Kim Oclon - The War on All Fronts

The War On All Fronts

Copyright 2022 by Kim Oclon.

All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.

The War On All Fronts / Oclon, Kim

ISBN 978-1-7363474-0-9

EBook ISBN 978-1-7363474-1-6

[1. LGBTQ Fiction. 2. Vietnam War Historical Fiction. 3. Friendship Fiction.] I. Title.

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Published by Trism Books, Deerfield, IL, USA

www.trismbooks.com

For Wallace

You amaze me.

I cant wait to see how you leave your mark on the world.

Thousands of little pins pricked Anthonys hand as he ran it over his freshly buzzed head. He had decided to do it himself so he could get used to what he looked like without the usual shag of black hair hanging over his forehead. After staring in the mirror for a minute, he decided his nose looked bigger, his eyes wider. But it did make him look a little tougher.

Anthonys twelve-year-old sister, Maria, looked at him as she headed upstairs with a glass of milk and the latest Trixie Belden mystery. She didnt read Nancy Drew because everyone read Nancy Drew.

You look weird. A thick curtain of bangs covered her forehead while her hair flipped out, just above her shoulders.

Im going to miss you too.

Maria stopped midstep, and turned to Anthony. You dont think Im going to miss you?

Anthony smiled. Youre not going to miss me.

Yes, I am. Im going to miss you so much. She continued up the stairs, not spilling a drop from her milk.

Anthony rubbed his head. It felt like low-grade sandpaper.

The screen door thwacked on the side of the house. That couldnt be Anthonys mom. She wasnt supposed to be home for a couple hours at least.

I gotta see it! Where is he?

Anthony grinned and turned to see Sam step over the bulging duffle bag sitting in the doorway. Sam stopped suddenly, as if a ferocious dog jumped in front of him. His playful eyes widened. The smile morphed into an O. The shoulders tensed.

But as quickly as it left, the smile returned, the shoulders relaxed, the eyes glinted. Well, thats a fuckin improvement if you ask me.

Anthony punched Sam in the arm. Asshole.

I tell it like it is, Sam said, leaning back, hands in his pockets, taking in the yellow walls and matching green furniture.

Mas over at St. Franciss making these care packages to send to the guys over there, Anthony said.

Are you going to deliver them yourself?

Come on, Sam. Thats how you want to spend our last few hours?

We could have a lot more time.

Anthony rubbed his head again. Whats your bag, man? Youre leaving in a few weeks.

Thats different. Its college.

Its not here. Anthony scraped a chair across the vinyl kitchen floor and flopped into it, folding his arms. This was not how the afternoon was supposed to go.

Its not there.

Anthony lowered his chin. The only thing he knew about there was what the TV told him every night. There must not have been any sidewalks in Vietnam, only rice paddies. They always showed the soldiers trudging through shallow water. Whenever an image of a blindfolded Vietcong fighter or injured American soldier came on, Anthonys parents would make Maria get something from the kitchen. His mom always gasped and clutched the medal of the Virgin Mary that hung around her neck when an American soldier on a stretcher was carried across the screen. And now Anthony was going there. He couldnt believe the North Vietnamese had held on for this long. They looked weak in the T-shirts they were sometimes captured in. Some of them wore these wide hats that had to be useless when it came to stopping a bullet.

Anthonys dad kicked Nazi ass in World War II, and had a hand in saving the world from evil forces. Just like a real-life Superman, minus the cape. But with a gun. Those VCs didnt look evil, but that didnt mean they werent.

I was never going to cut it in college, Anthony said.

You could have tried, Sam countered, folding his arms. A hint of a smirk twitched at his upper lip.

No point in trying. Anthony eyed the clock above the stove. His mom had sauce simmering all day and veal thawing out on the counter. The makings of a big feast. There was a lot of cooking to do and shed have to come home soon to get started. And no point in trying to change my mind. You want to try again or you want to do something else?

Something else. A sly smile passed over Sams face. Maria home?

Shes in her room with a new book. She said shell miss me.

Shell stay away? Sam asked.

I dont bother her. She doesnt bother me. Anthony darted to the stairs and raced up the short flight, feeling a tingling spread from his chest to his arms as he heard Sam a step behind him. They hurried past Marias door and the numerous signs taped on it. Big bubble letters in a variety of colors. One said Keep Out, Girls Only. Another said No Boys Allowed. Anthonys favorite said Brothers must knock before entering.

As soon as Sam crossed the threshold into his room, Anthony shut the door and dragged his desk in front of it. He turned to Sam, leaning on the desk and feeling the smile on his face fill his body. Anthonys eyes traveled from Sams dark brown hair, to his blue eyes and all over his pale skin.

What are you looking at? Sam covered himself like a cartoon character who suddenly realized he was naked.

I bet guys get photographs of their girls back home all the time. Since I cant hang a picture of you next to my bunk or tuck one in my helmet, Im making sure I remember everything about you.

Sam raised his eyebrows and held his arms out, slowly turning in a circle. Got everything?

I hope. As Anthonys eyes traveled over Sams parted brown hair and down to his fingernails bitten to the skin, he remembered how he had tried to push away everything he felt when he first saw The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Clint Eastwood came on screen with those steely eyes and Anthony almost choked on his popcorn. With his dad whacking him on the back, the only thing Anthony could think about was how beautiful the man on screen was. But guys didnt call each other beautiful. Guys didnt look at Clint Eastwood and feel the things Anthony did. But with Sam, he didnt want to push those feelings into his depths and he didnt have to. He learned he wasnt the only one.

Sam took a step forward.

Anthony took a step, inches from Sam.

And before he knew it, Sams face was directly in front of his and they were kissing. Their lips moved around one another as if they were trying to find a way to perfectly line up. They stopped to take a breath and smile at the floor.

Should we put on some music? Anthony asked.

Sure. Sam sat on the edge of the bed.

Anthony picked up the needle on his record player and set it on the record. The refrain of Sloop John B started playing.

Ugh. The Beach Boys? Really? Sam flopped back and put a blue and white plaid pillow over his face.

Yes, really. Anthony grinned as he lay next to Sam. They lay side by side, their arms touching.

Jimmy says its hot there.