CHAPTER EIGHT

        Sam lay on David's hard cot in the small white room in the barracks. 
Everything was silent. It was early in the morning probably about three or four 
o'clock. A small light in David's room cast some brightness into the dark room. 
        Sam could not sleep at all. He looked over to the other cot in the room. It 
was still empty. It was the cot that belonged to Albert "Bingo" Calavicci. 
(This Sam found out when David's friends walked Sam to his room.) Sam figured 
if the bed next to him was empty, so was Kelly's - for the two of them were 
probably still together. Sam felt a deep sadness in the pit of his stomach over 
the loss of his true love, Kelly. The girl he loved more than anything. The 
girl he loved more than anyone. The girl who was now with another fellow. The 
fellow who was supposedly Kelly's big brother's best friend. The fellow who 
will become Kelly's ex-boyfriend's best friend. The fellow who slept with the 
most women in his lifetime than anyone Sam ever knew. Right now, he was 
screwing around with someone who had links to his present and his future, and 
that means trouble. 
        Sam remembered back to a time when Kelly was only Sam's - a time back in high 
school when they both belonged to and meant the world to each other. e though 
about all of the different things they did together as a couple back in Elk 
Ridge - going to the movies or the Dairy Queen in town, the Homecoming dances, 
their junior and senior proms. Sam reminisced back to that wonderful day back 
in the Fall of 1967 - the day of his first kiss. It took place in the fall of 
their sophmore year of high school. He was fourteen, and sahe was fifteen. The 
Beckett family took Kelly to the county fair. He remembered how Kelly had just 
come from New York City a short while before, tand seemed really interested in 
all the country had to offer. Kely and Sam were stting on a bench sharing a 
roll of cotton candy, ewhen she leaned over to iss him on his lips. Sam 
remembered he flinched away from her, because he was shy and scared. Then, 
feeling a moment of bravery, he kissed her right back. That was the dy they 
decided to go steady starting a loving and close relationship that lasted 
straight through high school.
        Sam remembered another time. This time he was slightly older than fourteen.    
It was the time he had just leaped from. He knew all of the feelings of love 
had resurfaced during his leap. He remembered how delighted Kelly was when he 
asked her to marry him. He felt they were going to spend their lives happily 
married together. He had a feeling then that nothing could ever happen to 
break them up. 
        Ah, the innosence of youth!
        Unfortunately, something had come between them.
        The imaging chamber door opened on the side of David's cot, and Al stepped 
out. The door closed behind him. "This used to be my old room," he told Sam 
looking around. All of Al's new memories of the good ol' days came to him as 
soom a he lept the imaging chamber agter talking to himself and Kelly on the 
beach. Al was really glad of his gained memories of what Sam had changed for 
him. Memoies of the times Kely and him shared together. Memeories of Kelly and 
him as a couple in love. Memories of their relationship which lasted up until 
the day he marrried Beth. "I have a few great memories for in here. I remember now that 
once I managed to sneak Kel-"
        Sam's look shot daggers at him.   
        "I know," Al said. "Not the right thing to say, but she was my girlfriend 
too." He knew Sam did not want to hear about something that happened with their 
ex-girlfriend, even if Al really di enjoy remembering it.
        "I'm not speaking to you," Sam said turing away from Al and towards Bingo's 
empty cot.
        "Good," Al said. "My second wife or was it my third - no, I think it was my 
second - well, anyway, she used to give me the silent treatment for most of the 
time we were married. It usually meant that I didn't have to listen to her 
yelling. Maybe with you, I could do some explaining. I'm sorry I slept with 
your ex-girlfriend. I should of never done it at all." Sam looked up at Al in a 
manner that stated that he did not believe a word his friend was saying. Al 
did not even believe what he was saying himself. "Ok! Maybe, I'm not sorry."
        "See, I knew it!" Sam said.
        "It's a miracle. He can speak," Al joked. "I think you just broke the shortest 
record for the silence treatment."
        "Very funny."
        "Why in hell are you getting upset about something that happened decades ago?"
        "Because to me, it just happened. You promised me that you'd talk yourself 
out of doing anything."
        "Hey, I tried. Ziggy wouldn't even let me out, unless I tried."
        "Well, Bingo's not back yet," Sam said staring at the other cot.
        "What can I say? I was never one to really listen to authority, and neither 
was she."
        "YOu're not authority. You're just Al, and so's Bingo," Sam said as he sat up 
on David's cot. "It's your fault that Kelly broke up with me. She's still my 
girlfriend, or should be."
        "How did everything get to be my fault?"
        "You slept with her. Case closed," he said as he flopped back down.
