The Three Day Pass

This is a work of fiction, and as such the characters are not bound by the usual dictates of modern society. Unsafe sexual practices can be undertaken with impunity only in the world of fantasy. In reality, it is your obligation and your right to play safely, sanely and healthily.

I hope you enjoy my work, and if you have any comments, or ideas that may inspire new work, please feel free to contact me - all E-mails will be answered to the best of my ability.

I would like to thank all of you that wrote and told me how much you like the story so far. Keep the letters coming and send in a donation to the site you are reading this on.

End of Chapter 16

"I love you Yussef, habibi." Kassie said.

"And Kassie-I love you too!"

"Joseph is there any chance that you and I? I mean one day, that we could...?"

"Habibi, let's let the future take care of itself. Just be happy that both you and Mary can start to live, at last, in Freedom..."

Chapter #17

Monday morning dawned clear, cold and bright. Most of the troops were a bit hung over from celebrating the end of finals. Joseph had a few drinks in the "Enlisted Men's Club" and he and Ibrahim had spent the evening commiserating over the end of school and what might happen now that it was ending.

"What happens now?" Joseph asked Ibrahim. "Do we get posted to our new duty stations right away?"

"I would think so. They do need translators right away. We will most likely be assigned to new duty stations right after the formal graduation and then given a 14 day leave to report to the new duty station. Most of us will go to Iraq right away. The need for Americans who speak the language is so great that they may even forgo the 14-day leave. Joseph if you and Kassie are going to be married I would suggest you do it A.S.A.P. You may never get another chance to do it for a long, long time."

"You may be right there. However, there have been some problems that have come up."

"What problems?" Ibrahim asked.

"Well, the difference in our religions for one. I did not think it would become so important, but it has." Joseph lied. "Fazzi refuses to give his 'blessing' to the union, unless I give up my religion and submit to Allah. And I'm not about ready to do that."

"Well I hate to say it–but–I told you so. What are you going to do now?" Ibrahim asked.

"Well Kassie and I, decided to take a break from each other," he continued to lie. "Mary is going to take her on a long visit to her relatives in Michigan and if we still feel the same way about getting married in a year, then he will consent."

"And Kassie agreed to this?"

"Yes, reluctantly she did. Anyway by that time I will have less than a year to serve on my enlistment and we will both be better able to make a life for ourselves." Joseph said. "So you and I had better keep in touch because I will still want you to be my best man."

"Well we will see what the future brings. A year is a long time and a lot can happen in that time."

"Yes it can and another thing he wants me to do." Joseph continued. "He made me promise, that if I were stationed in the Jersey area, I would continue to live at the apartment. I guess he wants to keep a close eye on me. Perhaps even to try to convince me about converting. I agreed to this because I have gotten used to living off base and I even like that apartment. Besides I get free room service and laundry." He joked.

"Well do what you want. If it was me, I would just take the woman and marry her right now."

"For all I know, you might be right. But I don't want our life together to start out that way. We will have enough problems without adding an angry in-law to the list." Joseph said.

The next morning, after a fitful nights sleep, the two of them got ready for the school graduation ceremonies. They walked down to the auditorium where the ceremony was to be held. By 1000 hrs the buses loaded with relatives and friends had begun to arrive. As Fazzi, Mary, and Kassie got off the transport, Joseph ran up to them and kissed and greeted them. After introducing them to some of his classmates and seeing that they were seated in a good area he joined the rest of his class. At 1100 hrs the company commander got up and started the commencement exercise. The usual speeches and congratulatory remarks were made. Then the graduates were called up to the dais to receive their certificates. They were called one by one, by alphabetic order to get their certificates of graduation, that is all except Joseph. The Commanding Officer had purposefully left him for last.

