Part 2 - Part 10

Vera walked away and began to snicker. I didn’t react or say anything.

I turned the lights on in the long corridor and the girls started to run. The coach yelled at them and they stopped. I took the lead and they followed. I heard whispering, “aqua, aqua,” when they heard the water rushing down the turbines. Some of the girls stayed back until Maria told them it was safe. I told them what the turbines were for and Maria translated. The coach was intrigued and looked around.

“So, the base is self-sufficient with regards to energy, very impressive,” the coach said in Italian and Maria translated.

I then took them downstairs and showed them the fish. The coach said something to Maria and she translated, “Do you eat the fish and if you do can we catch some and cook them for dinner tonight?”

“Yes and yes,” I said and grabbed a handful of fish food to throw into the water. The coach took it from me and grabbed the net from the wall. How she’d noticed it was there I don’t know but she laid it flat down at the bottom of the pool, threw a few pellets of top of it and scooped it up quickly. “What is this crazy woman doing?” I wondered until I saw the big fish caught in the net.

“My God, is there anything this woman can’t do?” I yelled out loud.

Maria translated and they all had a good laugh.

I went into the closet and grabbed the big metal bucket. Rosa filled it half full of water and tossed the fish in. One by one she caught six big fish. She tossed the smaller ones back so they could grow big. That’s what she said.

Everyone went by the bucket, looked at the fish and left the bucket for me to carry. It was very heavy.

When we got back Rosa invited all the girls to help her clean and gut the fish. It was going to be part of their daily lesson. She also said no firing range tomorrow for those who didn’t participate in cleaning and cooking the fish. They all went to the kitchen and Vera and I lit the fire and sat in front of the fireplace.

Vera said, “Before I forget, can you give me a small bottle of your rakia, I want to take it to my father. He makes this stuff so maybe he can figure out the spices and make some for me. I would appreciate it if you could do that for me.”

“Of course,” I replied. “Let’s do it now, the rakia is in the kitchen.”

We rummaged through the cupboards and we found an almost empty, small plastic vinegar bottle. I was about to empty it into the sink but Vera asked me to put it into a glass to use later for the salad.

After I emptied the vinegar from the bottle I gave Vera the bottle to wash. While she was washing it I pulled out the gallon from under the grease trap and put it on the counter. When I went to get the whiskey bottle Vera made an awful sound. I ran back to see what had happened. She pointed at the dirty gallon resting on the counter.

“What? This stuff?” I said and licked the gallon with my tongue. I did to her what Oscar had done to me and then laughed.

“She made an awful face and said, “And to think I kissed that mouth...”

I ran after her pretending that I wanted to kiss her and she took off. I then told her it was epoxy. She slapped me on the head.

After I filled the vinegar bottle she took it and went to secure it in her room. I filled the whiskey bottle full and put it back in the cupboard. I also put the gallon away.

When Vera came back she asked where the whiskey bottle was. I said I’d put it away because of the girls.

“Okay then,” she said. “We’ll have a drink later.”

We went back to the fireplace and sat opposite one another. She kept looking at me and I kept looking at her.

She finally said, “I miss my family you know. I don’t like it when I’m away from them for this long.”

One of the girls came to see what we were doing. It was the girl who had pissed herself. Vera smiled at her. She sat next to me and put her arm over my shoulder.

“This little one likes you,” Vera said.

“She looks pretty small, how old do you figure she is?”

“From what Maria told me they are about seventeen to eighteen, maybe even younger, I don’t know.”

“I thought they were over twenty one; that was my impression,” I said. “If they’re so young why did Maria let me give them wine?”

“You know, Italians drink wine at a young age?”

I looked at Vera. Her eyes were wide open and she tried not to smile. “My God,” she said, “doesn’t she know she isn’t wearing underwear? Don’t you dare look!”

I put my elbow over her knees and squeezed her legs together.

Vera grabbed her by the hand, took her up to the uniform room, found a small pair of long underwear and brought it to the kitchen. She gave it to me and told me to cut off the leggings with a sharp knife and bring the underwear back.

When I did Vera asked me to look away while the girl put it on.

Vera then took her with her to the kitchen and asked her to shred some carrots and beets while Vera shredded the cabbage.

I sat in front of the fireplace and tended to the fire, while one by one the girls started coming back smelling of fish, onions and garlic. They all sat quietly and watched the flames dance.

Finally Vera showed up with a huge bowl of salad. She said she had learned how to make it from her Ukrainian grandmother. She put it

on top of the big table and came down to the fireplace. The girls made room for her beside me.

