About my 9th month in country, someone asked if I was ready for some R&R.
Damn right I was.
So I signed up for Sydney, land of the round-eyed, loose-legged wimmen.

Once in Sydney, I made my way to the R&R center, bought me some civilian clothes and started looking for a hotel. More than anything, I wanted a room with a bathtub. So I called around until I find a hotel that has a tub in the room. Only when I get there, they show me to the room and .... No Frickin' tub ... just a shower.

So now I'm back down at the desk, pitching a bitch when the manager comes out from the back. He wants to know what's wrong, and I tell him. He turned to the sweetie handling check in and said "doesn't room 301 have a bathtub?" She said yes, and he said "Put him there." She asked, "how much do I charge?" and he said "normal R&R rate, same as his other room."

The bellhop shows me to a room with a big double door, and when I open it up, it's a freakin' suite. Got a living room, two bedrooms with a kitchen, and a big-ass window overlooking Bondi Beach. As good as it gets.

So, I start my bath, and call room service. "I want 12 beers in a bucket of ice, please. Just bring it in, I'll be in the tub."
'Bout 10 minutes later, a knock on the door, then it opens and I hear a female voice say "Room service".
I yelled, "bring it in here, I'm in the tub."
And she did! A very pretty red-headed Aussie lass pushed in a cart with a bucket of beers on it. I said "would you open one, and if you want, have one yourself." She opened two, and sat down on the john.

Come to find out, she had seen me in the lobby, and talked her brother (who worked room service) into letting her deliver the beers. Three things happened that afternoon.
1. She ended up in the tub
2. We ended up in the bed
3. She ended up spending the week with me.

Now .... fast forward a week, I'm back in the Nam and make it back to my unit in SaDec. I checked in with the Division Yeoman, and he asked "did you have a good time?"
Of course I answered in the affirmative, and jokingly said, "When can I go back?"

His answer .... "How about next week? Jim was scheduled, but he broke his leg."

I left the Nam again exactly one week after I returned, bound back to the land of a particular round-eyed, loose-legged woman named Laurel. I only had about twenty bucks that I borrowed, but didn't need it. I caught a cab to her house, sat on her porch until she got home, and three things happened.
1. She was extremely surprised
2. We ended up in her bed,
3. I ended up spending the week with her.

Laurel, where-ever you are, I'll never forget you!

Click HERE to go back to the stories.

----------------------------------------