Post by bretf on Nov 20, 2019 2:10:18 GMT
Chapter 15
After another drink and a long look across the classroom and out the windows, Brian continued. “I wish I could’ve got my phone back to call Mom but Agent Roberts put it in a bag and sealed it. He and the cops left me and Mr. Wilson alone. I don’t know how long we were there before men in dark suits came back. They put leg and arm shackles on us and led us out of the room, out the building, and put us in the back seat of a big black SUV. It wasn’t very easy to walk, especially for Mr. Wilson. The chains kept him from taking very long steps. It was easier for me since my legs are shorter but it was still hard. The chains were awkward and heavy. The guys drove us to the airport and through a gate where they stopped right beside a jet airplane. Then they got us in the plane and attached our shackles to metal rings to keep us in place.
“Agent Roberts got in the plane. He was sipping from a tall glass of ice tea. It made me thirsty but I really didn’t want any. I didn’t know if there was a bathroom on the plane and thought about Mr. Wilson’s bed-wetting comment. As mean as Agent Roberts was being, I think if I needed to use the bathroom, he’d make me wet my pants. Luckily, I’d gone at the police station. Agent Roberts swallowed and said, ‘This is refreshing. It’s too bad you terrorists can’t have any.’
“Mr. Wilson had an answer for him that I can’t tell you.
“Agent Roberts and another guy in a suit got in seats and buckled up. The plane started moving and in moments, we were in the air. I’d never flown in a plane before and I wish I could’ve enjoyed it but it was impossible. I was confused and terrified. We weren’t terrorists. We were just launching rockets and a bad accident happened. Accidents happen all the time but Agent Roberts didn’t seem to think so.
“Sometime during the flight, I fell asleep. I woke up when some guy in a uniform was shaking me and told me to get up. I stumbled off the plane and was stuffed into a Humvee. They drove us to a compound with tall chain-link fences around it. The fences were topped with that coiled razor wire stuff. Near the gate they drove us through was a block tower with the United States flag on it. The same flag as was sewn on my uniform shirt, only a lot bigger. The Humvee stopped at a building and we were taken inside.”
Brian purposely left out the details of being processed into Gitmo. It was all too embarrassing, especially the body cavity search. He hadn’t even told any of that to his friends. He did say, “They made us change out of our Scout uniforms and put on these orange jumpsuits. They didn’t have any small enough for me so mine was pretty baggy.
“They locked me and Mr. Wilson into cells. At least they were next to each other so we could talk. Agent Roberts paced between the closed doors and gloated. ‘Enjoy your stay!’ he stated and then left.
“It was hot and humid, the air nothing like Reno. And the little bit I’d seen outside wasn’t at all like home either. It appeared Agent Wilson hadn’t lied. We were in prison in Cuba and my parents would never know what happened to me.
“Do you know the worst part of being locked up? For me it was boredom. I couldn’t do anything. Well, and the clothes. Mr. Wilson talked a lot and he even taught me some Boy Scout stuff. It turned out he was a pretty good leader after all, at least when Agent Roberts wasn’t around.
“One of the guards shook his head when he saw us the first day we were there. ‘What on earth did you do to get brought here?’ he asked.
“I looked at Mr. Wilson and he nodded his head and said, ‘Go ahead, tell him.’ So, I did.
“While I talked, he kept shaking his head. When I was done, he said, 'It sounds like your fibby is a lot like a few officers I’ve known. At least you got cells where you can see and talk to each other. Not all of them are like this. Most have solid walls.’
“I’m not sure if seeing each other was a good thing, you know, going to the bathroom. But Mr. Wilson and I agreed to always look away.
“Anyway, the guard said, “Well, I can’t do much for you but I’ll do what I can, including keeping you away from the real terrorists. There are some very bad people here.’ After that, he would bring me books so it helped with the boredom.
