Jean's Wounded Warrior Project
Chapter 4 Robert Reveals Jean's Secrets
I dedicate this story to all the brave men and women in uniform who have served this country.
This story takes place in the late 1960s.
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I was so excited when I called Robert the next day that I misdialed the first couple of attempts. I was relieved when he answered the phone after three rings.
"Hey, Robert, it's me again. Do you have time to talk to your brother-in-law?"
"Steve, I've got all the time in the world. I spend hours staring at the ceiling when I'm not in therapy. How's my sister doing? Oh my God, you don't know how much everyone here misses her."
"Jean's back at Ithaca Hospital working with her elderly patients. She's told me repeatedly that she misses her wounded warriors. I think she'd go back to California in a heartbeat."
"Well, Steve, you're the one who called. What did you want to talk about?"
Had Robert already forgotten what he told me yesterday?
"You told me how Jean went wild in her senior year of high school. You stopped after describing how your sister learned to give you lap dances."
"Oh yeah. That was crazy enough, but things soon got wilder."
Robert continued where he had left off.
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I had midterms just before Thanksgiving. They were a lot harder than anything I'd had in high school. I had never felt so relieved in my life when I finished the last exam on Friday. I invited my two closest college buddies, Joey and James, over to my house on Saturday night to celebrate by watching TV while eating pizza and drinking massive quantities of beer.
You may remember I told you about my best friend, Joey. He was the one I went to the fraternity rush party where we watched the German 'Sex Education' film. James was another engineering student who came from San Francisco. He thought he was a cool dude, but who was I to argue with someone who was always good for a few joints of good marijuana.
My mother had left earlier for dinner and a late night dancing at some dive. My sister volunteered to spend the evening in her room, but I invited her to join us around the coffee table for pizza. My sister checked out my friends before accepting the offer. I was a little taken aback when she licked her lips.
There wasn't enough room for all of us to sit on the small couch and my mom's armchair. So we sat on the rug and used the sofa as a backrest.
I started to protest when Joey offered her a beer, but Jean righteously pointed out that she was the same age as me. Besides, she said that I had finished off the last of the soda when I got home. I don't remember what was on TV, but it held our attention while we ate. I made sure Jean only drank one beer with her pizza.
It seemed James was a lightweight when it came to drinking. He had rapidly polished off three bottles when he announced he couldn't do anymore.
Joey said, "Any chance you have a shot glass in the house?"
Jean and I laughed. Our mother collected shot glasses like some women collect those cute Hummel ceramic figurines. I was also on my third beer and too slow for my sister. She jumped up and soon returned with four shot glasses.
I said, "Jean, what do you think you're doing? You're underage, and you shouldn't drink."
"Oh, big college man. You're only 32 minutes older than me. We're both underage, but I'll bet Coleen and I have drunk a lot more than you."
Joey said, "Who's Coleen. I think I'd like to meet her."
Our next-door neighbor was also a high school teacher and my mom's best friend. They had both been pregnant together. So, our neighbor's daughter, Coleen, grew up with Jean and me. There was even an embarrassing picture on our mantle of the three of us as toddlers taking a bath together. Coleen was the first girl I ever kissed. When we broke up in my Sophomore year of high school, she complained that I was too quiet and timid. She had only gotten wilder as she got older.
I said, "She's my sister's oldest friend and a bad influence. If you like wild and crazy girls, Coleen's the girl for you."
Jean glared at me as she replied. "Sorry, Joey, my best friend is in Maine with her parents. You'll just have to be satisfied with my boring company."
While we discussed Coleen, Joey poured shots of my mom's best Tequila. James grabbed his glass as soon as it was filled and sipped cautiously. He wrinkled his nose and finished the shot. James thanked Joey when the Italian refilled it. I was surprised since my hippie friend usually stuck to marijuana.
Joey laughed, "Jean, I hardly think you're boring, but if you think you need a little something to make the party more exciting, I have just the game for you. Everyone chugs a shot and then chases it with a beer. The winner is the one with the least beer remaining in their bottle."
James said, "I'm going to need another beer."
Joey said, "We all need to start with a full bottle. Jean, could you be a sweetheart and fetch four beers?"
Jean finished off the dregs in her first beer before collecting the empties. She returned shortly from the kitchen with four cold ones. She passed them around before sitting with us on the floor.
Joey looked around the table as he said, "I'll count to three, and then we all throw back our shots. If you manage to down the shot clean, you get to take one breath before chugging as much beer as you can without taking another breath. Any questions?"
Joey was smiling at Jean when he finished. She smiled back and gave a slight nod.
Joey took a few deep breaths and began counting with his fingers, "1, 2, 3...."
I threw back half of my shot. Damn, it burned my throat. I started sputtering and reached for the beer before finishing my Tequila. James didn't fare any better. Only Joey and my sister finished their shots cleanly. I watched as the two of them chugged from their bottles. Joey only had a little left when he stopped for a breath. He slammed his bottle down on the table with less than an inch left. My eyes bugged out as I watched Jean drain her bottle before holding it upside down over the coffee table. She gave it a shake, and a couple of drops fell out.
Joey said, "Fuck me. You must have cheated."
Jean said, "If you think I snuck in an extra breath before swallowing my beer, we can do it again one at a time so everyone can watch. But the bet is double."
Joey looked puzzled. "What bet?"