Navy Girl
Chapter Three
It was a hell of a show, too. A week later Miranda met Danny and his pilot friends Gooz and Billy to see the match. Dorey Miller was fighting one of the men from the Arizona who worked in the boiler room. The match was held on the deck of the Oklahoma, and Miranda had a feeling that she and her fellow sailors would have to mop the deck afterwards- it looked like there was going to be lots of blood.
Danny and Gooz started betting after the first round, which the man from the Arizona had won. "I got the boiler room man," Gooz said.
Danny shook his head. "I'll take the cook."
"Speaking of idiotic pilots!" Miranda said. Danny laughed.
"What, you don't like money?" said Gooz. Miranda agreed.
"I'll put five on him," Danny said. "What about you, Miranda?"
"I'll take the guy from the Arizona any day," she said. Danny snorted.
"Speaking of disloyal sailors!" Danny said, mocking Miranda's tone. The bell rang, signaling the start of the final round.
His head soaking wet, Dorey got up from his corner and held his fists out in front of him. He ducked a throw by the man from the Arizona but threw one into his stomach. Then he got his face.
A few minutes later, Gooz and Miranda were handing Danny the money he had won. Miranda went down to congratulate Dorey.
"Hi, Miranda!" He said as his coach poured another bucket of water over his head.
"That was a great comeback, Dorey," she said, trying to ignore Danny smirking behind her back. "You got that guy good."
"Thanks. Ouch!" Dorey brought his hand to the side of his head. "I have to get to the hospital," he apologized, heading off the ship. "See you later!"
As Miranda watched him leave, she was struck by a thought. Turning to Danny, she said, "Danny, I haven't seen Rafe around lately. Where's he gone to?"
Danny sighed and leaned on the railing of the ship. "He went to England, to join the Royal Air Force." He said, shaking his head. "Dolittle assigned him. He's gone to join the war, and he left me behind."
"I'm sure he didn't mean to do it," Miranda said, rubbing Danny's back with her hand. "He just felt he had to do his duty as a pilot, I suppose, and help England."
"But why'd he have to get himself mixed up in someone else's war?" Danny said, turning towards Miranda. "I don't understand why he had to get himself mixed up in it. I'd bet anything that we'd be in the war before this year is out, so why couldn't he just wait for it?"
Miranda sighed. "Some things we just don't understand," she said, tilting Danny's face towards her with her hand. "Maybe Rafe didn't want to wait, maybe he feels so strongly about the cause that he had to jump at the first chance he had."
Danny looked into Miranda's eyes and put his hand on top of hers, which was still on his cheek. Then he brought it down and grasped her other hand, holding them in his. "I hadn't thought of that before," he said. Then he surprised Miranda by kissing her fingers.
Miranda bit her lip and looked down. She had never been in this situation before.
Danny looked at his watch. "I have to go, Miranda," he said gently. "Meet me tonight, the Navy's having a dance at firehouse in Honolulu."
"Okay, Danny," she said, smiling. "I'll see you."
Quickly, as if he had to do it before he decided not to, Danny gave Miranda a quick kiss and then ran off the ship, waving as he went.
Danny ran towards the barracks at Hickam, feeling as if he was floating on air. He had kissed the first woman in the Navy, and he was feeling on top of the world.
But when he entered the barrack, he saw the gloomy look on the men's faces. Red looked up and saw it was Danny. He smiled sadly and passed him the piece of paper in his hand.
The Royal Air Force of England regrets to inform you that Rafe McCawley has been killed in action.
Danny's whole body felt like it was being thrown into a huge pool of ice- and then he went numb. Slowly he walked back up the gangplank to the Oklahoma. Miranda was mopping blood off the deck where the fight had been. Her hair was coming loose from her ponytail and it hung around her face. Under different circumstances, Danny would have thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world. But now all he thought about was Rafe.
Miranda sensed that someone stood behind her and she turned around. "Danny," she said happily, but there was a confused look on her face. "What are you doing back here?" Then she saw the look on his face and dropped the mop onto the ship's deck. She went over to him. "What's wrong, Danny? What happened?"
Danny slipped the paper into her hand, and Miranda read it twice. Then she dropped the paper and looked at Danny, who was staring out into the distance. "Oh, Danny!" she said, throwing her arms around his neck. Without emotion, he put his arms around her. "I'm so sorry, Danny," Miranda was saying. "Rafe- oh!"
"Miranda!" one of the soldiers hissed. "Captain Smith is coming!"
"I have to go, Danny," Miranda said hurriedly. "Hide, okay? Get off the ship before he sees you. I'll meet you tonight, okay?" Miranda ran back to her mop and continued scrubbing as the captain walked towards them. Everyone who was mopping stood straight up and saluted. The Captain surveyed their work and then saluted, walking back along the ship. Miranda hurried over to look for Danny, but he was gone.
She went back to her mop, feeling sad and lost. It seemed as if Rafe had always been there, a pleasant thing in the background, like a lullaby or something, and now he was gone. Miranda fought back her tears so the other soldiers wouldn't see, but Steve sensed that something was wrong.
"Hey, Miranda," Steve muttered out of the corner of his mouth, "something wrong?"
Miranda took a shuddering breath, then said, "no, everything's alright." Her voice came out higher than usual. Steve went away, but Miranda could tell that he was unconvinced. Miranda's thoughts returned to Danny. He must be so upset- Rafe had been older than him and they had known each other all Danny's life, and then he just went away. Miranda wondered if Danny would be at the firehouse tonight, even though she didn't really expect him to be. Oh well, she would just find him at his barracks at Hickam. Miranda felt that Danny needed someone to talk to.