"No need for thanks. Just buy me an ice cold Asahi Saturday afternoon."
Brad looked at his friend with a question on his face.
"I promised Yumi that we, and I emphasize the we, would take her to Kokusai Dori and the Ryubo Department Store shopping. I think she also has ideas of going to lunch in the Kokusai Coffee House.
So why don't you come over to the house about 10 or 1030 and we'll go from there."
"Ok. Where are we going by the way." Brad asked when Dan wheeled the jeep out through the front gate and started down the hill towards Naha."
"White Beach. I feel like taking a drive."
"That's fine. A nice 60 mile round trip on Okinawa just because we feel like it."
"Brad, if you can think of anything better to do, just speak up."
"Well, let's at least stop at Naha Port so I can set up the crane tentatively for next week. Crocker can be an ass sometime if you will remember, he likes two or three days to think about anything. Though he always comes through.
"You're right. He always needs two or three days for Stump to remind him how much we do for the Army."
The Navy jeep brought a quick wave of recognition from the female Okinawan guard on the Naha port gate. Hardly slowing down they sped down the main road of the port and pulled up in front of the huge Army Transportation complex. A new brick building over two blocks long with overhead doors large enough to let the largest cranes and trucks pass through easily. To the left of the overhead doors was a regular heavy wooden door painted Army dark green with it's brass hinges, lock and door handle polished to shine brightly in the Okinawan sun.
"The Colonel must have got on the civilians ass again. They've polished the brass again this year. I don't see his staff car, hopefully he's gone so we won't have to explain to him why we need to use one of his brand new mobile cranes at White Beach. Petty Officer Buckner, you do realize that the parking spot you just pulled into is marked STAFF VEHICLES ONLY?"
"Of course Petty Officer Burgess. If you will observe the next spot has JOHN STUMP marked on it."
"Your point being?"
"Sorry sir, I got confused by all the Army protocol. I actually thought that I was in Mister Stumps spot."
"But his shiny new American made boat is already taking up that spot, sailor."
"Excuse me Sir, I'm a Seabee, not a fucking sailor. And I don't read too well."
"He won’t buy it, Dan. But maybe if you use some simpler words you might get away with it."
Brad pulled the jeep up in front of the motor pool gas pumps and jumped out making for the coffee mess. "Since you made me drive back from White Beach in the go home traffic, you can gas it up while I drink a Coke. That's the least you can do."
Brad walked back from the coffee mess carrying two ice cold Cokes. He handing one to Dan.
Ashamini, the Okinawan heavy equipment foreman came across from his small office on the other side of the maintenance compound. About average size for an Okinawan who spoke almost accent free English. He had been a merchant sailor on American ships since the late 1930's. He came back to Okinawa after the war ended to reestablish a relationship with his family whom he had been unable to see for 6 years before and during the war. Shortly after returning he found a job with the US Navy at the same time that he met a woman he had known when they were in high school. They were happily raising two sons and a daughter together and quite thankful that the Americans had won the war.
"You two owe me." Was the first thing that Ashamini said. He was careful to get close to them so no one who happened to be within hearing would know what he was saying.
Neither Seabee said anything. Brad having an inkling of what was going to be said handed the Okinawan honcho the unopened Coke he still held. He snatched back the Coke he has just handed to Dan.
"Hey, you already gave me that Coke, Brad" Dan exclaimed when he stopped pumping gas into the jeep.
I have a feeling that Ashamini earned it more than you did at the moment."
"Can I speak now? Are you two through bickering?"
"Go ahead Ashamini. Dan will shut up if I promise to buy him a Coke."
"The Air Force contractor came looking for the crane. Said that he had the rudder ready to go back on and wanted to do it today so he could give his crew tomorrow off. I told him that you guys were gone for the day. He wasn't happy and was headed for Lawton's office to find someone to do it. So being a nice guy and your tomodachi I volunteered to do it. It's all done. Said he would call me next week since we couldn't be sure either of you would be around, to set up a day to remove another rudder."
