Read Online Don't Call Me Hero by Eliza Lentzski - Free Book Online Page A

cans and exchanges the scrap metal for beer down at Skip’s place.”
    I wrinkled my nose. “That’s awfully nice of them.”
    David grunted. “Yeah. He fought over in Vietnam and didn’t come back the same.” He turned the patrol car down another street. “Embarrass seems to be a haven for washed-up vets.”
    I bristled at David’s words. I was sure Chief Hart wouldn’t have said anything about my situation. I stared at David’s profile and waited for him to continue or to at least clarify his latter statement.
    “I was over in Afghanistan for a one-year tour in my early twenties,” he said. He stroked his square jaw in thought. “I couldn’t stay in that hell hole for longer than that though.”
    “Forward Operating Base Farah,” I revealed with some trepidation. “Four years.”
    “No shit.”
    I nodded. “And Camp Leatherneck for four years after that.”
    “Fucking oohraah, Miller.” He lightly slapped the steering wheel and laughed. “I didn’t know you were one of Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children, too.” I could hear something new in his voice that had been absent before. Admiration. Respect. Camaraderie.
    I laughed at the expression. “Didn’t you read the newspaper today? Grace Donovan did a whole story on me.”
    David shook his head. “Glorified gossip rag,” he opined. “I don’t waste my time.”
    Something about the exchange helped me to relax as we continued to drive up and down the nearly deserted streets and the sun set in the west. I had suspected that David had been former military, but now that it was out in the open, I felt like I had another ally in this town.
    Second shift didn’t end until 10:00 p.m., but it was a quiet night, so David dropped me off in front of City Hall around 8:00 p.m. We agreed that I’d ride with him one more night before I officially took over third shift.
    I leaned against the open driver’s side window as he sat in the idling car. “Thanks for showing me the ropes, David.”
    “Sure thing,” he waved. “See you tomorrow, Marine.”
    I shoved my hands in my pockets and watched the brown Crown Victoria drive away.
     
    + + +
     
    Embarrass was the type of town that had one of everything—not everything you necessarily needed—but what they had, there was only one of them: one gas station, one fast food restaurant, one school, one auto mechanic, one dentist, one hair salon, and one grocery store. I pushed my cart up and down the aisles in search of food to subsidize the leftover pizza and four beers currently residing in my refrigerator. The grocery store was clean and brightly lit, but it felt a little rundown like it hadn’t been updated in several decades. The food selection was equally minimalist. If I had been the kind of person who only ate organic, non-fat, gluten-free, all natural food, I would have starved. Everything was full fat, layered in pesticides, and pumped full of steroids. And everything went into my cart. I probably could have eaten healthier if I stuck to Stan’s diner for every meal, but at least eating at home provided the illusion of health.
    “Cassidy Miller! Hey! Over here!” Grace Kelly Donovan waved at me from across the produce section. She maneuvered her grocery cart around a few other shoppers to make her way towards me near the deli counter.
    I grimaced at the flailing woman. The attention gave me the same feeling as picking a cart with a squeaky wheel. I felt the eyes of every shopper on me.
    “Hey, you!” she greeted again, parking her cart near mine. “It’s good to see you. How was your day?”
    I cast my eyes around the store, thankful that the onlookers had resumed their shopping. “It’s kind of weird going grocery shopping and running into someone you recognize,” I admitted.
    “You’ve never lived in a small town before?”
    “Not this small,” I clarified. “I grew up in St. Cloud and then I was in Minneapolis. I saw my share of small villages in Afghanistan, but it’s not like I went