22 October 1987 – West Meighan Boulevard, Gadsden, Alabama

“TC, I can’t say thanks enough...” Jeff said to his friend. The bus they rode pulled into the bus terminal in TC’s home town. The two met in July at Basic Training; they and one other soldier from Basic were together through their Advanced Individual Training and Airborne School, though they hadn’t formed as close a friendship with the other man.

“I know, Jeff. You’ve thanked me about a hundred times since I brought up the idea. Mom and Dad agreed with me when I asked them, so don’t worry about it. Just relax, okay? We’ve only got a couple of weeks before we report to Bragg, so let’s enjoy it.”

Jeff nodded and let out a deep breath while the bus pulled into its assigned parking space. They claimed their duffel bags from the storage area under the bus without incident before walking into the terminal. Jeff’s eyes scanned his surroundings, taking in the sights of a new place.

Nothing too unique about a bus terminal, he thought. We could still be in Columbus, for all I know.

Two women rushed up to TC; an older version of TC followed at a slower pace. The two women hugged TC while his father walked over to Jeff and held out his hand.

“Jeff, good to see you again!” Dr. Thomas Clayton Pelley, Jr., said as they shook hands. His friend TC was better known as Thomas Clayton Pelley the Third.

“It’s very nice to see you again too, sir,” Jeff replied. Jeff met TC’s parents when they travelled to Fort Benning to see their oldest graduate from AIT.

“We’re glad you could come.” He clapped Jeff on the shoulder. By this time TC’s mother and sister released TC, allowing his father to welcome him home. Mrs. Pelley and TC’s sister, Miranda, came over to greet Jeff. Jean Pelley gathered him into a firm hug, surprising him.

“Jeff, you’re looking good. It’s very nice to have you here with us before you boys head to Fort Bragg.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Jeff said. “And thank you to your whole family for allowing me to impose on you like this.”

“Oh, hush,” she said, swatting his arm. “We’re glad that Tommy has made such a good friend in the Army already.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Pelley,” Jeff replied.

Turning to the young lady with Mrs. Pelley, Jeff said, “It’s good to see you again. How have you been, Miss Miranda?”

The bespectacled blonde girl blushed, looking down and smiling with a closed mouth. Jeff saw the stunning beauty she would soon become when they first met; she was Allison redux. Jeff gently took Miranda’s outstretched hand, turned it over, bowed low, and kissed the back of it. Miranda’s braces showed for a moment when she smiled. This was before she covered her mouth with her other hand and giggled at Jeff’s antics.

“Hey, you puttin’ the moves on my little sister?” TC demanded in mock indignation. “I’m standin’ right here!”

“You told me she doesn’t have a boyfriend,” Jeff shot back. “I know I’m just a damnyankee, but there must be a lot of stupid boys around here.” Miranda blushed and smiled, covering her mouth again. Jeff turned back to Miranda and asked, “When did TC say you were getting your braces off?”

“Saturday,” Miranda responded in her lyrical, accented voice.

“I used to have them in high school, too,” Jeff replied. “I smiled the same way until my girlfriend at the time convinced me that it shouldn’t be my problem that other people had a problem with them.” Encouraged by his words Miranda smiled back, this time without covering her mouth. “Wow! You’ll have to chase the boys off with a stick when those braces come off!” Miranda blushed again at Jeff’s antics.

“Ready to go?” Dr. Pelley asked. TC and Jeff nodded and slung their duffels over their left shoulders. This left their right hands free to salute if necessary. Both young men wore their Class-A uniforms, as they were traveling under orders; the uniforms drew curious looks in an America only twelve years removed from Vietnam.

They drove to the Pelley’s home in the southern section of Gadsden, Alabama. Miranda sat in the middle of the rear seat next to Jeff which allowed them to chat. Miranda had accompanied her parents to Benning in September when he and TC ‘turned blue’ at the end of AIT, but they hadn’t gotten to know each other then.

