America 1982

Los Angeles, Beverly Hills.

Outside Tom's residence, Martin wiped the body of the Cadillac and asked Page, who had no intention of helping at all:

"I have a question, Mr. Page."

"When you were in community college, didn't the teachers there teach you to think independently?" Page looked at Tommy who was walking and chatting with a young man in the backyard in the distance, and responded blankly.

That was Tommy's brother Tony, who came all the way from Maryland. At this time, his girlfriend Ashley was setting up a grill with Sophia, Vanessa and the servant Dorothy in the open space in the backyard nearby.

Hearing the other party's reaction, Martin stopped wiping, threw the soft cloth in his hand towards the car body, turned around and looked at Old Page:

"This is why you are notorious in the black community in Los Angeles. Mr. Page, your lack of affinity is just a question. There is absolutely no need for me to feel like I am being detained by the police every time I get along with you? Can't you show it? Smile and say to me, Hey, Martin, nice to meet you, what do you want to ask me? Instead of telling you with a straight face, you recharged that damn stun wand, and if you don’t obey, help I’ll recharge in time!”

“After the black people disguised bombs as gifts and sent them to the police station, I lost the ability to smile at the black people, especially when I used a pitiful part of my salary every week to send them to the widow and two children of my deceased colleague. We need to recall that past." Page glanced at Martin, then looked at the scenery in the distance and said.

Although Martin knew about Page's past, he had never lived in Long Beach, Los Angeles, nor had he personally witnessed Page's behavior when he committed a murder, so he could not understand the fear of the black people there towards Page. In his opinion, although Page was afraid of himself, He always has a straight face, but he is definitely not as exaggerated as outsiders say. He is an old white bastard with no other merits except killing.

Martin nodded understandingly: "I'm sorry, Mr. Page, really, but not all black people are that kind of bad guys, like me. Did I give you a gift, a high-definition enlarged version of the Lincoln Declaration? , used to remind you all the time that Lincoln has declared that black people are free. In America, black people and white people are equal. You can't just shock me! And, in addition to the declaration, there is also a bottle of good wine."

"You mean that time you found me with a bottle of whiskey? If you didn't remind me, I wouldn't have realized it was a gift. That bottle of wine was said to only cost seven yuan when it was on sale in the supermarket." Page glanced at Martin. : "You reconciled with a white man, and the only way to express your sincerity was to use seven dollars of whiskey to try to be friends with him?"

"Back to my question, speaking of which, Miss Sophia O'Connor, who is the boss? Secretary? Assistant? Deputy? Lover? During this time, I have met Earl's secretary, Rick's secretary, their work But it’s not as exaggerated as Sophia, look at her, she has to help her boss with some work, and then at this beautiful moment on the weekend, she also helps her boss barbecue in the backyard, she is more like the boss’s wife than Miss Farrell.” Martin looked at Sophia and asked Paige curiously.

He was already familiar with the entire company, but he didn't know Sophia's identity. You know, in the company, the secretary is not a senior manager, but in BT, Sophia's secretary is just the opposite. She has the title of secretary. Look. She seemed like Tommy's wife, and she took care of everything when he was away.

Page said: "I don't care about her identity, but if the boss is willing to let me have a bank account like Miss O'Connor, with a lot of money in it, I can do anything for him at any time."

"Is the boss a drug addict? I mean, the richest black people I've seen in Miami all made a lot of money from that stuff, and the boss's generous approach is very similar to that of a nouveau riche." Martin picked up the rag and continued to wipe it. "I'm not saying anything bad about my boss. He takes great care of me, but... I'm worried that one day the police will take him away and end my life at this time," said the boss.

"Drug dealers don't make as much money as bosses."

"Don't talk nonsense. Unless the boss swallows banknotes in his mouth and keeps pulling out gold, there is no way he can make more than a drug dealer. Although he keeps saying he won't give me a salary, I get a check every week. , in this world, good people like the boss can’t make big money, good people can’t make money, that’s what the black brothers in Miami say.”

"So if the boss makes money, it already shows that either your black compatriots are wrong, or the boss is not a good person in your eyes."

"Mr. Page, Martin~" Dorothy from far away came over and ended the argument between the two: "Miss Sophia said that please arrange the car and driver. In the afternoon, she will accompany her guest, Miss Hull, to go shopping. After making arrangements, , just come and enjoy the barbecue together.”

…

Tony is about to finish his studies at the Naval Academy. When he comes to California this time, apart from a simple trip to Los Angeles with his girlfriend, the main issue is to discuss with his brother where he will go during his military service in the Navy after graduation.

Other students who did not obtain letters of recommendation and were admitted to the Naval Academy based on their own abilities were free to choose whether to join the Navy after graduation, but he had no choice at all and had to serve in the Navy for at least three years.

