Lieutenant Porter was running late, but not so late to cause a problem when he got to his meeting at CP. He knew he was one of the most brilliant officers in the Airborne. What had kept him from promotion was his tendency to overindulge in his whiskey. But they overlooked his discrepancies time and again. He wondered if they would overlook his tin cup sloshing with his hangover cure. He assumed not but would try just the same.
“Any news from home, sir?” asked Private Flannery, the grunt in charge of the post.
Porter grumbled, running a hand over his sore face. Everything hurt him. Flannery’s too eager smile even hurt him. He grimaced and turned without a word.
“Oh wait, sir! I missed one, you have another letter here,” Flannery called out just as Porter got to the door.
After trudging back to the counter, Flannery handed Porter the dog eared envelope.
“Have a great day, sir! Don’t forget this as well.” Flannery pushed the half empty cup towards the officer that he had left behind.
Port grabbed it with a frown, muttering under his breath, “Go stick your head in a bucket…”
“Sir?” Flannery quirked his uni-brow.
“Nothing, nothing. Carry on.” Port waved a hand and strode back towards the door.
Before pulling it open, he peeked at the address on the letter. His stomach tightened. It was from his mother. He had a feeling what it was about. Swinging open the door, his blue eyes still on the envelope, he collided smack into another body.
“Watch it!” A female voice exclaimed.
Port looked up and his jaw dropped. Tomato juice mixed with a raw egg splattered all over the WAC uniform of Colonel Dixon’s daughter. Her mouth gaped open as her glare rose to his surprised expression.
With a weak scoff, Port scratched his russet hairline, “Heck of a way to start a Monday, huh?”
He knew it wasn’t the best thing to say at such a moment. An apology would have been better. But it was the first thing that popped out of his mouth and it was too late to take it back.
Edith Dixon’s face turned as red as the stain on her pressed khaki. Nostrils flaring, he hopped back as she swatted the cup from his hand into the road. A passing vehicle crushed it. With her nose in the air and as much dignity as she could muster, she marched down the sidewalk.
Gaping after her, Porter stared till she turned the corner. With a sigh he looked back down at the letter in his hand.
“Heck of a way to start a Monday.” He muttered, tearing it open.
He’d had the feeling that in the end Madeline wouldn’t have the decency to tell him she was leaving him. He’d been right. His mother had to be the one.
He had met his wife of five years in college while they were students. She had come from old money while his upbringing had been in a small farming community outside Fresno. Madeline had expected him to make something more of himself but it had yet to happen. She was getting impatient even before he had left for Basic.
Now she had finally done it, she’d left. Not that he could put all the blame on her, though he’d never admit it out loud. He wasn’t so stupid to pretend that marriage wasn’t a two way street.
He spit through his teeth, his throbbing headache increasing by the minutes. Glancing down at his wrist watch he snorted. Fifteen minutes late for a meeting set a new record for him. Running a hand over his raw eyes, he considered giving it another five just to be impressive. If he was going to hold the record, might as well make it a humdinger.
#
The day was just getting better by the minute.
The ill-bred monkey hadn't even apologized after drenching her in tomato juice. It forced Edith to stop her day to go change. Her schedule had been completely thrown by the time she returned to her office. She remembered the man as one who hung around with Lieutenant McKay. Shadows under his blood shot eyes had given away his hangover. Edith bristled at the memory.
Bad tempered from a wasted weekend in Paris, Edith was doing her best not to snap at Samantha. Finally she sent her on an errand, unable to stomach the girl’s tendency to whistle.
The quiet of their joint office was blissful. Edith missed the private room she had called her workspace back in England. Smoothing out the front of her now clean jacket, she surveyed her desk.
Everything was in order exactly how she had left it on Friday. She shifted through the neat piles of paperwork organized by urgency. The envelope on the corner was the one she was going to mail before the incident.
She tapped her finger nail on the letter written for home. Her mother still asked after Colonel Bentley. It had been months since Edith had mentioned him. She now remembered why she had never discussed her personal life with her mother. As her mother’s last single daughter, she was now the target of all comments. Even across the sea, Edith couldn’t escape her mother’s intense fear that she would end up an old maid.
There was no way she would tell her about what happened in Paris. She wasn’t going to tell anyone. Lieutenant McKay was nice but Bentley had seemed nice too at first. Edith didn’t have time to rebuild her world again. If she saw him, she decided she would just pretend nothing had happened. After all, with a war on and all, there were more important things to worry about than a broken date. She wasn’t about to admit that she had run from him.
