"No, don't let them leave," another lady cried out.
"God, no. Who cares what they’re saying? We haven't had such eye candy in here since the last Lion trunk show."
"Oh, honey, if you're comparing yarn to this, you need to get out more."
"You're right. Hot young Marines just don't measure up to Lion yarn,” the other woman shot back sarcastically.
Once outside I realized I’d forgotten my knitting. Thankfully Mrs. B stuck her head out the door and handed me my pack. "You're improving. Come back next week and I'll help you again."
"Thanks, Mrs. B.” I took the bag.
"Don't forget, the color switch happens in the back. Trap the yarn, dear, in the back."
Hamilton and Ruiz started snickering. Mrs. B gave us a cheery wave and I stomped off to my truck without looking back. I could hear the dickwads clumping behind me like they were going on a march.
"In the back." Hamilton and Ruiz roared.
Later that evening, Hamilton came over.
"You think this is the most girlie thing ever?" I gestured with my needles. Hamilton took a long swig of his beer and then watched me fumble with the yarn for a few rows.
"Maybe if you were any good at it."
"I think my fingers are too big."
"That's what the ladies tell me too."
Shaking my head, I eyed the pattern Mrs. B had drawn for me to see how crappy the next few inches should look.
Hamilton offered his own assessment. "Looks like a piece of dog crap if he ate the yarn, got the runs and then shit it out."
"Thanks, man." I threw it down. "Fuck. What am I doing?"
"Don't know. What are you doing?"
"Why do we fight, Hamilton?"
"To protect our country, preserve freedoms, uphold the honor of the Corps."
"But what's the point of all that?"
"Regular access to prime pussy?"
“God. No.” I rubbed my head. But truthfully I had gotten it into my head that Sam would forgive me if she could see how much effort I was expending on her behalf. Did it make sense? In my confused, fucked-up mind it did. Sighing, I said, “Close enough." I picked up the needles again.
"So knitting is the same as being in the Corps?”
"Close enough,” I mumbled again and set to work once more.
Samantha
I PULLED UP TO THE Anderson house. It was a large brick monstrosity. I think about five families could have fit into the Anderson home but it housed only two people now—David and Carolyn. I guess that's why it was so easy for them to remain married despite the fact that they didn't really care about each other. They spent weeks without seeing each other. I walked around to the side door, the one I'd always used, and let myself in. Donna, the Anderson’s housekeeper, was sitting at the gleaming marble island, a coffee cup by her side, flipping through a magazine. "Hey, Sam," she greeted me as I snuck in.
"Carolyn around?"
"In the sunroom." Donna started to rise and get me something to eat but I waved her off.
"I don't need anything, Donna. I'm not even sure how long I'll be." Even though I'd planned my speech to Carolyn all night, I was feeling nervous and sick to my stomach. I wished Tucker was here or that David was better at comforting his wife. Worried that Carolyn was going to need someone, I planned to talk to Tucker directly after.
Donna gave me a concerned look, but I was halfway through the kitchen and out the door before she could ask me what was wrong. The sunroom was a long, screened-in porch that overlooked the pool. When we were younger, Tucker, Will, and I all played out here, but when my parents moved out west of town and installed a pool, we started gravitating toward my house.
The Anderson house was oppressive. Even though Carolyn tried to decorate it in bright, sunny tones, the unhappiness of her marriage and the disapproval that Tucker and Will suffered under because they never lived up to their father's expectations made the house gloomy and unlivable. The sunroom, however, had been a place of noisy games and laughter when it had been the three of us kids here. Now Carolyn sat there almost every day with a book and a cup of tea. I didn't know if she read the book or drank the tea or if they were just props to make her look like she was occupied and not reliving scenes from the past.
"Hey, Carolyn," I called from the doorway, not wanting to startle her. A big smile wreathed her face as she took me in.
"Samantha, what a nice surprise." She walked over and grabbed my hands, pulling me in for a hug and kiss on the cheek. "I was just thinking about the graduation party we'd held for Will and you here." Leading me over to the settee, Carolyn sat me down and poured me a cup of steaming hot tea. It was always hot no matter what time of day or what the temperature was outside. I took a careful sip and tucked a slip of my hair behind my head. I didn't correct her. The graduation party had been held at a nearby park because we'd co-hosted it with my family. Maybe Carolyn was thinking of Tucker's graduation, which had been held here and which had been kind of crazy because it ended up with a lot of fully-clothed people in the pool.