Amber, now finished with her shift, handed Steve his folder, fresh with the
scent of the green stamp. As she watched him turn away, she had no doubt
that the stunt he and Soda tried to pull had been done in the past. She
smiled and gathered up her purse, when a small hand landed square on her
shoulder. She whirled around to see Rebecca, an anxious expression
plastered on her face.
"Hey Amber, look I hate to do this to you, but could you cover my next shift for me? Dave's leaving in an hour, and I promised I'd see him off."
The pleading light in her eyes made it impossible for Amber to say no. After all, suppose there was a war coming their way? Britain was already stuck in the middle of it, making bombs while we were busy making refrigerators. No, she'd stay here, and wait for Becca to get back, saying a silent prayer for Dave, just in case.
"Sure, take your time."
"Thanks so much! I owe you big time."
"Wait, what's your station?"
"Shots."
Amber threw her head back in laughter, and blushed as a few people around her began to stare. It certainly was her day, wasn't it? When saying shots, of course, dear Becca had meant the one where the boys was inclined to drop his skivvies, and promptly receive a shot on his ass. Oh, she was going to have fun. Within minutes she had long line of men to prick and she was eagerly looking forward to it, when, to her utter surprise, a familiar face popped into view.
"Lt. Curtis!"
"Lt. Billows."
He tried to maintain a straight face, but, not being fond of using formalities, his solemn expression soon turned into a toothy grin. Lorelei had no choice but to smile back......she couldn't help it.
"I'm glad our still here, I've been meaning to talk to you." He said earnestly.
"Oh?"
"Yeah....well first I wanted to thank you for passing me, I don't know why you did it, but I'm grateful all the same. And........I was also wondering if you'd...well...."
Her mind still halfway on the task at hand, she took his arm and pulled him around the table, and placed a clean needle in between her nimble fingers. Soda, meanwhile, wasn't focused at all, and promptly pulled down his pants a bit in the back. Unbeknownst to Amber, and forgotten by Soda was the fact that he had already had the shot once today. He kept talking.
"If you'd like to have dinner with me tonig----------OUCH!"
She'd stuck in the needle and smiled wryly, all the while thinking how cute his butt was.
"Oh, I hope that didn't go to deep." She said, faking an innocent smile.
"Ooh, I think you got the bone there!"
"Sorry."
"Yeah....well anyway, what I was going to say is that I really lick you....like you! I really *like* you."
She bit her tongue to keep from laughing. Soda's face was now scarlet and he began to fiddle with his fingers.
"So....*cough*....er, whadda say?"
"Oh, I don't think so."
He frowned, still not facing her. Never in his entire life had a girl turned him down, and the feeling of rejection was a bitter one. Of course the feeling of her injecting him the needle for a second was not comforting either, though he was standing up at this point. He tried again.
"Look miss, I don't mean any disrespect or anything, I'd just like to thank you for passing me, no pressure at all."
"I dunno........."
She stopped at that moment, for he instantly started to look dizzy and sway to and fro, and his eyes clouded over.
"Soda?"
"Mmmm?" His voice sounded groggy.
She asked him the question slowly but panicky. "How many times have you had this shot?"
"Uh......three?"
Terror spread across her face, and in a flash he was falling over, hitting his nose on the silver tray with a crash and landing on the floor with a thud.
"Soda!"
He simply groaned and blacked out. Martha and Daisy heard her cries and ran from their stations. While one looked horrified, the other burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.
"My God, what did you do to him!?!"
"Eh...you don't wanna know."
~~~~~~Later That Night~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Amber, uniform still on, and navy blue cape around her shoulders, firmly shut the door behind her, Martha to her left and Daisy to her right. The sky, approximately the color of the girls' capes, surrounded everything, lightly sprinkled with stars here and there. The only thing that was distracting was the warm yellow lamppost down the steps and the sidewalk, which held the shadows of two grown men under it. Suddenly, one turned around and met Amber's gaze so steady she could almost see the amber eyes through the dark.
"Hey, wait up!"
He took off away from his friend, which Amber recognized as Lt. Steve Randal. He stayed for a moment, his face solemn, like a protective older brother...or even a father. She stood still and told her friends that she'd catch up with them later. Angel smiled slyly.
"Take your time," she said.
Amber blushed and turned back to Soda, who was just three steps down from her, and she met him the following way.
"So, how's your nose?"
"Uh...well, it's broken, but apart from that its just.....dandy."
He mentally scolded himself. 'Dandy'? What the hell did he say THAT for? She simply giggled.
"Yes, I figured as much."
"Yeah, well.....Oh, I got this...not busy are you?"
He produced a bottle of wine from behind his back, and she noticed for the first time he was in full uniform. Gosh, he looked handsome. Lore sat down on the steps, glancing over at the lamppost to see that Steve had gone. Soda took a seat next to her, trying to pry the cork off. When it finally came loose, it popped up so suddenly that he didn't even know what had hit him...literally.
"Ooh!"
