Afterward, he sat up to his neck in cool rainwater while he waited for Tottori. The commandant entered the room as if he couldn’t wait to clean the war stench from his skin. He stripped off his uniform and sat on the three-legged stool. Andrew climbed out of the tub and poured a dipper of water over the officer’s head. He took a bar of Yardley soap and scrubbed the hollow of Tottori’s chest. They shared a smile as Andrew washed under the socket of Tottori’s left under arm, up over the shoulder blades, into the right socket, and down the man’s torso to the crotch. Tottori was already hard when Andrew soaped his genitals. Andrew scoured down both legs and even cleaned the crevices between the commandant’s toes. He scrubbed Tottori’s back, finishing with the scalp, pouring dippers of water over the muscular body to rinse away the soap before they lowered themselves up to their chins in delicious rainwater. They performed the ritual without speaking, as if they needed to wash away the war before addressing one another.
