06 June 1992 - Avocado Street, Springfield, Massachusetts

Jeff was checking his ambulance in advance of a ten a.m. to six p.m. shift with Connie Willis; whoever used Ambulance Thirteen before them obviously forgot how to restock after calls. He’d quickly learned that one of the biggest lies in EMS is “the truck’s all set.” You checked your truck every shift, especially if the off-going crew was telling you that about your vehicle. If your partner said that, however, you took them at their word. Trusting your partner was essential.

“Hey.”

Jeff looked up to see Connie climbing into the truck. “Hey, Connie. How are you today?”

“When were you going to tell me your Dad owns Valley Automotive?” she asked, casting him the Evil Eye.

“I didn’t want to color your perception by letting you know it was Dad’s shop. Is your car running better now?”

“Better? It’s running better than when I bought it! And he barely charged me anything!”

“Was it the distributor cap?”

“That and bad spark plug wires. You knew, didn’t you?”

“Dad taught me well. When did you figure it out?”

“I didn’t, actually. When he handed me the invoice I was stunned at how low it was. He said to me, ‘Jeff let me know a friend would be bringing her car in, and what the problem might be with it.’ It didn’t click who he was talking about until your Dad hooked a thumb at the wall behind the counter. You’d think I would have noticed the eight-by-eleven photos of you under that flag when I walked in.”

“I don’t know, Connie. I tend to blend into the background.”

“Right,” she snorted. “Dude, you’d turn my head.”

“I should be so lucky, Connie.”

She looked at him for a long moment. “It doesn’t bother you?”

“What?”

“That I’m gay? That you’re this close to me for eight or more hours a day and I’m gay?”

“Why? Does it rub off? Is it contagious?”

Connie gave him another look.

“Look, do we work well together?” Most of his shifts were with her now that he was off orientation.

“I think we do. It’s only been about a week, but I like working with you already.”

“Does it need to be more complicated than that, Connie? My best friend died at twenty-two, killed on the last day of fighting in the Gulf War. Ken was my roommate in the Army for nearly three years; he mentioned a single girlfriend in all that time. He was looking forward to meeting a woman and settling down, but never got that chance.”

“We get, what, maybe eighty years on this Earth if we’re lucky? Why should I care how someone else is happy so long as they are and it doesn’t affect anyone else? Plus, you have to look on the bright side.”

“The bright side being... ?”

“I can help you spot chicks, and vice versa.”

“Guten Morgen, Frau Noke,” Jeff said as he pushed his stretcher into a nursing home bedroom; this was their first call of the day. ‘Frau Noke’ was Mrs. Gertrude Noke, a patient he’d met during training; they’d taken an instant liking to each other. Frau Noke was a chronic renal failure patient, someone whose own kidneys didn’t work. She needed kidney dialysis to filter the urine from her blood stream. She normally lived at home with her husband, Edgar. She was rehabbing from a mild heart attack at Pioneer Valley Nursing and Rehab, getting her strength back so she could return home.

“Guten Morgen, Gottfried,” she replied with a smile. She liked to use the German equivalents of CRVA’s staff’s names with them once in a while.

There was a thin older gentleman in an A-2 leather flight jacket sitting next to her bed. The jacket appeared to be original World War II issue. “Captain,” Jeff said to the man with a nod.

“Sergeant, how are you this morning?” Edgar Noke asked in return. Edgar Noke was once Captain Edgar Noke, U.S. Army Air Forces; he’d been a B-17 navigator and was veteran of twenty bombing missions over occupied Europe. He’d met Gertrude Osterlind while supporting the U.S. occupation troops in Germany after the war. They’d returned to the United States and married in 1946. They had five children and eleven grandchildren.

“Heartbroken now, sir. I thought I’d get diese schöne Dame aus Deutschland all to myself today, yet here you are.”

“I’ll arm wrestle you for her.”

“What, and have you tear mine off and beat me with it? No thanks, sir.”

“I don’t know, Edgar, his accent is better than yours...”

“Trudy, don’t you start...”

“Okay, Mrs. Noke, the warden’s signed your release ... Oh, good morning, Mr. Noke.”

“Hi, Connie. It was a good morning until your partner started talking about absconding with my war prize!”

“Well, that would leave the door open for me so I can’t say that I share your level of concern.” She batted her eyelashes at the man.

“Well, my spirits seem to have suddenly improved! Maybe this won’t be such a bad day after all!”

All four in the room laughed. The Nokes were favorites of the staff of CRVA, and they were still deeply in love after nearly five decades. This kind of banter was common when the crews picked Mrs. Noke up at home; the crews were certain that it occurred all the time. The Noke household must have been a wonderful place to grow up in.

Mr. Noke stood as Jeff got the stretcher ready for Mrs. Noke. “Well, Liebchen, I’m off to change the locks and throw your stuff in the street. That’s what you kids do at the end of a relationship these days right, Connie?”

