"If they don't give me what I want." Mike said firmly. "Then I won't do it."
"That's the catch." I told him. "You take the ASVAB after you've signed your name and committed yourself. You would have taken the oath at that point. You can't back out after that. You'd be in for four years, doing whatever they wanted you to do. If they wanted to send you to Germany to clean out shithouses, you'd be doing it. Once you sign your name, you're government property. The only way out at that point is some sort of discharge that would be other than honorable. It could be medical, psychological, dishonorable, but no matter what it would be, it would destroy your chances of getting on with any fire department anywhere."
He had stopped scraping the gasket and was looking at me. I could read his face and could see that a part of him wanted to be angry with me, to storm out of my garage for telling him something he didn't want to hear. But another part of him, the part that was becoming an adult, was also there. That part was carefully considering what I'd just said.
"Are you sure about all of this?" He asked me.
"You don't have to believe me." I told him. "You have an appointment with the recruiter tomorrow. Ask him all of this. Ask him directly if what I've just told you is true. He'll hem and haw and try to convince you that you'll almost surely be put in the firefighter class but he won't give you any sort of guarantee in writing and he won't be able to say, "Mike, you WILL be in that firefighting class". I'm not wrong about this Mike. You need to be wary of making impulsive decisions that can erase four years of your life."
He nodded, not speaking.
"If you don't join up." I told him. "You can take the Spokane test again next year. Or you can start applying at other departments around here. Someone, somewhere is always hiring. Seattle Fire hires twice a year I hear and they pay quite a bit more than Spokane. Put in your interest cards everywhere and fill out the applications. Take the tests even if it's some bum-fuck Egypt department that you'd never work for. It's good practice. In the meantime, sign up for the fire science classes at the community college."
"College?" He asked, never having considered that concept.
"Why not?" I enquired. "It's cheap and it gives you something to do. When you go to the interviews you can tell them that you're working on your degree in Fire Science. They love that shit. Once you get hired you can drop out if you want. Or you can continue. My point is that just because you missed one test the first time, you don't have to do something rash like joining the military. If you do that there's a good chance you might regret it later and have no way out. If you stick it out for a while you might get hired somewhere else or you might get hired at Spokane next year. If none of that works out, then maybe you can give the military a try. But there's no hurry is there? The Air Force will still be there in a year, won't they?"
"I suppose so." He told me.
"Just don't let the recruiter seduce you tomorrow. Be on guard and ask the right questions. Remember that the recruiter can act like your friend, he can make you believe he's your friend, but he's not your friend. He exists to get you to sign your name. He doesn't give a fuck about you."
Mike nodded. He didn't commit himself one way or the other but I knew I'd given him a lot of food for thought. I hoped it was enough.
The conversation soon turned to other things. We worked for another three hours and finally the engine was back together.
"Okay." Mike told me, standing near the back of it. "Fire it up."
I turned the key and it roared to life, sounding exactly like an eight cylinder, gas-guzzling engine should. Mike proclaimed the boat fixed. Of course it still had to have it's registration updated but we made tentative plans to take it out the following weekend.
I thought about reminding him of what we'd talked about as he headed home but decided not to. I could only hope his maturity would win out over his other side.
I didn't get a chance to talk to Mike for a few days. The day after the boat was fixed Nina and I spent the day together downtown, catching a movie and then having dinner together. We made out a little in my car at a deserted park but did nothing fancy. My mind was preoccupied with a thousand things, as was hers. We said our good-byes at her doorstep at ten that night, exchanging a demure kiss. I then went home and wanked myself to sleep.
Monday and Tuesday were my normal routine. I got Dad to go down to the Department of Motor Vehicles and re-register the boat. He did so grudgingly, he hated DMV as much as anyone, but he was proud of the accomplishment of getting the old boat running again. I told him my plans to take it out the following Saturday and he quizzed me once more about my experience with driving a boat and driving a car with a boat trailer attached to it. I assured him that I knew how to do it. One of the advantages of having my Dad in on my secret was that he didn't question things like that too heavily and that I didn't have to lie to him. It was nice.
During this time period I almost called Mike a half a dozen times. I was worried that the recruiter had somehow gotten to him. I wouldn't have even put it past one of those slime to outright lie and tell him that of course he'd be placed in the firefighting program. After all, by the time he found out to the contrary, it would be too late wouldn't it? And if his complaints somehow landed on something other than deaf ears, the recruiter could always deny it. I hoped he'd taken my speech about putting things in writing seriously.
He finally called me on Wednesday, just before I left for work. It was maddening as he talked of inconsequential things for five minutes and part of me wondered if he knew what hell he was putting me through and enjoying it. Finally the subject of the meeting with the recruiter came up.
"You were right Dude." He told me. "That asshole was a piece of shit."
"Yeah?" I asked, suppressing a shout of joy. "What happened?"
"I asked him the questions you told me to ask." He said. "He went on and on about how I would most likely be placed exactly where I wanted to be, even in the city I wanted to be in, but that he couldn't ACTUALLY guarantee it. He told me the ASVAB was just a formality and that it didn't mean much but he wouldn't break out anything in writing to put me in the firefighting program. He kept trying to smooth talk me and get off the subject of where I would end up. He started talking about college, and money for college, and serving my country, and a bunch of shit like that. Finally I told him to fuck off and left."
"That's fuckin cool Mike." I said, unable to suppress any longer. "You made the right decision."
"Yeah." He said. "Thanks for clueing me in about that asshole. I owe you one."
He had actually thanked me! Unbelievable. "No problem man." I told him. "That's what friends do."
"We still on for Saturday?" He asked next. "I'm ready to try water-skiing."
"We're on." I told him. "You and me and Nina. We'll head out about nine."
"Cool." He said, then paused for a second. "I'm not gonna be in the way or anything with you and Nina, am I?"
"No." I assured him. "You need three to water-ski anyway. Someone has to be the observer."
"That's cool." He told me. "You're lucky. You got a girlfriend to take with you. I seem to be fresh out of women at the moment. I tried to call Jess Round but she's not even speaking to me. She told me to fuck off when I got hold of her."
"Fuck her." I told him. "She's a ho. We'll find you someone else."
"Think you can do it by Saturday?" He asked jokingly.
"I'll get right on it." I said, just as jokingly.
It was Thursday morning and I was at the local AM/PM pumping gas into my Datsun. I wasn't thinking of much, just reflecting upon the fact that I missed the convenience of just sliding my ATM card into a little slot and pumping my fill without ever having to actually go inside the store and pay in cash. It was one of those things that would appear in the next few years that I had to live without. Such a little thing, the ATM card and the interlinked networks, but something that once you got used to, you felt the sting if it wasn't there anymore.