-The Simple Things You Do To Me (Part 2)-
Alright, now it's official. We're going to be late. I probably should have saved us some time and showered while Mac took her bath. But the prospect of her emerging the bathroom with nothing but a towel had me glued to the bed.
Mac will chew my six for being late, I can already hear her scolding me about it again with this slightly mocking voice. Unwillingly, I have to smile at the fact that I look forward to it. Never thought of myself as the sadistic type. But when it comes to her, even her anger is a side I love and that makes my heart race. And it is not that she is really mad at me. It has become a constant banter between us – very much like our eating habits.
I hear a knock on the door between our rooms. There we go.
Passing the room I try buttoning my shirt but the moment I open the door and see her standing there I can do nothing but stare. I keep staring at her with wide eyes I believe.
She wears this new dress I have never seen before. The green is lightning up her hair. It is no green like her uniform it is more like that of a lemon, something light. It makes her skin shine. I let my eyes wander over her arms that are not covered, lingering for a moment on her equally bare shoulders. She will get cold once we get out of this room. I let my glance drop lower and register the outlines of her breasts showing under the fabric that hugs her figure perfectly. I want to reach out to feel the smooth linen of the cloth, feel her skin beneath my fingers. But I keep my hands dangling by my side.
Only now I become aware of the small violet flowers that barely show on the dress. They make it look like a summer's day. A summer's day that came on early. The skirt falls loosely round her legs ending about a hand's breadth below her knees. I can see the wind caught in it making her seem like she is floating.
My eyes travel back up to her face. She holds a small smile there. I know I should compliment her on her looks but I simply cannot come up with anything that would only slightly equal the beauty of her and the way she makes me feel.
Muffled her words finally reach my ears. "Harm, you aren't ready yet."
"Huh?" I didn't understand a word she said. I am still standing there in total amazement.
"We need to go." I hear her words more clearly now but there is no cell in my brain that would have been free to work up a response or make my body switch into any kind of action.
"You haven't even finished dressing." My eyes search hers. They seem like the only thing I am able to move.
Suddenly I hear her voice change slightly. Am I imaging or is it getting a more seductive edge when she says "Let me help you,"?
I feel more than see her reach out to finish buttoning up my shirt. She starts at the lower parts, her fingers moving fast. She has already closed the first two buttons when her fingers make contact with my skin.
And immediately it begins pricking and sends a shiver up my spine. It is like her touch set me on fire. The muscles of my stomach tighten without me being able to do anything about it. I wait for her next touch. I long for it.
She takes her time now. Slowly she works her way to the next button her fingers trembling. I can see her eyes are concentrated on the button as if it's the only thing keeping her focused.
This time her touch is no longer coincidental. Her finger draws a short line over my stomach before she reaches for the button. This time my shiver must be clearly visible to her. Still I manage to keep myself under control just letting her proceed and waiting for her next touch.
I do not have to wait long though. She has reached my chest by now. I can feel the warmth of her skin on mine when first one finger lingers only to be joined by a second thereafter.
Her eyes search for mine and they lock. None of us is concentrated on the buttons any longer. There is something more important than being on time now.
Slowly her whole hand comes to rest on my chest. That is when my body finally sets back into action and my hands reach out for her in one swift motion. My right hand begins to softly caress her cheek while the other finally finds the smooth linen that covers her hip.
Her hand moves from my chest up to my neck where it's joined by the other. In the same motion I pull her close, close enough to feel her body heat mixing with mine.
And what has started out slow is now up to an incredible speed when our lips come crashing down on one another's. My hand is now at her neck pressing her mouth to mine. I run my tongue over her lips desperate to be granted entrance. I hear myself moan when she finally parts her lips and I taste her sweetness once more.
By now my other hand has moved up her back and reached the rim of her dress. I pull further up until the whole of my hand covers the naked spot below her shoulder blades. I am surprised to find her skin covered with goose bumps. Then again I am sure mine is covered with them as well ever since her first touch.