"Thanks, Ashamini. He," Brad pointed at Dan. "got his early out so today is his last working day. You and I can figure it out later. I do owe you and won't forget it. I'll be going to White Beach sometime next week for a missile transfer. Using a brand new, virgin, Army crane that is already there."
"If you're ready to go home I'll take you to the back gate, Dan.
Do you need a ride, Ashamini?"
"No, thanks. It's only 1600. I have to stick around for another 30 minutes.
"I'll be back in 30 minutes then." Brad said and drove off with Dan riding shotgun.
EIGHTEEN
This is going to be a nice day. Brad thought when he walked through the Oroku gate. It was the back gate to Naha Air Force Base that emptied out into the small village of Oroku where a lot of Okinawans working on the base lived and GIs lived with their girlfriends. The atmosphere was very laid back with some very different ethnic peoples living in close proximity to each other in harmony.
It may get a bit weird when Dan and Yumi meet Tomako. Of course I have no idea what she is thinking about me, if at all. Could be as it seemed. She was just being nice to a guy who had lost his girlfriend and then drank too much. I do like her though. She is about as straight as they come. Well, I've had a crush on an older woman before. And she did help me put Yoko in perspective whether she knows it or not.
"Hey. Are you guys up yet." Brad hollered as he approached Dan and Yumi's little house."
"Come in, Brad." Yumi answered from the back of the house. "Dan went to the store for some sugar. The poor baby needs it for his coffee."
"I know he's a wimp."
"Here you are. Strong and black. If it takes him too long you have my permission to drink the whole pot. He always ends up talking to mama-san at the store and forgets to come home. Are you okay? Dan told me about Yoko. I'm sorry. I know that you really liked her."
"She does like to talk. Doesn't she, Brad? No, I did not stop to talk to mama-san this morning. She wasn't there. It was only her twenty-something daughter. You know she's really cute. You should go by there Brad. She's very friendly too."
"That's fine Dan Buckner. I don't care where you get hungry. Just come home to eat. I'm sorry Brad. I don't know why I said that."
Instead of taking a sukoshi cab, the trio decided to ride the Okinawan bus which took a more pastoral route through the countryside before ending up on Kokusai Dori. They were only about a block from the Ryubo Department Store and six or seven blocks from the Kokusai Coffee House.
"Let's go to the coffee house first. After we shop we can come back to it again before we go home." Yumi suggested.
"Alright by me. Ok Brad?" Dan asked.
Kokusai Street was always fun to window shop on. There were more unusual shops than any place Brad had ever been to. The easygoing bustle of the other shoppers was different also. Many of the people obviously had a destination in mind, and though hurrying towards it, they did not lose their natural politeness. Most of the women, young and old, might avoid making eye contact with a white male, especially one with a short military haircut, but they still murmured a soft 'gomen' when they stepped out of your way or stopped walking to let you past.
"Next time we go to 'Black Market Alley'" Brad spoke up. "Today is Yumi's trip, but maybe next week we can do it."
Yumi showed no sign of surprise. Well, she knew already. Now I can see why they wanted to come here today. Yumi works tomorrow, Sunday, then Dan won't have much time with her unless she takes some time off.
"Here." Yumi turned towards the stairs leading down into their favorite coffee house.
This should be interesting. I can't read these women very well. Who in hell can. I hope Tomako is still as friendly as she was when I left her at the NCO Club Thursday morning.
Tomako was standing near the small reception desk next to the front door. With her was one of the waitresses, a very young nesan who was nodding dutifully and Tomako was doing all of the talking.
Tomi looked up at the sound of the door and greeted Yumi and Dan with a polite smile not seeing Brad who had hung back a second to let his friends enter through the narrow doorway.
She sure doesn't look 35 to me, maybe 25 at the most. Definitely younger looking than Yumiko is.
"Somewhat recognizing Dan and Yumi, Tomako motioned towards the back of the shop. "Dozo, two of you?" she asked.
"No", Dan started to answer.