“That’s what I did to the last loser I dated, sir.”

“Sounds like a fool to me if he warranted such an occurrence, my dear Constance,” Mr. Noke said, tipping his cap. He kissed his wife after she settled onto the stretcher. “I’ll see you tonight, Trudy. Love you.”

“Ich liebe dich auch, Edgar.” Mrs. Noke smiled while he left the room. She looked like a girl of nineteen when she did; she’d told Jeff that’s how old she’d been when she’d met the dashing Captain Edgar Noke in 1945. She still had a hint of that smile as Ambulance Thirteen started its fifteen minute ride to Riverside Hospital’s dialysis unit.

“I hope my future wife and I will be as happy as you and the captain after fifty years, Frau Noke,” Jeff said while he rode on the bench seat next to the stretcher.

Mrs. Noke sighed, the smile expanding again. “There are times when I still have to pinch myself, Jeff. Germany at the end of the war was not a happy place; there was so much fear at what the Allies would do once it was over. Edgar brought me here and I’ve never regretted coming; I certainly haven’t regretted becoming his wife. What about you, Jeff? There must be a young lady in your life.”

“Well, that’s sort of a strange story, ma’am.” Jeff told her of Keiko, Allison, Heather and the strange relationships that bound them, both individually and collectively, to him.

“My, my, Jeff. Quite the ladies man, aren’t you?”

Jeff chuckled. “What a difference a decade makes, ma’am. Ten years ago I couldn’t have gotten a girl to say my name if I’d tripped her in the hallway. The other events in my life since high school have been direct results of deciding to change how I was in 1983. These ladies... ? The Fates have smiled on me.”

“Jeff,” Mrs. Noke said, looking at him like she was explaining something very important to one of her grandchildren, “you don’t think that they’re all part of your life for the same reason? They’re there because of who you are.”

“Hey! Jeff!” called Bill Harris, CRVA’s operations manager, when Jeff passed through the office the following week.

Jeff walked over to Bill’s office. “Hey, Bill. What’s up?”

“You interested in any overtime on the Fourth of July? Overtime pay plus double-time for the holiday?”

“Free money? Ah, yeah! The hardware store I work at part-time will be closed that day, so I wouldn’t be missing work there.”

“You’re working two jobs? You’ve been working here less than a month and you’re already adjusting to EMS life?”

Jeff laughed. “Well, I worked at the store in high school and live in the apartment above the store now. It’s a great commute!”

“I’ll bet! Anyway, the overtime would be in your home town of Enfield. The town’s asked for a truck to cover so their fire department ambulance can take part in the events they have planned that day. I figured since you’re from Enfield, you might be interested and would be able to help out with finding your way around if you get any calls.”

“Yeah, definitely! I’ve never seen the town do this before.”

“Something new that the Selectmen want to try. I think the Sheriff’s Department, the State Police and the other fire departments in the area are going to help out, too.” With July Fourth falling on a Saturday this year, the towns in the valley were having a weekend-long celebration by spreading their celebrations out. Enfield was the town holding their celebrations on the actual holiday.

“What time do we have to be in Enfield that day?”

“The parade steps off at nine o’clock, so eight? That way you can get to their fire station and check in.”

“So, get here at seven to check the truck and drive back? Or earlier?”

“6:30 to be safe. We figure you’ll be done in town by four or five in the afternoon. The town’s gonna let you go to the cookout they’re having on the Common, too; you’ll have to stay available from there.”

“Sounds good. Who am I working with?” Jeff smiled at the answer.

“So you woke up at 5:30 a.m., left Enfield before six, got to CRVA for 6:30, checked the truck so we could leave by 7:15 and get back to where you started by eight? All of that so you could go to a cookout you would have been at anyway?”

“Yes, but you left out three very important pieces of information.”

“And what would those be?”

“One: I’m getting paid to go to the cookout now. Two: we can post at my apartment if we want to. Three: I get to work with you, Bubblehead.”

“I’m gonna kick your ass if you try to hold my hand,” Stu Masterson warned him.

“I’m sure I’ll get to hold hands with prettier people today, Stu. Sorry to disappoint you.”

“You didn’t tell me you had a brother.”

“You didn’t tell me you were missing your two front teeth, either.”

“I’m not. What are you talking about?”

“You mean you’re not yet.”

Stu chuckled. “Where are we going, hotshot?”

Jeff waved him up Route 21 towards the center. They checked in with the duty officer at the fire station, picked up a portable radio and headed for the Town Common. Jeff directed Stu to the shady spot he’d asked to be reserved for them. They’d be right across the street from where the cookout would be held.

