Bittersweet Memories

    It was a hot steamy morning when I finally woke up in the old man’s office. Monsoon season was just finishing and my head was pounding from last night at the club. Too many 33’s and San Miguels. I learned that the mission was about 300 clicks up north…. a recon mission. I sucked up the dregs of my coffee and headed out to the flight line.

    "Babe" was parked out on the ramp. She was easy to spot…the Huey with all the skin patches covering all the bullet holes. My Copilot and Frank my gunner were waiting for me, my head still in a beer fog. "Time to kick the tires and light the fires…. we got a rough day ahead of us" I climbed into the left seat, ran my checklist, and "Babe" roared to life. The Air traffic Controller cleared us and we were airborne.

    As lousy as "Babe" looked on the ground, in flight she handled like a dream. Like a date with a mature woman…. who knows exactly what to do. We skimmed the treetops and I watched the world click by. A beautiful day…drizzle, fog, and low ceilings…Well I have trouble with "blue Bird " days…flying is too easy then..Like that day we had to go down because of the gunfire. The Copilot and Frank escaped unhurt but I was cut up real bad from the landing. If you can call it a landing, more like a controlled crash.

    I woke up from these memories when my Copilot pointed to black smoke on the horizon. I banked the chopper and we were on scene in minutes.

    " Mother this is babe…. We got what looks an aid station, its burning…. or at least whats left of it is burning….." "Roger that babe…have a look for survivors." We made several passes but no survivors. Damn, those poor bastards got it at night with no place to run to. I radioed this to "mother" and swung back on course. The weather was closing in and we were rapidly approaching Bingo fuel. Had to turn back to the base now. Heading back we passed a ridge, a rice paddy and a tree line.

    I no sooner spotted the pinpricks of small arms fire when the Copilot started screaming about a GI down in the mud. I banked her hard and I heard the sweet music of Frank’s .30 caliber coming to life. He was halfway out the door ….two passes later the small arms fire ceased. The Copilot directed me to the GI. " Frank, when we touchdown get him in here, dead or alive. I have a feeling that the small arms will be back soon." We touch down and Frank is running to the GI. Next thing I hear is Frank back on headset yelling GO GO GO. I put the power to "Babe" and we are on our way. The ground slips away fast and she climbs fast, taking us out of harms way.

    I asked frank about the GI. "Well Pete, he is shook up but unhurt. But there is more Pete. This he is a she. She worked at that Aid station before Charlie hit it….Says she heard the first strike and just ran…..I think you know this Dark Haired Angel. She is the nurse that kept you together after the crash." " Damn Frank….that’s impossible, last time I saw her she was on a Medvac flight to Tokyo with a real bad case." " well Pete, she is grinning from ear to ear…says she is glad to see you…and glad to see us. The Copilot looks at me with a Shit eatin grin and I tell him to can it.

    This is going to be a rough ride back to Mother, the steam rising from the ground and the drizzel is making it a bitch to see. I gain some altitude and Radio Mother. I gave a situation report and was informed that the field was about to close due to the weather. I radioed back my fuel condition and told him to hold open for me.

    I turned out over the waters of the Bay. I was hoping to be able to pick out the approach lights. The radio came alive….." babe, I have the approach lights turned up. The old man says No Missed Approaches…..Failure to acquire the field your outta here, diverted, bye bye.." "Roger that mother." I can just see the waters of the bay beneath us and I call Frank forward for a third set of eyes. The Copilot calls joy for the lights. " We have the lights Mother….were coming home…..have a jeep waiting on us."

    We taxied to our spot; I power down as the jeep pulls up. I climb out of the machine and I see her for the first time. Her name is Trisha, she smiles, and I remember that Dark Haired Angel from my morphine haze in the hospital. She hugs me and I lift her into the jeep. The line chief tells me we have a debriefing at 1100 tomorrow.

    Frank tells me to drop him at the Caravelle Hotel…seems his on again off again love is cooking again. We drop Frank at the hotel and the rain is teeming now. Trisha climbs to the front seat and we are off to the Hooch. Mai greets us at the door and I tell Mei in Vietnamese that Trisha wants a bath and fresh clothes. Mai ushers Trisha to the bath. She removes her clothes and Mai bathes her in the big tub. As I shower I think of her, intoxicated by her, smiling at the image of her covered with the mud of the rice paddy.

