Fort Bragg
The 'special' mess (no one at the time knew the reason of its name) was a long building with a very high ceiling. The light was provided by some metal lamps hanging from the ceiling.
The light of those lamps made the rooms look wretched, just like everything else at Fort Bragg.
It was like everything at the base was well thought out to resemble a concentration camp.
The mess had a single and very long table, to which the Alpha and Beta units of the Baker team were sitting on both sides, sixteen people exactly, even if a couple of chairs were still empty at the time, because two recruits were late.
It was there that Rambo and Jorgenson met some of the recruits again since the end of the selection process, before they were split in two different teams.
Just one applicant on four had passed.
The last to sit at the table were Coletta and Ortega, that had just came back from the hospital..
The two were received by a chorus of whistles and applauses.
“How were the nurses, Manuel? Did you succeed in make this tongue of yours work a little?”
Ortega returned greeting waving a hand, but did not reply.
“Come on prick! Say something”
On the contrary, Jorgenson lowered his glance and was happy no seats were empty next to him.
He absolutely had to talk to Ortega, but that was not the moment.
He didn't know his own mind yet about how to apologize to him, but he would have quit the program, had Ortega asked him about doing so.
Are you crazy – he thought
Think to Mary's future and your little still-born too...
No...
Trautman had just been too good with him.
What Jorgenson made to Ortega during the selection program was too heavy and he had no hesitation in taking full responsibilities for it... Whatever the consequences where going to be.
Even more, he couldn't stand the wait of doing so, which is the reason why, in the end, he couldn't wait.
And so, Jorgenson jumped up on his feet, and in front of everyone.
“Ortega!” yelled Jorgenson... And all of the sixteen recruits shut up at the same time, making the whole mess silent.
On the other side of the long table, Ortega rose on his feet too, and the two young men faced each other in a distance, surrounded by a gloomy silence.
The chill of the silence was tangible over the mess' table.
Then the entrance door suddenly opened up.
It was Trautman.
-
The scene that unveiled itself in front of Trautman was a very strange one.
The recruits were all sat at their sits, still and in silence,while Jorgenson and Ortega - on the contrary – were standing one in front of the other each one at one side of the long table, as if they were challenging each other.
Trautman immediately understood that something was wrong.
He stopped then at the door, his hand still on the handle.
“What the hell is happing in here?” he asked, but no one cared about him.
Everyone's eyes were fixed at the two standing young men.
At this point Trautman – without even noticing it – stayed still and silent, as if he was hypnotized by such a scene too.
And during that long while of silence, Jorgenson and Ortega never got their eyes away from each other.
It was like the time had stopped for everyone.
Jorgenson was the first to speak.
-
“Ortega, I am asking it here and in front of everyone. Do you want me to quit?”
Ortega did not reply.
He thought for so long before replying, that Jorgenson asked himself if his tongue could work again, or if he hat cut it out to him for good.
“Jorgenson” finally said Ortega.
His voice was odd. It was obvious that his healing wasn't complete yet, but it was not just that only. His voice was unnatural, like if he was imposing it to himself, and he had some serious problems in saying the R.
“God damn-it, Jorgenson” Ortega said.
“Some simple excuses could work too”
Everyone burst out at laughing.
Some sung, some laughed, some yelled. Someone was yelling to Jorgenson that he was a sissy.
Someone else yelled to Ortega that it was his shot to receive a blow-job for free on the fifty avenue.
Trautman rose his eyes to the ceiling, as if asking for help to God himself.
It was time to have done with it.
“AAA-TTENTION!” he shout, and everyone shut up at the same time.
“Good” he said.
And he started his lesson.