Jeff discovered that Miranda was even more intelligent than her brother hinted at. He also learned that a school dance was scheduled for that coming Saturday. Miranda would get her braces off that same afternoon. She hadn’t been asked to the dance and she hadn’t wanted to go with her braces on. Miranda hadn’t been told that her braces would be coming off until earlier this week; she believed wouldn’t find someone to go with her on such short notice. Jeff filed that piece of information away for later. When Miranda went up to bed that evening, Jeff presented his idea to TC and his parents.

“You ARE putting the moves on my sister!” TC exclaimed.

“Look, you told me more about this dance after Miranda brought it up; it’s clear to me that she feels like she’s missed her chance at going. I also think that she feels she didn’t really shine at her debut last year. Am I right?”

“You’re very perceptive, Jeff,” Mrs. Pelley remarked. “I’d say you’ve read my daughter’s mood very well.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Pelley. Now the dance is in two days? This Saturday?” The three Pelleys nodded. “I propose that Saturday morning, Mrs. Pelley, you take her to get a dress appropriate for the dance. Maybe under the guise of getting one ‘for a nice dinner out to celebrate getting her braces off?’ After that, take her to get her hair done. I’ll get the tickets, a corsage for her, and I’ll be ready to surprise her with the news that we’re actually going to the dance when you return.”

“Jeff, no offense, but you seem to be putting a lot of effort into this, even though you insist you’re not trying to ‘score’ with my little girl,” Dr. Pelley said.

“Sir, ma’am, TC -- I swear to you that I am not. Mrs. Pelley said that I’ve read Miranda well, and my read is that she’d appreciate a good memory of her high school years, particularly of her senior year. With how things were between my mother and I at the end of my senior year, I can’t imagine how I’d remember my high school years if I hadn’t had the positive experiences I did.”

Mrs. Pelley put her hand on her husband’s arm and smiled at him before turning back to Jeff. “Jeff, we believe you and we apologize for the implication.”

“Ma’am, you’re looking out for your little girl; I can hardly fault you for that.”

“We don’t doubt your sincerity, especially not after hearing your reasoning,” Mrs. Pelley said, smiling in apology at Jeff. Dr. Pelley looked sheepish for doubting his son’s friend.

Jeff launched into an explanation of his preparations as if he hadn’t heard a negative word; TC’s parents looked at him in gratitude. “I’ll work on my boots for the next couple of days so they’ll shine like mirrors. I’ll have TC run me down to Anniston tomorrow to get high-gloss badges for my uniform. I can’t be looking like some refugee from a thrift store standing next to her.”

“Hi, Mrs. Williams,” TC said to the woman behind the office counter the following day. He and Jeff were at Southside High School, TC’s alma mater.

“Tom Pelley, you young rascal! How have you been?” the gray-haired woman asked. “You look well.”

“I’ve been very well, thank you, ma’am. Yourself?”

“Gettin’ by. Who’s this young gentleman with you?”

“Mrs. Williams, may I introduce Private Second Class Jeffrey Andrew Knox, late of Enfield, Massachusetts? Jeff, this is Mrs. Alfredine Williams, the real power behind the throne here at Southside.”

Freddie Williams recoiled in horror. “Thomas Clayton Pelley the Third! You bring a damnyankee, and a blue belly on top of it, into my school?” She had a smile on her face as she asked the question.

“It’s okay, Mrs. Williams. He’s got proper manners; he’s even housebroken.”

“How do you do, Mrs. Williams? It’s very nice to meet you.” Jeff offered.

“It’s nice to meet you as well, Mr. Knox. Do you have an interest in high schools in the South?”

“Sadly, no, ma’am,” Jeff smiled. “We came to see if tickets were still available for the Fall Festival Dance tomorrow evening?”

Freddie Williams looked at TC, a twinkle in her eye. “Miranda?” TC nodded with a small smile. “They are indeed, Mr. Knox.”

“May I buy a pair, then?” Mrs. Williams quoted him a price and he handed over the cash, getting two tickets in return.