    I hear Mai in the kitchen. My nostrils filled with the fragrance of the dinner she is preparing. I entered the dining area and sit on the floor. I catch a surprised look on Trisha’s face when she realizes that our Kimonos match. We dine on a spicy Vietnamese dish accompanied by a generous supply of beer. When dinner concluded Mai disappeared leaving us to talk. My eyes were drinking her in. As we talk I fill a bowl with the buds of a Thai Stick. We smoked as the day turned into night. Thunder crashed and lightning split the night. We sat on the floor on a soft carpet. Another thunders crash and she is in my arms. Her head on my chest, softly sobbing. Her tears run down my chest. I raise her head and kiss her face softly. Her arms draw me close and she kisses me deeply. I feel her tongue searching for mine. Jolts of electricity run through my body. My hands reach for the softness of the silk of her kimono, I discover she has opened it and I feel the softness of her skin. She offers her throat and my tongue runs along it. She moans softly. My mouth finds her breast and I suck softly, filling my mouth. Her nipples rise in my mouth and she envelops me in her arms and I feel her hold me to her breasts. She releases me and I kiss her again and again. Overwhelmed with passion, I find myself between her lovely legs drinking her in. My tongue licks at her flower, teasing her. She shudders as she climaxes, pulling me closer and screaming.

    We drift to the land of Nod, my head on her thigh. I awaken to the crash of thunder and find her consuming me. This image etched in my mind forever. I grow in her mouth, my mind reeling from the intensity of her love. I feel her hands on my chest as she lowers herself on me. A warm feeling fills my body. I smell the sandalwood essence on her body as I suck at her breasts. She sits up straight and continues the dance of La Petit Morte…the little death. I can no longer endure the dance. I thrust up to meet her. She empties me and I melt exhausted and spent. She leans down and kisses me…pinching my nipples…making me squirm. We drift of to sleep intertwined, one with the other.

    The dawn arrives unannounced. I rub the sleep from my eyes and find her head on my chest. Her breathing is imperceptible. I stroke her hair, she wakens and smiles. We breakfast together and return to the base for our debriefing.

    After the debrief the old man called me into his office. He is smoking one of his cigars and through the blue haze he slides an envelope across the desk. " It’s your R&R papers, and hers too…. And yes, I know who she is…..Now get the hell out of here!"

    I told her that afternoon that we were going to Phuket Beach in Thailand, for two weeks. A friend of mine that works for the company has a beach house there. We caught a Hop to Phuket on a C-130 and we are far away from the war.

    We spent our days dining on Mangos, Papaya and shrimp. Our nights exploring each other. She was etched in my mind like a navigation chart, knowing how to fly each grid.

    The days passed one into the next. The sun was bringing out her inner beauty. I, on the other hand, was saddened by the secret that was bottled up inside of me. The old man told me, before we left, that her orders came through. She was going back stateside. She would be assigned when she arrived at Norton Airforce base. I held this secret in a dark place. I smiled and loved her, all the while, knowing her future. The remaining days dwindled and we were on a hop going back in country.

    When we got back to the hooch, we dined together and I revealed my secret. She wept in my arms. We made love that night again and again; each knowing that would be the last time.

    In the morning we drove to the base in silence. Her hand would slip into mine and she would tremble. She was in tears when I put her on that freedom bird. I walked to "Babe" climbed in and wept as Trisha’s freedom bird thundered down the runway. She vanished from my life as she had entered it….without a trace. I attempted to locate her but no joy.

    Six months after she left I lost Frank. We were flying across the border. Uncle Sam denies that we were ever there. Frank’s bullet found him that day…and he died on the floor of the chopper. Shortly after his death I shipped back to the States.

    Although many years have passed. Each year when the Cherries blossoms bloom, I journey to Washington and touch his name on the wall. To make the connection again.

    On summer days I go to the beach. By chance a chopper passes overhead, and I think of her. A tear in my eye…Trisha…I love you, wherever you are.

This story is dedicated to my Brothers and Sisters.

The Lucky ones that made it back home.

And to those that died in that faraway land

Writen By ChristmasPeter