A knock came at the door.
“Come in!” Edith barked, frustrated at the interruption.
Her father’s orderly entered with a note. Edith nodded her thanks and dismissed him. She sighed as she read it. Colonel Dixon wanted to see her at HQ as soon as she was available. From the blunt sentences, she could tell he could meant business. With any luck, he wouldn't remember to ask after her weekend. And when he told her as soon as she was able, he meant at that moment.
Her chair scraped the floor as she rose to her feet. Samantha entered at that moment, her cheeks flushed with cold.
“I’m off to see the Colonel,” Edith neatened her cap on her bright head, “Don’t leave for lunch till I come back.”
“Oh but I was going to ask if-“ Samantha began but stopped cold with Edith’s glare. Samantha’s face fell, “Yes ma’am.”
“Good. I’ll be back after my meeting.”
Edith didn’t have time to ask after Sergeant Quincey’s feelings. They had work to do. The girl would have to deal with it. Just as Edith did.
The Colonel’s office was warm from a stove roaring in the corner. Sweat gathered under her collar, the cloth chafing her neck. Her father took his time to explain his reason for their meeting but she knew better than to ask him outright.
"There is a football game scheduled for Christmas day." Colonel Dixon rose from his chair as he scanned the calendar on the far wall.
Edith didn't reply, her gaze fixed on the window. The men drilling out in the training fields for whenever they would return to the waiting arms of combat.
"That will be a pleasant distraction." Edith replied, feigning interest, "Is there anything you need, Colonel?"
"I wanted to ask about your time in Paris."
Edith shifted and met her father's eyes as he glanced up at her. She shrugged, tightening her hands into a knot at the small of her back. She had not expected this turn in the conversation.
"It was uneventful, sir."
"Did you see anyone from Mourmelon?"
"Why?" She winced at her sharp tone and tried to cover it with a small smile.
Colonel Dixon studied her face at her reaction, "No reason, just curious."
"I was alone almost the entire time."
Colonel Dixon considered her before giving a yielding nod. "At least now I can tell your mother I haven't kept you buried at a desk like she thinks I am."
There was a firm knock at the door.
"Come in." Colonel Dixon barked, straightening a pile of papers.
As her father's orderly opened the door, she glanced back to the paratroopers outside. Edith bit back the curiosity of what Lieutenant McKay was doing as men marched in the frothy December mist.
"Lieutenant McKay, sir."
Edith jerked forward at the announcement, her hands landing on the back of the chair in front of her. Colonel Dixon gave her a half interested glance before nodding to the orderly.
"Send him in," he peered over at his daughter, "Are you feeling okay, Edith?"
Edith smoothed down her jacket in a calming motion, "Yes, of course."
She heard Alex snap to attention at the door, his boots scuffing the worn floors. Colonel Dixon shifted his attention to McKay and waved him in, "Come in, McKay."
The orderly closed the door. Edith forced her expression to remain blank, her pulse spiking. As he came to stand abreast of her, she kept her gaze forward.
"Alex, I don't know if you have met my daughter Edith-" Colonel Dixon sat down.
"We met back in Aldbourne." Edith interrupted.
Alex bowed his tall frame towards her but didn't meet her eyes, "Lieutenant."
"Good to see you, Lieutenant McKay."
"Good then." Colonel Dixon continued. Edith trained her eyes on her father's worn hands laid flat on his desk. "Porter said you went away on leave this weekend, Alex. That doesn't sound like you."
She could almost see the quiet smile play at his mouth as he shook his head.
"I was pretty much forced to do it."
"Well, I'm glad to hear it. It's good to get away." Colonel Dixon continued with the pleasantries, something contradictory of his nature. It made Edith wary.
"Porter said nearly all the officers left Mourmelon for at least a couple of days."
"Yes, including me. In fact, Major Smith hasn't returned from London yet."
Alex gave an acknowledging hum in his throat. "He went for Colonel Bentley's wedding, correct?"
The blood drained from Edith’s face at the mention of the one event she had dreaded for half a year. Flexing her hands behind her back, her gaze shot to the ground as the men's conversation fuzzed out to a drone. The memory of Colonel Bentley as he'd brushed her hair over her shoulder with a laugh haunted her. She drew in a slow, obvious breath through her mouth.
