Technical Sergeant J. M. Jennings, USMC, came out and saluted.
“Well, I see you made it here,” McCoy said.
“It was easy, Captain,” Jennings replied. “There’s a lot of transports leaving K-1 empty that come here. . .”
“I know,” McCoy said, smiling. “How’d you know about the Charity?”
“I went out to the wharfs,” Jennings said. “And there was this Limey destroyer, and swabbies lashing a couple of lifeboats to her.”
“You are a clever man, Sergeant Jennings,” McCoy said. “And where’re the other guys?”
“In the Metropole Hotel, sir. I thought it better to get them off the base.”
“How’d you know about the hotel?”
“I was here before, sir, in ’48. I was the gunny of the Marines on board the Midway.”
“Okay. Come with me, I’ll introduce you to the captain of the Charity. And don’t use the word ‘Limey.’ ”
“Aye, aye, sir.”
“Ah, yes,” Lieutenant Commander Jones-Fortin said, “the Hotel Metropole. If I may make a suggestion, gentlemen?”
“Of course, sir,” Taylor said.
“Your people here were kind enough to provide me with a lorry. A weapons carrier, I believe you call them?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I propose that we load your matériel onto the lorry. I think it will hold it all. Then we will drop you gentlemen and the sergeant off at the Metropole. Then I will have the matériel loaded aboard Charity. When it is dark, I will have you picked up at the Metropole. I would be pleased if you were to join me for dinner at the Officers’ Club, and after that, we can board Charity.”
“That’s fine, Captain, except that we insist you be our guest at dinner,” Taylor said.
“We can argue that later,” Jones-Fortin said. “Shall we deal with whatever it is?”
[THREE]
There was a neatly lettered sign mounted on the wall next to the reception desk in the Hotel Metropole.
IMPORTANT NOTICE !!!
ALL LADIES USED IN THE HOTEL
MUST BE
PROVIDED BY THE MANAGEMENT!!!
NO EXCEPTIONS
THANK YOU.
THE MANAGEMENT
Technical Sergeant J. M. Jennings, USMC, opened the door to Room 215 and bellowed, “Ah-ten-hut on deck!” just before Captain McCoy and Lieutenant Taylor marched in.
There is something essentially ludicrous in the sight of three naked men standing rigidly at attention, especially when two of the three have naked Japanese women hanging from their necks, and Captain McCoy was not able to resist the temptation to smile.
“As you were,” he managed to say, which caused the two Marines with the ladies dangling from their necks to disengage themselves and all three Marines to quickly attempt to cover their genital areas with their hands.
Captain McCoy found it necessary to cough; Lieutenant Taylor found it necessary to turn and look through the door.
“Lieutenant Taylor and I are pleased to see that you’ve taken advantage of your spare time to sample the cultural delights of Sasebo,” McCoy said. “But all good things must come to an end.”
The three Marines looked at him, stone-faced.
"Shortly after dark, a weapons carrier will be here to take—”
“I like the Marine,” one of the ladies said to one of her sisters, speaking, of course, in Japanese.
“Thank you very much,” McCoy replied, in Japanese. “And I like you, too, but I am a married man.”
All three ladies tittered behind their hands.
“So what?” the first lady asked.
“My wife is much stronger and larger than I am, and when she is angry she beats me severely,” McCoy said.
All three ladies tittered delightedly again, and Taylor laughed. The three Marines looked baffled and very curious.
“. . . as I was saying before the lady asked me if all Marines have dongs the size of their little fingers, or whether you three were just shortchanged—”
“She didn’t ask that,” one of the Marines challenged, seriously. “Did she, sir?”
“You don’t think I made that up, do you, Sergeant?”
After a long moment, the sergeant said, “No, sir, I guess not.”
He looked at his lady, then dropped his eyes to his genitals.
“As I was saying,” McCoy went on, “a weapons carrier will be here shortly after dark to take us where we are going. I don’t think the chow there will be as good as the chow Sergeant Jennings tells me you can get here. Your choice. But you’re finished with the booze, and in an hour, you will be all dressed and sober and with all the bills paid. Are there any questions?”
All three said, “No, sir.”
“You have anything, Mr. Taylor?”
“I think you covered everything,” Taylor said.
“Sergeant Jennings?”
“No, sir.”
“In that case, men, carry on,” McCoy said. “I will see you in an hour.”
He did an about-face and marched out of the room, with Taylor and Jennings marching