“Yeah, well right now, we have the house to ourselves. Nothing but piece and quiet. No kids, no dog, no husbands, just us,” she reclined back in the porch swing.
“I can’t wait until Keith comes home, though. I really hate putting you and Hawkeye out, besides I kinda miss the big gallout,” she really missed him.
“Please, it’s nice to have somebody intelligent to talk to other than Dad and Howler,” she laughed. She really did enjoy her company and the help with getting everything ready for later. She was so nervous about it; well, she was more anxious than nervous, but she was still yancy no matter what. “I’m going to go get some more, you?”
“Yes please,” she was wondering when she was going back in. She didn’t want to get up; she was situated and not planning on moving anytime soon.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Sherman and Mildred Potter, Walter “Radar” O’Rally, and Maxwell, Soon-Lee, Andrew, and Edward Klinger stood out by the mailbox. The house was almost completely hidden from the world in the vast trees. The name on the box read ‘Pierce’ so they figured they were in the right place. They made their way up the dirt driveway. The house was very calming; the age could be seen in places, but it was well kept and the amazing trees only added to the picture.
“Wow,” Radar commented.
“Wow’s right,” Klinger agreed with him. All that nature was something out of the boys’ books.
“Can I help you?” a young woman asked from the porch as they climbed the few stairs.
It didn’t take them long to notice that her arm was protectively and lovingly placed over her stomach. The veterans greeted her with amazed smiles. The sheer warmth in her smile and eyes made them think about how Hawkeye’s life must have turned out.
“Yes, Ma’am. Uh, is this where Hawkeye Pierce lives?” Radar, who proudly kept his nickname, asked.
“Why, yes it is, but he’s at the office – Oh, I’m sorry,” she couldn’t believe that she didn’t recognize them. She had seen pictures of them nonstop for almost a week. “You must be his friends from Korea. We weren’t expecting you till this afternoon.”
“I hope we’re not an inconvenience,” Potter was worried that they had come too early, but they were so intrigued about what Hawkeye had been up to.
“Oh, not at all, why don’t we go inside where we can all sit,” she struggled to get up.
“Here, uh, …,” Radar helped her up and wondered of her name.
“Thank you and it’s Sara,” she didn’t think she was going to do it.
She took them into the house and to the living room. She immediately took a seat in Daniel’s wonderfully broken-in armchair. They followed her lead and sat in the various sofas and chairs. The Klinger children clinged to their parents; they were shy of all the people around them and they were board. The adults were eyeing the family photographs on the mantle; some were in black and white and some of the newer ones in color.
“So did Hawkeye ever get a hold of Major Houlihan?” Klinger asked to prove to his wife once and for all. For six months that’s all they talked about.
“Oh, yes,” she giggled at the concept, “he did, but she hasn’t gone by Houlihan for years now,” the idea kept a humored smile on her face. She knew they were going to surprise them with their little secret and three children.
Margaret came in to go back outside; she immediately noticed Sara in Daniel’s chair, “he’s not back is he?”
“No, but everyone else is,” she shifted her eyes towards the others in the room.
“Oh, my gosh,” Margaret put a palm to her mouth. She couldn’t believe that she didn’t see them.
Sara took the glasses and set them on the side table next to her. Margaret didn’t even notice; she was too preoccupied with greeting her old, dear friends.
“Oh, Radar, it’s good to see you,”
“It’s good to see you too, Major,” he was a bit taken back by her hug.
“Margaret, Radar,” she told him. The title just didn’t seem to fit anymore; it was awkward to her.
“Ah, Klinger,” she hugged him too and patted his back. She had missed his sincerity and odd comments.
“It’s good to see you, Margaret,” he tried it. It sounded wrong, but it felt right.
She just hugged the Colonel. She didn’t really need to say anything; the small tears said enough. “Sherman, Margaret,” he whispered to her. She pulled back with a blinding smile.
“Margaret, I want you to finally meet the Mrs.”
“It’s a pleasure dear,” she had heard so much about Margaret in Sherman’s letters. He told her that the woman reminded him of her and it helped to have her around.
“Oh, the pleasures mine, Mrs. Potter. You sure did shape a wonderful man,” she complimented her.
Sherman was thrown back by the comment; it kind of confused him.
“You’ve been married a while haven’t you?” she recognized the attitude of a married woman. “Please, Mildred.” She leaned over to her husband, “I’ll explain it to you latter, dear.” Still he had the look, not understanding it.
Sara and Soon-Lee did. They were snickering and of coarse the three men were left naked in the wind.
“It’s good to see you again, Margaret,” Soon-Lee hugged her. She was glad that she was happy.
“And who are these strapping young men?” Margaret saw the two boys feeling out of place.
They hid themselves from the crowd in their parents’ knees. Margaret smiled, oh so many times had the kids done that to her and Hawkeye when they met the not all that welcoming looking fishermen.
“This is Andrew, and Edward,” Klinger said again that day very proud.
“It’s nice to meet you, Andrew, Edward.”
“Where’s Hawkeye?” Radar had been waiting patiently to ask.
“Oh, he’s at the office, working,” she was quite upset that he was still at the office. He told her that he only had a few things to do; she sent Daniel to fetch him. Two birds with one stone; she and Sara got rid of the kids and were able to relax a bit.
“Do none of you people know how to tell time or what?” Hawkeye came into a house full of familiar faces.
“Let’s go outside,” Alex led the ante rouge of kids to the back. Erin and Mike were glad to have someone there their own age.
Jess went straight through trying to keep up with them; Howler was on her heels the entire way. Kat noticed Andrew and Edward sitting in the stuffy room. “Wanna come play?” she asked them
“Go on,” their father saw their desperate faces and they were off like a shot.
