The 116th spent a couple of weeks settling in to their makeshift barracks, and another fortnight preparing for their first assignment. By then, every one of them was more than ready. But ready for what?
‘Our orders are clear,’ said Lieutenant Lowell at his morning briefing. ‘We’ve been assigned to patrol the area around Long Binh. The Vietcong occasionally stray close by in the hope of finding a weak spot in our defences. If they’re foolish enough to do so, it’s our job to make sure they regret it, and send them packing.’
‘And will we get the chance to take the fight to them?’ asked Alex.
‘It’s unlikely,’ said Lowell. ‘That’s left to the professionals – the Marines and the US Army Rangers. Only in exceptional circumstances would we be called on to assist them.’
‘So we’re no more than traffic cops,’ said the Tank.
‘Something like that,’ admitted Lowell. ‘They also serve who only stand and wait.’ Alex would have to look up the quote when he was next in a library, which might not be for a couple of years. ‘The good news,’ continued Lowell, ‘is that every six weeks you’ll have a few days’ R&R, when you can visit Saigon.’
A small cheer went up.
‘But you can’t afford to relax even then. You’ll have to assume that anyone who approaches you is a Vietcong agent. Be particularly wary of attractive young women, who’ll offer you sex in the hope of extracting what you might consider a trivial piece of information.’
‘Couldn’t we just have the sex and keep our mouths shut?’ suggested a soldier.
Lowell waited for the laughter to die down. ‘No, Boyle,’ he said firmly. ‘Whenever you’re tempted, just remember it might cause the death of one of your comrades.’
‘I’m not sure I can go six weeks without a woman,’ said Boyle. Although the rest of the unit burst out laughing, they clearly agreed with him.
‘Don’t worry, Boyle,’ said Lowell. ‘The army’s made a provision for soldiers like you. We have our own designated brothel on the outskirts of the camp. It’s run by a lady called Lilly, and all the girls have been carefully vetted. On the only occasion that Lilly discovered one of her girls was working for the Vietcong, she was found floating in the river the next morning. Every unit in the camp has been allocated one night a week on which its men can visit Lilly’s establishment. Ours is Wednesday.’
No one needed to make a note.
*
Alex found patrolling boring at best, and pointless at worst. It was five weeks before they spotted a Vietcong patrol. Lieutenant Lowell immediately gave the order to advance and fire at will, but they failed to hit anything other than the odd tree, and within seconds the enemy had melted back into the jungle.
When Alex described the incident in a long letter to his mother, he tried to reassure her that he was more likely to be killed crossing Brighton Beach Avenue than on patrol. This observation was redacted by the censors.
Alex received regular letters from his mother. Bernie had finally retired, and Elena confessed that since he’d left, they were just about breaking even. Alex didn’t have to read between the lines to realize that neither his mother nor Dimitri were natural traders. Elena told him they couldn’t wait for him to get back, although Alex had to accept that it wouldn’t be for at least another year. As the long weeks turned into longer months, he wondered if he shouldn’t have taken Addie’s advice and applied for a deferral. He would have completed his final year at NYU and, more importantly, asked Addie to be his wife. He even had the ring.
20
SASHA
London, 1972
‘I would like to request your permission, sir, to ask for your daughter’s hand in marriage.’
‘How gloriously old-fashioned,’ said Mr Dangerfield. ‘But, Sasha, don’t you think you’re both a little young to be considering marriage? Shouldn’t you wait a little longer before you make such an irrevocable decision?’
‘Why wait, sir, when you’ve found the one woman you want to spend the rest of your life with?’
‘I’d ask if you were confident my daughter feels the same way about you, if I didn’t already know the answer.’ Sasha smiled, well aware that Charlie was sitting in the next room. ‘So, as your prospective father-in-law, I think I’m meant to ask about your prospects?’
‘I’ve had three job offers for when I leave Cambridge, sir. My problem is that I can’t make up my mind which one to choose.’
‘An embarrassment of riches,’ said Mr Dangerfield.
‘Without any guarantee of riches,’ admitted Sasha. ‘And what makes it worse, none of them is what I really want to do.’
‘Now you do have me intrigued.’
‘Trinity has offered me a prize fellowship, provided I get a first.’
‘Congratulations.’
‘Thank you, sir. But I don’t think I’m cut out to be a don. I prefer the battlefield to the classroom.’
‘Any particular battlefield?’
‘A mandarin from the Foreign Office has approached me and suggested I sit their entrance exam. But I’m not sure if they want me to be a diplomat or a spy.’
‘I didn’t realize there was a distinction,’ said Dangerfield. ‘But I’ve no doubt you’d do both well. And the third job?’
‘Mr Agnelli, the owner of Elena’s restaurant, where my mother is head chef, has asked me to join him. He has no children of his own, and has hinted that in time I could take over.’
‘Cambridge don, spy master or restaurateur. You couldn’t have a more eclectic choice, although a restaurateur would be the closest to the battlefield, and probably the best paid.’
‘Not only would it be better paid, but I’m quite well qualified for the job. For the past five years I’ve worked in a restaurant during my holidays. I started out as a washer-up, moved on to laying tables, before having spells as a barman and a waiter. It sometimes felt as if I was taking two degrees at the same time.’
‘But you say that none of the three jobs is what you really want to do.’
‘No, sir. Like my father, I’m a politician at heart, and Cambridge has only made me more determined to become a Member of Parliament.’
‘And have you decided yet which party’s colours you will be flying under?’
‘No, I haven’t, sir. The truth is, I’ve never cared for either extreme. I prefer the centre ground, as I often find myself agreeing with the other person’s point of view.’
‘But you’ll eventually have to jump one way or the other if you’re hoping to pursue a political career,’ suggested Dangerfield. ‘Unless of course you decide to join the Liberals.’
‘No, sir,’ laughed Sasha. ‘I don’t believe in lost causes.’
‘Neither do I, and I’ve voted Liberal all my life.’
Sasha turned bright red, and said, ‘I apologize, sir.’
‘No need, dear boy. I think you’ll find my wife agrees with you.’
‘Before I make a complete fool of myself, sir . . .’
‘Susan’s a life-long Conservative, although she sometimes has to hold her nose when she goes to the polls. So she’s even worse than you. But didn’t Charlie tell me that after you failed to become president of the Union, you promised her you would never stand again?’
‘Never lasted for about a week, sir. Much to her dismay I’ll be standing for president again next term.’
‘But being practical for a moment,’ said Dangerfield, ‘if you were to take up Mr Agnelli’s offer, where would you and Charlie live?’
‘My mother has recently bought a large flat in Fulham, with more than enough room for the three of us.’
‘Enough for four, possibly five?’ said Dangerfield, raising an eyebrow.
‘Both of us feel we should be established in our careers before we think about starting a family. Once Charlie has her PhD, she hopes to find a job that will make it possible for us to earn enough for two, never mind three or four. Only my mother disagrees with me.’
‘I look forward to meeting her. She sounds quite formidable. But tell me, how does she feel about her only son getting married at such a young age?’
‘She adores Charlie, and doesn’t approve of us living in sin.’
‘Ah, so that’s where you’ve inherited those old-fashioned values.’