Disclaimer: The Rat Patrol is not my property. They come out to play sometimes, then I send them home.
Authors note: This one I blame on Brosmom. She got me thinking about a Christmas story.
A Star is Born
By Suzie2b
Hitch smiled at Tully as they waited for Troy and Moffitt at the jeeps. "So what did you get Charley for Christmas?"
Tully continued to stare out at the empty desert as he said, "Peace on earth—good will towards men." Then he sighed and smiled at Hitch. "I don't know. Haven't thought of anything yet."
"Christmas is a week away, Tully. It's too late to order anything good."
"I know. I'll think of something. What about Daisy?"
Hitch replied, "She's been wanting a new outfit for our 'date nights'. So I ordered a dress I noticed she had circled in a catalog … and shoes, can't forget the shoes. And a bottle of her favorite perfume."
Tully grinned. "You went all out."
"Yeah, but Daisy's worth it."
##################
A few days later Tully was still wondering what to get his wife for Christmas. He was at home, absently looking through a book about Christmas that Charley's Aunt Emily had sent. He started to read parts of it and suddenly ideas appeared in his head. But there wasn't much time left—Tully had to hurry.
The next day, after the Rat Patrol returned from a routine patrol, Tully asked Moffitt to go to the marketplace with him. He explained what he was looking for and Moffitt smiled at the idea as he said, "That's very original, Tully. Let's see what we can find."
They walked through the marketplace looking for the required items. Moffitt asked questions and translated when necessary. Two hours later, they had what they came for and left.
As they walked side-by-side, Tully asked, "You know anything about the Christmas Star, sarge?"
Moffitt smiled. "Ah, yes, the Star of Bethlehem. Some believe it was a supernova…"
"What's a supernova?"
"An exploding star. Others believe it was a comet. Still others think it was an unusual configuration of planets in the sky. There was a triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn during 7 BCE, when the two planets passed each other three times in Pisces…"
Tully said, "That's a little over my head, sarge."
Moffitt chuckled quietly and said, "That's all right. I do have a book on constellations and such if you're interested."
"What do you think it was?"
"For me the most plausible idea is that it was a supernova in the western sky, but there wasn't anything like that recorded for that time period." Moffitt stopped and faced his friend as he said, "We'll never know for sure. Now, I'm going back to my quarters to take a shower before supper." He pointed to the packages Tully held. "Do you have a place to hide those?"
Tully looked at the bundles in his arms. "Umm … would you mind…"
Moffitt smiled. "Of course I don't mind."
##################
On Christmas Eve day the Rat Patrol went out on patrol as usual, but there was no sign of any kind of activity. There would be "uneasy truce" until December 26th.
After the jeeps were left in the motor pool, Tully said, "I need to pick up the stuff I bought for Charley."
Moffitt smiled. "Come along then."
Tully retrieved the bundles and quickly went to the roof at headquarters—the tallest building in Ras Tanura. He set up a table with two chairs and quickly went about arranging things for Charley. Then he went home to shower with his wife. They dressed and went to partake in the special meal that Cookie had planned for Christmas Eve.
The mess hall was decorated for the holiday and a tree trimmed with handmade ornament stood in one corner. It was crowded, but everyone was laughing and in a good mood. High Command had sent enough ham, potatoes, other vegetables, and desserts to the troops … and Cookie did an excellent job on the meal.
There were hours of food, dancing, and laughing. After one last dance, Tully checked his watch and said quietly, "Time to go."
Charley looked disappointed. "Already?"
Tully kissed her forehead lightly. "Trust me."
"Always."
Tully took Charley by the hand and led her out of the mess hall. Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch were the only other ones who knew what was going on … and they smiled as they watched the couple leave the party.
##################
Tully and Charley walked hand-in-hand through the mostly deserted streets to headquarters. Charley asked, "What are we doing here?"
Tully grinned. "You'll see." He led her in through a back door that had been left unlocked for them by a friend.
"Since when is the back door unlocked? Major Gleason always…"
"Too many questions." Tully led Charley up a back stairway and opened the door that allowed access to the roof. They walked out into the cool night air and Tully closed the door. Then he kissed the back of Charley's hand and whispered, "Wait here."
Charley squinted into the darkness, trying to see what Tully was doing. Then a small flickering flame appeared as a match was lit and two candles were lit. She gasped with surprise as he started back to her. "What have you done?"
Tully grinned and again took Charley by the hand. "I wanted it be a surprise."
As he led her across the rooftop, Charley said softly, "You certainly have done that."
At the small wooden table, the candles offered just enough light to reveal a spread of cheese and bread, along with several bottles of wine. In the middle of the table there were three decorated wooden boxes.
Charley looked at the varnished boxes as they shone in the candlelight. "What are those?"
Tully said, "Your gift. Merry Christmas, sweetheart."
Charley whispered, "Oh my goodness!"
She sat down as Tully reached for one of the bottles of wine and the opener. "Go ahead and open them."
Charley took the first box and opened the lid. She took what looked to be a shiny rock that glittered in the light of the candles. Charley looked up at Tully questioningly and he said, "It's got gold in it. Historically it served as a precious metal and form of money. This gift would have provided Joseph and Mary with enough to pay for expenses as new parents in Egypt."
Charley smiled and reached for the second box. Upon opening it she found a piece of white resin. Tully explained, "Frankincense … it comes from Boswellia trees. It was used for incense and perfume. It's also been used as a traditional medicine in some cultures. The wise men likely gave frankincense as a perfume or oil to be used for Jesus."
Charley was impressed as she reached for the third box. She opened it and Tully said, "Myrrh has been used throughout history in a variety of ways. It's taken from the resin of trees in Arabia of the Commiphora family and it's often used as a perfume."
He set a cup of wine in front of Charley and she asked, "How do you know all of this?"
Tully smiled. "My mother. Her favorite holiday is Christmas and on every Christmas Eve we would all sit by the tree while she read The Christmas Story from our big family bible."
"Your mother is a wonderful person."
"That she is." Tully took her hand and brought Charley to her feet as he said, "Come on, I want you to see something."
With wine in hand, Tully led her to the western side of the building. There was no moon yet to brighten the clear desert sky and the stars were bright, twinkling points of light.
Charley had never actually looked at the night sky before. "It's beautiful."
Tully nodded and put his arm around his wife as he took a sip of wine. Then he said quietly, "Out there in the western sky was the Christmas Star."
Charley said, "It led the three wise men, among others, to where Jesus was born."
"Can you just imagine a star bigger and brighter than any other?"
Charley simply stared up at the sky in silent awe and sipped her wine. She didn't notice that Tully had walked away … until the music started. The record on the player was her favorite dancing music. Charley turned with a smile as Tully returned to take her into his arms for a dance.
The rest of the evening was spent sipping wine, snacking on bread and cheese, dancing, talking, and laughing.
Unnoticed in the western night sky came a quick flash of light that turned into a brightly glowing "star" that outshone everything else.