Word of Honor Read Online Free PDF
Author: Nelson DeMille
seat of the old Annamese Empire for twenty-one centuries. And like all great cities, it was a blend of the exotic and the sophisticated, the urbane and the bucolic. It was more Vietnamese than French, but the old caf6s on the south side of the Perfume River still had a colonial air about them, and the great Phu Cam Cathedral was a tribute to the city's ecumenicalism.
Hue was a m6lange of sights, smells, sounds, and sensations. It was vitality and otherworldliness all in one. It was the heart and embodiment of the nation, and as long as it existed, the Vietnamese people, from the simple villager to the corrupt Saigon politician, had reason to hope. .
. .
"Hi, Dad."
Tyson closed the book and looked up at his son. "Hello, David. "
"Whatcha readin'T'
"Try that again."
"What are you reading?"
30 NELSON DEMILLE
"A book. You didn't take the mail in."
"I took the garbage out."
"You left the door unlocked."
"I took the milk and paper in. Where's Mom?"
"That was my question."
David smiled.
Tyson regarded his son. The boy dressed well, but then s#rtorial splendor was in vogue at the moment. His hair was of a length that would offend only a master sergeant, and the boy was good-looking, though in Tyson's opinion too lean, like his mother. But also like his mother, his coloring was dark and rich, and he had her striking green eyes.
David drew closer and glanced at the book in Tyson's lap. "Hew?"
"Pronounced 'way.' The French gave the Vietnamese the Latin alphabet, then misspelled every word for them."
"Oh. It's about Vietnam."
"Right. Jeet?"
David laughed. "No. What's for dinner? You cook tonight. I have K.P. Mom serves."
"Is that so?"
"Check the chart." He said it with barely concealed disdain. David picked up The Quest. "What's this?"
"Another book. I'll bet you've seen them in museums or on television.
They make movies out of them."
David ignored the sarcasm and studied the cover art, then read the flap copy. "The Holy Grail. I read something about that. King Arthur. Is that a true story?"
"It is a legend, and a legend is like the truth, but a legend is also like a myth, and a myth is like a lie. Follow?"
"No." His eyes drifted back to the Hue book. "Is that a true story?"
Tyson did not reply.
David put the novel down on the end table, then said, "What's wrong,
-Dad?"
Tyson thought a moment, then replied, "I'd rather not discuss it at the moment."
"Are you and Mom getting divorced?"
"Not to my knowledge."
WORD OF HONOR 0 31
David smiled. "Okay. We can hold a family council later. "
Tyson again detected a note of mockery in David's voice. "There are some things, David, that do not lend themselves to solutions by family councils. There are things in this world that children should not be privy to nor burdened with. "
"Tell that to Mom.
"I will. But I will speak to you privately about what's troubling me without giving you all the details."
"Okay." The boy hesitated, then said, "You want me to call out for dinner?"
"Yes. Please. Make it a surprise. No pizza."
David nodded and moved toward the door. Tyson could see he wanted to say something more, but Tyson did not encourage him. David left, and Tyson stood, moving to the bar in the shelf unit. He poured himself a small Drambuie.
. Tyson sometimes wondered if they should have had more children. He was one of four children, the other three, girls. Conversely, Marcy had three brothers, and he suspected that she had been somehow traumatized by the experience. He, on the other hand, had been treated affectionately by his sisters. David would know neither sibling affection nor rivalry. The decision not to have more children had been made eight years ago when Jenny was born, lived, suffered, and died, all within a week. Marcy said it was a result of the LSD she took in college. Tyson offered that it could have been Agent Orange. His minister, Reverend' Symes, said it was God's will. The doctors had no opinion.
Yet, David was healthy in every way,
Hue was a m6lange of sights, smells, sounds, and sensations. It was vitality and otherworldliness all in one. It was the heart and embodiment of the nation, and as long as it existed, the Vietnamese people, from the simple villager to the corrupt Saigon politician, had reason to hope. .
. .
"Hi, Dad."
Tyson closed the book and looked up at his son. "Hello, David. "
"Whatcha readin'T'
"Try that again."
"What are you reading?"
30 NELSON DEMILLE
"A book. You didn't take the mail in."
"I took the garbage out."
"You left the door unlocked."
"I took the milk and paper in. Where's Mom?"
"That was my question."
David smiled.
Tyson regarded his son. The boy dressed well, but then s#rtorial splendor was in vogue at the moment. His hair was of a length that would offend only a master sergeant, and the boy was good-looking, though in Tyson's opinion too lean, like his mother. But also like his mother, his coloring was dark and rich, and he had her striking green eyes.
David drew closer and glanced at the book in Tyson's lap. "Hew?"
"Pronounced 'way.' The French gave the Vietnamese the Latin alphabet, then misspelled every word for them."
"Oh. It's about Vietnam."
"Right. Jeet?"
David laughed. "No. What's for dinner? You cook tonight. I have K.P. Mom serves."
"Is that so?"
"Check the chart." He said it with barely concealed disdain. David picked up The Quest. "What's this?"
"Another book. I'll bet you've seen them in museums or on television.
They make movies out of them."
David ignored the sarcasm and studied the cover art, then read the flap copy. "The Holy Grail. I read something about that. King Arthur. Is that a true story?"
"It is a legend, and a legend is like the truth, but a legend is also like a myth, and a myth is like a lie. Follow?"
"No." His eyes drifted back to the Hue book. "Is that a true story?"
Tyson did not reply.
David put the novel down on the end table, then said, "What's wrong,
-Dad?"
Tyson thought a moment, then replied, "I'd rather not discuss it at the moment."
"Are you and Mom getting divorced?"
"Not to my knowledge."
WORD OF HONOR 0 31
David smiled. "Okay. We can hold a family council later. "
Tyson again detected a note of mockery in David's voice. "There are some things, David, that do not lend themselves to solutions by family councils. There are things in this world that children should not be privy to nor burdened with. "
"Tell that to Mom.
"I will. But I will speak to you privately about what's troubling me without giving you all the details."
"Okay." The boy hesitated, then said, "You want me to call out for dinner?"
"Yes. Please. Make it a surprise. No pizza."
David nodded and moved toward the door. Tyson could see he wanted to say something more, but Tyson did not encourage him. David left, and Tyson stood, moving to the bar in the shelf unit. He poured himself a small Drambuie.
. Tyson sometimes wondered if they should have had more children. He was one of four children, the other three, girls. Conversely, Marcy had three brothers, and he suspected that she had been somehow traumatized by the experience. He, on the other hand, had been treated affectionately by his sisters. David would know neither sibling affection nor rivalry. The decision not to have more children had been made eight years ago when Jenny was born, lived, suffered, and died, all within a week. Marcy said it was a result of the LSD she took in college. Tyson offered that it could have been Agent Orange. His minister, Reverend' Symes, said it was God's will. The doctors had no opinion.
Yet, David was healthy in every way,
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