Read Online The Never War by D.J. MacHale - Free Book Online Page A

kind of grandpa. We also had white T-shirts, black socks, and dark leather shoes. The pants had suspenders, too. That was kind of cool. I’d never worn suspenders before. And everything fit perfectly. Gunny was a good judge. After we both got dressed, Gunny looked us over and smiled.
    â€œNow you look like you belong,” he said proudly.
    â€œCan we eat now?” I asked.
    â€œPatience, shorty, patience.” Gunny reached under the cart and pulled out a stack of white paper and a small typewriter. “You can use this to type your journals,” he said. “It’s faster than writing.”
    â€œWhat is that thing?” asked Spader.
    â€œI’ll teach you,” I said. I had only typed on a computer keyboard before, but figured I could learn how to do it the old-fashioned way. “Now can we eat?” I begged. The smell of the food was making me salivate.
    â€œOne more thing,” said Gunny. “Since you boys are going to be coming and going around here, I figured out a way you can fit right in.” He reached back under the cart and pulled out two uniforms like the one Dewey, the elevator guy, wore. “You’re going to work here as bellhops.”
    â€œWhat’s a bellhop?” asked Spader.
    Gunny explained. “You greet guests, help them with their luggage, and run errands around the hotel. It’s easy work, and you’ll have a terrific boss.”
    â€œWho?” Spader asked.
    â€œMe.”
    â€œThis all sounds good but, can we please eat now?” I asked in desperation.
    â€œHave a seat, gentlemen,” Gunny said. “It’s chow time.”
    We both sat down while Gunny wheeled the cart in front of us. “I wasn’t exactly sure of what to order,” he teased. “But after some deep thought, I believe I came up with the perfect menu.” With a flourish, Gunny lifted up two of the silver domes.
    What I saw made me so happy I wanted to cry.
    Since I left home I had eaten some very strange food. It wasn’t bad, just different. On Denduron I had lots of vegetables and an occasional rabbit. On Cloral I ate a ton of fish and all sorts of weirdball fruits and vegetables from the underwater farms. On Zadaa, Loor had made us some good crunchy bread along with spicy vegetables. All of the food I had was good, but nothing compared to what was sitting before us right now.
    We each had our own big, juicy cheeseburger and pile of golden French fries…direct from heaven. Gunny reached under the cart and pulled out a champagne bucket loaded with ice and bottles of Coke.
    â€œWhat do you think?” he asked.
    â€œI think you’re a genius,” I said quickly.
    Spader wasn’t enthused. “What is that stuff?” he asked nervously.
    â€œCheeseburger, French fries, Coke—food of the gods, my friend,” I said. I lifted up my burger, took a delicious whiff, closed my eyes, and wolfed into it. Oh, yeah, I was home.
    Spader lifted up a fry, looking at it curiously. “What exactly is a french before it’s fried?” he asked.
    â€œWhite vegetable, cut in strips, fried in grease,” I answered. “Stop talking. I’m trying to focus.”
    We didn’t say another word for the rest of the meal. Spader ate reluctantly, but didn’t seem to hate it. I put ketchup on our fries and salted them up real good. Man, they were excellent. The whole while Gunny stood over us, smiling. He was like a proud chef who enjoyed the way his food was being appreciated.
    Then, for dessert, Gunny lifted two more silver covers to reveal…banana splits. Yes! He even had a couple glasses of milk to wash it all down. It was all so incredibly excellent. It had been a very long day, but this dinner made it all worthwhile. I wanted it to last forever, but my stomach was screaming for me to stop. I was totally stuffed and absolutely happy.
    â€œNow don’t go expecting this kind of service again,”