Revealing Revelations Read Online Free PDF Page A

“What’s up, what’s going on with the sad face?” he asked.
    “Sergeant Shanahan, don’t worry about it,” I replied.
    Sergeant Shan drops his arms dramatically and twinges up the corner of his mouth. “Tch! Quit acting like a female soldier, Tommy Boy. C’mon talk to me,” he says.
    “Congratulations on your promotion, Staff Sergeant, is that enough conversation for you?” I say with a sense of tiredness in my voice.
    Sergeant Shanahan walked to the edge of the bed.
    “Hmm, now you tell me. Scoot over, Private.”
    Scooting my body closer to the wall, I make room for Sergeant Shanahan, who sits at the bottom of the bed. “Uh, is this one of those don’t ask don’t tell situations I been hearing about?” I asked with a joking grin. “You’re kind of closer now, Shane. TOO CLOSE,” I say joking with him. I had a long friendship with Sergeant Shanahan as well. He was my first squad leader when I came to the unit, I got shifted around from squads a little bit but ended up where I started. So it’s only to be expected that we become close and on first name basis.
    “Seriously, I heard you… went… home recently,” he said, referring to the fact that I went without leave. I know with him being my squad leader, I got him into a little bit of grief for my actions, but he never really had any issues with me, so I knew he wouldn’t take it hard.
    “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I went to Chicago for a day. Let me guess A.W.O.L. is what they call me,” I replied with no regard of consequence.
     “You’re most likely not facing U.C.M.J action. You know they wanna make examples out of every combat veteran they can just to prove to the new soldiers they’re not playing any games,” Shane says in an informative tone. 
    I breathe in deep and let out a sigh. “I know,” I answered.
    “Thomas, really? I know you went through a lot during our deployment,” he says, leaning forward placing his elbows on his knees and folding his hands. “Hell, we all did. But, you gotta get it together,” my old friend tells me.
    “What will they do then, Shane?” I ask him.
     “Probably just do some extra duty, I mean, at least that’s what I’m pushing for to keep things from getting too severe,” Shane replies.
    “Well, Shane, you know we went through it all together.”
    “Hmph! That’s for damn sure,” Shane replies. Silence and memories of Iraq overcomes the room. Shane places his hands on his knees and with a burst of energy springs himself up to his feet. “Dammit, Thomas, you were, no, you are my best soldier. You picked up rank faster than any other, almost had your sergeant stripes before we left Iraq. You are a good leader and friend to me and everyone else in the unit.”
    I watch as he begins to pace with hands on his hips. He comes to a halt. “Shane, you are forgetting one thing,” I tell him.
    “What’s that?” he asked with an unexpected plain look on his face.
    “I’m a damn good mechanic, too.” I answer him with a slightly comical tone.
    “Hm hm hmm.” Shane drops his head in a chuckle. “Wow! You never cease to amaze me. Why?”
    I express with a puzzled reply, “Well, I guess I’m just witty, it’s just natu—”
    “No, not that jack-ball!” Before I can finish my sentence Shane cuts me off in anger. “Why did you work so hard for so many years just to pull an idiotic move like this?” Shane asks walking back to the bed, finding himself sitting in the same slouch all over again.
    I swing my legs over the side and sit beside him. “Sergeant, I don’t know.” I begin realizing it got to him more than I expected.
    Shane turns his head and squints at me. He begins to turn red with fury. “You don’t know? The hell you mean you don’t know?”
    Being on the defense, I abruptly stand to my feet and walk back to the sink. Shane pursues me halfway across the room. I lean over the sink once again slamming my hands down on the marble-like surface and I look in the mirror.