Making Moves

Chapter 28

Paying it Forward

Not mine, but letting these fabulous characters out for a play in Paradise is so much fun. Thanks to Janet for the characters you recognise.

o.o.o

"So when did this all happen?! And you were going to tell me? When?"

I laid all the cards on the table. Despite my secrecy, Stephanie was very forgiving since it was all for a good cause. Not that my secrecy was deceitful or dishonest, but more that it was a necessary business transaction. While we were on St Thomas at the resort, I had set things in motion.

I remember it was one of those memorable mornings last week, after a wonderful, indulgent night, while she was sleeping soundly, late into the morning, re-energising and recovering. I was also re-energised. So, call me smug, but I was a very happy smug bastard. Quickly, I had made arrangements with the Consul and Veterans' Affairs on St Thomas, for our community service project. Official confirmation was prompt and welcomely received. They were very supportive and appreciated our decision to take it upon ourselves to commit here, in the US Virgin Islands.

Our mission would be twofold: repairs and reconnection for the isolated villages on the hillside, still with tarps; and visiting the Vets. The school repairs came as a later decision. I was really hoping Steph would choose or see something, preferably close to her heart, to initiate the third deed. I didn't have to wait long. I immediately knew when she had made her choice. The Core team were quick to endorse the plan with Stephanie's addition, and, between us, we set the wheels in motion for a big delivery. Because this was not the first time we had done this sort of thing, everybody knew what was required. Approval for the shipment of perishable supplies, and equipment were the primary tasks. We used our contacts for contractors whom we trusted and had used many times before. The rest we would accomplish ourselves.

Those homes which we saw from the plane with the blue tarps, were still isolated, cut-off from their only route to the main town, obviously caused by the destruction of the hurricanes' wild winds and torrential rain, with so many fallen trees and large rocks and boulders. This on its own was usually not a major issue to overcome, but the landslide made it a complicated and hazardous repair.

More functional temporary generators had been ordered and would be airlifted by helicopter, with extra water supplies, and other necessary provisions. Larger equipment would arrive on a special shipment tomorrow morning. Hiring of larger earthmoving equipment from the town would expedite the works.

I immediately sought out Mack, a former army buddy, now retired, but still actively involved, especially for specialist consultations. He had responded eagerly to this plan. He was our go-to man in these type of situations and emergencies, and we had used him many times before. He surveyed the scene from a helicopter last week. His expertise, knowledge and experiences from many years in the US Army Corps of Engineers was essential in ensuring safety and success. He wasn't a cowboy which is why we connected so well. I knew that I could assign him that part of our mission independently, knowing it would be done proficiently. Rangeman would cover all costs involved but we knew he would donate his own time regardless of our protests. He was now more of a philanthropist and he liked being part of these sort of projects.

Presently, the locals only had access with the use of horses which allowed some supplies to come through to their villages on a longer alternative route. But that had many limitations, especially hampered by the more difficult approach via the road from the west side. Mack asked the villagers what the pressing needs were and took that on board in addition to his professional observations.

Along with a special team of army engineers, their first priority was clearing the rubble and stabilising the hillside. Simultaneously, the temporary generators were set up much to the relief of the locals. They enabled the power to remain on longer and would not burn out so readily. Mack was confident to repair and stabilise road access, to clear and reconnect homes back to the power grid, manage roof repairs and soon enable to use of the preferred, shorter route to town by two, maybe three weeks at the most.

Hawkeye, the helicopter pilot was eager to assist with aerial deliveries- another military man of course. We had crossed paths many times and I trusted him implicitly on many a night mission as our extraction pilot. Hawkeye and Mack had worked together before and that was providential.