“I guess they want me to sit beside you,” she said as she sat next to me.

When Rosa and Maria showed up the girls made room for them on my other side but Maria declared her body was too sore for the floor, got a chair and sat next to the fireplace. Rosa sat on my left side and put her arm over my shoulder. I sniffed her hand.

“It’s fish, it doesn’t wash off that easily,” translated Maria.

Rosa slapped me on the back and said something.

“She’s married you know, don’t get the wrong idea…,” said Maria.

“Well, I want to know what she said. What did she say?” I asked.

“She said, “You’re a good man and wants to thank you for your hospitality. God knows what would have happened to us if you hadn’t found us.”

“She didn’t say that,” I complained.

“No, but somebody has to say it…” she replied, looked at me and said, “I feel like having a drink.”

“All I have is rakia and beer,” I said.

Bring some beer then. Beer for everybody... Give the girls one quarter bottle each. I don’t want them getting used to drinking or getting drunk. They are athletes...”

While Vera and the girls went to get glasses and beer from the fridge, Rosa went to check on the fish. I looked at my watch, it was half past six.

Maria looked at me and said, “Thank you for the underwear for the girl…”

Rosa showed up and said the fish were cooked.

Maria and I went up to the big table and sat down. Vera and the girls showed up with the beer and glasses. Rosa yelled from the kitchen and the girls started going down. Each brought a plate full of fish and went back to get more. One of the girls brought forks, another brought bread and so on.

Maria sat at the end of the table and said, “I want to say a blessing but sorry it has to be in Italian.”

We all said “Amen” when she was done.

“This is a great day for me,” Maria said. “I have never had so much fun in my life. These girls are very precious to me and you gave me the opportunity to be close to them.”

While the coach divided the beer for the girls, we all began to eat the fish.

“This is the most delicious meal I have ever eaten,” I said.

Vera agreed and said Rosa is a really good cook.

As I watched the girls sip their beer I decided to ask them how old they were.

They were between sixteen and nineteen. The little one was sixteen.

One of them said something with a mouthful of food and laughed.

Maria said, “The first time she saw you this one thought you were an old man, a grandfather, but now wants to know if you have a wife.”

“Why?” I asked. “Does she want to marry me if I don’t have a wife?”

They all laughed. Then she said, “Maybe.”

The coach said something.

When we were done eating the girls asked if they could have ice cream.

“I don’t know, do we have any left?” I asked.

Two of them ran down and brought the almost empty canister and another unopened canister with a label “Strawberry”.

I looked at Maria and Rosa and they both smiled.

Rosa said something and the girls quickly collected the plates and cutlery and took them to the kitchen for washing. Then they brought ice cream, bowls and spoons.

The tall girl, who was nineteen, volunteered to fill the bowls with ice cream and gave me the first bowl. I gave it to Maria.

Vera said, “That one also likes you.”

Maria piped up and said, “They all like him. You know what teenagers are like, you were one once.”

Rosa wanted to know what we were talking about. Maria slipped up and told her in front of the girls. They all erupted in laughter accusing one another of being in love with me.

Maria enjoyed all this and said, “Those of you who love him go and kiss him. But remember he was eating fish and hasn’t brushed his teeth.”

No one came over to kiss me. I pretended to be sad so Vera came over and kissed me.

“No more kissing, eat your ice cream and finish the vanilla. I’m so sad I’m going to drink beer,” I said.

The little one came over, kissed me on the head and went back to eating ice ream.

“They’re unusual girls. Canadian girls are wild. They would be disgusted and wouldn’t come near anyone like me, unless I was a bad boy,” I said.

Vera agreed with me.

Maria said, “I don’t know what that is but I can tell you they’re not wild. And that’s what I love about them. I love their innocence and genuine love. They are from a friendly culture and when you show them kindness they pay it back in kindness. They are all innocent precious angels.”

They wanted to know what we were gossiping about. They knew it was about them but Maria wouldn’t tell them. The tall girl who spoke a few words of English said it was about love and romance. They all laughed.

When we were done eating the ice cream a couple of girls took their spoons and scooped the left over vanilla ice cream from the walls and bottom of the canister. Rosa took the strawberry canister and returned it to the freezer. The girls then helped Rosa and Vera wash the dishes while Maria and I snuck a glass of rakia.

“I feel tired. I think I’ll go to bed when everybody comes back. I’ll say goodnight and go and rest. Tomorrow we’ll talk about the trip to the game. I’ve been keeping watch outside and it’s still snowing non-stop.”

