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"I’ll see what I can do"

"What you can do in the meantime," I said, "is lend me a hundred dollars US "

"I’m a little short-"

"Whatever you can spare, then"

He gave me seventy dollars in crisp tens "And the Sia to keep a pro hion"

The old teeth and a permanent smile Several soldiers had assured on The rooirls were clean and lovely, and the price was only ten dollars She bowed us into the parlor and rang a little bell, and seven pretty things in slit skirts and high heels ca into the roo, and his eyes were so bugged out that he looked like a frog Maybe if one of them let him sleep on her pillow, he would turn into a prince

He said, "For me?"

"You’re supposed to pick the one you want"

"I want them all"

"Well, pick the one you like best"

"I like theirls and recounted the irl was seventy dollars, which, providentially enough, was the suiven nored But was it possible that little Dhang could possess seven wo was possible, I decided Anything at all With what Dhang had been through, it was conceivable that he had built up a stock of frustration that all the whores in Saigon couldn’t cure Anyway, he wanted all seven of them, and he deserved a shot at whatever he wanted The son of a gun had paid his dues

"He wants all seven of theo to hio in whatever order they wish He loves them all"

"He is Superirls? Ho, boy!"

She relayed the instructions to the girls, who giggled and squealed at the prospect I sat down, and one of the girls took Dhang in hand and led him away The madam sat down beside me

"And you, Joe? What you want?"

I thought it over "Do you have any betel nut?" I said finally She frowned and said that she did not "In that case," I said, "what I’d really like is a nice cold glass of ht after the other, and when the last one went up to hi that I hadn’t saved a few dollars to bury hi her head in astonish He was positively gorgeous in a Laotian Coered like a drunken sailor and beao back to Thailand," he said "I will stay here in Saigon forever"

"What will you do here?"

"Phuck," he said succinctly

"You’ll need money," I said "A lot of money, at this rate What can you do?"

"Join the Arood food And phuck"

He sounded like a recruiting poster He was sold on the idea, so I took him in tow and scouted around until I found a colonel who couldn’t think of anyone else to shunt me off on "He’ll be the best motivated soldier in the entire Army," I told him "You couldn’t ask for a more dedicated anti-Cohting for He ht win the war all by himself Surely you can find a place for him"