When we finally have to part for air we do so slowly neither of us wanting to. We only pull apart as far as we need to look into each others eyes. I find my desire reflected in hers. And there is something else that makes my heart miss a beat. Something that is beyond a momentary desire, something more enduring. And still I am not able to voice any words. So I am keeping silent, keep just staring into her wonderful eyes.
We stay like this for what seems like an eternity. I realize that both of us are still in our own room, she has not crossed the threshold into mine. Is she still holding back, afraid to really take the final step? Then again, maybe I'm reading too much into a plainly innocent situation. It doesn't really matter where she stands as long as she's in my arms.
"Guess we'll be running late," I hear myself say.
"Mmm."
Hesitantly we let go of each other. I finish to close my shirt while she turns back to get her purse and a cardigan to keep her warm.
We leave this door – a reminder of the possibilities – open when we both head for the other door of our respective rooms to meet back outside in the corridor to finally get going.
-J-A-G-
-J-A-G-
I'm sitting on the porch behind our house and I watch the sun make its slow progression around the building before it will set tonight directly facing our backwards windows. A cool soda within arm's reach I spent the remaining minutes until Harm and Mac arrive, dozing off.
Magically my eyes are drawn to the pale blue sky running over the small clouds that spread here and there. And once again I realize just how much a privilege it is to have the possibility to be up there. To roam the skies, to look down at earth on a clear day like today or to vanish up above the clouds into the brightest sunshine when the world lies grey beneath.
My eyes follow a flock of birds as they fly towards the sun until I can no longer pick them out against the bright light.
"What are you doing?" my wife softly asks moments after I hear her arrive by my side.
"Starring off into space," I say, my eyes still strained on the blue of the sky.
She kneels down beside my chair and folds her arms onto the armrest to give her more stability. I tear my eyes away from the white clouds and let them linger on Charlie's face. I find the sun reflected in her eyes and her smile. My hand reaches up to push a strand of hair back behind her ear. I love to do this. Her hair still looks the same as the day we first met, falling in soft waves to her shoulders. Only now the blonde is accented with the first strands of grey. To me that only makes her that much more beautiful. My fingers trace one of these strands around her ear to where it meets her cheek. There my hand stops to move. Charlie leans into my touch.
"What?" her eyes look questionably into mine.
"You once again reminded me how lucky I've been since the day we both returned to Miramar."
I sat at the bar on the base the first day I returned to Miramar. I just wanted to relax, to do nothing but have a beer and read my paper. Music played from the jukebox in the next room. I didn't listen it was more like a soothing background sound. Then I heard that old familiar song start. Startled by the melody and the memories I got up and headed towards the other room. But there was nobody around, the bar was empty except for me, the bar keeper and a Captain by the door in the back. Bars are a lonely place before the offices close down.
I placed my glass on the jukebox and watched the LP rotate while fond tunes and memories evolved around me. A sound almost lost to the music made me turn. And there she was her smile bright and beautiful. She leaned against the doorframe silently watching me for a while.
Then she spoke, "Hello Pete Mitchell." That moment it were the most wonderful words I've ever heard.
"I heard the best of the best gonna be back here. So…" she trailed off and silence lingered between us, filled by the song – our song – out of the jukebox.
I smiled. I couldn't believe that she was back here. That she returned. There was no question if she would stay, I simply knew she would.
"This could be complicated," I finally say. "You know, in the first one I crashed and burned." The last time I had told her this it had a total different meaning, had nothing to do with love but with fun – and sex to be totally sincere.
"And the second?"
I laughed silently my smile getting wider. She'd asked the same back then at our first meeting.
Starting to close the distance between us I answered the same way I did back then, "I don't know, but it's looking good so far."
My hand came to rest on her cheek, hers on my upper arm. Slowly we leaned in until our lips met in a fiery kiss. I knew that was the start of the rest of my life. A life I never dreamt of before I met her but a life I was ready to live now.
When our lips finally parted the song had long stopped to play and the bar lay silent. Nobody bothered to pick a new song. We remained in the middle of the small room, the sunlight drawing our immovable shadows onto the wooden floor. They looked like one, there was no separating one from the other.
Minutes passed with us just standing there. We could have stayed like that forever.