When everyone came back Maria said she was going to bed and began to walk away. The girls got up and followed. No one said goodnight. Rosa too got up to go. I grabbed her by the wrist and motioned for her to stay. She touched my chin, smiled and walked away.

I looked at Vera sitting opposite me. She looked sad.

“What’s wrong with you?” I asked.

“I miss my boys…” she replied as she watched the girls disappear into the other room and up the stairs.

I grabbed Vera’s hand and said, “Come with me… come.”

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise?

“Oh, I don’t like surprises.”

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes… maybe… no… I don’t know.”

She tried to wiggle her hand out of mine but I held it firmly. She began to moan slightly in protest.

“Just a few more steps,” I said and we entered the office. I let go of her hand, pulled the telephone out of the desk drawer and put it on the desk.

“You have a phone?! Now you tell me you have a phone?!” she yelled and whacked me on the shoulder.

She looked at me, smiled and said, “Can I use it? It’s almost eight o’clock, time for bed for my little boys. I want to hear their voices…”

Even before I had a chance to say yes she began to dial the number. “It’s ringing, it’s ringing,” she yelled in a high pitched tone of voice and began to talk in Ukrainian. I stepped outside to give her some privacy.

She was on the phone for over twenty minutes. When she came out she was in tears but smiling. She jumped on me and kissed me all over my face.

“Vera, stop that, calm down. What happened?” I asked.

“Nothing,” she said, “I got to talk to my children and husband and I’m happy.”

“What’s with the tears?”

“Well, that. I feel really bad for getting the girls lost and if they miss the game it’s going to be on me.”

She then shivered and said, “Please hold me... Just for a minute...”

I held her tight and she squeezed me back. After taking several long breaths she said, “Okay, you can let me go now.” She took my hand and we walked down to the big table. But instead of sitting down, she gave me a sad look and said, “Goodnight, I’m going to bed.” Before she went up the stairs she turned to look, to see if I was looking at her. I was.

I shook my head in wonderment, put the bottle away and went to bed.

I got up real early the next day and looked outside. It had stopped snowing and the sky was clear.

I went down to the big room through the stage. I looked down and counted nine sleepy heads sitting around the big table. One of them was Vera.

“Where are Maria and Rosa?” I asked.

Vera shrugged her tired shoulders.

One of the girls said something and then ran upstairs.

Moments later she was back shaking her head.

“Why are they wearing their soccer uniforms?” I asked.

Vera didn’t reply. She looked tired.

About a minute later Rosa came down and was followed by Maria.

Before saying good morning Maria said, “We should leave today. It has stopped snowing and we’re going to have a clear day. I know we will disappoint the girls about some things, but making it to the game is a priority.”

She then looked at everyone and said, “I’m sorry, where are my manners, buongiorno a tutti.” (Good morning everyone.)

“Please, sit down,” I said. “I can take you to the highway today, but first let’s work out the schedule and figure out what you’ll need for the trip.”

“You’re more experienced with the roads and climate here so we’ll do what you suggest,” replied Maria.

“First, let’s figure out the logistics of the trip. What time do you want to be at your destination?”

She looked around. Rosa said something. “Six o’clock in the evening today at the latest, preferably at five. But first I’ll have to call my consulate to see if we still have reservations at our hotel. I will do that at nine o’clock when the consulate opens,” she said and then looked at her watch. “It’s almost six now so we have eleven to twelve hours.”

“From what Vera told me, it’s a three hour drive from the last town you were in, so let’s say three hours plus another three from here to the highway and another hour for rest, breaks, traffic and other delays. That makes it seven hours on the road. So if you leave here at ten you should be able to make it to your destination by five. Any particular reason you want to be there at five? Your game isn’t until the next day?”

“We don’t want to drive in the dark,” Maria replied.

“Fair enough,” I said. “We’ll leave here at ten today.

“About the things you’ll need for the trip. I suggest the girls wear the military clothes. The soccer uniforms leave their arms and knees exposed. The military clothes will protect them from the cold in case you have a breakdown, God forbid. You’ll also need to take food and water. Rosa can make sandwiches for everyone. I’ll give you a big thermos for water. Everyone should take a small glass from the kitchen for drinking water. I don’t know what you’re going to do about going to the bathroom but I suggest you take a few rolls of toilet paper.”

“The girls should have no problem going in the ditch, Rosa will show them how,” said Maria and asked if she could have some rakia, for medicinal purposes, of course.

I went and got the bottle, gave it to her and said, “Share it,” and pointed at the three women. Maria said yes and winked at me.

“You’ll find all kinds of bags in the kitchen, give the girls one each so that they can put their soccer uniforms and other things in them.”

