Billy opened his email, “hmm, who is this?” he wondered, as
he clicked to open the letter from a new face.
It was from a girl named Dawn that lived on post where he was currently
at. Her father was in the military, she
stated and that she worked at the clothing and sales store inside the PX. Fresh out of basic training, he was excited
about meeting someone to go out with, so there was no hesitation in a
reply. Billy was new to the area, and
would only be there for a couple months, he wrote. Telling her his schedule and asking if she'd
be interested in meeting for lunch.
The next
day after he finished his training, he hopped online as he was accustomed to
doing. His inbox flashed with a new
message. Could it be from her, he
wondered? A slight nervousness overcame
him as he opened the page. Indeed it
was! Not expecting such a quick
response, he was shocked to see a message from the mysterious “Dawn”. He clicked her picture to open up her
personal page, as she had added him to her friends. Her profile was vague to say the least, and
her pictures, well... they just didn't look recent. As he continued reading the email, he was
pained to see she had turned him down in his request to meet her. Not even an apology as she stated it was
against her work policy to “date” soldiers in training. Billy was stunned, not realizing how a simple
meeting could be mistook for “dating”.
He did not abandon hope.
Over the
course of a couple weeks, the emails continued, learning more of one another,
and each one insisting of their meet.
She declined every time. But
there was an attraction between the two; the conversations grew deeper and more
involved. Knowing his time there was
growing short, he decided to make his move, and he would go see her at
work. As he entered the PX, he wasn't
even sure where to go or what she even looked like! But it didn't matter; he had other reasons
for being there, so he continued to walk around, browsing the aisles. As he was checking out, he asked the cashier
where the clothing exchange was located, and she pointed to the back of the
store.
Content in his decision, he strolled
aimlessly in that direction. As he
peeked around the corner their eyes met for a moment and when he realized that
it was her and the she had saw him he quickly withdrew from the room, and
proceeded for the exit hoping she didn't know who it was! Later that evening, he received an email from
Dawn, and he chuckled to himself as he read that she knew it was him and was
confused why he did not come in to say hi.
Slightly embarrassed he wrote her back saying he would come again
tomorrow, that he was merely nervous of meeting someone that he had only corresponded
through the internet.
A week
later they were standing in line at the movie theater, neither one sure of what
to see. He asked her to choose, not
wanting to force her to see something she had no interest in. He couldn't take his eyes off her as they sat
down, popcorn and drinks in hand. There
was something about her presence that was intoxicating even though they had
just met. He enjoyed sitting next to her
as the movie played on. By the time it
was over he had no idea what he had just watched. Who was this girl, why did she take so much
control of his thoughts...? As they
walked back to her daddy's truck he asked her if she'd want to do this again
the next weekend. Sure she said, and
drove him back to base.
They
emailed each other daily looking forward to the following weekend. Towards the end of the week, an idea was
proposed of going to the beach with some friends. Though it was out of Billy's stomping grounds
due to 50 mile radius training policy, he immediately was for it. Always a lover of the ocean, and the new
spring rolling in, it was the perfect time for a drive to the sea. As they sat in the car waiting for her sister
to arrive with 3 others, he couldn't help but bring up the movie they saw the
weekend before and how he wanted to hold her hand but was too scared to. She laughed in his face. Such a bold girl she was, seemingly unafraid
of anything she grabbed his hand and assured him she would not have pulled
away. The blood rushed through his veins
as her fingers clenched his. He could
have drifted away looking into her eyes as he was forced to come back by the
honking of a horn. Her sister had
arrived.
They got
out of the car and discussed the trip there, which way they would go, who would
drive, etc. He sat and watched her. As she got back into the car Dawn informed
him of a change of plans. The two of them would be traveling alone. This was great news to Billy, and even better
when she asked him to drive. But of
course he said! It had been 3 months
since he had driven, and on top of that it was a nice little coupe with a
manual transmission. She admitted that
she was not too good at driving sticks, as they switched seats. Pulling from the parking lot, he smiled:
clutches were his specialty.
They opted
for the scenic route, she knew where she was going, and he was just
driving. Free as a bird, a feeling he
hadn't felt in months. So refreshing he
felt with her next to him, so alive. She
flipped through the random cd's she had and asked him what he would like to
hear. Hating to be the one to make
decisions he told her whatever she wanted would be find. She read off a few titles and his brow rose
when she mentioned some “Celtic CD” she had.
That would be nice to listen to; he said as she slipped the disc in and
turned the volume up.
They were
cruising down the highway, seemingly aimless, thoughts racing of what the other
might be thinking. There were so many things going through Billy's mind, his
decision to join the Army, meeting this new girl, actually being with her going
to the beach, and the possibility of getting in trouble while doing it! He
rolled the window down slightly to catch the wind in his hair, what a beautiful
spring day this was. As the songs continued to play, and he continued to drive,
totally pleasured and content, Dawn began singing to the Gaelic tune on the
stereo. Softly at first, then slowly gaining intensity and volume, this girl
had an amazing voice!
