Navy Girl
Chapter Four
Miranda, back in her small room, slipped on a Hawaiian-looking dress. Then she ran a brush through her hair and carefully applied some red lipstick at the same time. There was a knock on her door. "One minute!" Miranda called, putting the brush down and closing the lipstick. She unlocked the door and opened it a crack.
Steve stood outside, dressed in his Navy uniform. "Miranda, is everything okay?" he asked before she could say, 'hello, Steve!' Miranda sighed and let him in. He sat on the bed and Miranda sank down beside him.
"You know my…friend, Danny Walker?"
"Yeah, the one you were with at the boxing match today?"
"Yes. Well, after he went home from the match, there was a telegram there telling him that his best friend, who he grew up with and knew all his life, had been shot down in a battle over in England. He's heartbroken." Miranda said. Then, glancing at his apparel, she said, "Why are you dressed in uniform?"
"The same reason you're not." Steve smiled. "The Ladies Auxiliary is having a dance at the firehouse."
"Yeah," said Miranda, looking down into her lap. "I don't know if I'll be staying long, I intend to find Danny and talk to him about Rafe. He needs a friend more than ever now."
"Then, tell you what," said Steve. "I'll drive you. You'll find him faster in a car."
"Okay," Miranda said, smiling. The two hurried down off the ship and found Steve's car, parked in a lot by the harbor. It took only a few minutes to get the firehouse, as there was little traffic. Miranda hopped out and looked around the room.
"He's not here," she said disappointedly as Steve walked up beside her.
"He's not here, yet," Steve said. "How 'bout we have a dance while we wait for him to get here?" "I'm a bad dancer," Miranda warned. Steve grinned.
"So am I," he said, taking her hand and pulling her out onto the dance floor as the swing band started a new song. Steve twirled her around and did a kind of tap dance. Miranda laughed and clutched at a stitch in her side.
"You really are a horrible dancer!" she exclaimed. Then the band started playing a slow tune. Steve held out his hands. "Just as long as you don't start swinging me around," she warned, leaning close to him. He placed his hand on her back and started swaying gently with a mock serious expression on his face.
"I think I liked you better when you were tap dancing," whispered Miranda. "Slow songs don't suit you."
"What do you mean, Ma'am?" said Steve, trying to look hurt. "I'm a wonderful tap dancer!"
Miranda laughed softly as they turned around again. "Oh, look!" Miranda said, spotting a familiar face at the door.
Danny walked in glumly, looking around to see if Miranda had come. Then he spotted her dancing with Steve. An unfamiliar feeling twisted his stomach, and Danny felt gloomier than ever.
Miranda detached herself from Steve and walked over. "Hi, Danny," she said gently. "I'm surprised you're here. I was going to come and find you but Steve suggested that we wait because you just might not be here yet."
Danny sighed, looking around. "What do you say we get out of here, Miranda? I don't want to be around a lot of people right now."
"Sure," Miranda said, waving to Steve, who stood in the middle of a crowd of dancers, alone. Miranda didn't let it bother her, though. She had to take care of Danny now.
Danny walked towards the beach, his hands in his pockets. They strolled along the sand in silence, looking at the stars and listening to the waves. Finally Danny sat down and looked off into the distance, where the lights of the Hula House blazed. He scooped up a handful of sand and let it sift through his fingers.
"He was the best friend I ever had. The only best friend I ever had." He said finally. "Billy and Anthony and Gooz and Red are great, but Rafe was my only best friend. He saved me from my father once."
Miranda was startled at this. "What happened with your father?" she said, putting a hand on his arm.
"My father was a jerk, a wreck, whatever you want to call him." Danny said, lying back on the sand with one arm folded under his head. His other hand reached for Miranda's, who took it and gave it a gentle squeeze. Danny's eyebrows drew together as he studied Miranda with a perplexed look on his face.
"What's the matter, Danny?" said Miranda, leaning over on top of him. He shook his head, disturbing the sand under it.
"I don't know," he said, looking at the sky. "I've just…never felt this way before, really. I feel like I can tell you anything, almost like…almost like the way me and Rafe were, except…different, somehow, I…I don't know," said Danny.
"Oh, Danny," Miranda said, running a hand under his head. "Guess what," she whispered, leaning close so that their noses were almost touching.
"What?" Danny asked, a wary look on his face.
"You have sand in your hair."
Danny grinned. "Close your eyes," he said. Miranda kept them open slightly, but it was so dark she couldn't see anyway. Suddenly, she felt ice-cold water pour down the back of her head and down her dress.
"Ah!" She shrieked, shaking her head like a dog. Danny laughed as she grabbed his arm. Then he yelled too as she threw him into the waves.
"Damn!" He said, poking his head out of the water and pulling Miranda the rest of the way in. "Girls shouldn't be so strong!"
"Welcome to the Navy, hun," Miranda laughed. After a long time, Danny stopped laughing too, leaving only a small smile on his face. He raised a dripping hand out of the ocean and ran it down Miranda's jaw. She smiled as Danny pulled her closer, and finally he kissed her. In the middle of the icy ocean, hotness spread through her body and set fire to her heart at the passion of his kiss.
Unfortunately, a particularly big wave hit at that moment, knocking them both off their feet. In the inky blackness of the water, Miranda groped for Danny's hand but before she found him she found the surface, breathing deeply in. Her hair hung, matted, like string with bits of seaweed in it. She could make out Danny's head popping out of the ocean, scrambling towards the shore before the next wave came in. Miranda pulled herself back onto the sand, breathing heavily. Her dress was soaked and clung closely to her skin, making her feet sticky and uncomfortable. Danny's hula shirt looked like a balloon around his T-shirt, which was sticking to him also.
The night air suddenly felt icy, and Miranda, her teeth chattering, leaned against Danny for warmth. He led her away from the beach and back to the Oklahoma. Miranda told him to wait outside her room while she changed. Then they headed to the barracks at Hickam so Danny could get his spare hula shirt on. Then they walked, arm in arm, down the twinkling main street of Honolulu. They could faintly hear the swing band at the firehouse, but Danny steered Miranda into a deserted café. Coconuts and lei strings hung from the ceiling, providing a Hawaiian aura to the small place. Danny led her into a private booth in the corner, leaning slightly over the table towards her. Miranda let him take her hands in his, because it was comforting and she was still cold. Briefly she wondered if Danny was in love with her, but then she remembered about Rafe and felt guilty about falling in love with his best friend while he was lying at the bottom of the Atlantic, cold and alone.
Miranda started to voice her thoughts when Danny said, "Shh." Then he looked deep into her eyes and said, "Miranda, I'm plenty upset about Rafe, don't think I am. But, I've been thinking," he said, sighing. "Rafe wouldn't want me to dwell on it, I don't think. He had a strange, strange sense of humor, like when he always tried to kill us at Chicken and when he enjoyed jumping off the barn roof, and I think that he would laugh at us if we dwelled on it for too long. He wouldn't want anyone to dig themselves into a hole and spend the rest of their lives crying for him, that's what I honestly think."
Miranda smiled. "Okay."
Danny laughed. "I was pretty miserable when I got to the firehouse, though, wasn't I? I guess being around you makes me happy again."