While Rosa and the girls went to change and make the sandwiches, and Maria went to put the bottle away, I told Vera to come with me.

I took her to the uniform room and told her to pick a military uniform.

She said no.

“You’re wearing a skirt, your legs are exposed and you have no coat. You’ll freeze if your bus breaks down,” I insisted.

She again said no.

“You have children, do it for them,” I said.

“I’m a woman and I don’t want to wear men’s pants,” she replied.

“Why, you think your ass is too big for them and it won’t fit?”

She slapped me one on my arm, laughed and said, “I’ll take one pair of underwear and a jacket.”

She grabbed a pair of underwear tested it for length and told me to turn around.

“Okay, you can look now,” she said.

I turned around and started laughing.

First she said, “Don’t!” and after asked me why I was laughing.

“Because you look like Peter Pan,” I said, “with the green tights.”

She said something in Ukrainian. I laughed.

“So you do know what I said…” she said, went through the jackets and picked one that fit just right.

“How do I look?” she asked.

“A little lumpy at the chest,” I replied.

She threw something at me and said, “I’m not talking to you anymore.”

I picked up a Russian hat and threw it at her. She took it and said, “I’ll keep it and give it to my husband. This is a good hat.”

When Vera and I went back to the big table Maria and the girls were all there wearing their military shirts and pants.

I said to Maria, “No one must know where these uniforms came from. They are the property of the Canadian military and I don’t think I have the right to give them away. If anyone asks tell them you bought them from an army surplus store.”

“No one is going to ask. Even if someone asks, none of the girls speak English. Who are they going to tell? Besides, I’m a diplomat and nobody wants to mess with diplomats,” she replied.

“Vera and I are going outside to gas up and check the machines, we’ll be back shortly. I hope someone is making breakfast?” I said and we went down to the underground parking lot.

I opened the big front gate. There was a two metre drift of snow in front of it. Vera looked at it and said, “How are we going to clear that? We won’t be able to get out.”

I didn’t say anything. I was just hoping I could start the beast without problems.

We both got on the big machine. I sat in the driver’s seat and she stood beside me. I pulled the choke button out, gave it some gas and turned on the glow plugs. I grabbed Vera’s hand and used her finger to push the start button. After a couple of cranks the engine started and began to roar. Moments later I pushed the choke button back in.

“You’re my good luck charm,” I said.

After running the beast for about five minutes, the inside began to warm up. I put the beast in gear and slowly drove towards the door. When we got close to the drift of snow Vera covered her eyes and braced herself for impact. There was no impact. She opened one eye and then the other. We were now on top of the mound and heading for the road. I turned right and headed for the garage. But, instead going up towards the garage I turned to the outdoor parking lot and climbed over the big mound.

“What are we doing here?” she asked.

“You’ll see,” I said.

I drove all the way to the gas pumps and turned off the engine. I then reached into one of the cupboards inside the cab and grabbed the water thermos and gave it to Vera to hold.

I stepped outside, unlocked the door to the fuel closet, pulled out the diesel nozzle and began filling the gas canister. While Vera held the funnel I filled the beast’s tank full of diesel fuel.

“That should get us to the highway,” I said and then asked Vera to put the funnel in the tank of the bus.

I filled the canister with gasoline and dumped it into the bus’s gas tank. I did that three times.

“Did you know your gas tank was completely empty?” I asked.

“My God,” she said, “please, no more horror stories…”

I didn’t say anything.

After I filled the bus’s gas tank I asked her to start the bus. She tried but the battery was dead. I heard her yell the “F” word.

“Take it easy Vera, the battery is dead, no problem, we’ll charge it.”

I then took the jumper cables from the beast and we gave the bus a boost. It started after a few cranks. I then noticed that she had left some lights on.

“Here’s the problem, we left the parking lights on. They drained the battery.”

About fifteen minutes later we turned the bus engine off and drove the beast near the garage’s front door and cleared the show.

When we got back our breakfast was waiting on the big table. We found a large plate of breakfast sausages and toasted bread sitting on it.

Rosa said, “Una colazione da campioni” (a breakfast of champions).

Vera gave Rosa the big thermos and Rosa went to fill it with water.

“Now eat and what’s left we’ll take with us,” Maria said.

By the time we were done it was past nine o’clock. I took Maria to the office to make her phone call. Vera came with me. Rosa was still working on the lunches and getting the girls ready.

While Maria spoke on the phone, Vera and I got inside the tank and started it. After that we came out and brushed the snow off with brooms. I then drove it into the garage.