Brad stepped around Yumi and unconsciously ended up within touching distance of Tomako and felt a thrill which ran through him and made his stomach flip.
"Brad-san! Konnichi wa." She exclaimed. Her smile broadened and took over her face, and her eyes took on a sparkle of their own. The look of delight flashed away as quick as it had come. "There are three of you, neh?"
"Konnichi wa, Tomako-san" Brad addressed her bowing slightly making eye contact that lasted more than what was usual for casual acquaintances. "I think that there are three of us. Dan has trouble counting without using his fingers,"
Tomako gave him a questioning look before smiling warmly as she motioned for him to walk with her to the back tables. "You're alright, neh?" She asked quietly leading him to his favorite table in the back corner. She laid her hand across the small of his back as if to guide him to his seat. Her hand lingered and traveled up towards his shoulder with a warm steady pressure. "I will come back in a minute." She said when she laid the menus on the table.
Something is going right today. I must have done and said all the right things with her. I was afraid that not calling her or seeing her yesterday would be wrong.
"Brad?" Yumi asked again trying to bring him back to their world. "Brad?"
"Oh. What Yumi?"
"Never mind. The smiles and look on your face answers my question." She spoke softly. "She's the NCO Club nesan, neh?"
Brad nodded affirmatively watching Tomako walking back towards the kitchen. She was wearing a snug, light blue skirt with a starched white blouse tucked in which showed off her tiny waist. And she was wearing a small amount of make-up which Brad was sure he had never known her to wear. A bit of light pink lipstick and a hint of eye shadow and mascara was there if you looked close. 35, huh? She doesn't need any make-up . Many women would kill to have her complexion. She is a very classy lady.
"So what happened?" Yumi asked. "Yoko decided that she didn't want to live with you for whatever reason? Where does Tomako fit into your life? I remember her from when we came in here, but I didn't know that you knew her more than that."
"I didn't. Until Wednesday afternoon. After Yoko blew me off, I needed a quiet place to be so I came here and Tomako let me sit quietly at this table and drink myself into a stupor. Then when she got off work she wouldn't leave me here by myself half shot on Sapporo beer. So she took me home with her. Fed me. Gave me aspirin. And let me take a shower and get a good nights sleep. That's all there is to it."
"You slept with her after getting dumped?"
"No! Hell no! We didn't sleep together. We had separate futons. Don't even think that Yumiko."
"Alright, Brad. I believe you. You are just her tomodachi. Sure."
"Yumi, you sound like you have doubts about them," Dan said.
"Did you see how they look at each other, Dan? That was not just how friend's look at each other."
"Excuse me. I need to make a pit stop." Brad said and headed towards the rest rooms next to the kitchen.
When he entered the short hallway leading to the restrooms which also had access to the kitchen, Tomako came out of the kitchen and they stood out of sight of the people in the coffee house.
"You are alright? Not too sad?"
"Thanks to you I'm not very sad. Actually I think I will miss Dan more that Yoko. He is going to the states on Friday.
How are you? Did Oji-san say anymore about me staying overnight? I really don't want to make a problem for you."
"No, it is okay. He does understand, and I think that he likes you. Will you come to see me sometime? I want to know how you are. Wakarimasu ka?"
"You mean come here to see you."
"You know when I work and where my house is, neh?"
"Hai, Tomi.
NINETEEN
The week didn't exactly start with a bang, but right after lunch on Tuesday things started to change. Brad had just pulled back into the heavy equipment shop when Tom O'Brien hollered at him from the maintenance shop office door. "Hey Brad, the chief wants us up in the office. Something about the EOD truck getting stuck on a rice paddy dike."
"Brad, do you know where Ozato village is? That's where the EOD team is. They tried to drive along the top of a rice paddy dike and now as I understand, the truck is trying to slip off the dike sideways and go into a very wet rice paddy."
"Yeah I've been there, Chief. It's off of the road to Yonaburu, going towards the Chinen Peninsula.
