Chapter 29
OZZIE
Burger night! My favorite,” said Morgan, picking up a tray as they moved through the chow line the next evening.
“Man, did you hear about the NBA?” Satchel said, his harmonica peeking from his shirt pocket.
They sat in their usual corner, at the end of a long dining table toward the back of the room, each with a plate heaped with food.
“They finally signed three Negroes to the league.” Morgan pulled the newspaper from his back pocket and opened it to the sports section.
Ozzie read out loud: “ ‘Chuck Cooper, Nathaniel Clifton, and Earl Lloyd Break the NBA Color Barrier.’ Well, I’ll be damned. They gonna wait till I’m over here to let us in?”
Satchel laughed. “What difference does that make? Your ass wasn’t getting into the NBA.”
“Whatcha talking about? They call me Sure Shot on the streets of South Philly. Ask anybody ’round there. They’ll tell you.”
“Man, whatever.”
Mayo rested in the corner of Morgan’s mouth. “First thing I’m going to do when I get back home is get tickets. I want to see them play against each other.”
“Which teams?” Satchel asked.
“Says here Boston Celtics, Washington Capitols, and New York Knicks.” Ozzie held up the paper.
“Never been to New York before.” Morgan grinned.
“Let’s make a pact, then. When we all return to the States, we gonna meet up in New York for a game.”
“Deal.”
They all raised their mugs of Coca-Cola, and as they toasted, the hairs on the back of Ozzie’s neck bristled. He turned to see First Sergeant Petty and two other soldiers walking toward him. They stopped at Ozzie’s table.
“Evening, soldiers,” Petty greeted them, and then said, “Philips, come with us.”
Ozzie looked from Morgan to Satchel as he stood and slipped on his coat.
As he followed Petty out of the mess hall, he wondered if the shove in the bar had traveled.
The three men walked two paces in front of him and said nothing more as they led Ozzie past the sports arena and into the three-story brick building that housed the offices.
They landed on the second floor, turned down the hall past the empty secretary’s desk, and into a boxy office with the blinds drawn. Petty flipped on the light switch, and the overhead fluorescent lights gave off a light hum.
“You still need us, First Sarge?” asked the taller of the two men who accompanied them, standing in the doorway.
“I’ll take it from here.”
Being alone in a deserted office building with Petty was not Ozzie’s idea of a pleasant Sunday evening.
“Please have a seat.” The first sergeant motioned as he lowered himself into his chair.
The grease from the burger had turned sour in Ozzie’s belly.
Petty clasped his hands in front of him on the desk. “Philips. You’ve been promoted to corporal, effective immediately. Congratulations.” He stuck out his hand.
Ozzie’s expression ferried from shock to pride as he reached for Petty’s hand and pumped it.
“Typically, we’d have to wait for the CO to come back from leave to have a promotion ceremony, where we’d pin you your stripes. But since the battalion adjutant has already processed all the paperwork, consider this your ceremony.” Petty clapped his hands together.
Corporal Philips. Ozzie liked the sound of it. And to receive the reward the day after his birthday made it even more special. His mother was going to be so proud. “It’s an honor.”
“You’ve earned it.” Petty pursed his lips. “Now, we have a situation in Auerbach that needs immediate attention.” He slid a file across the table to Ozzie. “You’ll have a small team to manage, and you will leave for Auerbach at nineteen hundred hours.”
The clock hanging from the wall ticked as the pride Ozzie felt in being promoted slipped from his face. “That’s thirty minutes.”
“I realize it’s short notice, but we must be ready to answer the call at any time.”
Uneasiness pressed against Ozzie’s chest as he leaned forward in his seat. “May I ask, where is Auerbach?”
“It’s about four hundred kilometers northeast of here.”
That was a few hours away. What about Jelka and Katja? He wasn’t prepared to leave them at all, certainly not without making arrangements.
“I have a daughter, First Sarge. Can we delay my departure so that I have time to give her a proper goodbye?”
Petty chuckled. “You men are over here spreading seeds like farmers with hoes. You’re a noncommissioned officer now, you have to act like one.
Besides, if I gave every soldier a chance for a proper goodbye, we wouldn’t be able to get anything done.
Be ready at nineteen hundred hours.” He stood, dismissing Ozzie.
The matter was closed.
Back in the barracks, Ozzie stacked his possessions in a fog.
Being ranked as corporal put him closer to seeking the position that he really wanted in Intelligence.
It was a pay raise, so he’d have more money to support Katja, but he didn’t want to go without saying goodbye.
He hated the idea of being separated from Katja for an indefinite period.
Twenty minutes later, the jeep scheduled to transport him was waiting in front of his building. As Ozzie placed his footlocker in the back, Morgan walked down the path. “Brother, what’s up?”
“I’ve been promoted to corporal.”
Morgan pumped his fist. “But what’s all this? You leaving us?”
“They are transferring me to Auerbach, effective immediately. Can you get a word to Jelka for me and give her this?” Ozzie handed Morgan an envelope.
“It’s time to pull out, Philips,” called the soldier behind the wheel of the jeep.
Ozzie and Morgan embraced. “Look after Katja for me,” Ozzie said, and then stepped in the backseat of the vehicle.