“Does she know?” she asked.

“No, ma’am.” Jeff said with a small smile of his own.

“If anyone says anything, I’ll just say that you were with Thomas when he came back to visit.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” Turning to TC, Jeff said, “Driver? Anniston Army Depot, if you please.”

“Thanks again for today, Mom. I had a lot of fun,” Miranda said when they returned to their house Saturday afternoon.

“You’re welcome, darling,” Jean Pelley said, smiling.

“We’re going out to dinner in a little while?”

“Yes, Miri, as soon as we get changed and the men get ready,” Jean said as they pulled into the garage. “You go up the back stairs and get dressed. Once I hear you close your door, I’ll let the boys know they can get dressed. I want to surprise them with your new look.”

Miranda sported a new haircut, one that let her face be seen better and revealed her natural beauty. Mrs. Pelley also surprised her with a trip to the optometrist for contacts, which got rid of the unflattering glasses she hid behind for years.

Miranda scampered out of the car with her new purchases and ran up the stairs. Once Jean heard her daughter’s door slam shut she walked into their living room. Her husband, seeing her enter, turned to greet her.

“Everything go okay, Jeannie?”

“All set, Tom,” she replied. Hearing this, Jeff nodded and went to the downstairs bedroom he’d been given for his visit. He emerged ten minutes later wearing his Class-A uniform, complete with highly-polished boots, sharp creases, his beret, and high-gloss skill badges. He carried a bouquet of roses. Jean Pelley nodded in approval.

“Mom?” Miranda called from the top of the stairs, still out of sight.

Jean smiled at her husband and the two boys, then turned to assist her daughter. She smiled wider while her daughter, who looked wonderful in her new little black dress and heels, came down the stairs. Jean fought to keep from crying; her little girl was growing up. When Miranda reached the bottom, Jean brushed a stray lock of hair back out of the girl’s face and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“You look so beautiful!” Jean whispered to Miranda with watery eyes as she gave her a gentle hug.

“Oh, Mom,” Miranda said, blushing. “Where are we going to dinner? Are the boys ready yet?”

“Let’s go see.” She led Miranda around the corner into the living room. The younger woman stopped short when she caught sight of Jeff in full uniform holding the roses.

“Miss Miranda, may I have the honor of escorting you to your school’s Fall Festival Dance this evening?” The disbelief on Miranda’s face shifted to joy.

“Yes!” Her face threatened to split from her widening smile. They posed together for photos before Dr. Pelley handed Jeff the keys to his Mercedes sedan. Jeff, ever the gentleman, escorted Miranda to the car. He held her door for her while she slid into the front seat. He walked around the car, climbed into the driver’s seat and removed his beret.

“Your dad said that The Gadsden Country Club would be a nice place to have dinner, so we have seven o’clock reservations; sound okay to you?”

“I’d like that,” she replied shyly. “Thank you for asking me to go to the dance with you tonight, Jeff; you didn’t have to do this.”

“It seemed like you haven’t had many good memories of school, other than your math successes, Miranda. I thought I might try to help. No strings attached, so please don’t worry about that.”

“You’re a friend of Tommy’s, Jeff. That’s reason enough for me to trust you.”

Startled looks greeted Miranda and Jeff when they arrived at the gymnasium for Southside’s Fall Festival Dance. Jeff wasn’t sure which generated more talk, his uniform or the stunning blonde on his arm. The chaperone at the front door didn’t recognize Miranda and required her to show her school ID before she allowed the couple to enter.

Jeff escorted Miranda to a small table where he held the chair for her while she sat. They talked about her plans to study math in college and her wish to pursue advanced degrees. They talked for about twenty minutes before Miranda excused herself to freshen up; Jeff stood for her as she departed. He looked around at all the curious faces.

“Excuse me, sir?”

Jeff turned to find a tall, thin boy gazing at him. “Yes? May I help you?”

“Yes, sir. I beg your pardon, but the young woman you’re with? Is she Miranda Pelley by chance?”