“I wasn’t sure how long we were there, the days kind of blended together. But I think I read seven books. Then one day, Agent Roberts followed the guard in. He was with another man in a suit and looked as mad as he did when Mr. Wilson gave him the bed-wetting comment. The other man said, ‘Agent Roberts has something to say to you.’ He sounded as mad as Agent Roberts. I think they’d been arguing and didn’t really like each other.
“Agent Roberts looked like he was biting a lemon when he talked. He wasn’t happy at all with what he had to say. ‘After further study of the evidence, charges against you are being dropped. I am here to escort you back to Nevada,’ he said.
“We were able to change back into our Scout uniforms and taken to an airplane, this time without shackles on. Then we were on our way home. Agent Roberts was still mad and before we landed, he stood and stared down at us. You know the term, ‘spat the words out’? Well, that’s what he did. He sounded mean and I know he meant every word. He was so forceful, little bits of spit flew from his mouth with each word. He said, ‘You may have pulled the wool over the eyes of those naïve fools in Washington but not mine. You’re rotten and I know it. But they’re in charge and I have to follow orders. However, I’ll be watching you, waiting for you to step out of line. Since the entire event has been deemed ‘Classified’, I’ll be listening as well. If either of you breathe a word, one single word, I’ll have you thrown back in that God-forsaken hole so fast it’ll make you head spin. Take one step out of line, whisper a single word, and you’ll be a memory. You’ll vanish so fast people will wonder if you ever existed. Mark my words, I’ll know!’
“And then the plane landed. I was put in one of those big black SUVs and taken home. And that is how I spent my summer. Now if I disappear, you’ll all know what happened to me.”
Brian looked across the classroom. Sam was nodding his head after hearing the story for the second time. Jennifer looked troubled. The BS meter was topped out. Whatever, Brian thought.
As he gazed out, an idea was growing. Besides his friends, twenty-three more kids and Mrs. Bird knew what’d happened. Most of them were certain to tell others, even the kid with the BS meter. The story would get out and spread like wildfire. At that moment, he was no longer afraid of being shipped back to Cuba. Well, there it is Agent Roberts. Your classified incident is out. Try to put the lid back on it, now!
After another drink and a long look across the classroom and out the windows, Brian continued. “I wish I could’ve got my phone back to call Mom but Agent Roberts put it in a bag and sealed it. He and the cops left me and Mr. Wilson alone. I don’t know how long we were there before men in dark suits came back. They put leg and arm shackles on us and led us out of the room, out the building, and put us in the back seat of a big black SUV. It wasn’t very easy to walk, especially for Mr. Wilson. The chains kept him from taking very long steps. It was easier for me since my legs are shorter but it was still hard. The chains were awkward and heavy. The guys drove us to the airport and through a gate where they stopped right beside a jet airplane. Then they got us in the plane and attached our shackles to metal rings to keep us in place.
“Agent Roberts got in the plane. He was sipping from a tall glass of ice tea. It made me thirsty but I really didn’t want any. I didn’t know if there was a bathroom on the plane and thought about Mr. Wilson’s bed-wetting comment. As mean as Agent Roberts was being, I think if I needed to use the bathroom, he’d make me wet my pants. Luckily, I’d gone at the police station. Agent Roberts swallowed and said, ‘This is refreshing. It’s too bad you terrorists can’t have any.’
“Mr. Wilson had an answer for him that I can’t tell you.
“Agent Roberts and another guy in a suit got in seats and buckled up. The plane started moving and in moments, we were in the air. I’d never flown in a plane before and I wish I could’ve enjoyed it but it was impossible. I was confused and terrified. We weren’t terrorists. We were just launching rockets and a bad accident happened. Accidents happen all the time but Agent Roberts didn’t seem to think so.
“Sometime during the flight, I fell asleep. I woke up when some guy in a uniform was shaking me and told me to get up. I stumbled off the plane and was stuffed into a Humvee. They drove us to a compound with tall chain-link fences around it. The fences were topped with that coiled razor wire stuff. Near the gate they drove us through was a block tower with the United States flag on it. The same flag as was sewn on my uniform shirt, only a lot bigger. The Humvee stopped at a building and we were taken inside.”
