~*~*~*~*~*~*~
TWO WEEKS LATER
0614 ZULU
HARM'S APARTMENT
NORTH OF UNION STATION
I lie awake in my bed again, this time thinking about another ring. Not only am I thinking about it, I have it in my hand and am looking at it. It really is very nice.
I've been doing this for almost a week; just staring at the ring, hoping and praying that someday it will be on my Marine's finger. I've often decided to go over to Mac's apartment and ask her to marry me, but I always stop just as I reach for the door of my apartment. Now that I think of it, it's almost like that song. I have no idea who it's by, but it goes something like this:
I resolve to call you up a thousand times a day
And ask you to marry me in some old fashioned way.
The telephone rings sharply in my ear. I pick it up.
"Hello," I say.
"Harm," Mac says, there are tears in her voice, "he's gone."
"Who? Mic?" She sniffles,
"Yeah."
"Why? What happened?" She pauses a moment, gathering her thoughts.
"Just – could you come over here and I'll tell you all about it?"
"Yeah, of course, I'll be right over," I say gently With that, I hang up the phone prior to heading out the door, but not before grabbing the ring. . .just in case.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
0632 ZULU
MAC'S APARTMENT
GEORGETOWN
The knock I've been awaiting finally comes to the door. I open it and Harm immediately envelops me in his arms. I close my eyes for just a moment and revel in his touch before moving.
"Let's sit on the couch. I, uh, have a lot to tell you." We sit down on the couch. I make sure I'm not sitting to close to him.
"Sarah," he says gently. I take a shaky breath. That man doesn't know what he can do to me by saying just one word. Maybe it's about time you tell him, my mind tells me. I mentally tell it to shut up. "What happened?" he finishes. I can tell he wants to reach out an arm and comfort me, but he knows I won't let him.
"I had that dream again." I say, being very vague.
"Which one?" he asks.
"The one where you get thrown off the. . .b – ferry," I say the last word decisively, trying to give him a hint. I think he might have noticed.
"What does this have to do with Mic leaving?" he asks carefully.
"Mic was here, sleeping here. . .in my bed, when I had the dream. He wanted me to tell him about it. . .so I did." He has no idea what I am talking about, and I know that. He reaches his hand to cover mine and looks at me with those beckoning eyes.
"I don't understand. You have to tell me from the beginning, Mac."
"I," I say with a sigh, "will tell you my dream and the rest should fall into place." He nods, so I continue, "You know that Mic proposed to me on the ferry. He was in his dress whites and the whole deal. Well, in my dream. . .he's not the one proposing to me in his dress whites on the ferry." At this point, I look up into his eyes, "You are." I can visibly see the surprise in his face. I continue, "It's that same night that you pushed me away. I'm wearing the same green dress." When I say this, he gets a faraway, dreamy look in his eyes. I have to finish this so I continue,
"You get down on one knee and propose to me. I – I accept without a second's delay and we – well, we kiss." I search his eyes, trying to find out what he's thinking. He looks shocked, I think. Since he's obviously not going to say anything, I continue, "Then I woke up, breathing hard. Mic woke up because of me and asked what was wrong. I told him it was just a dream and to go back to bed. He wanted to hear about it. I told him he didn't really want to. We went back and forth until I finally told him and he got really upset. He told me to give him the ring, and he left angrily." There is silence for a moment. Then Harm speaks,
"Mac, I – I'm so sorry. This must be incredibly hard on you." I nod, tears springing to my eyes again. Harm tentatively reaches his other arm around my shoulder. When I don't resist, he pulls me to him.
"You really loved him, didn't you?" he says once my crying slows down some. About to reply with a yes, I realize that it isn't true.
"I'm not sure," I respond finally. Obviously, that wasn't the answer he thought he'd get from me.
"Well, then why are you so upset and. . .sad?" I hesitate and think about it a moment. Then it hits me like a brick. It's a big brick.
"I don't want to be alone," I say. Harm looks at me a moment, then kisses the top of my head. I revel in the feel of it, closing my eyes for a second. I wish this moment could last forever.
"You don't have to be alone, Sarah," he says. "I'm here for you, always."
"I know," I sigh contentedly. "I know."
"Now get some rest," he says gently. Soon, we both fall asleep.
