STORY PAGE
Invited to a Friend's Home
I had returned to
Base St. George to await the disposition of a Physical Evaluation Board. I had been in the Hospital on Staten Island for over two months. My ship was now out
to sea, and I was given the duty of standing gate watches at the Base entrance. It was probably considered a gravy job, but too much free time and two little
money were not good for me. A fellow watch stander offered a temporary solution I will never forget.
We would be on 2
days of liberty together and he invited me to his home. (His parents’ home) I readily accepted. He had a full day liberty before mine began, so I was given
directions on how to get there.
I should explain
that standing gate watches at Base St. George on Staten Island placed you on a rotating shift where each watch stander stood 6 hours of watch. He then had
six hours off, and then returned for another six-hour watch. At the end of the 2nd six-hour watch he had three days off until his next watch. His
main job was to monitor people coming on and off the Base.
I was on my second
watch. The car was gassed. I had purchased a little something for my friend's parents and I would leave as soon as my relief arrived and I had changed to
civvies. I received a call. It was from my friend. Something had come up. He and his parents would not be there to greet me. I could wait until later or go
to another spot where his sister would meet me when her workday ended. Preferring not to go after dark in a place I was not familiar, I chose to meet his
sister.
I arrived at my
destination a little early. It was a pool hall. I walked in. I went to the counter. In the next few seconds the noisy establishment quieted. You could here a
pin drop. The man behind the counter asked, “Are you lost?” I Told him no. I explained I was to meet a girl here. He then asked, “What is her name?”
I told him that I did not know here name, that she was picking me up for someone else and she would know me when she saw me.
He laughed. He said,
“That’s for sure. You’re the only white boy within a mile. I hope you are telling me the truth.” He motioned to a resurrected church pew and told me
to take a seat. The appointed time came and no sister. The poolroom stayed quit. It appeared as if not one person had moved since I arrived. The counterman
then said, “are you sure you are in the right place?”
I was sure that I
had followed the directions correctly. I was, however, beginning to wonder if I was in the right place. The door then opened. A drop dead, gorgeous girl
walked in. Under the circumstances I wasn’t sure what anyone’s reaction would be. She came over to me.
She introduced
herself. Apparently most everyone in the place already knew her (or wished he did), and as quickly as the noise had subsided, it began again. She
explained to the counterman why I was there. He invited me back to shoot a little pool, “on the house”.
I had a great time
those two days. We even returned to play a little pool. I was treated as who I was. A friend.
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