“Indeed she is. Are you a friend of hers? You don’t have to call me sir, by the way. I’m an enlisted soldier, I work for a living.”

“Well, I’d like to think I am, sir, uh...”

“Jeff,” he said, offering the boy his hand. “Jeff Knox. I’m a friend of Miranda’s brother, Tom.”

“Travis Newcomb, sir. I mean, Jeff.”

“Good to meet you, Travis. Have a seat.”

“Thanks.”

“I was beginning to wonder if anyone would recognize Miranda. We’ve been here for almost a half-hour and you’re the first person who’s come over to talk to her.”

“It’s taken me that long to gather the courage to approach you. I’ve known and liked Miranda for years, but ... Wow...”

Jeff chuckled at the familiar scenario. “I think I was a little like you in Eighth Grade. Shy, quiet, bookish. The summer after that school year I decided I’d had enough of that. I pulled up my big boy pants and made some changes in my life. High school was a lot more enjoyable for me than middle school was.”

Travis nodded. “You started steering the raft rather than let yourself be pushed around by the current. I...”

“Get your hands OFF ME!” they heard Miranda’s angry voice yell from across the dance floor. Travis was out of his chair and halfway across the floor before her voice registered with Jeff. He hustled to catch up.

Travis pulled a larger boy’s hand off Miranda’s wrist as Jeff arrived by his side. Travis twisted the larger boy’s hand painfully, the palm facing the forearm; the hold caused significant pain in the wrist with a minimum of effort. The larger boy’s friends seemed ready to pounce on Travis.

“Gentlemen,” Jeff said loud enough to catch their attention. “That would be an exceedingly bad move on your part.” The others stopped in mid-step.

“Don’t ever touch her again, Thornbury,” Travis said in a low, quiet tone to the other boy. “If you do, bad things might happen.” Travis increased the pressure. “Do we understand each other?”

Two chaperones came rushing up.

“What’s going on here?” the larger of the two asked in a loud voice. From what he wore Jeff deduced he was a football coach.

“Mr. Newcomb removed this person’s hand from Miss Pelley’s wrist. It seems that he placed it there without her consent. I don’t know about the law in the Great State of Alabama, but back home that’s assault.”

“Who the hell are you, Yankee?” the other man demanded.

“I’m the young lady’s date. Mr. Newcomb beat me off the line. This ungentlemanly young man would be in the same position if I’d gotten here first, perhaps in worse shape.” Jeff smiled a feral smile at the coach, one born of practice. “I dislike bullies.”

“You’re out of here! All of you!”

“And him?” Jeff asked about the boy Travis still held.

“You worry about yourself, Yankee! Now get out of here!”

“Not so fast, Coach,” the other chaperone said. “Let’s allow the sheriff’s office to sort this out.”

“Sheriff?” the coach squawked. “For what?”

“Miss Pelley’s wrist is bruised. Our young solider is correct, that’s assault here in Alabama as well.”

The coach didn’t appreciate being told he was wrong. “You mark my words, you little pissant, starting Monday your remaining days at this school will be hell!” he threatened Travis.

Travis stared back at the man. “Have fun playing your games with no players! How many of them will pass their classes on their own?”

“What in the hell are you talking about?”

“How many athletes are getting tutoring help right now? Who does that tutoring? You try anything with either Miranda or I, or any of our friends for that matter, and that tutoring stops, instantly.” The coach stared at him, nostrils flaring.

“And the faculty will be watching, Coach Merriweather,” the other chaperone warned. “Athletes have been allowed far too much leeway at this school for far too long. Students who excel at academics shall no longer suffer abuse at the hands of those who excel on the field.” Coach Merriweather stared at the woman and stormed off. Travis released his prey who scrambled away with his friends.

“I believe you just placed a rather large target on your back, Travis,” the woman said.

“Let him start, Mrs. Culpepper,” Travis commented to their Calculus teacher. “Our dads will sue him, that player, and the school blind. And the tutoring support to athletes will stop.”

