47

Crabapple Cove, Maine
New Year's Eve 1999

The Pierce home was still decorated for Christmas and the guests were still there. Everyone was standing around dressed in black- tie attire, typical Pierce fashion, the last half- hour of the twentieth century discussing what the new century and millennium held for everyone with a glass of some sort of drink in their hands waiting for midnight.

"So Trapp what do you think Y2K will bring?"

"Absolutely nothing Hawk."

"That's what you think."

"Hawk do I sense a bit of paranoia?"

"No, Beej I'm just being cautious."

"Darling is that why you bought two generators and perishable items, enough toilet paper to last us until the next millennium, bottled water, and god knows what else we do not need?"

"Margaret, darling I'm just taking precautions. Do you have your gas mask just in case?"

"Come find me a minute before midnight I'll be the one in the backless black gown and the bottle of champagne in my hands next to the champagne glasses," with that Margaret rolled her eyes and walked toward the women.

"Precautions Hawkeye?"

"Yes Charles."

"Gas masks?"

"Yes Beej, at least I'll be safe."

"Hawkeye this is the most ridiculous thing I think you've ever done."

"I'm glad you think so Trapp."

"I think it's a good idea you're prepared."

"Thank you Radar, at least some think so."

"It could be the apocalypse."

"John don't say that to him, he'll go even loonier than he is now."

"Do you realize it is tomorrow over the date line so if something were to happen it would of already happened."

"Good job Hawkeye, I was wondering how long it would take you to figure that one out."

"I knew Charles I was just stringing you all along."

"So anyway I opened a new store in Dallas last week."

"Congratulations Max, that's wonderful."

"Well thank you Sidney."

"You realize this June we would have been in Korea fifty years?"

"Hard to believe."

"Yea, hmm," the eight men said in unison.

"To Henry and Sherman," Hawk raised his glass in toast to his fallen comrades and drank to them before being called over by their wives to watch the ball drop in Times Square. It came to the final minute and they all counted down.

"...10...9...8...7...6...5..4...3...2...1...Happy New Year!" they all shouted with glee and hugged and kissed each other. Hawkeye popped the corks on the bottles of champagne and he and Margaret poured it into glasses and handed a glass to everyone and toasted the New Year and sang Auld Lang Syne just as they did so many years ago in Korea.