Pops part II

 

Helmet “halo”-glow!   II

After 6 weeks fighting in France’s muddy fields, Pops

Finally, at last, got three-days rest in Gay-Paris! Wow! 

The Allies were pushing the angry-Huns eastward, with

luck, hopefully, the-war would soon be-won and over. Hmm! 

His helmet-glowed blue-white from an overhead-lamp

as-he stood on a bridge above the river-Seine. Pops

viewed the swift-flowing water, he reminisced about

the big-river back home and the creek behind the-barn

where he and his family crawfished Sunday afternoons.

 

A row of storefronts lined the river; above the myriad

commercial-establishments were 2^nd-story apartments.

Many served as “cribs” where delightful-mademoiselles

entertained lonesome GI’s. Pops-abstained, he had a-girl back-home.

 

At one of the doors located between commercial-enterprises,

Pops noticed a yellow-cat meowing to-be let-in. The-door

opened several-inches; Pops caught-sight of a slender, dark-

haired young-woman setting a-bowl before the-feline.

The hungry cat licked-greedily at the milk-contents.

 

The next-evening, Pops knocked at the door. “Dark-hair” “Merci!”

answered and Pops handed her two-quarts of-milk.

 

Orders-came - - - then-delays…new-orders…more-delays!?

 

Pops weathered the chaos in-stride; he’d been around long-

enough to have-learned to-endure, the younger-guys, who lived

a Hedonistic nether-world practiced-chaos, moaned and complained,

always outside earshot of any higher-authority in-rank.

 

Three-days in Paris grew to-five, -seven, and, finally-ten!

 

Pops spent time along the Seine, took in the-sights, bided his-

time, thankful for the-respite from the evil-Hell of-war.

 

His younger, and foolish, protégés suffered severe hangovers,

soon found their shallow-pockets empty. To add supreme-

insult to injury, the French-gals seemed less so-beautiful

after a week of-temptation and vacant-romance; also, their

affections and seductive-passion waned-quickly as the-money dried-up!

 

Frustration and boredom led to-trouble; three of the-men

were arrested by the Military Police charged with robbery

and rape; they were intoxicated when apprehended in a closed-bistro

in the company of a young-woman who affected the-complaint.

 

For these-offenders - - - the war was-over… Leavenworth!

 

Any military hates a “black eye”! The P.R.-guys

covered-up and spun the-atrocity as best they-could.

 

So the-word came down from above: A pontification:

All-officers, downward in the chain-of-command, would

be held-liable for any further-“embarrassments” of the-army.

And, the-General ?- - - exempt from any-responsibility?!...Amen!

 

And so, the superiors clamped-down - - - Hard!...Fear-is

a wonderful motivator! Also, in one-day the order-came:

Move-out!

 

People often “Move-on” - - - trying to leave their troubles-

Behind… in-that, the army was no-different!

 

Bury-the dead! Hide-the-Truth! Begin a new-campaign!

 

Pops’ company was ordered to “Move-out” at noon the next-day.

 

On the morning of the eleventh-day in Gay-Paris, Pops

spent the last-penny of his meager cache.

 

When he knocked on the door across from the bridge with

the empty milk-bowl on the-stoop, he was burdened with four

large-sacks loaded with loaves of-bread, blocks of-cheese,

pastry-delicacies and four quarts of-milk. Praise-God!

 

Pops’-helmet glowed a golden-halo that day!

 

Amen!