“One of my brothers in the SSD at the Naval Academy, whose father worked for the Navy Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, told me that if I wanted, I could be offered a position by his father as a Warrant Officer Assistant in the U.S. Navy Legislative Affairs Office in Washington, D.C. There is no need to go to various bases to serve, and there are more opportunities to get in touch with big people. That office is the functional department responsible for communication between the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Congress. My brother gave me this opportunity and chose to serve on the ship. "Tony and Tommy were walking and talking about their situation:

"There are two options. One is to return to Rhode Island. You know, there is a Navy military base there. I can go to work at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Ship Systems Engineering Station there. Ashley really hopes that I can return to Rhode Island. After all, it is our hometown to serve in Tokushima. As for the other, it is to serve in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet in Philadelphia. It is mainly to maintain the various ships stored in Philadelphia after World War II to ensure that when the war breaks out, those huge garbage can It was reactivated immediately and put into the battlefield."

Tommy crossed his arms and nodded slightly while listening to his brother's introduction, but he did not rush to give his own suggestions.

My brother seems to be doing well in the Naval Academy. These three service options are very good choices for most Naval Academy cadets. First of all, they all have a common characteristic, that is, the outbreak of war. These three service options are very good choices for most Naval Academy cadets. The work unit does not need to go to the front line immediately, all work is in the rear, and unlike those bases far away from the United States, there are no holidays to return home to visit relatives after serving for several years.

The Warrant Officer Assistant of the U.S. Navy's Legislative Affairs Office seems to be the best choice. This is more difficult than David Schafer's previous job as an intern assistant to a senator in Washington. Simply put, working in that office means Tony gets to spend time with big shots in the Pentagon, Navy, and the U.S. Congress every day.

The Rhode Island Naval Base is the most heartwarming choice. Rhode Island is the hometown of my two brothers. The U.S. Naval Base Atlantic Fleet Ship Engineering Station. I went there and was mainly responsible for regular maintenance of the Navy's ships. There were no urgent matters. Get off work on time leisurely and go home to have dinner with your family every day.

The U.S. Navy's Atlantic Reserve Fleet in Philadelphia is the safest option. It guards its own scrap garbage for the U.S. Navy. It is determined that if war breaks out, those old ships can drive out of the dock to bluff.

"Going to Washington is of course a very good choice. If I finish studying at the Naval Academy, I will go to Washington to work. I will try my best to flatter those big shots and slowly entangle them like a vine until they and I become symbiotic. System, but you can't do it, Tony. Those old guys are not rookies at the Naval Academy. They won't become good brothers with you who talk about everything just because of a few glasses of strong drinks and your advances. They are not suitable for you there. The most important thing is , you have no foundation, no one in your family works in the military to rely on, and my business currently does not cooperate with the navy, so there is absolutely no way to provide you with better follow-up development there. If you choose to go there, you will probably be Serving tea and serving water in the office for three years, then retiring at the end of the term, or going to another place to start the hard work again." Tommy expressed his thoughts to Tony:

"Unless you accept the advice I gave you before and break up with Ashley, then I will help you find a suitable father-in-law, so that you can go to Washington to comfort..."

Tony interrupted Tommy: "I will not break up with Ashley, just like you will not break up with Otilia, Tommy, she is already a woman of the Hawke family."

"Very good, then cross out the option of Washington, Rhode Island Military Base Ship Engineering Station. Let's put it this way, if you choose to go back to your hometown, it will be equivalent to giving up your entire career with a moment of happiness. It is indeed It's suitable for you, just like you used to repair cars, you deal with various machines every day, and then get off work on time, but when you deal with machines, you don't deal with people, there is no chance of promotion, and those cold opportunities will not award you with honors." Tommy. He didn't insist, because he knew that his brother had inherited his father's devotion and believed that a woman would no longer mess around with women.

After hearing his brother's words, Tony asked: "So, only Philadelphia is left?"

"Philadelphia, if you can make a lot of money selling that garbage to other countries for the U.S. Navy, you have a chance to climb up quickly, but that is another way of promotion in the Navy. You help the Navy boss make money, Navy boss They will give you a medal. Once their corruption scandal is discovered, you will be thrown out and sacrificed. It is equally suitable for me, not for you. Moreover, there is no need for us to choose this dangerous method now, we are not short of money." Tommy. Shaking his head, he also rejected the third option.

When Tony heard that all three choices were rejected, he frowned slightly and reminded Tommy: "Tommy, Rhode Island and Philadelphia are the best choices I can get for the honors I have received in the academy."

Tony's college experience was completely incomparable with his brother's experience at Stanford University. There were only two grades he could show off at the Naval Academy.