Billy
looked at her; she stopped as if she were doing something wrong. He told her
please continue, that he actually liked it, thus furthering the embarrassment
of having been heard. He completely assured her that it was indeed a beautiful
noise coming from her lips. She laughed when he called it noise, but started
singing again. He was mesmerized by this soft gentle voice like a song bird in
a tree at dusk. So mesmerized that he failed to notice he was doing almost 15
miles over the speed limit until he passed a highway patrolman. Too late, he
was caught. Twenty minutes later and a ticket to show for it, they were on
their way. Nothing could stop these two from accomplishing there mission. At
least now they had a good laugh to go along with it; it wasn't his first
ticket, matter of fact he had quite a history of law breaking. A bad boy to the
bone, she'd never have known behind his gentle smile and kind eyes.
As they
pulled up to the beach, an overwhelming sense came over Billy as it always has
whenever he neared the ocean. They found a parking spot, grabbed the
necessities and started walking to the edge of the earth. They stepped on to
the sand together, hand in hand and felt the cool breeze and heard the waves
crashing, it was perfect. They weren't quite ready to get comfortable and Billy
really wanted a drink to kick it all off, so they headed to the bar. Neither
was picky, so they headed to the first one they saw. They had a seat inside, he
went to the "latrine" as he called it, and she ordered a coke with
two straws. He smiled as he came back to the table and leaned over and kissed
her.
This was
the first real taste of freedom he had felt in several months and it tasted
wonderful. He asked her if she would like a drink with him, she shook her head
no, so he ordered a beer. Halfway through the beer, Dawn decided she would like
a shot of whiskey which really shocked Billy. Wow he thought, because he
himself didn't care for such strong drinks. She laughed and threw in the,
"Well, I'm Irish!" That settled it; he ordered a shot of Jack for her
and two shots of Jagermeister for himself. She turned the shot up like a champ,
and he winced as he poured down the second one of the schnapps. Sensing the
warm feeling creeping down his body as he finished off his beer, she shocked
him again by saying she wanted another drink. This could definitely get
interesting. He wanted to order her something good, so he told the bartender to
bring a “Liquid Cocaine”, a sweet and spicy mix of power! She was a little
nervous of the name, but he told her that it'd be fine, if she didn't like it,
he would finish it. What the bartender brought was far from what he ordered,
but she drank it anyways; silly girl.
He
went to the bartender, being the brazen young man he is, and directly asked her
what she put into that drink. After hearing the ingredients he threw his hands
in the air as he stated that it was completely wrong and that explained the
minty aftertaste the drink had. He told her that he would like another one,
made the way it was supposed to be made and that was with goldschlager, triple
sec, and 151. Yea, it's a strong drink, and you don't need more than two,
guaranteed. So she made it, and didn't even charge him. What a good deal.
Sometimes it pays to be direct, just short of the line of being rude. Dawn
smelled it, was like HOLY COW and poured the toxic mixture down her throat
without hesitation, as Billy's jaw dropped. Ok, enough for you he said. Damn
you’re a tough little thing aren't you! She grinned widely as she nodded and
told him that she was feeling the drink already. He paid his bill, grabbed her
by the arm, and directed her towards the door. She loved his dominant way. But
he was merely moving with a purpose, what they came for.
The sun
felt amazing on his skin as he lay on the beach next to her. The alcohol
running through their veins had both of them breathing heavily in sheer ecstasy
as the breeze gave them chills while the waves were rolling up the shore.
Apparently this was more than liquid courage, maybe liquid craziness, as she jumped
up and ran for the water. She beckoned him on, as he called her bluff. The
water would be frigid this time of year in the mid-Atlantic. Once again he was
proved that this little lady had more than brains and beauty, she was so bold.
What a wonderful combination he thought when he looked up and she was waist
deep in the water. He laughed at her as she splashed water his way. He stepped
ankle deep and immediately jumped as if something shocked him. Is this girl
nuts he thought as she continued waving him on.
The water
must have been 50 degrees and she was seemingly unaware that hypothermia could
definitely set in at these temperatures. She found it amusing that Billy always
seemed to have an excuse of some kind for anything in which he did not wish to
do. Not about to be outdone by this fragile little brown haired angel, he
reached deep for that fortitude that every man has and headed in. By the time
he was mid-thigh, he was completely numb. This was madness. The next wave that
came in completely took his manhood from him as he squealed like a stuck pig.
He didn't know whether to laugh or cry from the shock that overtook his body.
There was only one choice, just do it. He dove in head first, completely
covering his body with a blanket of free flowing ice. It took a few moments,
but he finally overcame the urge to strangle her and drag her out the ocean,
revive her and tell her how cold he was!
They were
both shivering, teeth chattering as he wondered if maybe she was too drunk to
realize that they would freeze in less than 10 minutes. Oh well, it was worth
it. Such a seductive smile came over his face as he pulled his hand out of the
water and with one finger signaled her closer. Body heat must be conserved he
said to her convincingly, we have to stay alive! She put her arms around his
neck, pulled herself in as her legs wrapped around his waist. A magnitude of
blood began rushing through his body as he grasped her tightly. He was shaking
and breathing heavily; was it the cold water or the sensations of her body
against his. Didn't matter, the sun was setting. Such a shame this was the east
coast as they looked west at it began fading behind the high rise buildings
along the beach.
