Joe Burke's Last Stand

have known that a future together was unlikely, but she didn't care. She was in love. Joe couldn't bring himself to disappoint

s, often in the early hours of the morning. It was a compromise. He wanted to wake up in hi

felt false and uncertain. He had the uneasy feeling that he didn't know what he was doing. One afternoon toward the end of August, he and Alison rode the Nuu

, Joe." Alison le

es

u know I've g

mm

ht is We

ed. "So

g to stay in

mal husband and give up his frustrating search for something he didn't understand. He spoke slowly. Th

looked at him seriously,

who I am." He meant: I'm not going

arms around him. They held each other as

eezed her. "I

ger lei around Alison's neck. "I love that song," he said, pulling away. "Even Muzak can't ruin it. Did you

You'd like it. Madison is very cultural

esit

p. "Don't say no, Jo

forward and trusting as the rest of their relationship. But Alison needed to be in Wisconsin taking care o

m, "In the light of eternity, what difference does it make?" She threw her arms around

a drink,

the righ

a gift. He watched the young and the not so young prowl along the beach, bodies glistening with tanning oil. None were for him. Morgan was coming through for a night,

e mail, rejected without comment. The da

the

Hello

ck. How was

ood shots of the bounda

' anniversary-

ol con

olks and their old friends toasting

Joe

with you?"

tude." Alison's face flashed bef

believe you

ejected. By Manoa. They didn't like my poem. They did

haracter,

ut dinner next week? An old friend of mine is coming

day? I'm free Thu

y're comin

ll. If I'm out, leave a messag

ll

th a new haircut, looking somewhat larger than life in a short sleeved shirt, wearing chinos rather than jeans, striding along wit

n said. "Edie,

said through the dazzl

. How was

e in the middle of the ocean. I asked Morgan if ther

A short time later they were i

inner with a friend of min

ight in San Francisco to break up the f

not. Wher

. "That's where Alphonse showed me

"Joe was too-wha

ul," J

Edie said. She made it sound completely po

od choice, the Mo

t actually open," Edie said. "I want to hear

other islands

the front of the hotel and arranged to meet at th

ake it, 6:30 at the Moana? I'll

you t

in wandering groups of tourists. A balding caricaturist with ri

do you do o

iver curled around the subject's n

ame, titling the drawing beneath its over-sized head, signing it and wrapping it in clear plastic. He was magician and entertainer,

d water, plea

in Gilbert's directio

ou hav

rt." Mo app

at?" sh

to Gilbert. You are

have you b

min

ert said. "Too good for yo

rely used make up; touches of eye shadow made her seem especially dressed up. Morgan and Edie walke

. They moved to a table

and cheerful; her eyebrows curved; her cheeks curved; her mouth curved wi

i, Diamond Head . . . "

id in his most a

do here?" E

all photogra

lent-less." One corner of Morgan's m

e cents for biology drawings in high s

a builder and a writer

rg

se so,"

ood one,"

your bo

states the title of his book, a simple fact, and manages to imply that the univ

working on it l

e ye

a mahi-mahi

. No one wanted to stop. Morgan told a long story that began with a knock on his door one winter afternoon. A Jehovah's Witness had wa

the witness and his help left, baffled, promising to return with an elder. By spring, much of the church's energy was directed at rebutting the doctrinal challeng

the draft by writing so many complicated letters questioning selective servic

l campaign,"

han mine,

n worse," Morga

stened to my speech, smiled at two lieutenants who were doing on-the-job legal training, and said, 'Airman Burke, you may persist in your attitude and I will sentence you to one year at Fort Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary and a b

t of principle, and a voice sounded in my head-that's only happened to me twice. It said: 'you asshole, people kill each other. They have always killed e

just park it behind the barracks.' Two AP's took

die said. "It was

nd it was the poor boys fro

ese," Mo added.

the end of the show. One of the guys was doing ninety days for swearing at an officer's wife. Stockwell, his name was. He was a bag boy, and she used to give h

erve thirty extr

e days off for good beh

est of my hitch wit

is credit card, and Morgan asked what he

ore than you earn,

quite broke; I'll f

a computer expert,"

years and I'm sick of learning languages. It was

od!" sh

ropped Joe off at Liholiho Street. Just before they parted, he thought he saw her hesitate. He went to bed and dreamed that she was naked, tu