Brian purposely left out the details of being processed into Gitmo. It was all too embarrassing, especially the body cavity search. He hadn’t even told any of that to his friends. He did say, “They made us change out of our Scout uniforms and put on these orange jumpsuits. They didn’t have any small enough for me so mine was pretty baggy.
“They locked me and Mr. Wilson into cells. At least they were next to each other so we could talk. Agent Roberts paced between the closed doors and gloated. ‘Enjoy your stay!’ he stated and then left.
“It was hot and humid, the air nothing like Reno. And the little bit I’d seen outside wasn’t at all like home either. It appeared Agent Wilson hadn’t lied. We were in prison in Cuba and my parents would never know what happened to me.
“Do you know the worst part of being locked up? For me it was boredom. I couldn’t do anything. Well, and the clothes. Mr. Wilson talked a lot and he even taught me some Boy Scout stuff. It turned out he was a pretty good leader after all, at least when Agent Roberts wasn’t around.
“One of the guards shook his head when he saw us the first day we were there. ‘What on earth did you do to get brought here?’ he asked.
“I looked at Mr. Wilson and he nodded his head and said, ‘Go ahead, tell him.’ So, I did.
“While I talked, he kept shaking his head. When I was done, he said, 'It sounds like your fibby is a lot like a few officers I’ve known. At least you got cells where you can see and talk to each other. Not all of them are like this. Most have solid walls.’
“I’m not sure if seeing each other was a good thing, you know, going to the bathroom. But Mr. Wilson and I agreed to always look away.
“Anyway, the guard said, “Well, I can’t do much for you but I’ll do what I can, including keeping you away from the real terrorists. There are some very bad people here.’ After that, he would bring me books so it helped with the boredom.
“I wasn’t sure how long we were there, the days kind of blended together. But I think I read seven books. Then one day, Agent Roberts followed the guard in. He was with another man in a suit and looked as mad as he did when Mr. Wilson gave him the bed-wetting comment. The other man said, ‘Agent Roberts has something to say to you.’ He sounded as mad as Agent Roberts. I think they’d been arguing and didn’t really like each other.
“Agent Roberts looked like he was biting a lemon when he talked. He wasn’t happy at all with what he had to say. ‘After further study of the evidence, charges against you are being dropped. I am here to escort you back to Nevada,’ he said.
“We were able to change back into our Scout uniforms and taken to an airplane, this time without shackles on. Then we were on our way home. Agent Roberts was still mad and before we landed, he stood and stared down at us. You know the term, ‘spat the words out’? Well, that’s what he did. He sounded mean and I know he meant every word. He was so forceful, little bits of spit flew from his mouth with each word. He said, ‘You may have pulled the wool over the eyes of those naïve fools in Washington but not mine. You’re rotten and I know it. But they’re in charge and I have to follow orders. However, I’ll be watching you, waiting for you to step out of line. Since the entire event has been deemed ‘Classified’, I’ll be listening as well. If either of you breathe a word, one single word, I’ll have you thrown back in that God-forsaken hole so fast it’ll make you head spin. Take one step out of line, whisper a single word, and you’ll be a memory. You’ll vanish so fast people will wonder if you ever existed. Mark my words, I’ll know!’
“And then the plane landed. I was put in one of those big black SUVs and taken home. And that is how I spent my summer. Now if I disappear, you’ll all know what happened to me.”
Brian looked across the classroom. Sam was nodding his head after hearing the story for the second time. Jennifer looked troubled. The BS meter was topped out. Whatever, Brian thought.
As he gazed out, an idea was growing. Besides his friends, twenty-three more kids and Mrs. Bird knew what’d happened. Most of them were certain to tell others, even the kid with the BS meter. The story would get out and spread like wildfire. At that moment, he was no longer afraid of being shipped back to Cuba. Well, there it is Agent Roberts. Your classified incident is out. Try to put the lid back on it, now!