Maria was in the garage when I came out of the tank. She looked at me curiously.

“The tank isn’t mine. I can’t leave it outside, it might be stolen and I’d be in serious trouble.”

She didn’t say anything.

“What did they say about the hotel?” I asked.

“It’s still reserved for us.”

I left the big door open until the fumes and smoke cleared and then I shut it.

I looked at my watch, it was nine-forty.

“Where is everybody?” I asked.

“They’re coming any minute now,” replied Maria.

“Will you need a coat or anything?” I asked her.

“I’ll be fine,” she said, looked at Vera, laughed and said to her. “At least you’ll be warm… You look fine, don’t mind me.”

When everyone showed up Rosa pulled out her checklist and checked it again.

The sun was out and shining brightly. Rosa checked each of the girl’s bags to make sure they had everything and I helped them up

over the track and into the beast’s cab. Rosa didn’t want my help. She jumped up on her own.

She then helped Maria who said, “It must be nice to be young and strong.”

I helped Vera as she smiled nervously.

After I closed the door, I looked around.

Maria said, “Don’t worry, everyone is here.”

I started the engine and looked at the time. It was ten minutes past ten.

Vera sat beside me and watched me operate the controls.

“Keep an eye on the bus behind us and make sure we don’t lose it,” I said.

Then, as we dropped onto the road and turned right we hit a huge drift under which the beast disappeared. There was a huge gasp from my passengers. Vera grabbed the holding bar with both hands and held it tight.

“Hang on but don’t worry,” I yelled.

I knew the road well. There was a big dip and an incline. The dip was filled with snow. My only worry was if a truck or large vehicle got stuck at the bottom we wouldn’t be able to push it out of the way and we too would be stuck.

The beast’s engine roared as mounds of snow rolled over us. Moments later we were on the other side and rolling over the deep snow like it wasn’t there.

“That’s one down and many more to go,” I said then turned my head around and smiled at the girls. I got lots of cheers.

Rosa came over, slapped me on the back and said, “Bravo bellissimo” (good beautiful).

We drove for two hours and forty minutes. Driving was a lot easier than I had expected, I think because it was a clear day and visibility was good. Plus I knew the road well. We didn’t run into as many big drifts as I thought we would. The highway going through town was plowed, so I decided to park the beast in the plaza parking lot and unhitch the bus. But first I took everyone to the restaurant for a pit stop. I introduced Maria to Gloria’s mom and dad and excused myself to finish the job outside. Vera grabbed my arm.

“You stay here and go to the washroom. I’ll unhitch the bus, start it and bring it here in front of the restaurant.” She agreed.

I first went inside the beast’s cab and made sure everyone had taken their things. I then unhitched the bus, started it and pulled it back. Vera had left the keys in it. After I lifted the beast’s gate up I drove the bus and parked it in front of the restaurant.

When I walked in I saw Gloria’s mom and dad smiling and happy.

“When the girls had first walked in we thought they were girl scouts with their nice uniforms. We had no idea they were Italian soccer players,” Gloria’s mother told me.

I offered to pay for the hot raisin buns for the girls and coffee for the women but Gloria’s mother refused to take my money.

“Okay, everybody out!” I yelled. “Its time to go!”

They all lined up in front of the bus and gave me a hug and kiss as they got on. The coach too gave me a hug, walked in, changed her mind, came out and gave me a big kiss. Maria too gave me a hug and a kiss.

She then thanked me for everything and said, “I left my business card on your desk for you. Call me sometime. You’re a good man and have many friends who love you.”

I assume she was talking about Gloria’s mom and dad or she may have been talking about the girls.

Vera was the last one to board the bus. She too gave me a long hug and a kiss and then turned away. She didn’t want me to see her crying.

She immediately started the bus and drove out of the plaza and made a left turn onto the main road which led to the highway and their destination. I kept waving goodbye until the bus disappeared out of sight.

At the moment I didn’t feel like visiting anyone so I got back on the beast and drove myself back to the base.

I was alone again.

Celebrating Christmas at the base

During the bad storm when I was entertaining the Italian girl’s soccer team at the base, Oscar was out with a team of tow truck drivers rescuing cars and trucks stranded in the snow on the highways up the mountains.

After the girls left, I caught a number of fish during my idle time sitting around the base. But after the back road was finally plowed I decided to go into town to visit my friends and give them some fish. After I saw how Rosa had done it, it was a breeze for me to catch fish. I only kept the big ones. I was tired of eating fish and had caught enough to give some to all my friends. I also decided to give Gloria’s mom and dad some as well. I wanted to know how Gloria was doing but felt awkward calling her, so I figured I would talk to her parents and find out from them. This was another reason why I wanted to go into town.