After the rest of the class had received their certificates, the Commanding Officer then said, "That leaves just one last graduate. I did not forget him; I saved him for last because he has been a special student. He is the best of the best. He passed out at the top of the class. This school has decided not to waist his talent. We have decided to take him on as a teacher in training. He will be staying on here at the school and teaching other students what he has learned here. Private Benson, please come up and accept your certificate of graduation. Well done!" The assembled graduates and their families applauded as Joseph sheepishly made his way to the podium to accept his diploma. After receiving it, the C.O. held him there and then announced to the audience, "As everyone knows the position of being a teacher here at this school carries with it the rank of Sergeant. I am therefore pleased and privileged to also present to you this notification of promotion to the rank of Sergeant, congratulations."

After the ceremony a group of Joseph's friends came over to shake his hand and congratulate him on the promotion. Fazzi and his family crowded around him and Kassie hugged him and kiss him.

"I am so proud of you, habibi." Kassie said.

"I owe this all to you and your family." He said kissing her. "All of you have taught me so much. I would not have been able to do it without that help."

Taking Fazzi in his arms and hugging him he whispered in his ear, "I hope you have set up everything. I can't wait to thank you privately for everything."

"Yes everything is arranged. We will talk about the details later when we are alone. I cannot believe that the women are taking all this so well. Mary is especially pleased with the financial arrangements. Kassie is still not happy to be leaving you, but she will adapt to it. She is used to me deciding what is best for her and she will obey."

Following the ceremonies there was a luncheon for the graduates and their guests. Joseph introduced the family to his friends and Corporal Williams joined them at lunch. Kassie told him that she would try to see about finding him a nice woman, but that all of the Arab girls she knew were raised in traditional homes and were already spoken for by the time they were 12.

Meanwhile, Fazzi and the Commanding Officer got into a heated debate about the Arab contribution to the first Gulf War. They argued about the effectiveness of the Arab troops, but came to no concussions.

"We disagree, but you do make some interesting points, Mr. Muhammad, and I would love to hear more of your views." The Captain said. "Perhaps Sgt. Benson will ask you to lecture as part of the additional program he told me he was going to institute at our school. I do hope you can find the time. We Americans tend to become set in our thinking and need to be shaken up now and then. It does us good to hear what the other side has to say and how it feels."

"Need I remind you that in that war, we were on the same side? Joseph has already talked to me about this and I have told him that as long as there are no loaded weapons in the room–I would be glad to expound on the "Arab View" of things." Fazzi said with a twinkle in his eye. "Perhaps I could even give the lecture in Arabic... and in the process also show that there is another purer form of the language than the one taught here? You might have noticed that Yussef is now speaking with a middle-eastern accent as opposed to an African accent he learned here. While the words are mostly the same it is, at least to our section of the world, purer and more understandable. Sort of like Cockney and Oxford English, but not quite that bad."

"Yes I can see where we do have a lot to learn and we would be very happy to hear your views." The Officer said. "I will encourage Benson to include several speakers from the Arab community of Paterson to come and lecture. It is such a shame that we have wasted such a well of information just sitting on our doorstep. Perhaps, Yussef as you call him, could also get your daughter to give a lecture on some of the finer points of Arab culture. You know from a woman's point of view."

"We usually do not permit our women to talk in public, but since she will be leaving my house soon, you will have to take that up with her future husband, Yussef. He has spoiled and Americanized her to the point where she has her own ideas as to how to run her life. Yussef has even encouraged her to take up driving. Such has been his influence on our family. We have not only taught him, but he has educated us."

"Well, to judge by you and your family, I would say that Joseph is a good teacher and we look forward to his teaching here."

"When will his duties start here?" Fazzi inquired.

"Well the next class will start in about three weeks, but there will be teacher training and administrative details to go over in the meantime. Most of the students will be granted a 14-day leave, but the work of the teachers goes on and on, sometimes without let-up. Then Joseph will also have to get settled into his new quarters and there will be lots for him to do."

"I do hope you will allow him some leave." Fazzi said.

"Oh yes! He will have a lot of time off; it is just that until he is settled and the school is ready to begin there will be lots to do."

"Yes as an ex-military man myself, I understand." Fazzi said. "It's just that myself and a group of Arab businessmen in Paterson have formed an investment club and we were going to arrange a meeting with a Wall Street investment firm. We were hoping that Joseph would be available to act as our interpreter at this meeting."