“Well, we didn’t want to sit around the bed and breakfast,” the retired man started as he cheerfully patted Hawkeye on the back.
“’Cause that’s all he does at home, and the ants in these boys pants wouldn’t stop bitin’,” his wife finished.
All the women had hands over their mouths as they laughed. The men weren’t too keen on the snickering, especially Sherman who turned and gave her an annoyed look. Mildred, Soon-Lee, and Peg all knew that their husbands were darned determined to find out what Hawkeye and Margaret had been up to.
“Ah, Margaret,” BJ picked her up as he hugged her. “You’re back from the moon I see. Where on earth have you been?” he was so glad to see her in person.
“Very busy,” was all she said, at the moment.
“Well, you must tell us where you got that stunning ring,” Charles hugged her too.
“From my husband,” she was just toying with them now.
“Now, that’s not fair, Major,” Mulcahy said with his usual calm smile.
“Oh, Margaret make them guess,” Peg stood up. BJ had written such things, some not so nice, but that changed in time and she felt she knew the woman. She saw what she was doing and knew it was making them even more eager.
“Peg?” Margaret had a felling. She was replied by a nod and wonderful handshake.
“Mildred,” Daniel greeted the familiar face with a kiss on her hand.
“And you sir are?” Sherman asked noting that his wife had a little more red in her face than before.
“Daniel, and I take it you’re Sherman?” Daniel noticed that the man was a bit wary of him kissing her hand. “You sir are a lucky man. I swear that whole weekend you were all this vision of loveliness talked about.”
“I knew Hawkeye got that charm from somewhere,” he was uplifted to hear that.
“Well the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” Daniel joked.
“So I’ve noticed,” Sherman saw the kids running a muck outside.
“How do you like being a grandfather, Daniel,” she remembered that he talked about how his son should stop chasing women and catch one so he wouldn’t be too old when he got grandkids.
“Not an easy job, but a thrilling experience.”
“So much different than being a father, huh?” Sherman spoke from experience.
“Absolutely, it’s wonderful to get them into trouble and not have to discipline them,” the three laughed knowing exactly what was said.
“Hawkeye!” Radar exchanged an involved handshake with him. Both hands by both men.
“Ah, Radar,” he seemed so much older, mature than he was when he left. “I think you’re taller,” he chuckled.
“Hawkeye!” Radar knew he was going to say something about his height, or rather the lack there of as he so fondly remembered. “BJ said you’re married?” he wanted to know. He never would have imagined the man that was like his older brother to be married and having kids; he just acted so immature all the time.
“Yup,” everyone was looking at him. They were all dying to know what he’d been doing.
“I am too, you know,” Margaret piped up with a corky smile; she got the slightest feeling that they weren’t as interested in how her life had turned out as Hawkeye’s had. Though she could understand; after all he was not one that would be characterized as being able to hold a real relationship. She knew he had had a serious relation with Carle, but she noticed when they talked about it, he made himself out to be the same immature Hawkeye she despised. That’s one reason she guessed that they never really dated; they went out as friends to every place in town and then they were engaged and married. She always wondered if he could even see himself in an involved dating relationship.
They all had little smiles on their faces. They were glad that they were happy; they had no idea that they were happy together, but the way they looked – the way they all looked showed that they were happy. They all felt younger and rested; they were no longer stressed to breaking points or being up for 72 hours straight working in blood. Everyone, besides Hawkeye and Margaret, had stayed in touch some how; they exchanged a letter or a phone call here and there.
Even Charles kept up; he went home and realized that he had met true people in Korea. The people that he had known were so fake and even his family couldn’t provide what he sought. The one’s he shared that camp with understood what he went through and that he couldn’t hide it; they also saw a part of him that he didn’t show often. He was able to have fun around them instead of acting proper all the time.
“Maybe we should go outside where we would have some more elbow room?” Daniel suggested. He knew that the kids were going to play their little game with their friends and that the living room was getting quite tight. It was a warm little room where the family spent a lot of time, but it was a bit awkward for so many people to be in besides the backyard was filled with chairs where everyone could see each other as they spoke.
They all made their way out through the kitchen where something very good smelling was cooking. Margaret and Sara noticed that the oven needed to be changed from the cookies for the kids to the pies. They hung back as the others went out until Peg and Mildred noticed.
“Do you two need help in the kitchen?”
“Oh, no, I think we can handle it,” Margaret wanted them to be their guests.
“Well, we’ll just stay in here and let the boys chat a bit,” all the ladies stayed in.
“All right, Hawk spill it,” BJ had to know.
“Spill what, I don’t have anything to spill,” he played with his hands which were empty.
“Come on Hawkeye, how’d you meet her?” Radar asked.
“Meet who?”
“Sara,” Klinger egged him on.
“Sara’s her name, pretty,” Father Mulcahy was glad to know the woman’s name.
“If you’ll boys excuse me,” Daniel had to leave before he blurted it out just for it to end, “I’m going to make sure those kids aren’t destroying what’s left of the flowers.”
“Come on, son out with it,” Sherman insisted.
Hawkeye couldn’t do anything but laugh. How in the world was he going to tell them that he and Margaret had been happily married for the past four years with three kids a practice and a dog? They would never believe him.
“Howitzer! Get off Grandpa,” Alex yelled at the dog.
“Don’t yell at him!” Jess defended him.
“Hey, you two,” their father gave them the look over the inconsequential argument. They saw it and went right back to playing while Daniel had Howler sitting next to him.
“Ah, fatherhood,” Sherman chuckled with BJ and Klinger.
“Ain’t it grand,” Hawkeye joined in.
“You’re dog’s named Howitzer? Pierce, I thought you would have nothing to do with such a word,” Charles noted the older child call the dog by a more pronounceable name.
“Hey, don’t look at me, they named him.”
“And where do kids get a name like that?”
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