In the far back of my mind I heard a coin drop into the nearby jukebox and seconds after our song started anew. Leveling my eyes off from Charlie I checked the room and found the Captain's glance meeting my eyes. He smiled at me before he settled back into his chair and focused on his beer.
Still looking at the unknown man I started to softly move left and right. But it wasn't long before I closed my eyes and reveled in the slow swaying and Charlie's body against mine.
"Yeah. Best choice we've ever made," she pulls me from my reverie.
For a while I've been wondering if she really thought of giving up her promotion to be just that. Or if she would blame me for not getting on? But this was long ago. Now I know she never mourned the lost chance. She is – as well as I am – happy here.
"Best," I confirm before I seal it with a quick kiss on her lips.
The ringing of the doorbell interrupts what could have easily developed into more. We let our lips linger a moment longer in their sweet contact. Then we both get up to greet our guests.
Arriving at the backdoor a step ahead of me Charlie stops and holds her hand out for me to take. I take it and let her lead me through the big kitchen and the hall to the door where I can see the distorted figures of Harm and Mac through the glass.
I open the door to find them engaged in a conversation that stops as soon as the opening is wide enough to reveal both my wife and me.
"Hello guys."
"Charlie, Mav, thanks for the invitation," Mac speaks up for the both of them.
Charlie motions them in with the hand that's not entwined with mine. "Come on in."
The 'perfect' gentleman Harm lets Mac enter first, his hand immediately falling into place on the small of her back as he follows her. It looks like a regular thing for them. They turn and wait for me to close the door so we could lead the way. I register that they stand a lot closer than I've seen them before. I'm not sure if that's only because it's the first time I see them in private. That's when I remember the advise I gave Harm yesterday.
"And?" I ask.
Immediately the women's eyes are on me looking lost at what I mean. I concentrate on Harm, at least he should understand. And sure enough he reacts to my question. A huge smile spreads over his face, from one ear to the other to use the common image.
"Done as ordered, sir." He doesn't salute but for the matter of seconds his appearance straightens. Only his voice gives away the not so serious topic. I can tell that he is truly happy.
"Would you care to enlighten us?" Charlie asks, including Mac in her motion while her other hand squeezes mine to get my attention.
"Just something I asked Harm to do."
Both seem to accept my explanation, at least for now. For I know Charlie will question me about this little episode later on once Harm and Mac are gone. And from what I know about Mac she'll probably be not much different there either.
"How about we move this to the porch?" Yeah, the questions will definitely be on later tonight.
"We brought dessert," Mac says as if she only just noticed the big box of ice cream she holds.
"I better put that in the fridge then. Any of you want something to drink?"
"Do you need any help?" Mac asks.
"No, but thanks. Just go ahead with the men."
"In that case I'd like a soda please."
"Two beers for us, honey." I say checking with Harm who nods.
Charlie then turns to vanish through the door on our left while I start to walk back down the hall.
-T-O-P-
-G-U-N-
"And?" What is that supposed to mean? What is Maverick aiming at?
I follow Mav's eyes as they travel over his wife, me and then settle on Harm. So maybe the question was directed at him.
"Done as ordered, sir," comes his equally strange reply. I still can't make any sense of this conversation. And neither can't Charlie obviously when she asks for clarification.
So something Mav asked Harm to do. But what for? Has Harm once again pulled the magic rabbit out of his hat? Did they think of something new to present on Monday morning? But where is the need, they've pretty much made their case anyway. And why is Harm grinning that broadly? I wish I knew what they were up to.
As I look on a silent conversation ensues between the two men. After a second a satisfied smile appears on Maverick's lips. It drives me crazy not to know what they are up to. I'll be damned if I can't get Harm to tell me tonight.
Still thinking about the strange scene I follow Mav when he finally starts going. On our way to the backdoor we pass an odd collection of photographs that takes up most of the wall alongside the stairs. There are black and white children's portraits, colorful pictures of various jets. Photos that look pretty official, snapshots and little 'pieces of art'. And they are all widely mixed, there seems to be no pattern. I spot what looks like a recent picture of their son Nick right above the photo of a beautifully painted jet with German insignia.
