Oliver put the truck into motion and rolled it forward across the slope of the grassy hill, seeking the lonely dirt road which would lead them back to the highway. The seat was crowded with the three of them, their bodies tightly wedged together. Silence held the cab until the truck had found and followed the twisty little road to the pavement, until they had turned south and were moving out of the hills for the flatter land of Georgia and Alabama. The sky remained cloudy and bleak.
After a while Oliver broke the silence. “Me and the corporal are partners.”
The girl seemed puzzled.
Oliver correctly interpreted the expression. “Gary — he's a corporal.”
“Army soldier?” Sally wanted to know curiously.
“That's our hero, complete with Purple Heart.” He broke off when he saw that he was adding to her confusion. “Both soldiers,” he told her then, feeling her eyes on his face. “Partners — we share everything.”
She didn't answer him immediately but concentrated on his face, studying his eyes and lips. The truck rumbled along the highway.
Sally said to Oliver, “I like you.”
“Thank you — appreciate the compliment no end.” He briefly took his eyes from the road and flashed her a warm grin. “I like you too — but that doesn't alter the terms of our partnership. The corporal and me: fifty-fifty.”
Sally thought about it. “You want me to be nice to both of you?”