They checked the ambulance one more time then did what any good EMT would do while waiting for something to do: take a nap. They both stretched out in the back of the ambulance after they checked the function of the radio first. They also set their alarms on their watches so they’d be awake before the volunteers arrived to set up for the cookout. Two hours later the alarms went off, rousing them both.

“I wonder how loud the snoring got in here?” Stu asked, rubbing his face.

“Doesn’t matter. We slept through it. We would have been up in an instant if they’d called us, too.”

“Well, let’s see if anyone’s here yet.”

The two stepped out of the back of the truck. Crossing the street they saw that no one was setting up just yet. They stood on the sidewalk gazing across the expanse of green. A few minutes later two pickups arrived and the occupants began to unload a large, flat charcoal grill. Jeff and Stu pitched in; they helped set up everything before the parade ended at the other end of the Common. They moved off to the side to allow the residents to line up for the cookout.

Jeff spotted familiar faces in the crowd almost every minute. How could he not after spending his whole life here? When he spotted the faces he’d been waiting to see in the line he led Stu over to them, keeping out of sight. He stepped up behind one girl in the line and blew into her ear. She swatted at her ear, then turned to see who was there. After punching Jeff in the chest she hugged him.

“I thought you said you weren’t coming, you big meanie!”

“I said I was working, Kara, not that I wasn’t coming.” He released his little sister and hugged their Mom. His father, Heather, Jane and Alice were next. He pretended he was about to hug Tom, but Tom drew his fist back; Jeff smiled and shook his hand instead. Jeff turned to introduce Stu, but Stu was staring at Kara, mesmerized. Jeff snapped his fingers in his face. Stu was startled from his reverie and looked at him.

“Now that you’re back with us, Stu, I’d like to introduce my family and friends. This is my Mom, Marisa; my father, Joe; and my little sister, Kara; I’ll get you a towel to wipe the drool off your chin in a minute, by the way. The beautiful young ladies over here are Heather Donnelly; her mother, Jane Donnelly; and her mother, Alice Cavanaugh. The ugly old bastard with them is Alice’s husband, Tom Cavanaugh. Everyone, this is my partner for the day, Stu Masterson.”

“I’m not ‘ugly,’ Mr. I’m-About-To-Get-Pounded,” Tom protested. “I have a face weathered by experience.”

“Yeah, I’ve experienced it way too often for my liking, that’s for sure,” Jeff shot back. “I wonder whether I’ll survive another encounter.”

“That’s it. No food for you.”

“Alright, alright, Miss America, I apologize.”

Out of the corner of his eye Jeff could see Stu was looking over at Kara almost every second; Kara was looking back, blushing. Jeff bit his lip so he wouldn’t laugh at them; he glanced over at Heather and saw she was also biting her lip. The older adults were talking among themselves and didn’t see what was going on. Everyone collected their food and began drifting off in groups. The adults went one way, Kara and Stu another. Heather and Jeff wandered off by themselves towards his ambulance.

“So what was that all about?”

“I don’t know, Heather, but it reminds me of those episodes of The Monkees when we were growing up. You know, the ones where Davy Jones got those cheesy sparkles in his eyes and so did the girl?”

“And you didn’t get them when you met Keiko? It sounds like you did.”

“Oh, I’m sure they were the biggest ever. How was your plan to stay home this year received?”

Heather shrugged while they sat on the back step of the ambulance. “It wasn’t well received at first, but Grammy and Grampy understood once I explained things. Mom’s been okay with it since March; I’ve told her I’m committed to getting into BU next fall, in ‘93. How’s the job going?”

“I like it so far. I’ve been working with some great partners, like Stu. There’s certainly a lot to learn, and everyone’s been great about answering my questions.”

“Do you think you’ll stay in ambulance work?”

“I think so. It’s only been a little over a month, but I like it. There’s a family that everyone in our service adores, one of our regular patients and their family; I love the fact that we get to know them, that we build a rapport with them. I know that’s not always the case, but making that connection is really neat. Our patient is trying to teach me German.”

Heather smiled. “Yeah, the Nokes are really great people.”

Jeff tried to keep his face neutral. “Who?”

Heather patted him on the arm. “Mr. Noke and Grampy go to a lot of the same World War II veterans’ events; I’ve known them for years. He told us you likely wouldn’t be able to say anything because of privacy laws. Mr. and Mrs. Noke love how you guys all join right in with their playful talk when you pick her up and drop her off. They know you guys have a serious job but both love how you don’t take yourselves too seriously.” Jeff still didn’t reply. Heather patted his arm again. “I’ll change the subject, sorry. Are you coaching again next season?”

“John hasn’t officially asked me yet, but he’s also still on his vacation. I really enjoyed it. That’s not counting winning the state championship in hockey or going to districts in baseball, either. I’d like to coach again this year if he wants me back.”

“Like that’s going to be a real problem.”