With my contacts at the VA, Rusty and Snake, with whom I had served on a number of missions, I soon had a priority program for the retired military vets who would benefit from our visit and possibly some team building activities. Fresh faces and someone to share is always beneficial. Retiring here in the US Virgin Islands had been therapeutic for many military personnel and the island lifestyle was conducive to their recovery and, to a degree, coping with their various post-deployment medical conditions both physical and PTDS related. It's not a cure, but it was important to us making time to talk, listen, share and catch up with the service men and women at the facilities here on St Thomas.

Thirdly, Stephanie's Mission, the school needed upgrading of their outdoor and playground facilities. She had engaged the assistance of the head teacher and liaised with his staff who were very excited with her proposition. The children were asked for a hypothetical playground wish list. With that information, new outdoor play areas and a covered assembly area were devised. Delivery would coincide with the other shipment, now arriving tomorrow.

o.o.o

To say that Stephanie was beside herself while we waited for their plane to land, was an understatement. With so many large men, the first class and business class sections were combined. I had requisitioned for a special aircraft to accommodate our needs for the comfort of my men.

We could see their silhouettes behind the translucent screens and she delighted in guessing who was who.

"Omigod. That's Tank and those next two have to be Cal and Hal, no mistaking their massive shoulders and size."

She scanned the next set as they were processed in the queue.

"Oh yeah. I know that's Lester, because he's the most animated and talking so much and that would be Bobby with him for sure. I can see the cornrows' outline. I bet the immigration officer is a woman."

I chuckled and knew she was right. Then it got a bit crowded and harder to discern them distinctly.

"Oh yeah! I see Ram and Vince. They're easy to spot with their height and that one has to be Woody with his broad shoulders and that swagger."

She jumped up and down gleefully, grabbing my arm.

"Ohhh! I see Hector! And Zero, and Zip and that one has to be Junior! No doubt about it. Omigod, how many of my Merry Men are here, Carlos? Is that Manny too? And there's another Merry Man. Is that Miguel?"

"Not bad, Babe. But you missed a couple."

Confused, she scrutinised more closely.

"A couple."

"Yeah, a couple."

"A couple?"

Cute. She looked at me even more confused with that characteristic thoughtful, pondering pout, then she recounted to confirm her identifications. I grinned as the first passengers arrived through the sliding doors.

Stephanie squealed as she ran towards Ella and Luis, hugging Ella tightly. The rest of her Merry Men soon followed, quickly crowding the arrivals area, each taking turns to hug her and shake hands or greet me in the various ways we do with fist bumps and all.

While we were being ushered to move out of the receiving area, which is not an easy task considering their size and sheer bulk en masse, two things happened simultaneously, instantly putting the men on alert.

There was a loud shout of surprise, in Spanish, causing everyone to turn in that direction, and, at the same time it was accompanied by a massive thump to my shoulder from Tank. It was Hector's loud shout that promptly had all the men taking a defensive stance surrounding Stephanie completely. Alas, their weapons were in secure baggage still to be collected. Stephanie giggled at their various poses, not unlike Charlie's Angels, sans weapons.

"Hermano! Hermosa!"

The normally cool and calm Hector, the all-seeing Hector, was the first to grab Stephanie in a big hug and sweep her off her feet in a happy circle of joy as he kissed her on both cheeks.

"Dios! The ring! Holy shit! You're engaged!"

"About fucking time, man!" at the same time from Tank. He man-hugged me firmly with huge thumps on my back.

"Phew. That's a relief. Jeez, I feel so naked without my weapons," Lester muttered, with nods of agreement as they all eased up, breathing a collective sigh of relief with the all clear, followed by multiple gasps of surprise and curious eyes for confirmation as they processed this second bit of vital information.

"What did you say?!"

Quick glances to me and then to Stephanie confirmed Hector's spontaneous outburst.

Hector was holding Stephanie's sparkling left hand aloft triumphantly, before she was yanked back firmly by Ella with a fierce glare and a sinister grin if they dared to interrupt her. Respect and smiles, grinning and lots of back slapping. More hugging and congratulations. I stood back, watching, but not for long.

"You lucky bastard."

"You'd better be good to her, Ranger."