It was about ten minutes to one in the afternoon when I arrived at Stan’s service station. There was no one there. This was unusual, I thought. They’re either on a call or maybe at lunch. I decided to go to the restaurant and see if they were there.

To my surprise they were all there; Oscar, Stan, Fred, Olivia, Agnes and an old gentleman dressed in overalls.

There was a big cheer from everyone when I entered the restaurant. Oscar yelled Riki is back.

Before I sat down the gentleman in the overalls said, “So, you’re the Peter James Jr. I’ve heard so much about… I’m farmer Joe, I supplied your father with the meat in your freezers on the base, which Oscar here tells me is still there.”

I shook hands with Joe and said, “Nice to meet you sir,” and sat down.

“What’s this I hear about you entertaining a dozen, fabulous young Italian women?” asked Oscar.

I smiled but didn’t reply.

“I don’t understand it… What does he have that attracts good looking women?” Oscar asked jokingly, looked around, shook his head and then looked at Gloria’s mom.

Gloria’s mom said, “He has a big heart…”

“How is Gloria?” I asked.

But before her mom had a chance to answer, Stan looked at his watch and said, “Sorry, I have to go back to work.”

“Wait,” I said, “I have some fresh fish for all of you in my truck. I’ll bring them over.”

When I returned I realized I didn’t have a package for Joe but Gloria’s mom saved the day.

“Why don’t we keep them all here and cook them for you. I have a fantastic recipe. Why don’t we all get together this evening and we’ll have a party… to celebrate our friendship. Joe and Stan you can bring your families. I’ll call your wives if you like,” Gloria’s mom suggested.

“That’s a fantastic idea,” said Stan and walked out.

Oscar said, “Come and see me later,” and followed Stan.

Fred, Olivia, Agnes and Joe also said they’d be there this evening and left. They too had to get back to work.

“I’m sorry your friends left dear,” said Gloria’s mom. “We usually get together at noon and by one they go back to work. But I’ll talk to you if you have the time. I’ll finish with my customers first and come back. Have you eaten? Can I bring you something, a coffee maybe?”

“I’m fine thank you, maybe a coffee.”

A few minutes later she came back with a cup of coffee and said, “Gloria is fine. The college has a free long distance phone line and she calls us almost every day. She says she misses us. She says you haven’t called her. She would love it if you would call her sometimes. I told her about the Italian girls. She wanted to know if they were beautiful and where they we staying when they were with you but I didn’t know. I asked Olivia but she didn’t know either. Olivia didn’t even know about the girls until I told her. And now I heard Joe mentioning a base. What was he talking about? What base? Are you a soldier? I saw you in army clothing the last time you were here. Do you live somewhere on a military base? We know so little about you.”

“It’s nice to hear that Gloria is doing okay. I’m sorry I haven’t called her yet but I will. And yes, I live in an abandoned military base but I’m not a soldier. My father bought the base and turned it into a sanctuary of sorts, I think. The base is located near a rock quarry that has been filled with water. That’s where I catch the fish.”

“Is this military base far? How come we’ve never heard of it?”

“Well, the base is underground and it was abandoned by the army in the early 1950’s. It’s not too far, about a forty minute drive, but the road to and from there is treacherous, especially in the winter.”

“What freezers was Joe talking about? You have freezers on the base?”

“I have four walk-in freezers full of meat, vegetables, bread, sausages and even ice cream. They’ve been sitting there since Joe delivered them more than five years ago.”

“What was your father going to do with all of that?”

“That, I couldn’t tell you. But I wish I could give it away before it goes bad.”

“Your electricity bill must be horrendous having to keep all that stuff frozen all these years?”

“Thank God I don’t have to pay for electricity. The base has its own generators and is self-sufficient in terms of energy. I also have my own water supply. You’ll have to come up some day and see everything.”

“I assume you have a kitchen where you cook your food?”

“Yes I do. In fact the kitchen in the base is bigger than your kitchen here. Unfortunately I don’t know how to use any of the equipment. I should have asked Rosa, the Italian coach who is also a chef, but I never thought of it.”

“I’ll come up some day. I’m curious to see what you’ve got. But you’ll have to drive me up there and back.”

“Just let me know when and maybe we can have everyone up there so they can all see it.”

People started coming into the restaurant so I figured I should get going. I drank the last bit of coffee and offered to pay but she wouldn’t take my money.

I said thank you and began to walk away.