"I'm sure we will be able to work something out. As long as the meetings are not on school time, I can see no problem."

"Yes they will be arranged so as not to interfere."

"As long as he gets back to the school in time for work, it should present no problem." The C.O. said. "It was nice meeting you and your family, but now, if you will excuse me, I would like to congratulate a few of the other students." He bid good-bye to Fazzi and Mary and went to talk to some other students and their guests.

Fazzi and Mary rejoined Joseph, Kassie and Williams and the five of them spent the rest of the afternoon socializing with other students and teachers. Fazzi finally was able to talk to Joseph alone after Williams and the women became involved in a discussion.

"When will you and I be able to get together, Yussef?" asked Fazzi. "Mary and Kassie will be gone by Tuesday afternoon. I hope to arrange that investment meeting for Thursday late afternoon or evening. Do you think you will be able to make it?"

"You call Mr. Worthington and set it up... I'll make it one way or the other."

"Now, Yussef, I would not like to see you get into trouble just because of a business meeting."

"There will be no trouble. As a sergeant, I will have lots of time off. When you speak to Worthington, please give him my regards."

"I was surprised not to see him and his family here today." Fazzi said. "I would have thought that, as close as you seem to be with them, that they would have been here today. Did you remember to invite them? I hope that you did not offend them by not asking them?"

"I did not feel it was necessary to invite them. I did not even invite my family from upstate New York. Richard Worthington and his family are not my family–you and your family are more like my real family than either of them." Joseph lied, something he was getting good at. "I just did not think either of them would be that interested in coming to a military ceremony. I knew that you on the other hand, having been in the military, would like it. Besides, after the way you and I parted the last time, I needed to see you again and touch you. I just wish we could just be alone for a few hours. Just you and I."

"Me too, habibi." Fazzi repeated as he squeezed Joseph's hand.

"We will have all the time we need, soon." The soldier said. "I cannot wait until we take up where we left off, but we will have to wait until Kassie and Mary have gone to Michigan. Saying good-bye to them here today will be hard enough, I do not wish to have to say good-bye to them twice. I am going to arrange a few days off after Kassie & Mary are out of the house. Perhaps, this Wednesday to Friday, if you find that convenient?"

"Convenient? It will be wonderful. We could have the meeting with Worthington on Thursday and maybe you can come to Mosque on Friday with me."

"Yes I would like that very much. I would also like to do a bit of shopping. I would like to get some new clothes to wear off base. Except for you and the family, I feel ill at ease when I wear my uniform while I'm amongst the Arab community in Paterson."

"I was hoping that you would take no notice of that. We can arrange some shopping time, perhaps on Thursday. I can even have a tailor come to the house. I would love to see you dressed in fine hand tailored clothes. I insist that you allow me to buy you a new wardrobe as a 'moving in' gift." Fazzi said. "I can see it now. It is going to be great, just the two of us together in the house and at Mosque. I cannot wait to feel your body beside mine. Perhaps you would like to go out and celebrate our 'union', someplace like that Café we were at the other night? Maybe you would like for me to arrange to have that dancing girl come to the house and give a private performance for us."

"Fazzi," called Mary. "It is time for us to leave now." Then hugging Joseph to her she whispered into his ear, "I fear that this will be the last time I shall see you my dear son, I do not know how to thank you. Kassie and I will always be very grateful to you. We shall never be able to repay you." She threw her arms around him and kissed him and held on to him as she broke down in tears. Fazzi almost had to drag her away so that Kassie and Joseph could have a few moments together.

"This is good bye then, Yussef. We will not see each other again, will we? Kassie said also in tears.

"I don't think so, but you never can tell." The soldier said taking her in his arms and kissing her deeply, "I love you, Kassie. You remember what I said about living a free life? Well, you live it and enjoy it for both yourself and me. Now go with God."

Both women, with tears in their eyes, went back to the bus and sat waiting for Fazzi to say his good-bye. "I will not say good bye, Yussef. Only till Wednesday.