This was said tongue in cheek, but I understood the implied threat and nodded my head.

"Congratulations, Hermano."

Most of this was said with respect and awe, and a degree of wistfulness. They adored and respected Stephanie, their little Range-Sister.

"HOOAH!"

Everyone around us was smiling and appeared to be enjoying the loud exuberance and energy of our group.

"When?!"

"Sunset." Stephanie dead-panned.

"Where?"

"On the beach."

"Aw. Rangeman. That sounds fucking romantic."

"HOOAH!"

With that last remark from her Merry Men, she couldn't maintain her blank face any longer. Their animated expressions and warm responses played against her. I could tell she was enjoying their excitement so much with the rapid fire questions. Her elation was infectious. Not bad for a bunch of scary looking men of muscle. I walked over and squeezed her shoulder and took the stand beside her, united, and grinned down at her. Taking her by the chin gently, I gave her thorough kiss, which earned another cheer.

"HOOAH!"

Tank came up beside me as we waited for them to collect their luggage from the carousel.

"Who would have thought these war-seasoned warriors would behave like a bunch of bridesmaids?" He chuckled at his own philosophical tone and grinned at me.

"Yeah. Go figure."

"Oh, damnit! You guys got married without us."

My men actually froze and pouted. I couldn't resist the smile as I winked at my fiancée.

"Nope."

"So … you're engaged, but not married, yet?"

She only smiled in answer to this hopeful question.

"When's the wedding? You are getting married? Right?"

"Well, we thought we'd wait until you all arrived because our Rangeman family is very important to us. So, we wanted to share our special day with you all, here in the Virgin Islands."

"HOOAH!"

"So, I'll ask again, … When?"

"After our community service, next week."

This was met with approval and high-fives.

"Does that mean we can be the groomsmen?"

"Or the bridesmaids!"

The laughter was good to see, like one big happy family. Ella hugged me and just beamed with her eyes glistening as Luis shook both my hands in a warm double grip.

Finally, we made it out of the airport and loaded everyone onto the shuttle bus to the resort. The second shuttle bus took all the luggage. The concierge was prepared and was proficient with the admissions process. Rooms were allocated close together. Ella and Luis were in an executive suite in lieu of the extra demands in looking after Rangeman and the men. We agreed to meet within an hour in the lobby with their swimming gear. Casual and relaxed was the order of the day for some playtime and an overview of our Paying It Forward Mission, this year's community service project.

They arrived in a huge array of colours with hats and sunglasses on, which caused quite a distraction in the lobby. A captive audience had gathered. Time to move on out.

"So many fine young men, Ella. Aren't we the lucky ones?" Stephanie winked at Ella.

She smiled at me and squeezed my hand.

The bus took us to ferry and from there we went across to St John and were bused to Coral Bay. On the beach were a number of dinghies and kayaks. After a quick explanation, bags were loaded into the dinghies and they chose their own way to reach the pontoon party boat. Predictably, the SEALs decided to swim over and in no time at all, the whole happy motley crew was aboard.

After setting the bags and backpacks aside I gathered everybody to sit at the tables in front of the whiteboard. I explained how Mack and his team of engineers were unloading the shipments for each task. The air freighters arrived promptly and Mack confirmed that all items for safely accounted for. I outlined the three components of our plan which was met with approval. They smiled at Stephanie's plan. It was a refreshing concept, unlike any other task we had done before.

Once the details were outlined and the logistics and timing was arranged, it was party time.

Inside was a fridge with water and a wide variety of bottled beers in a large ice bath. Food snacks made an appetising display with cut up tropical fruit platters, and dipping vegetables, sushi, crackers and dips. Bobby and Woody decided to man the bar. On the deck were reclining deck chairs, with options for sitting in the sun or under the shade of the canopies and colourful umbrellas. Inside were the tables and chairs which we moved to the edges and some comfortable sofas. Vince and Junior became the DJs and the party atmosphere was gaining momentum.