“Dinner will be served at seven sharp, be here!” she yelled,

I drove my truck to Stan’s. Oscar had gone out on a call and Stan was doing paperwork.

“Can I interest you in a job?” he asked. “I need a bookkeeper. I’m tired of doing everything myself. I’m a mechanic not a manager. I have to do the work orders, fill out the paperwork, buy parts and other materials, collect on bills and do the books.”

“You don’t have that much work, do you?” I asked.

“Yes, we now repair and maintain snowplows too. When the county discovered Oscar’s talent they were all over me to sign a contract. You don’t say no to the government. I’ll tell you one thing about the county, they pay well and you don’t have to hound them to get your

money. They send it automatically as soon as they receive the invoice.”

“I would love to help out,” I said. “But I don’t need a job.”

“Do you know anyone who might be willing to do it part time, maybe a couple of hours a day for a couple of days a week?”

“The only people I know outside of Oscar are Fred, Olivia and Agnes but they all have jobs. How about your wife? Does she work?”

“Oh no, my wife has her hands full with the girls. I can’t impose on her to do this too.”

“Fair enough,” I said. “I’ll ask her tonight at dinner, discreetly and indirectly and if she says no we’ll leave her alone. Would you be willing to pay her...?”

He laughed and said, “You’ve got to be joking, I give her all my money anyway.”

“Does she know anything about bookkeeping?” I asked.

“She took a short course in financing but never finished it.”

“Is she good with numbers?”

“I guess so,” he said. “She must be. She keeps track of our finances and pays the bills. She’s also frugal with our money and doesn’t spend a penny on herself.”

“Leave it to me then,” I replied. “You just give her a call and tell her to be at the restaurant this evening.”

“I’ll do it right now,” he said, “before I forget,” and began to dial the phone number.

I stepped away to give him some privacy and spotted a couple of newspaper articles pinned on the top of Stan’s bulletin board. I went

closer to look. One had a big picture of Oscar standing beside a family of six and the other had a photograph of the Italian girls in military uniforms with Maria in the centre and Vera and Rosa on each side. Vera was wearing her military jacket. I couldn’t see if she was wearing her Peter Pan tights because she was behind the girls. I figured the picture was taken just as they arrived at their destination. It looked like the picture was taken outdoors and none of the girls were smiling.

There wasn’t much to the story about the girls except that they were the Italian soccer players dressed in their scout uniforms. Nothing about who was who and if they had won or lost the game. Then I noticed the date; it was Tuesday. The game was the next day.

The story about Oscar was a bit more explicit. It said that Oscar had risked his own life to save a family of six when their car was jackknifed by a truck sliding down the highway and then caught fire.

“According to this story here Oscar is a hero,” I yelled to Stan who was now off the phone.

“Yes he is. But he doesn’t want the credit. He says he was only doing his job.”

“I guess we’re all doing our job but we don’t usually take extraordinary measures and risk our lives doing them,” I said, paused and asked. “What did the wife say?”

“She and the kids will be there at seven…” he said and added. “Take it easy on Oscar.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t tease him too much,” I said. “Now I think I’ll walk over to Fred’s and see how they’re doing. Tell Oscar I’ll be back.” And with that I walked out of the service station and decided to walk, instead of drive, to Fred’s. I left my truck at Stan’s.

The moment I walked in Olivia grabbed me by my hand and dragged me behind the counter to show me a couple of pictures of the Italian girls which she had clipped out of the newspapers. I had seen the one at Stan’s but not the other one.

“I want to bring something to the dinner tonight. I was thinking beer or maybe wine. What’s Stan bringing?” Fred asked.

“I don’t know,” I said. “Call him.”

“Okay, thanks, I will,” he replied.

Just as I was done talking to Fred, Olivia turned my head and pointed me to the pictures.

“They look so beautiful in their little soccer uniforms,” she said. “And they won the game too!”

“Oh, thank you for letting me know,” I replied.

“How old were they and were they nice?” she asked.

“They were twenty-five and very beautiful,” I said.

She slapped me on my shoulder and said, “The story said they were sixteen to nineteen; what are you trying to pull here?”

“I’m trying to make you jealous,” I said.

“Tell me more, how were they?”

“They were into everything, like little children. They were going into the freezers, the cabinets and all over the place where they didn’t belong.”

“What freezers are you talking about?” she asked.

Well, I could have lied to her but what would have been the point. Sooner or later she’d find out about the base so I might as well tell her now, I figured.

“I have freezers in the base where I live and I had no idea I had ice cream until they went into them and turned everything upside down and found it.”