Lore gasped, and fought back at laugh. Her brave soldier was nose cradling his bleeding nose, thanks to a bottle of red wine. His eyes watered up, and she knew it must have been stinging.
"Oh, Soda! Here, lay down."
She cautiously placed his head down in her lap, while she pulled out a handkerchief. Never before had she needed the use of one, until the present moment, and was grateful her mother had taught her the importance of being ladylike. After all, every respectable woman in this day and age carried one. She delicately lifted his hands from his nose, and tenderly put the kerchief to the bloody mess. Soda, not being able to resist, took advantage of the opportunity.
"You're so pretty it hurts, you know."
"It's you nose that hurts, flyboy."
"I think it's my heart." He said gently.
She looked straight into his eyes, and felt something she'd never felt before, never in her entire life. Her heartbeat raced, Goosebumps covered her body, leaving a tingly sensation, and she literally felt her spirit soar......and he hadn't even kissed her yet.
But now he did.
Placing his hands on the back of her neck, he brought her closer to him, inch by inch, until........his lips locked onto hers, and he felt totally bliss.
~~~~~~End Flashback (Finally!)~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Aw gee, Amber, that's so romantic!" Heaven declared, a dreamy look on her face.
"Sounds like you got the best boy in the force."
"Where can I get one?"
Laughter erupted merrily, and Amber couldn't help feel elated. When the coos finally settle down, she gave a triumphant smile simply out of pleasure. Dolores, the most sensible of the group, checked her watch, and announced that they'd be arriving in New York, New York soon. Angel, the mother hen, took the opportunity to inform the girls of what was sure to ensue over the next few hours. It went something like this:
"All right girls, you all listen good and clear. In less than 0 hundred hours, we'll all be in the company of flyboys......"
A few giggles interrupted here.
".....but I want you to know that you have to be firm. They are, after all, the cockiest bunch of guys you'll ever come in contact with. First they'll get you alone from the group, and they'll look at you with those great big cow eyes of theirs and maybe let their eyes water a bit. They'll take your hands in theirs and stare straight atcha. This is what they'll say:
'Listen baby, they're training me for war. Gonna turn me into a big bad killin' machine, and, well let's face it...baby, I might not come back. So, we gotta make this night last, gotta make it special........as special as you are.'
And you'll probably get a letter in a few weeks, looking as big as whales, and find out he's finally deeply in love with some foreign girl."
Martha raised and eyebrow, and pursed her lips, before saying:
"If any one of those hair-brained flyboys tries to sell that crap to me..."
They all paused in anticipation.
"I'm gonna give him anything he wants!!!"
Laughter took over once more, and chimed in perfectly with the loud clanking of the wheels on the train.
"Hey Amber, look I hate to do this to you, but could you cover my next shift for me? Dave's leaving in an hour, and I promised I'd see him off."
The pleading light in her eyes made it impossible for Amber to say no. After all, suppose there was a war coming their way? Britain was already stuck in the middle of it, making bombs while we were busy making refrigerators. No, she'd stay here, and wait for Becca to get back, saying a silent prayer for Dave, just in case.
"Sure, take your time."
"Thanks so much! I owe you big time."
"Wait, what's your station?"
"Shots."
Amber threw her head back in laughter, and blushed as a few people around her began to stare. It certainly was her day, wasn't it? When saying shots, of course, dear Becca had meant the one where the boys was inclined to drop his skivvies, and promptly receive a shot on his ass. Oh, she was going to have fun. Within minutes she had long line of men to prick and she was eagerly looking forward to it, when, to her utter surprise, a familiar face popped into view.
"Lt. Curtis!"
"Lt. Billows."
He tried to maintain a straight face, but, not being fond of using formalities, his solemn expression soon turned into a toothy grin. Lorelei had no choice but to smile back......she couldn't help it.
"I'm glad our still here, I've been meaning to talk to you." He said earnestly.
"Oh?"
"Yeah....well first I wanted to thank you for passing me, I don't know why you did it, but I'm grateful all the same. And........I was also wondering if you'd...well...."
Her mind still halfway on the task at hand, she took his arm and pulled him around the table, and placed a clean needle in between her nimble fingers. Soda, meanwhile, wasn't focused at all, and promptly pulled down his pants a bit in the back. Unbeknownst to Amber, and forgotten by Soda was the fact that he had already had the shot once today. He kept talking.
"If you'd like to have dinner with me tonig----------OUCH!"
She'd stuck in the needle and smiled wryly, all the while thinking how cute his butt was.
"Oh, I hope that didn't go to deep." She said, faking an innocent smile.
"Ooh, I think you got the bone there!"
"Sorry."
"Yeah....well anyway, what I was going to say is that I really lick you....like you! I really *like* you."
She bit her tongue to keep from laughing. Soda's face was now scarlet and he began to fiddle with his fingers.
"So....*cough*....er, whadda say?"
"Oh, I don't think so."