Snorkels, fins and masks were available for snorkelling to the reef nearby in the crystal clear waters. A large set of towels and beach towels were available. The upper deck had more reclining loungers and a couple of hammocks.

Outside the pontoon was a colourful selection of inflatables, canoes, stand-up boards with paddles and a few jet skis.

"Shotgun the pink flamingo!"

Laughter and shaking heads. This was a good start. These people had really earned this break and I felt content with this scenario as a reward for my loyal team.

Stephanie removed her turquoise coverall to have a swim and silence descended on the boat.

"What? Guys? Is something wrong?"

"Nope."

"Not from here."

"Shit no!"

"Brussel sprouts."

"Grandma Mazur."

"Siberian ice bath."

"You look mighty fine, Angel."

"I reckon you two have been very –"

Lester was swiftly upside-slapped by first Hal and then Tank.

"You look bloody fantastic, Bomber."

"Thank you. Well, I have to admit, you all look pretty awesome, too."

"Hey! Pretty?! We're men. We don't do pretty. Handsome, yes. Pretty, no."

Before she knew what was happening, Zip and Ram suddenly grabbed her and ran with her leaping off the pontoon into the sparkling waters. Stephanie was shrieking and laughing and it was on. Everyone plunged into the water.

We snorkelled to the reef while Hal, Cal, Woody and Vince free-dived. Steph was amazed at their ability to stay down so long without surfacing for air. Hal grinned and beckoned to Steph to show her something he saw under the reef ledges. She moved so well in the water. He indicated the starfish, the colourful corals especially the sea fan. She hearted him when he pointed to the anemones with her favourite 'Nemos' and some spiky sea urchins. Then he pointed to a rock which suddenly changed colours and texture to reveal itself as an octopus which quickly slunk away. The cluster of lobsters hiding under the ledge and in the crevices made her curious because all she saw was a bunch of long feelers at first. She gave him the thumbs up when she recognised them and rubbed her tummy deliciously.

A sea turtle was casually swimming by as Hal indicated up to the surface. He listened to her excited recount. When he admired her endurance and how her breathing relaxed when she was in awe all of the wonderful marine life, she beamed. Since we arrived here, snorkelling was second to parasailing among a list of many favourite activities.

From the loungers we lay in the sun watching Manny and Miguel set up a mini water polo game with some weighted inflatable goals. That and the inflatable banana boat and that colourful water trampoline had these big men frolicking in the warm waters like a bunch of kids. Tank leapt from the pontoon onto the trampoline sending Hector and Zero flying into the air.

"So much better than Point Pleasant, Carlos. It's great to see my Merry Men letting loose."

I gave her a bottle of water and we enjoyed watching our Rangeman family alongside Ella and Luis. They had as much fun on the inflatable flip flops. At one stage we were all bobbing around in the water either in colourful tubes or the various inflatables. Luis and Hector had been taking photos from above and in and under the water. A few of the guys made good use of their go pros.

It was definitely fun, relaxing and a pleasant way to celebrate in the sun and the sea. Leisurely recovery before our busy week was deliberately planned and paid off.

After packing up and collecting all the inflatables and securing everything we made our way back to the beach in the dinghies and on to the resort.

A barbecue on the beach at the resort, surrounded with lit tiki torches as the sun went down, capped off a really great day. I could tell that everybody enjoyed this escape from Trenton with their flight and finishing with a wonderful time at the pontoon party boat. It's rare for us to let our hair down like this, altogether.

An early start after a group run on the beach before sunrise followed by a hearty breakfast on the terrace and we were set to start our PIF Mission.

o.o.o

TBC

These guys really needed this fun in the sun. Of course with all that frolicking, the Merry Men hijacked the chapter somewhat. Can you imagine what a lovely drool-worthy sight it would be watching all these buff men with water glistening off their beautiful muscular buff bodies, dripping … sighhh …