“Is that what Joe was talking about?”

“Yes, Joe supplied my father with a lot of stuff which was then frozen and left there. I’ll show you everything and take you for a tour if you want to come up with Gloria’s mom some day when you have the time.”

“So, I take it you don’t want me up there alone with you? You know, you’re turning out to be a jerk just like your father, with this secret stuff. And why did Oscar call you Riki?”

“You caught that,” I said. “Well, that’s my real name. You know I’m not Peter James Jr. right? But if you really want to know, my grandfather used to call me Riki. Maybe he used to watch the show ‘I love Lucy’, and named me Riki after Ricky Ricardo, I don’t know?”

“You’re a clever one aren’t you?” she said sarcastically.

“Whatever do you mean?” I asked mockingly and laughed.

“Olivia dear, would you be so kind as to go and buy four bottles of white wine from the wine store and take them to the restaurant?” Fred asked. “Stan said he’s bringing beer.”

“Okay,” she said and asked me if I wanted to go with her.

I looked at Fred. He didn’t say anything so I assumed he didn’t approve.

“Thank you Olivia for the invitation but I’d best go and see Oscar. He’s waiting for me at Stan’s.”

She put on her winter coat and left. Moments later when Fred was done with his customers I said, “See you this evening,” and headed for Stan’s.

When I arrived Oscar was back and working on something on the bench.

“Ah, you’re back,” he said.

I went over and gave him a hug.

“What’s that for?” he asked loudly.

“Well, I could have shaken your hand but it’s dirty so I hugged you instead.”

“Are you being funny with me?”

“No, it’s to congratulate you for what you did for that family in the story.”

“Not you too!? I didn’t do anything! You know how it is; reporters like to write dramatic stories. That’s all it was. This woman asked me if I could pose for a picture with the family. I didn’t know who she was. What was I supposed to say? No? And that’s it? The next thing I see is Indian saves whites. That’s not going to go over well!”

“It doesn’t say anything like that. All it says is man risks his own life to save family.”

“Is that why you brought it up?”

“No, I brought it up because your story is about heroism. I also wanted to distract you from asking me about the Italian girls.”

“So, I hear you used the beast to save them from freezing and then you drove all the way here. How much fuel did you burn?”

“Oh, crap, I forgot to refuel the damn thing. If I take it out again it’ll run out of gas on me for sure.”

“You’re the real hero here,” Oscar said. “You not only saved those beautiful girls but you also got them to their game on time. So, why aren’t you boasting about that? And why isn’t there a story about your heroism, eh?”

“I told the women not to tell anyone about me, the base or the uniforms,” I said.

I wanted to change the subject, so after a short pause I asked Oscar if he’d heard anything from the reservation and what was happening with Jean.

“Oh, about that,” he said, “I was thinking of installing a telephone in the village. They need a telephone, many of our people in the village have relatives in other villages or working outside the village, like me, and they could use to stay in touch? What do you think?”

“Wouldn’t it be expensive?”

“No, the monthly fees aren’t expensive, I can pay for those. The installation is expensive but I can do it myself. All I need is to buy enough telephone wire to connect the village to the main road. I can cut wood for the telephone poles and install them myself. What do you think?”

“You know something? We may have some telephone wire in the base. I’ve seen a spool somewhere but I don’t remember where. I can also pay for some too, depending on how expensive it is. If it’s not expensive I can pay for all of it.”

“Thanks man, I knew you would help.”

“Why doesn’t the telephone company install it for free like it does in other places?”

“You know why. We live on a reservation, man... And do you still want me to be a hero?”

I didn’t say anything. I changed the subject and asked him if he had spoken to Gloria.

“No, man, I’ve been meaning to but I haven’t. I always tell her mother to say hello, so I hope she does.”

“Oscar, I also need to tell you this,” I said. “Both Gloria’s mother and Olivia know about the base. Farmer Joe said something today and now everyone is curious about the base. I told Gloria’s mother and Olivia about it. I’d like to take them up there and give them a tour some day.”

“You’re making a mistake, man. They’ll blab it to everyone and when people see the stuff you have up there that you’re not supposed to have, someone will blab to the authorities and they’ll arrest you. You have a tank for God’s sake and enough guns and ammunition to arm a small army. How do you think that’s going to go if the police show up and search the place?”

“You’re scaring the crap out of me. I’ve already committed to take the women up. I’ll keep them away from the tank. I’ll just show them the big hall, kitchen, rest area and bedrooms upstairs. I’ll just lock the door behind the stage and pull the curtain in front of it. That should keep the tank and guns out of sight.”