First I only slow down to let my eyes travel over the many items, but then I stop to have a closer look at some of them. There is a beautiful black and white picture of Maverick – ten, fifteen years younger, but clearly Maverick – where he stands with a small naked infant pressed against his bare chest. His smile is bright and proud. I can't fight the urge to see Harm in that position, securely holding his own son or daughter to his heart.
"Did you have these taken?" I ask Mav who by now had come back to stand beside me, his eyes taking in the same pictures but surely seeing more than I can.
"No, Charlie took them. It's a hobby of hers."
"She's pretty good." The pictures look like they are from a professional.
I turn my head back to the photo of the jet I've spotted earlier. I study its great paintings. There's a wolf's head on the inlet and man's face on the tail fin with a name beneath.
"You've got a great collection of jets." Sure that's the one thing Harm sees first, all the jets.
"Every now and then we attend some air shows. That's where we got most of these from. That's a Tornado from the German Bundeswehr for example. It does look great, doesn't it?" Mav says pointing to the photo I've been looking at.
We wander a little further down the hall, exploring more pictures. Somewhere right in the middle of the wall I find a picture that looks rather torn. The edges show a few small tears. Yet still it seems to be well treasured. The picture shows two very young men. I'd say they aren't much older than their mid-twenties. One of them is Maverick again. This guy has only gotten cuter over the years. The second is taller and slimmer build. They both look happy. Both wear white T-shirts and you can see the dog tags hanging round their necks. So this probably is some old Academy or flight school pal of Maverick's just like Keeter is for Harm.
Right next to that one – actually in the same frame – is an old Polaroid that already started to fade. The words 'First Encounter '89' are written on the white border of the photo. It shows something that looks very much like a pilot's helmet in a cockpit of sorts.
"You didn't get this from an air show, did you?" I ask curious what it really is.
"Nah, shot it myself out of our cockpit."
"You where that close to another jet?"
"Yeah, it was like that..." and Mav crosses his arms at the elbows and moves his hands in front of my eyes so their backs face each other and the palms are turned outward. "We were above him – inverted – when I took the photo."
"No you weren't!" I can't believe that's even possible yet that somebody does it for fun.
"He's telling you about how he took the photo of the MiG, doesn't he?" Charlie now comes back to join us, holding a tray with our drinks and some snacks. "I couldn't believe it either when I first heard. But I guess it's true judging from the Polaroid."
I shake my head thinking about the pure insanity of doing such a thing. "There's something about pilots that makes them do crazy things."
"Yeah, and there's something about pilots that you find rather attractive, Marine." Suddenly Harm's lips are close to my ear. I didn't feel him come that close.
"You wish," I reply equally whispered and without turning.
"I know." And he places a quick kiss behind my ear before he backs away.
"You two done flirting?" Charlie asks grinning at me.
"Who us?" Harm asks playing the innocent.
Charlie and Mav just roll their eyes before they turn and head off. Grinning at me a last time Harm follows them, leaving me behind with the wall of memories. Taking a last look at the Polaroid I still can't believe Maverick did it. That's when the significance of the other picture hits me like a rock. The other man must be Mav's RIO, the one that died in his arms. Staring at these two happy men my thoughts wander off on how fast things could change, for better or for worse. There are times when you don't have the time to decide, you just have to take what fate offers and try to deal with it.
Pushing myself back into reality I finally start after the others. Still thinking about the twists life can take I pass a picture that makes me stop when I'm well past it and retreat my steps so I can have a closer look.
The man I see now I recognize immediately, there's no mistaking him. He is also younger, yet still it's him. He stands with a group of men, all of them seem relaxed and at ease. Maverick is among them as well. Another memory from a time that has passed.
Smiling, I at least make my way out the backdoor to join the others on the porch. I flop down onto the chair next to Harm.
"Mav, do you know Tom Boone?"
"We met briefly. He worked here for a while when I first arrived as an instructor. He left not long after though. I never heard of him since."
"How do come to think about the Admiral now, Mac?" Harm asks confused.
"I just saw a picture of him hanging in the hall. Never knew he could look that young."
"Hey, we've all been younger once."
