Beyond The Flag by P.S. Witte

Author:P.S. Witte [Witte, P.S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-01-10T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

Nick and Mr. Umeki drove to Clancey’s. The large, two-story red brick restaurant/bar was a stand-alone that took up half a block with a large parking lot on the side next to the street. The upstairs was the restaurant while the ground floor was the family-style bar. It was close to a large busy mall which meant it generated lots of business. It was nestled in the same upscale neighborhood where Nick and Mr. Umeki lived. The friendly atmosphere and patrons never failed to raise Nick’s spirits.

The men paused in the foyer of the crowded bar and waited their turn to talk to the hostess.

“A couple of my buddies said they’d be here. Great guys. Not stuck in the past, I promise. They’ll like you as much as I do,” he told his amused new friend. “They’re friends from the old days. We’ve hooked up at various times in our lives because of work or families, you know, the good, the bad, the ugly. Just like everybody, and finally ended up here. If it gets too uncomfortable, you and I will go somewhere else.”

Mr. Umeki shook his head and patted Nick’s shoulder.

“I’ve been in America sixty years or more and I’ve met guys from the ‘old days’ before. We all get over it sooner or later and move on,” he told Nick. “Besides, some of my best friends are old Americans,” he joked. Nick laughed.

“As they say, ‘That’s a good one, Lefty.’ They’re all good guys. Al’s grandson married a Japanese girl, actually from Japan. They met when they were both taught at an embassy school or some such. They’ve got two kids now,” said Nick proudly.

“We’ll get along. Don’t worry,” Mr. Umeki assured him.

The hostess approached and recognized Nick. She just pointed over her shoulder. Nick spotted his buddies, thanked her, and the pair quickly joined them at a large table. The men greeted Nick, but were curious about his friend and waited for Nick’s introduction.

“Nick! Sit. Tell us what happened,” yelled Leo. He poured Nick and Mr. Umeki a glass of beer.

“So? How’d it go?” asked Frank.

“Did you give it back? Damn shame, too. That was a good flag,” said Al. The others nodded.

“There’s a problem,” Nick told them after he sipped his beer.

He sighed and glanced at Mr. Umeki, who nodded.

“What happened?” asked Leo, his mug halted in midair.

“They lied,” said Mr. Umeki in a quiet voice. Nick agreed and jerked his thumb in Mr. Umeki’s direction.

“Fellas, this is my friend, Mr. Umeki. His granddaughter, Gloria, is Jakey’s teacher, the one who got the kids studying WWII.”

“Hi! How you doing?” they all chimed in, sounding like a bad elder chorus.

“He’s been a big help with all this.”

“Hey. Any friend of Nick’s is a---,” began Frank, but he was interrupted by Al.

“Yeah, yeah. We heard all about you. What’s your first name?” asked Al.

“Masayoshi.”

That’s a mouthful, brother. Can we call you Mickey?” asked Frank. Mr. Umeki thought for a second, sipped his beer, then nodded. The men raised their beers.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.