The Bunker

Off to the Races

My week was up.

I had done little but think during this week. I was going mad looking at the clock, its hands bobbing up and down. I constantly felt that I would throw up, yet I could never let it out. I understood that this fate was unescapable, and that my life would have to change. Life changes. Gosh I did not want to go fight. I was scrawny and had not shot a gun since I was sixteen with my father. I liked to think of the memories we had shared together. I had looked over at my baseball items I had kept since my teenage years. I had devoted around ten years of my life to baseball, and for what? That ribbon and medal. My father was a good man, quite the role-model. When I was around him I kept my head held high as he made me feel proud to be a Coleson. He had died when I was eighteen. Sad but it is true. He was one of the greatest men I had met, and suddenly he was gone like that. Poof. He had cancer from all the cigarettes he had smoked. I myself learned from his mistake and never had smoked.

On my final day I had decided to stay away from everyone, I ate nothing but half of a turkey and rye sandwich, and waited. The waiting felt like it had taken forever but suddenly my time came. I saw three buses coming over the series of hills that lead up to here, the buses bobbing up and down. I had grabbed my coat and some cash. I left the other half of my turkey and rye sandwich on the table and forgot about it. It was time for me to go.

I walked past the park one final time, and had went downtown to the loading area for the bus. Kathy had noticed me from the diner, and had smiled. Tears were in her eyes as she waved at me. I waved back. Gosh I would miss her. I turned around to board bus number two.

"Draft slip please." Said the older man at the entrance of the bus.

"Here you are sir." I had said handing him the slip, "Do you know what I will be doing?"

"Fighting." He said, "Fighting for America. Fighting for your home. Next." He said handing back the slip.

I took my draft slip and went onto the bus. I had not recognized any of the men except one, his name was Alexander. Alex and I had gone to high school together, and he moved out here too. Alex was a good man. I decided to sit down next to him. "Hey Alex." I said, "How have you been."

"Thank God there is someone I know on this bus." Alex said, "I have been fine Patrick, and yourself?"

"Worried and feeling sick. This change in my life is far too sudden."

"I feel ya Patrick, I myself am alright with going off to this war. While I would have liked to stay, I worked in a miserable factory job. I am fine with this work."

"I had just been working at The Daily Green, I quite liked it there. I don't wanna leave." Suddenly a loud and deep voice from in front of me scoffed. The tone of voice itself was scraggily and sounded beat up. Suddenly it spoke.

"Ain't nobody wants to go out there." He said, "This country taking me away from my life, just to set me to do their dirty work. God bless this d*mn U.S.A."

Alex said, "Look man, nobody wants to be here. We don't have a choice though. I want to be home right now, I want to see my wife again and children again, but I don't have a choice."

The man then said "So you will just let them take us? You will give up when they come for you? I've repealed the draft two times now, they had to drag me from my house to get me on this d*mn bus."

"Is it because of your family?" I asked.

"No. I have got no family. I push away anybody that comes to me. I live fine by myself, I don't need anybody."

"Wow he has quite the interesting character, he is a good man." I said to Alex when the man across the aisle leaned in.

"That is Rick." He said. The gentleman was a well suited middle aged man. His name turned out to be Tony. Tony was a good man. Tony was muscular, had long brown hair, and seemed happy to be alive, almost content with life. "He is mad about this all, I can't say I blame him. I'm Tony." He said as he reached his arm out.

"Patrick." I said as I shook his hand. His grip was strong.

"Do not piss him off whatever you do." Tony then looked to Alex, "And you are?"

Alex reached across me and shoot his hand. "Alex." He said to him.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet both of you. Hey I understand we were not to bring anything on this, but uh, you boys want a cigarette?"

"I don't smoke." I said, "Watched my father die from it, I was eighteen."

"Ah sorry to hear about that." Tony said, "My father is here on earth, yet has forgotten everything about me. Alzheimer's got the best of him." I felt kind of sorry to hear that, that would be a crappy life to live. I could not imagine it. I love music quite a bit, so if forget a song, that makes me sad. I would never want to forget a song I like. I don't intend on having children so that won't be a problem about forgetting them if I had some however. "But it's alright." Tony continued, "Hah, he was a crazy old man. Hey, speaking of crazy, have you boys heard of our general... uh, General Gross? The boys are sayin' he is a crazy old man who will put us all to shame."

"God I hope not." I said, "I really wasn't meant to be in this situation. I was not meant for war."

"Look skinny arms." A voice behind me said with a disappointed tone, "Nobody wants to be here. Everyone who wants to be in this war has enlisted. There just ain't enough people who care. The government is so worried that they are desperate enough to come out to the middle of the f*cking United States to pick up more 'well suited' men to serve in the war. Nobody wants to be here." I later learned this voice was from a man named Victor. Victor was a good man in the end. Victor seemed like that outcast of society, he had scars on his face, and wore no nice suit like the rest of us. He continued, "You see these scars I have on my face? Wonder how I got them? It's cus' I fought someone else's fight. I stepped in a street fight, sure I saved a kid, but for the rest of my life I will be looked on as a 'freak' because I look like some God d*mn clown. Just because I live in the same country as the idiot, doesn't mean I should have stepped in and fought a fight that wasn't mine. After I got out of the hospital with a bill I couldn't pay, I vowed never to fight a fight that was not mine. I don't intend on breaking that promise."

"Hey man." I said, "I believe that we were brought here unrightfully. I believe that this is not fair to take us everyday men off the streets to fight, but I also believe that each and everyone of us should give it our all. I think -..."

"Think what?" He said, "Think the government will care about us? You should be like me and Rick over there, and not give a sh*t. This is not our fight."

"Whatever buddy." I said. At this point I did not want to talk to him again, so I turned to Alex. "Hey man, how do you think I will do?"

Alex smirked and said, "You will need to work on those noodle arms man. Otherwise I say just listen to instructions and do your part. We should all be fine in the end."

The bus then took off. This was it. This was the start of a new life for me, and I thought that was alright. I took one final glance at The Daily Green as we drove off, and that made me smile. I smiled for the fact that the past was behind me. I've always been a person to look to the future... what did the future have for me? I had no idea. None. I simply sat in the aisle and thought of how different my life would be. And let me tell you all, it is going to be different.