handsomeas that actor, John Wayne.Grandma!“I don’t even know your name.”
“Thomas Steele. My friends call me Tommy.”
“Nice to meet you, Thomas.”
“My friends call me Honey—Anna, actually. My Dad was in the Navy.”
“Oh yeah?”
