Part Three: Some Like It Hot
Tony was about to go in search of something to wear when the phone rang.
He and Roger looked at each other. "Who could be calling now?"
"Maybe it's Jeannie," Roger said hopefully.
Tony nodded and picked up the phone. "Hello?" he said. (Roger shook his head fervently and mouthed 'Your voice' to him.) Realizing what he'd just done, he cleared his throat and dropped down to a whisper. "Hello?" he repeated.
"Tony?" came the puzzled response from the other end of the line.
"General Peterson?" he asked, still whispering.
"Tony, is that you? Do you have a cold or something?"
"Laryngitis," he said hastily. "I think it's going around."
"Oh. Tony, I need you and Major Healey to stop by the base sometime today to pick up the data on the latest lunar mission simulation. I hate to drop this in your lap on your day off, but General Burke is really hammering me to have it in to him on Monday."
"That's all right, sir," he replied. "We'll have it ready and on your desk Monday morning."
"That's great, son. And if you see Major Healey, let him know too. I've been trying to reach him, but there's no answer at his apartment."
"He's probably on his way here," said Tony. "I'll tell him when he gets in."
"Thanks."
"We'll have *what* ready for him on Monday morning?" Roger asked suspiciously, after Tony hung up.
"Our report on the latest lunar simulation."
"But all our work on it is at the base."
"I know."
"But that means you have to go there and get it."
"No, Roger," he replied evenly. "It means *we* have to go there and get it."
"Me?" he asked, putting a hand to his chest. "But I can't go out. I'm about to be in the middle of a delicate condition."
"I'm going to get you something that will take care of that," he said patiently.
"But what about our clothes? You may be able to get away with a trip to the drugstore dressed like everything but your husband's things are in the laundry, but we can't go to the base like that. Someone's bound to see us and start asking questions."
"You're right," Tony agreed. "So while I'm out, I'm going to get us something to wear."
"I hope you don't try to use your credit card; you sure don't look like a Tony anymore," Roger said with a grin.
"I'm not going to buy anything," he said. "I'm going to.borrow some things."
Roger's mouth fell open. "You mean steal? How are you going to do that? It's not like you can physically overpower some girls and take their stuff, you'll get arrested."
"I'm not going to rob anyone, Rog, I'm going to borrow a few things from people's clotheslines. We can return them after Jeannie gets back.I hope," he said, under his breath. He hoped Jeannie wouldn't be carrying on this 'lesson' for very much longer.
Roger looked like he was about to protest again, but Tony cut him off. "If I'm going back to the base, then you're coming with me. But first, I need to get dressed."
"Good luck," said Roger, settling in on the couch and turning on the TV.
Tony hurried back into his bedroom, searching his closet and dresser until he found something he might be able to get away with. A pair of shorts -- rather long on him, but he wasn't really up to showing that much leg anyway. (Jeannie seemed to have taken modern cultural biases into account, as he thankfully didn't have to shave his legs before going out this morning.) He also chose a belt to hold the shorts up, a short-sleeved shirt, and an old pair of sneakers that he could lace tightly -- they were still much too large, but they were the closest he could get.
He paused in front of the mirror, mainly to make sure he wasn't inadvertently exposing anything he shouldn't. He was a little afraid of what he was going to see, but he had to admit that he didn't look bad. His hair was long and curled softly around his shoulders, and his eyes were bright and framed by long dark lashes. Like Roger, he could have passed for a close relative of who he really was.
"Aw, you look really cute, Tony," said Roger, after he'd come back to the living room.
"I'll take that as a compliment," he said wryly. "Now look, Rog, you just sit tight -- I'll bring back something for you, and I'll try to find something for us to wear. All right?"
"All right," he said. "But nothing in red.I don't look good in red."
Tony sighed. "Whatever you say."
Tony was about to go in search of something to wear when the phone rang.
He and Roger looked at each other. "Who could be calling now?"
"Maybe it's Jeannie," Roger said hopefully.
Tony nodded and picked up the phone. "Hello?" he said. (Roger shook his head fervently and mouthed 'Your voice' to him.) Realizing what he'd just done, he cleared his throat and dropped down to a whisper. "Hello?" he repeated.
"Tony?" came the puzzled response from the other end of the line.
"General Peterson?" he asked, still whispering.
"Tony, is that you? Do you have a cold or something?"
"Laryngitis," he said hastily. "I think it's going around."
"Oh. Tony, I need you and Major Healey to stop by the base sometime today to pick up the data on the latest lunar mission simulation. I hate to drop this in your lap on your day off, but General Burke is really hammering me to have it in to him on Monday."
"That's all right, sir," he replied. "We'll have it ready and on your desk Monday morning."
"That's great, son. And if you see Major Healey, let him know too. I've been trying to reach him, but there's no answer at his apartment."
"He's probably on his way here," said Tony. "I'll tell him when he gets in."
"Thanks."
"We'll have *what* ready for him on Monday morning?" Roger asked suspiciously, after Tony hung up.
"Our report on the latest lunar simulation."
"But all our work on it is at the base."
"I know."
"But that means you have to go there and get it."
"No, Roger," he replied evenly. "It means *we* have to go there and get it."
"Me?" he asked, putting a hand to his chest. "But I can't go out. I'm about to be in the middle of a delicate condition."
"I'm going to get you something that will take care of that," he said patiently.
"But what about our clothes? You may be able to get away with a trip to the drugstore dressed like everything but your husband's things are in the laundry, but we can't go to the base like that. Someone's bound to see us and start asking questions."
"You're right," Tony agreed. "So while I'm out, I'm going to get us something to wear."
"I hope you don't try to use your credit card; you sure don't look like a Tony anymore," Roger said with a grin.
"I'm not going to buy anything," he said. "I'm going to.borrow some things."
Roger's mouth fell open. "You mean steal? How are you going to do that? It's not like you can physically overpower some girls and take their stuff, you'll get arrested."
"I'm not going to rob anyone, Rog, I'm going to borrow a few things from people's clotheslines. We can return them after Jeannie gets back.I hope," he said, under his breath. He hoped Jeannie wouldn't be carrying on this 'lesson' for very much longer.
Roger looked like he was about to protest again, but Tony cut him off. "If I'm going back to the base, then you're coming with me. But first, I need to get dressed."
"Good luck," said Roger, settling in on the couch and turning on the TV.
Tony hurried back into his bedroom, searching his closet and dresser until he found something he might be able to get away with. A pair of shorts -- rather long on him, but he wasn't really up to showing that much leg anyway. (Jeannie seemed to have taken modern cultural biases into account, as he thankfully didn't have to shave his legs before going out this morning.) He also chose a belt to hold the shorts up, a short-sleeved shirt, and an old pair of sneakers that he could lace tightly -- they were still much too large, but they were the closest he could get.
He paused in front of the mirror, mainly to make sure he wasn't inadvertently exposing anything he shouldn't. He was a little afraid of what he was going to see, but he had to admit that he didn't look bad. His hair was long and curled softly around his shoulders, and his eyes were bright and framed by long dark lashes. Like Roger, he could have passed for a close relative of who he really was.
"Aw, you look really cute, Tony," said Roger, after he'd come back to the living room.
"I'll take that as a compliment," he said wryly. "Now look, Rog, you just sit tight -- I'll bring back something for you, and I'll try to find something for us to wear. All right?"
"All right," he said. "But nothing in red.I don't look good in red."
Tony sighed. "Whatever you say."
