powerful painkiller - at triple the dosage.
She figured she could survive a prison term and then retire in style. But prison turned out harder for Hanna than she'd imagined. She grew tired of living in a house full of women. When the news about the Adak prison went around, she put the word out to the organization that she wanted to go. "I'll marry anybody with a real live prick." she said to her contact.
Doc got up and went to the refrigerator. He opened a beer and took a hard roll from a bag. "You want a hard roll, old woman?"
"No thanks, soft dick, just the coffee and a cigarette."
"I borrowed one of yours," Frank said.
"I thought you were trying to quit. Wrong time to try. Take another."
Frank accepted the smoke.
Hanna took a piece of paper from her pocket. "Here's the list of the dead."
Frank glanced at it and grimaced. " Bozak . I just met the kid yesterday. 'Man, I seen me a salmon in a creek,' he said. 'I'm going fishing.'"
"Gunshot," Doc said. "I don't know why. Some grudge from prison."
Somebody yelled from the hospital room, "Doc. Doc."
Doc stood. As he left the room with Hanna, he said over his shoulder, "Get me a safe or something for my medicines, will you?"
Frank took the coffee cups to the sink and shook his head. Where was it all going? This day was supposed to be the first full day of freedom and already he was guarding medical supplies and setting up a police force.
"Just like a prison," he muttered out loud.
He rinsed out the cups and put them on the sink to dry. Instead of a unified group of three hundred, the island was splitting into two camps, Gilmore's people against his own.Was he building a new society or setting up a gang war?
He looked at the clock. 4:20 AM.It was time to go home … to Judy.The hardest part of the day lay ahead.
He put Hanna's cigarette in his shirt pocket. He'd smoke it at home.
Chapter 10
Frank left through the back door of Doc and Hanna's apartment. How many hours ago had he promised Judy to come 'right home?' Even though a little light appeared in the east, it was still too dark to cross the runway in the center of Adak's U-shaped main street. Instead he would have to walk down to the bottom of the U and then up to Bering Hill, a forty-five minute walk.
The rain had stopped, the wind had died. Frank breathed the air deeply. It was clean, it was fresh, the air of freedom.
When he passed the Officers' Club at the bottom of the U, he heard music and laughter even though it was 4:30 in the morning. A tiny thought nagged at him, that maybe it was good to hear music and laughter at 4:30 in the morning. But no - it was Gilmore.
Frank stopped and stared at the club. There was so much right about the man, his opposition to racism, his leadership ability.Gilmore was the test case. If the Adak Island prison turned him around then the idea would be a success.
Frank shook his head. It was a tall order.
As he passed the Officers' Club he wondered if Latisha was there. Her image filled him. Her deep eyes, her soft brown skin, her shining black hair. He looked around at the stark hills just now being lit by the dawn. Desolate Adak provided a great backdrop for a woman of beauty. Poetry on the tundra.
Frank shook himself and started for the top of the hill where Judy waited. He was tired, that's why he was focusing on Latisha.
Just beyond Gilmore's club Frank noticed a large rock set in the side of a little embankment.Tundra grasses hung over it like the hair on a shaggy dog and a little sign proclaimed that this was Paint Rock.
The rock was painted with several messages, most of them dating back to Navy times. At the top "Welcome Bernie" was fading away and to one side green paint said that "Charlie loves - " a name that was no longer visible. Now, in fresh orange florescent paint someone had painted "Fuck You" over the top of the rock.
Frank walked
She figured she could survive a prison term and then retire in style. But prison turned out harder for Hanna than she'd imagined. She grew tired of living in a house full of women. When the news about the Adak prison went around, she put the word out to the organization that she wanted to go. "I'll marry anybody with a real live prick." she said to her contact.
Doc got up and went to the refrigerator. He opened a beer and took a hard roll from a bag. "You want a hard roll, old woman?"
"No thanks, soft dick, just the coffee and a cigarette."
"I borrowed one of yours," Frank said.
"I thought you were trying to quit. Wrong time to try. Take another."
Frank accepted the smoke.
Hanna took a piece of paper from her pocket. "Here's the list of the dead."
Frank glanced at it and grimaced. " Bozak . I just met the kid yesterday. 'Man, I seen me a salmon in a creek,' he said. 'I'm going fishing.'"
"Gunshot," Doc said. "I don't know why. Some grudge from prison."
Somebody yelled from the hospital room, "Doc. Doc."
Doc stood. As he left the room with Hanna, he said over his shoulder, "Get me a safe or something for my medicines, will you?"
Frank took the coffee cups to the sink and shook his head. Where was it all going? This day was supposed to be the first full day of freedom and already he was guarding medical supplies and setting up a police force.
"Just like a prison," he muttered out loud.
He rinsed out the cups and put them on the sink to dry. Instead of a unified group of three hundred, the island was splitting into two camps, Gilmore's people against his own.Was he building a new society or setting up a gang war?
He looked at the clock. 4:20 AM.It was time to go home … to Judy.The hardest part of the day lay ahead.
He put Hanna's cigarette in his shirt pocket. He'd smoke it at home.
Chapter 10
Frank left through the back door of Doc and Hanna's apartment. How many hours ago had he promised Judy to come 'right home?' Even though a little light appeared in the east, it was still too dark to cross the runway in the center of Adak's U-shaped main street. Instead he would have to walk down to the bottom of the U and then up to Bering Hill, a forty-five minute walk.
The rain had stopped, the wind had died. Frank breathed the air deeply. It was clean, it was fresh, the air of freedom.
When he passed the Officers' Club at the bottom of the U, he heard music and laughter even though it was 4:30 in the morning. A tiny thought nagged at him, that maybe it was good to hear music and laughter at 4:30 in the morning. But no - it was Gilmore.
Frank stopped and stared at the club. There was so much right about the man, his opposition to racism, his leadership ability.Gilmore was the test case. If the Adak Island prison turned him around then the idea would be a success.
Frank shook his head. It was a tall order.
As he passed the Officers' Club he wondered if Latisha was there. Her image filled him. Her deep eyes, her soft brown skin, her shining black hair. He looked around at the stark hills just now being lit by the dawn. Desolate Adak provided a great backdrop for a woman of beauty. Poetry on the tundra.
Frank shook himself and started for the top of the hill where Judy waited. He was tired, that's why he was focusing on Latisha.
Just beyond Gilmore's club Frank noticed a large rock set in the side of a little embankment.Tundra grasses hung over it like the hair on a shaggy dog and a little sign proclaimed that this was Paint Rock.
The rock was painted with several messages, most of them dating back to Navy times. At the top "Welcome Bernie" was fading away and to one side green paint said that "Charlie loves - " a name that was no longer visible. Now, in fresh orange florescent paint someone had painted "Fuck You" over the top of the rock.
Frank walked
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