"Okay, if you say so. You and O'Brien take the wrecker out there and give them whatever help they need. There are 4 EOD troops out there, so you should have plenty of manpower if you need it.
How long will it take you to get out there? Lieutenant Commander Tole would like to know what's happening since it is an EOD situation and now involving Public Works."
"I think about 45 minutes this time of day. The roads aren't bad. Not like traveling on Highway #1.
"There they are." Tom O'Brien spotted the EOD truck sitting lopsided on top of about a 10 foot high dike. They had driven it along the narrow water buffalo trail about 50 feet before the truck's front tires had started to slide downhill to the left.
"Hey, Brad. The experts have arrived." A first class ordnance man named Erickson hollered. Brad knew Erickson from when he had found a 500 pound bomb while bulldozing the heavy brush from an area in the Navy housing area to eliminate habu habitat.
The day was warm and muggy. Everybody was peeled down to their tee shirts minus their hats and insignias of rank. Brad was sure that Tom didn't know all of the EOD team including the youngest member of the team, Lieutenant Anderson. So to avoid any potential problems about rank, Brad told Tom before they walked out on the dike that "the youngest with the dirtiest face is Lieutenant Anderson. Officer-in-Charge of EOD NAF Naha. He's cool."
O'Brien nodded in acknowledgment, smiled as he walked out on the dike ahead of Brad and addressed the Lieutenant in a respectful tone. "Who was driving, Sir?" Was it an enlisted man?"
Brad wanted to hide under the truck until the Lieutenant's answer brought a smile to his face also.
"Petty Officer O'Brien you know damn well that I never drive when I have a chauffeur. Besides, I'm not about to take any crap off an Irish in-law."
Tom kept walking and smiling as he and Brad looked over what the team had already done. "I still don't see what my sister sees in an officer." Said more than loud enough for all around to hear.
The EOD had dug a track behind both left side tires from front to the back of the vehicle and were now starting to work back toward the road were Tom had parked the wrecker.
"What do you think, Brad", Erickson asked "I'm not sure that they're deep enough, but th
e ground is really hard. All coral and dry as hell."
"I'd go a bit deeper behind the front tire and just come about 10 more feet or so behind the truck. It's the front end that wants to slid and you have a real good start in preventing that.
"Hey Tom." He hollered to get O'Brien's attention as he stood in front of the truck talking to his brother-in-law. "Would you turn the wrecker around and we'll run a single tow line to the low side of the truck to help it stay in the ditches that they've dug.
One of the team had got down on his knees so he could deepen the ditch behind the front tire as Brad suggested when the entrenching tool pick he was swinging bounced up with a metallic ping.
"GRENADE"!! And everybody dove for the rice paddy.
Brad lay flat on the opposite side of the road from where he thought the grenade had gone waiting for the flat BOOM. It never came.
"Everybody stay put while I check that thing. Sammy did that thing smoke when you bounced it out of the ground?"
"I don't think so Lieutenant. It just flew up in my face with the spoon going one way and the main body another way."
"Okay, I'm going to secure it in the box. I'm sure its inert. Shit, it's been here since 1945.
Let's finish up digging otherwise we'll be late for supper when we get back to Naha."
It was easy and only took about 3 minutes once the towline was hooked up and Brad slowly backed the EOD truck onto the road.
The two Seabees hung around helping the EOD gather up their tools and gear.
"Lieutenant where's the grenade. I thought you put it in the box."
"I did. It's not there?"
"No, Sir. The box is right here where we put it on the ground in front of the truck, but it's empty."
"Lieutenant. Where are all those Okinawan kids who were around a while ago."
"Damn one of them or all of them took it. They use them to stun fish.
When we come out tomorrow to dig up the rocket, we can bring a translator and hopefully someone will tell us where it went."
At lunch time on Wednesday Brad was getting ready to go to the Air Force end of the base with the mobile crane to replace the rudder he and Ashamini had taken off on Monday when Aranaka, the motor pool dispatcher hollered at him.
An Okinawan Affair Page 10