TWO WEEKS LATER
0614 ZULU
HARM'S APARTMENT
NORTH OF UNION STATION
I lie awake in my bed again, this time thinking about another ring. Not only am I thinking about it, I have it in my hand and am looking at it. It really is very nice.
I've been doing this for almost a week; just staring at the ring, hoping and praying that someday it will be on my Marine's finger. I've often decided to go over to Mac's apartment and ask her to marry me, but I always stop just as I reach for the door of my apartment. Now that I think of it, it's almost like that song. I have no idea who it's by, but it goes something like this:
I resolve to call you up a thousand times a day
And ask you to marry me in some old fashioned way.
The telephone rings sharply in my ear. I pick it up.
"Hello," I say.
"Harm," Mac says, there are tears in her voice, "he's gone."
"Who? Mic?" She sniffles,
"Yeah."
"Why? What happened?" She pauses a moment, gathering her thoughts.
"Just – could you come over here and I'll tell you all about it?"
"Yeah, of course, I'll be right over," I say gently With that, I hang up the phone prior to heading out the door, but not before grabbing the ring. . .just in case.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
0632 ZULU
MAC'S APARTMENT
GEORGETOWN
The knock I've been awaiting finally comes to the door. I open it and Harm immediately envelops me in his arms. I close my eyes for just a moment and revel in his touch before moving.
"Let's sit on the couch. I, uh, have a lot to tell you." We sit down on the couch. I make sure I'm not sitting to close to him.
"Sarah," he says gently. I take a shaky breath. That man doesn't know what he can do to me by saying just one word. Maybe it's about time you tell him, my mind tells me. I mentally tell it to shut up. "What happened?" he finishes. I can tell he wants to reach out an arm and comfort me, but he knows I won't let him.
"I had that dream again." I say, being very vague.
"Which one?" he asks.
"The one where you get thrown off the. . .b – ferry," I say the last word decisively, trying to give him a hint. I think he might have noticed.
"What does this have to do with Mic leaving?" he asks carefully.
"Mic was here, sleeping here. . .in my bed, when I had the dream. He wanted me to tell him about it. . .so I did." He has no idea what I am talking about, and I know that. He reaches his hand to cover mine and looks at me with those beckoning eyes.
"I don't understand. You have to tell me from the beginning, Mac."
"I," I say with a sigh, "will tell you my dream and the rest should fall into place." He nods, so I continue, "You know that Mic proposed to me on the ferry. He was in his dress whites and the whole deal. Well, in my dream. . .he's not the one proposing to me in his dress whites on the ferry." At this point, I look up into his eyes, "You are." I can visibly see the surprise in his face. I continue, "It's that same night that you pushed me away. I'm wearing the same green dress." When I say this, he gets a faraway, dreamy look in his eyes. I have to finish this so I continue,
"You get down on one knee and propose to me. I – I accept without a second's delay and we – well, we kiss." I search his eyes, trying to find out what he's thinking. He looks shocked, I think. Since he's obviously not going to say anything, I continue, "Then I woke up, breathing hard. Mic woke up because of me and asked what was wrong. I told him it was just a dream and to go back to bed. He wanted to hear about it. I told him he didn't really want to. We went back and forth until I finally told him and he got really upset. He told me to give him the ring, and he left angrily." There is silence for a moment. Then Harm speaks,
"Mac, I – I'm so sorry. This must be incredibly hard on you." I nod, tears springing to my eyes again. Harm tentatively reaches his other arm around my shoulder. When I don't resist, he pulls me to him.
"You really loved him, didn't you?" he says once my crying slows down some. About to reply with a yes, I realize that it isn't true.
"I'm not sure," I respond finally. Obviously, that wasn't the answer he thought he'd get from me.
"Well, then why are you so upset and. . .sad?" I hesitate and think about it a moment. Then it hits me like a brick. It's a big brick.
"I don't want to be alone," I say. Harm looks at me a moment, then kisses the top of my head. I revel in the feel of it, closing my eyes for a second. I wish this moment could last forever.
"You don't have to be alone, Sarah," he says. "I'm here for you, always."
"I know," I sigh contentedly. "I know."
"Now get some rest," he says gently. Soon, we both fall asleep.