"Lieutenant?" Her gaze flashed up to her father's face. Colonel Dixon was studying her, his heavy brows drawing low over his narrow eyes. "Edith, are you sure you are feeling alright?"
She gave him a shaky smile, "Of course. May I be dismissed, Colonel? I need to get back to my office."
Colonel Dixon nodded, though his eyes remained suspicious. "Of course, but I wanted to make sure you two knew each other. Lieutenant McKay, please bring a copy of your supply lists to Edith from now on. She will be assisting the supply officer."
Edith was ignorant till then of such a task but she ached to be gone from that room. She couldn't think of anything she wanted more.
"You are both dismissed."
Edith gave a swift salute. Lieutenant McKay opened the door, standing back so she could brush past him towards the exit. She sensed him behind her as they strode into the damp air. His silent presence was jarring. She was desperate to understand how she had managed to let her guard down not once but twice in the past year. It was a record for her.
"Edith."
It was strange to hear him say her first name, she almost didn't recognize it. She stopped short around the corner of a building, out of sight from her father's office. Crossing her arms over her chest, she faced him. He paused with his back to the brick wall.
"I wanted to apologize for this weekend," his voice was hesitant and low, "I should never have suggested meeting you for coffee. Considering our circumstances, I now see it was inappropriate-"
"Lieutenant McKay," mist from her breath materializing between them, "You don't need to apologize. I am sorry. I ended up leaving Paris earlier than I had expected and had no way of informing you."
"Still, I don't want that to make our working relationship uncomfortable for you-"
Edith took a firm step back with a breathy laugh. Alex met her eyes for the first time since walking into her father's office. Edith shook her head, her gaze rolling up into the grey overhead.
"We don't have a working relationship. You will be dropping off weekly reports to me and if that makes me uncomfortable then I would say I am in the wrong line of work." Her tone was sharp as the marital tidings dug into her with a vengeance.
He blinked and wet his lips as though he had more to say. Edith was aghast to feel the tick of tears behind her eyes. An ache in her throat throbbed. She threw her gaze to the wall behind his shoulder and attempted to regain control.
"Edith?" Alex questioned, "What's wrong?"
To her absolute horror, tears welled along her eyelids.
"Oh hang it," she choked, brushing the side of her pointer finger along her lashes with a sniff. Alex took a step forward, his hand extending, "No, it's nothing Alex. Nothing with you. Please."
Before she could embarrass herself any further, she trotted away. Tears burned into her cheeks as she dodged a jeep that blared its horn. She forced herself to focus on her steps. The shallow puddles in the pavement, the cracks in the concrete steps, then the groan of the rusting hinges of her office door. She stalked to her desk at the end of the room, keeping her back to Samantha.
"Oh good, you’re back! I wanted to check with you first before I left for lunch!" Samantha's pitched voice was more shrill than usual. "Would it be possible for me to have a few extra minutes added to my break today?"
"Why?" Edith asked without looking at her, opening a box of pencils by the window behind her work space.
"Well, this weekend, I met someone." Edith could hear the smile in the young woman's voice, "He was at the USO dance. His name is Eddie Hawkins but everyone calls him Smooch. He's a really sweet guy actually and pretty funny. Actually darn near perfect for me-"
"You do whatever you want, Sergeant Quincey. You can go now." Edith sniffed, spilling the writing utensils across her desk and tossing the box in the trash.
Samantha paused as her superior officer bundled the pencils like a bouquet. She set them in a tin cup with a clang. "Thank you, Lieutenant."
Edith dragged the back of her hand over her damp cheeks. She sat down hard in her chair with a heavy sigh. She tried not to imagine what Bentley's new bride was like, it would be beneath her.
"Sergeant Quincey?"
Samantha stopped at the door, finishing the buttons on her coat collar. Her large, dewy green eyes blinked at her usually stoic superior. Edith gave her a tight lipped smile.
"Samantha, do yourself a favor. Never put someone on a pedestal. Especially a man." She couldn't help advising with a soggy, mirthless chuckle.
"Ma’am?"
"Humans are not perfect. They make mistakes, even your near perfect Eddie Hawkins. Someday, whoever you put up there is going to fall and when they do, they will fall hard. Then you are the one left wounded. Understand?" Edith kept her voice from trembling despite the fresh rush of tears climbing up her sore throat.
Samantha gave a wide eyed nod, her mouth parting to say something. Edith tore her eyes to the cup of pencils before her.
"Lock the door after you, please."
ns 15.158.61.55da2
