I’ll go to the bottom stair and get out of your way.”Joan knew it was a trap. When her foot swung away from the living room’s direction, she fel... tears in her eyes. Something inside her wanted to go down, where her sons waited. To do what, she could only guess, horrible things. Her body turned to the cellar door, and her other foot stepped closer. “Promise, you’ll keep Tommy away.”“I will, Momma. He won’t cause any trouble.” He gave her a friendly smile, but she could see the darker grin within. I think I'd better stop and explain about Army guys. The Army works on the buddy system. Small groups of guys called Squads watch each other's backs. We eat together, sleep together, and patrol together. Whatever happens to one of us affects all of us. We had each other's backs.One of my buddies visited me in the hospital and I told him what my wife was doing to me.When I got all done, he said, "Don't worry, I'll look into it with the guys. You just get well."Over the next week, guys I didn't. How may I help you?’ ‘My name is Marty, Marty Young. I’d like you to find me a wife.’ ‘Marty, this is not a dating service.’ ‘A wife with business flair.’ ‘Oh.’ Marty asked did ‘Oh’ signal rejection, He was told not necessarily. ‘Does that mean you’re too over-stretched to take on my request?’ ‘No, not at all.’ He pressed on relentlessly: ‘Do you have any clients?’ Bianca sighed. ‘No – after twelve business hours you are my first prospective client.’ ‘But not a suitable one? Don’t answer that.. It was such a gesture of innocence, not meant to be romantic—but somehow, as I look back, it was quite possibly the most romantic thing ever. Two kids, barely eighteen, enjoying the comfortable silence that many pairs never reach. Two kids, content to just be with each other, not talking or laughing or joking around, but just walking and thinking. To this day, I don’t know what he thought of, nor do I care. All I know is that my thoughts flowed freely, the evils of teenage life escaped my mind.