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Show Flying - 123 lights up a cigarette and leans back in his chair to enjoy it. "Go outside," says Specialist Tovar. "I do not like the smell of smoke and the fresh air will do you good. You will be more efficient. Come back in twenty minutes.'1 John Henry smokes his cigarette sitting in the shade of a cottonwood tree, leaning back against the trunk. Big black ants climb up and down the bark behind him and every time he sees one that has strayed onto his clothes, John Henry jumps nervously and slaps at himself until the ant is gone. They bite, those big black ones. Look at the size of their mandibles. They must bite. Over his head the dusty leaves of the cottonwood hang in the sun. Sergeants walk back and forth with clip-boards, talking about the exercise. Once in a while a lieutenant traverses the motorpool area at a brisker pace, saluted by all who cross his path. Comfortable in the shade of his tree, John Henry watches it all without moving, happy to let them all do what they want as long as they leave him alone. Maybe they enjoy it. "You are three minutes late," says Specialist Tovar when he gets back. "If I cannot rely on you to come back on time, you will not make a very good assistant." Exercise over for the day, John Henry sits on the back steps of the barracks and watches the full moon come up big, |