The two friends chatted back and forth about inconsequential things while they ate. When they were nearly finished, a group of eight or nine year-old kids ran up to the back of the ambulance. They asked if they could look inside. Heather held her hand out for his plate, which he gave her. He nodded when she motioned towards the trash can and waved the kids into the back of the ambulance for a guided tour.

When she returned, she could only smile at Jeff’s demeanor around the kids. He had them all laughing and excitedly raising their hands when he’d ask them questions. They may remember the parade and the cookout the town held today, but their favorite memories would be of the man who took the time to show them what everything was for in the ambulance. Heather smiled along with the parents gathered on the sidewalk. Jeff would be the best father ever.

After the cookout broke up about one that afternoon, everyone congregated at Jeff’s apartment on Main Street. He’d thought ahead enough to block off Bilzarian’s parking lot with a heavy chain and padlock to keep other people from filling the lot. There was plenty of room for two cars and his van-style ambulance when they arrived there.

“You’ve got furniture!” Jane exclaimed when they trouped in from the kitchen.

“Yeah, it’s like I’m a real grown-up now.”

“There’s still so much space up here though, Jeff,” Alice added.

“Well, it’s just me here. Any extra stuff I’ve got is being stored in the unused bedroom there. I wanted to have some furniture in the front room for when the sun’s coming through those windows, some in here to relax and watch TV or, like now, have friends over, but there’s still a lot of room for just one person. It’s felt like a cavern without someone else sharing the space with me.”

“What about raising a family here, Jeff?” Marisa asked.

“Wow, no soft-ball questions from you, Mom. Honestly, I don’t know. I’m pretty sure I know who your daughter-in-law will be but, other than that, I’ve only spent about a week with her. I still have a whole lot I need to get to know about her, and vice versa. I know she wants to teach English at the high-school level. I think she wants kids like I do, but we haven’t talked about that yet. If she does, I don’t know how many or how soon. I don’t know where she’ll want to live, whether that’ll be here, Spokane or somewhere else. A lot of questions still to be answered, Mom.”

“To answer your question more directly though, the Bilzarians did it, obviously. If we chose to we could too, at least for a while. The bedroom I’m using could easily be the master and the other two could hold bunk beds or two singles each. We’re near Center Elementary, Enfield Middle and SRVCC. Valley Regional or Thompkins aren’t too far away, either. We’ll have to see where the future takes us.”

“We can’t wait to meet her, Jeff.”

“Thanks, Jane. I’m looking forward to making the introductions myself.”

“Hey,” Jeff called over to his partner while they drove back to Springfield. “You okay, Stu?” Stu didn’t answer right away; he twisted his hands around the wheel, the vinyl squeaking while his skin moved across it and his knuckles were white. “Stu, I can’t know if there’s a problem if we don’t talk about whatever it is.”

“Jeff, I...” Stu stopped and tried again. “I want to date Kara.”

“Okay. Does she want to date you?”

“She says she does.”

“Then what’s the problem, bud?”

“You’re my partner.”

“Yes, I am. So?”

“Jeff, this is your little sister we’re talking about.”

“Stu, it’s obvious you like her; I’m reasonably certain she feels the same way. You two spent three hours by yourselves out on the deck back at my apartment. Kara’s a big girl and can take care of herself. Do you plan on hurting her?”

“No. Do I look like I have a death wish?”

“No, but you can never tell. After all, you’re one of those guys who liked riding around underwater inside a Coke can.”

“As opposed to jumping out of a perfectly good aircraft?”

“Okay, so, we’re both a little twisted. Stu, go out with her. Get to know her, see if there’s anything there. If this is the chance for you both to find happiness then so be it.”

“Thanks, Jeff.”

“Your sister?“ Connie asked during their next shift together, Tuesday the seventh.

“Yeah. It was kinda comical, actually.”

“What did you tell him?”

“To shit or get off the pot.”

“Why do you men always go for the bathroom humor?”

“That’s mild compared to the EMS humor I’ve been exposed to so far. Maybe it’s a repressed fascination with our wee-wees?”

Connie rolled her eyes. The radio, which was playing in the background while they drove around, ran a story which caught Jeff’s attention. He snapped upright and turned up the volume.

... again, our lead story out of Iraq, there are reports of violence across much of the southern half of the country. Shi’a and Sunni groups there are attacking each other in what can only be termed a prelude to a wide-scale civil war. In contrast, the Kurds in the north seem to have taken charge in that region without major conflict. The provisional government which announced itself last week, based out of the northern city of Mosul, has been able to keep the violence out of their territory. In an announcement, the Kurdish Transitional Authority urged residents of their territory to reject the violence in other areas and live together in peace. The KTA states all residents will be welcomed into the political apparatus of Kurdistan so long as they work for the peaceful advancement of their new nation.

There has been no sign of Saddam Hussein since the outbreak of violence. There also has yet to be a reaction to the news from any United States official ...