Project Whores

Chapter 3

Lost. Kyle did not talk to Joice for the rest of the week and since she’d visited him last Saturday night, that meant it was almost Saturday again. He had to admit, it was a little unusual not to have heard from her by now with the usual why haven’t you called speech. If he had a dollar for every time some woman accused him of using her, he could probably retire. But unbeknownst to Joice, he had looked for her at the DFAC and the living area several times, but could not seem to run into her. He would call her tonight, maybe.

Late Friday night, Kyle and his buddy Task, went to the clam shell tent to work out. Darryl Task was a counselor in the Employee Assistance Program at Bagram and was employed by the same company as Kyle. He helped people with all sorts of issues ranging from depression to leadership training. He was also the only person Kyle hung out with on a regular basis, mainly because they both liked to exercise. They met at the gym about a year ago, and became fast friends. Task was a big guy, standing at least 6 feet 5 inches with big broad shoulders and hands that could choke a bear. His skin was golden brown and he sported a goatee he was very proud of.

Many of the women on the project found him to be handsome. He played college football and definitely looked the part. “I gotta stop and get a pizza or I’m gonna pass out,” Task said, as they walked down Disney. Disney was the main road on the base. It was long and winding and if you were on the west side, you could not get to any other location without using or crossing Disney. Thankfully, it was also one of the few streets on the base that had a sidewalk and people could be seen walking up and down Disney day and night.  Once they got to the Green Bean, Kyle decided he would get some chicken, so he went to the other side to place his order. While he was waiting, he looked around; the place was packed. As usual, most of the patrons were soldiers. Then he saw her. Her head was down, but that was definitely her.

The Green Bean was the military’s answer to a modern-day coffee shop. Depending on where you were, they made specialty coffees, iced teas, cold coffee drinks, and smoothies. The décor was crude; mismatched chairs, tables, dim lighting and bare walls, but when it’s all you’ve got, it’s a beautiful sight. Inside the coffee shop, there were small scale restaurants that sold things like pizza, hamburgers, and fried chicken. Most of the tables in the Green Bean seated either two or four people. Joice was sitting at a table for two and a soldier was sitting across from her. Kyle guessed he was in his mid- to late-twenties. He was a light skinned brother and not a bad looking guy. Joice looked up, laughed, said something to him, and looked back down. What was she doing, texting? Her head was bent very low. Was she ashamed of her little boyfriend? Whatever, Kyle thought, shaking his head. A few minutes later, they called his order number and he and Task went to the LSA.

Kyle had showered, and was eating his chicken and watching TV, but found himself wondering if Joice went home with that soldier. It had been fairly simple to get her to his room. He told her what he wanted and asked her if she was like minded. She said she was interested, but because of General Order 1 she did not go to men’s rooms nor did she allow them to visit hers. General Order 1 was a part of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and governed the behavior of deployed military personnel. It was enforced on the project and was applicable to all civilian contractors on the base.

Under General Order 1, cohabitation was forbidden and if you were caught, was cause for immediate termination. The military reserved the right to inspect any room on the base at any time, but people still took their chances every day. Kyle lived in a single container, which meant he did not have a roommate. His living space was a rectangular steel structure that was approximately 10 feet long and 6 feet wide with laminate wood floors. It was slightly larger than the rooms in the RLBs and was totally private.  The only thing that kept it from being perfect was the absence of any and all plumbing.

There were no sinks, toilets or showers. All the bathroom facilities were communal and most would agree that was one of the biggest downsides of being on the project. Sharing bathrooms with people of all different backgrounds, ethnicities, nationalities and so on, proved to be trying and you just had to go in, handle your business, and get out. There really was no such thing as privacy out here. Even in containers, you could hear your neighbor if he had company or was on the phone. However, a container was still prime real estate on this base, especially since many people still lived in open bay tents. Though it was small, his room had a private entrance to which he had a key, so as living space went, it did not get much better on the project.

The first two times he invited her, she turned him down, but Kyle simply was not inclined to give up. For reasons totally unknown to him, she consented the third time. Joice knocked on his door, even though he told her it would be open. She came in and stumbled on her way to the bed, falling right into Kyle. Once he helped her up, she sat next him. The only light in the room was from the television.

“Hi” she said, and smiled. Kyle was sitting on the bed in his underwear.

“Hello,” he responded, half smiling. He blocked out some of the incidents that occurred that night and skipped to the part that was typical for Kyle Brewster. Joice stood in front of him and took her clothes off and got into bed. Kyle went right to work on her and kept at it for a very long time. He genuinely enjoyed her. She knew what she wanted and she knew what she was doing; that was a great combination in his book.

He found himself smiling while thinking of his new friend. Against every alarm going off in his head, he texted her. He said hello and asked how she was doing.  Hours later he woke up to turn off his television. He checked his phone and had four missed calls and three text messages. None of them were from Rejoice Battle.