flashback

I was just perusing a graduation photo of my navy boot camp company.

My dad found it in a box of old stuff in his closet, and gave it to me over the Thanksgiving holiday. I had completely forgotten about it. It’s an 11X17 color shot of fifty or so kids standing uncomfortably tight in stupid dress uniform; a grinning group face sighing/yelling: ‘Oh, man, one more day and I’m fucking OUT OF HERE.’ It’s matted grey and blue, with a pull-off cover that has the U.S. Navy Seal at the center. All around the seal are signatures and notes like-

To a brother junkie!!! – Roy Manes, Dayton, Ohio

Stay High! – John B, ‘74

To my boy, Huffman – R. Perez, NYNY

Wait a minute. ‘R. Perez.’ I looked at the faces in the photo. There he was, second from left, top row.

Flashback.

Smoke, Coke, and Joke. Two breaks a day, ten minutes per. A 20X20 room stuffed with two companies of chain-smoking boots, six or eight butt cans, and two rattling soda machines. The cigarette smoke is eye-watering thick, the talk din is like a donkey fest, a film of ash makes the black floor tiles grey.

Perez: “Huffman, what the fuck did you join the fuckin’ Navy for?”

Perez is Puerto Rican. He comes from Spanish Harlem, New York. At 23, he is an old man.

Huffman: “To git the fuck outta High School.”

Huffman is poor white trash. He comes from Malvern, Arkansas. He joined the navy three days after his 17th birthday.

Perez: “Oh, mannn. You’re a little hick, aren’t you, Huffman?”

Huffman: “I reckon. What YEW join the fuckin’ navy fer, Perez?”

Perez (grinning): “Beat a rap.”

Huffman (puzzled, furled brow): “Yew beatin’ on somebody?”

Perez (laughing): “No…haha. I beat a jail sentence by joining.”

Huffman (still puzzled): “What? How you keep outta jail like that? They ain’t never let me outta jail ‘less I stayed thar long enough to suit ‘em.”

Perez: “Plea bargain.”

Huffman: “Huh?”

Perez: “Jesus, Huffman. Try to keep up. My lawyer pled my case down to manslaughter two. The judge told me to serve four years in the armed forces and he would reduce my sentence to eight year’s probation.”

Huffman: “Manslaughter two? What’d yew do, Perez?”

Perez (grinning): “Shot a nigger in the face.”

Huffman: “Dayam.”