“Where did this attitude come from all of a sudden, Travis?” Miranda asked.

“I dunno. He hurt you, and that pissed me off.” He looked down at Miranda, only a few inches shorter than himself in her heels. He softly caressed her cheek before kissing her; the kiss grew in intensity until Mrs. Culpepper and Jeff cleared their throats at the same time. The younger couple blushed. Jeff patted the young man on the shoulder.

Jeff and TC visited a financial consultant the following Monday; that man explained how much of their paychecks they should comfortably be able to save each month.

“That much?” Jeff asked, his eyebrows rising into his hairline while he looked over at TC. His friend was clearly just as surprised as he was.

“Absolutely, boys,” Beau Duckworth assured the young soldiers. “Let’s look at the situation, shall we? As privates you’ll live on-post, so no housing costs. The Army will feed you, so no food costs. They’ll give you things to wear, do your laundry, provide work-related transportation, take care of medical expenses ... For you young fellows, this is a golden opportunity to be well ahead of your contemporaries financially.” Jeff and TC looked at each other again, this time looking like they understood what Mr. Duckworth was trying to tell them.

“Don’t forget either, boys, that after your time in the service is over, you will have access to your G.I. Bill benefits,” the man on the other side of the conference room table continued to inform them. “At the same time, many of your high school classmates will probably be paying off tens of thousands of dollars in school loans. Other than maybe some maintenance costs on a good used car, you should be able to avoid eighty-five to ninety percent of an average young person’s debt and expenses for the next four years. You’ll also be learning good financial habits that you’ll use for the rest of your lives.”

Jeff and TC looked thoughtful as they replayed all of what Mr. Duckworth told them over the last half-hour.

“Tommy, your dad and I will leave you and your friend to think about what I just told you boys. We’ll come back in about fifteen to twenty minutes and go over any questions you might have then, okay?”

Beau Duckworth rose from his seat and beckoned Dr. Pelley to follow him. They closed the door as they left the room; they walked down the hall to the consultant’s office. The two older gentlemen each got coffee before sitting at a small table in the office.

“What do you think, Beau?” Tom asked one of his oldest friends.

“If nothing else, at least they paid attention,” Beau replied, sipping at his coffee.

“I appreciate you taking the time to talk to them. I’d hate to have them give four years to Uncle Sam and wind up broke on top of it. What do I owe you for your time?”

Beau snorted. “You might consider letting me win next time we go golfing together, you hustler. I’m still convinced they give classes on how to fleece your buddies on the links as part of medical school. That and how to make your handwriting illegible.”

“Still...”

“It’s my time, Tom, and you are one of my oldest friends, not to mention just about the first client I ever had here when I hung my shingle out. I’m not scrimping to get by and I haven’t in a long time. I owe you at least this much.”

“Well boys, I’m sorry y’all can’t stay for Thanksgiving. Take care of yourselves,” Dr. Pelley said, holding out his hand to Jeff. TC and Jeff were headed to Bragg that morning, Veterans Day. The older man surprised Jeff when hugged him as he’d hugged his son. Mrs. Pelley gathered Jeff into a hug of her own.

“You come back and see us, you hear?” she sniffed, blotting at her eyes.

“Yes, ma’am,” Jeff replied, pulling at his collar; it appeared to have shrunk. “Thank you all so much.”

Unable to get her words out, Mrs. Pelley shook her head and waved off his thanks. That wave said that the family was happy to do it. A crying Miranda grabbed him into another tight hug. She croaked out a quiet “thank you” before Travis shook his hand.

“You take care of this young lady, Travis,” Jeff said to the young man who was now Miranda’s boyfriend.

“I will, Jeff. I don’t need you and Tom coming to find me.”

“From what I’ve seen over the past few weeks, I don’t think you have anything to worry about.” Jeff clapped him on the back, then stepped back to wait for TC while he finished his goodbyes. With a last, quick check of each other’s uniforms, the two paratroopers hefted their duffels and disappeared down the jetway.