As Joseph watched the bus pull away Ibrahim came up beside him and said, "You are one lucky dog. A beautiful girl and a promotion as well as a good job; what more could a man want?"

"Yes I got it made. Have you any idea where they are going to ship your ass off too?

"Most likely to some diplomatic mission. Most of the top graduates will be sent to posts like that. The rest will be assigned as field interpreters. They are needed there and when they get some field experience under their belts they will be used in more productive means." Ibrahim said, "but tonight–we celebrate–we are going to take you to the Enlisted Men's club for a little party and a ceremony called "The wetting of the Stripes". We have to celebrate that promotion of yours Sgt."

"Yes, and this party's on me. I'll pay for everything," said Joseph getting into the spirit of the occasion. "How many were you thinking of inviting?"

"Well, as long as you're paying–why not the entire Base?"

"Hey, let's not blow a whole years salary in one night!"

Laughing Ibrahim said, "You idiot, I was kidding. It is an old army custom that, when a friend gets a promotion, his buddies take him out to celebrate. We are going to pay, not you. Since we were going to be partying tonight anyway, celebrating our graduation, we thought it would be nice to kill two birds with one beer bottle and invite you as our guest."

After another night of celebration, the next morning the students arose with foggy heads and went to check the company bulletin boards where the duty assignments were posted. It turned out just as Ibrahim had thought. The top students got the 'prime assignments'. They picked up their papers and travel orders and started to pack their gear. Little by little they came to say their good-byes. Soon it was time for Ibrahim and Joseph to part and each pledged to keep in contact. However, army life being as it is, each knew this was most likely the last time they would see each other. It was a sad parting, but one gets used to them in the service. Joseph sat looking at the open door long after Ibrahim left to go on his14 day's leave and to go home.

After a while, Joseph reported to Williams and was assigned to his new quarters. It was a nice suite of rooms in the N.C.O. billets. There was a bedroom, combined sitting room and office, a small kitchenette and a bathroom. Although not as spacious as the apartment he had at Fazzi's place, it was never the less nice and would serve his purposes very well. After settling in he called Barns to fill him in. He also called both Richard and his father. He told Rich he would try to see him Friday evening. When he spoke to Worthington, he was told that Fazzi had already called and they had arranged the Thursday meeting and that he would see him there. After the phone calls, he went to the P.X. to pick up some food for the small refrigerator and also to buy some additional Sgt. Stripes. He might as well have that maid at Fazzi's place sew them on his uniforms.

Returning to his quarters he found that most, if not all the teachers, had left to go on leave, so he was alone. He used the time to get settled into his new life, and to catch up on some badly needed sleep.

Late Wednesday morning came. He awoke to the ringing of the cell phone. "Hello Sgt. Benson here. What can I do for you?" he sleepily answered the phone.

"Good afternoon my love," the voice said in Arabic. "They have just left the house. The place is so empty without anyone here. Have you been able to arrange anything like a short leave?"

"Yes, I can make it by 1800 hrs, if that ok with you? Is everything set up with Worthington?"

"Yes it is. It is set up for Thursday afternoon. I am having some refreshments sent in and we will have a good first business meeting, I hope. Do you think you could make it earlier than six tonight?"

"Not much chance of that there are a few things I have to do first, but I will stay over till after Mosque on Friday. If that is ok with you, habibi?"

"That is even better, two whole days together. Darling, you don't know how lonely it is here now that the women have left." Fazzi said. "I can not wait to see you."

Later that day, Joseph drove up to the main house and as he was getting out of the car Fazzi opened the front door and came out to meet him. He greeted him in the typical Arabic way by hugging him and kissing him on the cheeks. "Welcome my 'Crusader Lover'! Welcome to your new home. I'm so glad to see you. Everything is all set up and you have just about enough time to unpack and wash up before dinner. I will have cook prepare something of a celebratory feast for us. I hope you are hungry."

"Yes, habibi, I am hungry, but, but not for food alone. I had a small bite at the base, but, I have a deep hunger for something other than food right now." Joseph said. "Perhaps we could eat later, if you don't mind?