you talking about?” Nigel said, but he liked the energy he was hearing in Jefferson’s voice. It was a bit of the old spontaneous Jefferson.
“I told you. Gabriel García Márquez.”
Jefferson was speaking faster with each new syllable in each new question. The glaze over his eyes had begun to dissipate, though, so Nigel stopped trying to make sense of what his cousin was saying and just stared at him with newfound hope.
“I mean, did you just say something about your bike, Nigel? I could borrow your bike? I’d take good care. I promise I’d be careful—do you really mean I could take it? Are you serious, I mean? Do you think it’d make it all the way to Mexico City? I mean, you wouldn’t mind if I tried?” Though the excess sugar from the four Dr Peppers accounted for part of Jefferson’s excitement, Nigel recognized the larger part as genuine hope. A trip on the Kawasaki. A chance to talk with some old dude who was obviously a big deal, maybe a musician he’d never heard of?
“Look,” said Nigel, his slow, deliberate eyes finding their way out through his good thick skin. “I have no idea who this Gabriel Montez dude is—someone you met in Iraq who’s in Mexico now?—but given how bad off you are, you really have no choice, man. Sounds like you need to go find this dude. Maybe it would help. You won’t know unless you go.”
“Gabriel García Márquez ,” Jefferson said. “His name is Gabriel García Márquez .”
17
The 47 th day. Ramon, 20, from Las Cruces shot in the throat next to me.
Adair, from Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. 22.
Dudzinski, 22, of Mangilao, Guam, who died in a Humvee crash. I was in the vehicle behind him. He called me “buddy boy.”
Hazelton, 29, of Edinburgh, Indiana.
Teresa Blue, 23, of Rosedale, Maryland. I saw the explosions and later helped carry her body.
26 yrs old. His name was Alton. Bellevue, Nebraska. His vehicle was behind mine when an IED blew it off the road. I’d never spoken to him but he had a real nice smile.
Father and three young girls in old Toyota station wagon near Fallujah. Their young eyes were scared out the back window at me—I don’t know why. I hope nothing ever happens to them. I watched until their car disappeared into the dusty landscape.
27-yr-old Barker of West Seneca, New York.
40-yr-old Benton of Winona, Minnesota.
Dan Logan from another little town in Pennsylvania. Watsontown.
Debree, 20, of Evansville, Indiana.
Tristan’s hand. He’s alive and has been sent home. 24.
Cheever, Jr., 31, of Charlotte, NC.
Daniel Waterford, 19, of Auburn, California. A real nice guy.
Hume, 21, of Appleton, Maine. Stupid IED. Sang in the evenings like Johnny Cash.
Thomas. Mount Vernon, Washington. Only 21. I was with him on his birthday.
Dvorak, 24, of East Brunswick, New Jersey.
Gomez, 20, of Irving, Texas, who died in the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. I was there when he went down but heard later of his death.
A young guy from Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.
25-yr-old from Gilmanton, New Hampshire.
Dorn, 32, of Minnesota, his helicopter went down in the Tigris River. He was the first one to call me crazy to my face.
Harry Wisener, 26, Golden, CO.
Master Sgt. Pinga Pinau, 33, of Watertown, New York. Loved this guy. He was so funny and what a beautiful name.
Zach LeBlanc who was younger than I was. Damned IEDs. From Buffalo.
Lawrence from New York City. 26 years old.
A guy from Rochester Hills, Michigan. I think his name was Aron. Never got his last name. 23.
19-year-old Galen from Albuquerque. Went down after telling me about his grandparents surviving the Nazis.
Johnston, 46, of Sackets Harbor, New York. When an IED detonated nearby he was injured and died two weeks later at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in DC. I saw him the day they shipped him back home and he said he’d always loved the way I read from my book even if everyone else might have thought I was crazy.
Anderson. Something about the physical
“I told you. Gabriel García Márquez.”
Jefferson was speaking faster with each new syllable in each new question. The glaze over his eyes had begun to dissipate, though, so Nigel stopped trying to make sense of what his cousin was saying and just stared at him with newfound hope.
“I mean, did you just say something about your bike, Nigel? I could borrow your bike? I’d take good care. I promise I’d be careful—do you really mean I could take it? Are you serious, I mean? Do you think it’d make it all the way to Mexico City? I mean, you wouldn’t mind if I tried?” Though the excess sugar from the four Dr Peppers accounted for part of Jefferson’s excitement, Nigel recognized the larger part as genuine hope. A trip on the Kawasaki. A chance to talk with some old dude who was obviously a big deal, maybe a musician he’d never heard of?
“Look,” said Nigel, his slow, deliberate eyes finding their way out through his good thick skin. “I have no idea who this Gabriel Montez dude is—someone you met in Iraq who’s in Mexico now?—but given how bad off you are, you really have no choice, man. Sounds like you need to go find this dude. Maybe it would help. You won’t know unless you go.”
“Gabriel García Márquez ,” Jefferson said. “His name is Gabriel García Márquez .”
17
The 47 th day. Ramon, 20, from Las Cruces shot in the throat next to me.
Adair, from Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. 22.
Dudzinski, 22, of Mangilao, Guam, who died in a Humvee crash. I was in the vehicle behind him. He called me “buddy boy.”
Hazelton, 29, of Edinburgh, Indiana.
Teresa Blue, 23, of Rosedale, Maryland. I saw the explosions and later helped carry her body.
26 yrs old. His name was Alton. Bellevue, Nebraska. His vehicle was behind mine when an IED blew it off the road. I’d never spoken to him but he had a real nice smile.
Father and three young girls in old Toyota station wagon near Fallujah. Their young eyes were scared out the back window at me—I don’t know why. I hope nothing ever happens to them. I watched until their car disappeared into the dusty landscape.
27-yr-old Barker of West Seneca, New York.
40-yr-old Benton of Winona, Minnesota.
Dan Logan from another little town in Pennsylvania. Watsontown.
Debree, 20, of Evansville, Indiana.
Tristan’s hand. He’s alive and has been sent home. 24.
Cheever, Jr., 31, of Charlotte, NC.
Daniel Waterford, 19, of Auburn, California. A real nice guy.
Hume, 21, of Appleton, Maine. Stupid IED. Sang in the evenings like Johnny Cash.
Thomas. Mount Vernon, Washington. Only 21. I was with him on his birthday.
Dvorak, 24, of East Brunswick, New Jersey.
Gomez, 20, of Irving, Texas, who died in the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. I was there when he went down but heard later of his death.
A young guy from Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.
25-yr-old from Gilmanton, New Hampshire.
Dorn, 32, of Minnesota, his helicopter went down in the Tigris River. He was the first one to call me crazy to my face.
Harry Wisener, 26, Golden, CO.
Master Sgt. Pinga Pinau, 33, of Watertown, New York. Loved this guy. He was so funny and what a beautiful name.
Zach LeBlanc who was younger than I was. Damned IEDs. From Buffalo.
Lawrence from New York City. 26 years old.
A guy from Rochester Hills, Michigan. I think his name was Aron. Never got his last name. 23.
19-year-old Galen from Albuquerque. Went down after telling me about his grandparents surviving the Nazis.
Johnston, 46, of Sackets Harbor, New York. When an IED detonated nearby he was injured and died two weeks later at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in DC. I saw him the day they shipped him back home and he said he’d always loved the way I read from my book even if everyone else might have thought I was crazy.
Anderson. Something about the physical
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