He frowned, still not facing her. Never in his entire life had a girl turned him down, and the feeling of rejection was a bitter one. Of course the feeling of her injecting him the needle for a second was not comforting either, though he was standing up at this point. He tried again.
"Look miss, I don't mean any disrespect or anything, I'd just like to thank you for passing me, no pressure at all."
"I dunno........."
She stopped at that moment, for he instantly started to look dizzy and sway to and fro, and his eyes clouded over.
"Soda?"
"Mmmm?" His voice sounded groggy.
She asked him the question slowly but panicky. "How many times have you had this shot?"
"Uh......three?"
Terror spread across her face, and in a flash he was falling over, hitting his nose on the silver tray with a crash and landing on the floor with a thud.
"Soda!"
He simply groaned and blacked out. Martha and Daisy heard her cries and ran from their stations. While one looked horrified, the other burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.
"My God, what did you do to him!?!"
"Eh...you don't wanna know."
~~~~~~Later That Night~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Amber, uniform still on, and navy blue cape around her shoulders, firmly shut the door behind her, Martha to her left and Daisy to her right. The sky, approximately the color of the girls' capes, surrounded everything, lightly sprinkled with stars here and there. The only thing that was distracting was the warm yellow lamppost down the steps and the sidewalk, which held the shadows of two grown men under it. Suddenly, one turned around and met Amber's gaze so steady she could almost see the amber eyes through the dark.
"Hey, wait up!"
He took off away from his friend, which Amber recognized as Lt. Steve Randal. He stayed for a moment, his face solemn, like a protective older brother...or even a father. She stood still and told her friends that she'd catch up with them later. Angel smiled slyly.
"Take your time," she said.
Amber blushed and turned back to Soda, who was just three steps down from her, and she met him the following way.
"So, how's your nose?"
"Uh...well, it's broken, but apart from that its just.....dandy."
He mentally scolded himself. 'Dandy'? What the hell did he say THAT for? She simply giggled.
"Yes, I figured as much."
"Yeah, well.....Oh, I got this...not busy are you?"
He produced a bottle of wine from behind his back, and she noticed for the first time he was in full uniform. Gosh, he looked handsome. Lore sat down on the steps, glancing over at the lamppost to see that Steve had gone. Soda took a seat next to her, trying to pry the cork off. When it finally came loose, it popped up so suddenly that he didn't even know what had hit him...literally.
"Ooh!"
Lore gasped, and fought back at laugh. Her brave soldier was nose cradling his bleeding nose, thanks to a bottle of red wine. His eyes watered up, and she knew it must have been stinging.
"Oh, Soda! Here, lay down."
She cautiously placed his head down in her lap, while she pulled out a handkerchief. Never before had she needed the use of one, until the present moment, and was grateful her mother had taught her the importance of being ladylike. After all, every respectable woman in this day and age carried one. She delicately lifted his hands from his nose, and tenderly put the kerchief to the bloody mess. Soda, not being able to resist, took advantage of the opportunity.
"You're so pretty it hurts, you know."
"It's you nose that hurts, flyboy."
"I think it's my heart." He said gently.
She looked straight into his eyes, and felt something she'd never felt before, never in her entire life. Her heartbeat raced, Goosebumps covered her body, leaving a tingly sensation, and she literally felt her spirit soar......and he hadn't even kissed her yet.
But now he did.
Placing his hands on the back of her neck, he brought her closer to him, inch by inch, until........his lips locked onto hers, and he felt totally bliss.
~~~~~~End Flashback (Finally!)~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Aw gee, Amber, that's so romantic!" Heaven declared, a dreamy look on her face.
"Sounds like you got the best boy in the force."
"Where can I get one?"
Laughter erupted merrily, and Amber couldn't help feel elated. When the coos finally settle down, she gave a triumphant smile simply out of pleasure. Dolores, the most sensible of the group, checked her watch, and announced that they'd be arriving in New York, New York soon. Angel, the mother hen, took the opportunity to inform the girls of what was sure to ensue over the next few hours. It went something like this:
"All right girls, you all listen good and clear. In less than 0 hundred hours, we'll all be in the company of flyboys......"
A few giggles interrupted here.
".....but I want you to know that you have to be firm. They are, after all, the cockiest bunch of guys you'll ever come in contact with. First they'll get you alone from the group, and they'll look at you with those great big cow eyes of theirs and maybe let their eyes water a bit. They'll take your hands in theirs and stare straight atcha. This is what they'll say:
'Listen baby, they're training me for war. Gonna turn me into a big bad killin' machine, and, well let's face it...baby, I might not come back. So, we gotta make this night last, gotta make it special........as special as you are.'
And you'll probably get a letter in a few weeks, looking as big as whales, and find out he's finally deeply in love with some foreign girl."
Martha raised and eyebrow, and pursed her lips, before saying:
"If any one of those hair-brained flyboys tries to sell that crap to me..."
They all paused in anticipation.
"I'm gonna give him anything he wants!!!"
Laughter took over once more, and chimed in perfectly with the loud clanking of the wheels on the train.