As he
pulled away from her to climb out of the icy waters, she didn't let go. This
wasn't a problem; he would carry her, he thought, but then as he looked at her
there was something else in her eyes. He lowered back into the water, as a wave
crashed over them. Neither felt it as he pushed the hair out of her face the
surf had haphazardly misplaced. The next words that came from her mouth were as
shocking as the water first felt as it splashed his body. Kiss me now, she
stated. This was not a request, it was a direct order. Billy was forced to
comply, although he had been waiting for this moment all day she amazed him
with her perfect timing. It was an amazing kiss, the kind that you wish every
kiss could be like. The almost stagnant blood began flowing instantaneously.
Apparently she felt this too, as she drew back and looked at him intently. I'm
a virgin she told Billy there in the water where the only thing keeping us warm
was the fire from the passion that had just sparked. She pressed her body
harder against his, Billy pulled. She felt his state of arousal as one hand
left his neck and slipped into the water.
They started kissing, their lips pressed tightly against the other's.
As they
walked out of the water, her hand in his, the last rays of sun were
disappearing behind the tall building in front of them. They dried each other off, never taking their
eyes off one another. What had taken
place in the water was just shy of perfection, both were speechless. As they lay on the towels, the shade overtaking
them, a slight chill ran up Billy's spine as he knew the day was waning and it
was time to go. Why did this have to end
he wondered, why must he leave.
The ride
home took longer than expected, as they had somehow gotten on a wrong highway
which took them a half hour out of the way.
Had he not stopped at McDonalds for some fries and a shake, this
wouldn't have bothered him much, but he had a weekend recall formation at 2200
to make. He was pushing his luck. At 2145 he entered the post. There were at least twenty cars in front of
him. He thought about getting out of the
car and just running to his company area.
Nah, he though, it was over a mile away.
He just sat there patiently, as his thoughts drifted to the day’s
events, not caring how many rules he broke and how much trouble he could be in
if late.
As she
pulled into the parking lot Billy leaned over, kissed her, told her he would
call her later, and jumped out the car before it came to a stop. He took off around the back way as they were
already in formation. He tore up the
stairs, was half undressed before he got to his room, and back down again with
only a minute to spare. They all saw him
running up to the back of the ranks, no one seemed to mind. Did he get away with this? Not quite.
The first sergeant was there that evening, a very rare happening. Apparently, he wanted to know who that
soldier was that came running up late.
Billy was summoned to the front.
As he entered the front leaning rest position, aka the push-up, he laughed
to himself at how worth it this was.
Such a small punishment for what he had done. A few pushups later, he was back in the ranks
at parade rest. Still smiling contently,
he had never felt so good. All this time,
and he finally found something that made him feel like he had never felt
before... complete.
He called
her later that evening, told her everything that took place laughing the whole
time. Though they were exhausted from
the day’s events, their conversation lasted for hours. She had invited him to her church in the
morning which was on post. Her father
was a chaplain and also the preacher there.
Instinctively knowing this was a big step, meeting the father, and
knowing there wasn't much time left before he finished his training he went
with his gut and said yes, he would go.
The next morning, he had never felt more anxious. He wanted to make a great impression, as most
men in the military know how soldiers can be and are very wary of their
ambitions. He dressed as nicely as he
could, considering his civilian clothes were limited after spending several
months in army uniforms.
As Billy
approached the church, he could hear the organ playing and the sound of the
choir singing. He couldn't be late; he
was there 15 minutes before the time she had given him. Butterflies in his stomach, he opened the
door and walked in. A jolly man at the
front door greeted him while handing him a bulletin. Billy told the fellow he was there to see
Dawn, and that she had invited him. The
usher directed his attention to the stage, where there was Dawn standing,
microphone in hand.
She was
getting ready to sing as the music started playing. She saw him as he sat down, and he hoped it
would not make her nervous. What he
didn't know was that she did this ever Sunday and the girl had the heart and
courage of a lion. He had heard her
singing in the car on their trip to the beach, but as she opened her lips and
the words came out across the speakers, every hair on his neck stood up. His heart began racing as she whispered the
soft notes into the mic. Her voice began
to grow louder and so did the music. It
was magnificent. Never before had he
heard such a beautiful voice.
Dawn
finished singing, and proceeded down the aisle towards Billy. As she sat down, he felt inadequate to say
the least to be sitting beside such a special gift. His heart fluttered as she grabbed his hand
and whispered in his ear that she was happy to see him. The feelings he had for this girl were
steadily growing stronger, while his time left there was growing shorter. He contemplated the situation over and over
in his head. It almost seemed
bittersweet. How could he have met a
perfect companion, someone who complemented him so well during this short leg
of his journey over the next couple years?
He couldn't face the truth just yet, there was still time left to enjoy
it, however short it might be.