One was the two-day Sandhurst Military Skills Competition held by West Point Military Academy and participated by cadets from military academies in the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. His nine-member Naval Academy midshipman team defeated the defending champion in the competition. The champion, the Royal Military Academy of Canada, eliminated the strongest opponent for the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Subsequently, in the championship and runner-up battle, due to excessive physical exertion and excessive attrition, although they successfully joined forces with West Point Military Academy, they were defeated by West Point Military Academy and finally won the runner-up.

With this second place, Tony received the Cadet Officer Teamwork Medal awarded by the academy.

The second achievement is that he led the fraternity to organize the SSD Naval Academy branch and took the initiative to launch a promotion event called Men’s Character on campus, advocating that male cadets in the Naval Academy should not force female cadets to do certain things, but Learn to respect women, even if you spend some money.

This activity earned SSD the school’s character award, and its leader Tony received a leadership commendation letter handwritten by the dean.

This character activity may sound like nothing, but in fact, it is not easy to promote respect for women in military academies where men are full of scumbags.

Therefore, under the leadership of Tony, SSD, which mainly uses its money power to interact with beautiful women, launched the men's character activity, both the academy and the navy seemed to have grabbed a handy weapon in a desperate situation, and directly declared SSD's club behavior to the outside world. The spontaneous behavior of boys throughout the academy shows that our boys have great respect for women, that all scandals are the result of malicious exaggeration, and that they would rather spend money to socialize with girls than the various forced behaviors rumored outside.

It is precisely because of these two honors that Tony can choose where to start his naval career before officially graduating.

"I noticed in the news that the number of warships launched by the U.S. Navy this year has reached 594, which is only 6 short of the 600 warships proposed by Reagan when he was running to catch up with the Soviet Union. But the problem is that although there are many warships, there are not enough. There are a lot of vacancies for matching officers and soldiers, so if you graduate as a second lieutenant and take the initiative to apply to serve on these warships or naval overseas bases, you will get more promotion opportunities than at home." Tommy turned his head and looked at his brother:

"And your attitude of actively applying to board a ship or be stationed overseas will make it easier for me, through former Secretary of the Navy Thomas Hayward, to receive the U.S. Navy Overseas Service Ribbon and the U.S. Navy Midshipman Honorary Graduate Ribbon when you officially graduate. , don’t underestimate these two ribbons, they will be written into your file and life history forever, telling everyone in the United States that you once took the initiative to apply to serve overseas for this country.”

Tony was a little stunned, then lowered his head and spoke reluctantly: "Tommy, are you sure you can't help me find a position in the country? I'm not afraid of dying in the war, I'm just... you know? If I go overseas, maybe I It will take several years before I have the opportunity to go back to my country for a vacation.”

"Hawaii, I asked Jim to go back and help me donate money to Thomas Hayward's foundation. Ask the former Secretary of the Navy what the condition of the fleet serving in Hawaii is like, and help you choose a beautiful enough warship. How about How about that?" Tommy did not pick up his brother's words, but said with a smile: "I will buy a big house in Hawaii for Ashley, so that Dad, Bethea, and Ashley can go there for vacation at any time. You can stay as long as you want, and I promise you won’t have Ashley staying with you in the miserable officers’ quarters.”

"Last question, why do you insist on letting me board a ship overseas?" Tony heard his brother's arrangement and did not continue to question it. After all, this guy had already spent money to buy a house in Hawaii and take his family there for vacation. Ease your homesickness, which is already happier than 99% of Navy members.

Tommy looked at the people barbecuing in the distance and said softly: "Because the news in the newspaper and what you just said are telling me one thing, that is, a war is about to break out in the United States overseas. If you stay at home, How is it possible to have the opportunity to receive those medals that only officers who participated in the war can receive?”

"You mean the Navy's previous Operation Archer in the Persian Gulf? Will it trigger a war with Iran?" Tony heard Tommy say that war might break out overseas, and he wasn't surprised, because the U.S. Navy's various military operations overseas were not Interrupted.

Not long ago, the U.S. Navy dispatched six warships, four aircraft and two special forces teams to attack two Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf. After occupying them, they set the oil wells on fire.

The reason was that Iran had previously attacked a Kuwaiti cargo ship protected by the U.S. Navy.

"I don't know what kind of war it is, but no matter what kind of war breaks out, as long as it is not a war with the Soviet Union, you don't need to worry about dying in battle. Instead, there will be a lot of medal winners among the 594 warships of the U.S. Navy. Otherwise, Why do you think your brother gave you the opportunity of the Washington office and chose to board the ship yourself?" Tommy turned around and looked at Tony seriously:

"Perhaps out of friendship, he gave you this opportunity that is very precious to ordinary people, but the premise is that his father provides him with a better choice. Obviously, boarding the ship is the better choice."