        "The case is not closed," Al said annoyed. "She did not brake up with you over 
me. That came later. She broke up with you, because you were the one with a 
girl in his dorm room."
        Sam let up a annoyed huff. He was annoyed at Kelly and him braking up, annoyed 
at himself for whatever had happened, annoyed at Al knowing what Kelly claimed and 
bringing it up, and mostly annoyed at the fact Bingo was now with the one Sam 
loved.   
        The door to the room slowly creaked open. Bingo walked quietly into the room. 
"Radar, are you still awake?" he whispered.
        Al looked down at his large gold watch. "0500 hours. I didn't think that door 
was going to open, until 0600. I guess something happened somewhere. That's the 
reason why I wanted to talk to you first, Sam," Al said motioning to Bingo as 
he walked over to him. 
        "Why, so I could get angry at you first?" Sam answered.
        "Look, Radar," Bingo said as he sat down on his own cot and leaned over to 
take off his shoes. "I know your upset, but can't you just forget it."
        "How can I forget it?" Sam complained as he raised his upper-body slightly off 
the cot. "You slept with my gir-"
        "Remember who you are," Al reminded Sam.
        Sam was so upset at what happened that he completely forgot who he leaped 
into. He was supposed to be Kelly's older brother - not he boyfriend. Still, he 
felt that he would be just as upset if Katie was the one instead of Kelly, just 
he would feel it in a much different way. "My little sister," Sam corrected.
        Sam's slip-up went unnoticed by Bingo. "Well, just forget it until later. I 
want to get some rest." Bingo laid down on his bed, and put his head down on 
his pillow.
        Al walked over to Bingo. He studyed him resting on the cot dressed in his 
uniform. Al lifted up his am and looked at it. Al put his old hand through his 
young self's arm. Al's arm went straight through. Al pulled it out looking at 
his old arm curiously, and then tried to stick it in again. 
        "What are you doing?" Sam asked trying to hide a muffled laugh at the 
ridiculous sight.
        "I'm trying to leap into myself, and become young again," Al answered.
        "Trying to go asleep," Bingo answered.
        "You know that's not the way it's done," Sam told Al.
        "I know," Al said as he seized his actions.
        "I go to sleep like this every night," Bingo joked tauntingly. "First, I lay 
down on the bed. Then, I lose my eyes. Finally, I lose consciousness, and wake 
up in the morning. The only difference now is that someone is acting like a 
damn nozzle, and won't leave me the hell alone. Apparently, you're not 
following the code."
        "The code?"
        "David and I had a code we made up that stated that if one of us came back 
late, we won't talk about anything until the morning, but let the other person 
sleep," Al explained.
        "The code that you made up back when we were still at Annapolis together," 
Bingo said.
        "Oh, that code," Sam said. Thanks to Al's explanation, Sam knew exactly what 
Bingo was talking about. "I know, but that was before you slept with Kelly? 
Wasn't it?" Sam asked Al, who was now standing in between Bingo and Sam.
        "It was," Al said.
        "Leave me the hell alone, Radar," Bingo complained as he pulled his pillow 
over his head.
        "Yeah, Sam. Let him sleep I'm a really sound sleeper, probably it comes fro 
living right next to the El in the Bronx with those damn trains running at all 
hours of the night. Even if you do yell, chances are he won't hear ya."
        Sam nodded in agreement as he put his head back down on David's pillow. 
        Al tried to put his arm through Bingo's one last time. 
        "You're ridiculous, Al," Sam stated   
        Bingo heard that he was no longer yelling at him, and removed his pillow.
        "Why should you have all of the fun of being young again?" Al said. "You 
leaped into yourself twice back to the days when you were still in Indiana. I 
should be able to relive my youth, too. I want to hang out with my ol' buddies, 
meet young babes, go to all of he different places I remember, sleep with young 
babes, -"
        "The entire world does not rely upon women," Sam said.
        "My world does," Bingo stated.
        "Took the words straight out of my mouth." Al paused for a brief moment 
looking at the young man lying on the cot. "Hey, they are the words straight 
from my mouth!" he said realizing what had just happened.
        *Nothing ever changes!* Sam let go a huge laugh. *I'm supposed to be upset. 
Why am I laughing?* he questioned himself. The answer was simple to him. *There 
is no way that it is possible for anyone to keep a straight face with the 
ridiculous scene that is taking place around me, especially due to the crazy 
conversation I'm having.*
        "What's so damn funny?" Bingo asked.
        *You are,* Sam thought answering Bingo's question, *and you'll find out why 
when you're older.* "Never mind, Bingo. Just go to sleep," Sam said getting a 
grip on his laughter.

Monica