"Yeah, and fitter." I gently clap his stomach that still looks pretty good but isn't as flat as it was when we first met.
"Hey," he says a small hint of hurt put into the word. "I can still outrun you."
"In your dreams sailor," I say flirtingly batting my eyes at him.
"So the two of you know Tom Boone?" Maverick finally breaks our banter and invades our private world that excludes everything around us.
"Pretty much so. I consider him a friend, though I would never tell him face to face." Harm jokes.
"Did you know?" I ask him.
"Did I know what?"
"That the Admiral was at Top Gun?"
"Yes. Do you remember when the Chinese had our AP3?"
"The first or the second one?"
One of his eyebrows scoots up in his usual way and a small but crooked smile appears on his lips. "The second, the one we destroyed."
"Sure I do, but-" I answer vaguely, not sure where Harm wanted to go with this.
"I had the Admiral testify as an expert. He mentioned that he was a skipper at Top Gun."
"So how come you met him?" Mav wants to know.
"Every now and then we meet him on a case." Harm hesitates for a minute before he goes on. "But I actually know him from when I was still a child. He'd flown with my father. And he came by once when he returned from Vietnam to see how my mom and I were doing." He drops his eyes to his lap and his voice dies when the memories take over. I reach out my hand to press his in silent comfort. He lifts his head and a small smile appears on his lips. He will be okay.
Silence lingers over the table. I watch as Charlie runs her hand over her husband's arm. Does she try to calm similar memories?
-J-A-G-
-J-A-G-
For a while the four of us stay silent sunken in our own memories. The evening, that was supposed to be fun and relaxing, gets gloomier by the minute. The arrival of Nick and another boy break the eerie atmosphere, though.
"Have you started grilling yet?"
I see Charlie shake her head while at the same moment Mav breaks out of his reverie and gets up.
"Any minute now, guys," he says making his way over to the grill that stands in the corner of the porch not far from my place.
Mac's hand is still placed on my arm, her index finger drawing lazy patterns on the fabric of my shirt. I cover her hand with mine and her movement stops. Turning my head from her hand to her face I see a silent question in her eyes.
"I'm okay," I whisper. Then I take her hand and place it back into her lap before I get up and walk over to Mav, see if I can be of any help.
"Mac, Harm, you already know Nick. And that's Duke, our oldest son," Charlie introduces the second boy who by now settled down in the chair beside her.
I turn to lean against the pillar supporting the roof that spans over the porch.
"Call me DC," he says, his eyes fixed on Mac and a boyish smile on his lips. Guess he's trying his charm.
"What does the C stand for?" Mac asks.
"Christopher." You can tell that he doesn't like that name much either and being DC surely is cooler.
"He hates that name." Nick pipes in trying to get to his older brother. "Duke Christopher." He stresses every syllable of the words. I sure hope it's the normal teasing between brothers.
"Nick!" his mother mildly scolds while Mac and I curiously watch the situation unfold.
But DC got his own way of payback for his little brother. As soon as his name leaves the younger boys lips DC is out of his chair and rounding the table to where Nick sits. And then in one swift motion he shots his hands towards his brother to first slap him – very much the way Mac slaps me when I've once again said or done something stupid – before he starts his tickling attack.
"Funny little one." Now I can tell that's a name Nick doesn't like. To be the little one.
Laughter now swoops around us. And before long we all join in their laughter.
Kids. They can change the whole curse of a situation.
From that point on the evening gets as relaxed as I expected it to be. No more memories of the past, but the pleasure of the present.
Soon the first scent of grilled meat fills the air. We help ourselves to plates of salad and bread that Mac and Charlie brought in several runs from the kitchen. Charlie must have gone all out for this dinner.
-T-O-P-
-G-U-N-
One after the other we all lean back in our chairs totally stuffed and satisfied. With a rapid tempo Mav's been putting more and more things one the grill. There have been variations of flesh naturally but he somehow must have known about Harm being vegetarian because they had prepared several corncobs but also some very delicious peaches they had cut in half and filled with something that looked like jam. These were absolutely delicious and I might have to admit it one day, but I doubt that Harm got many of those as each time one of them laid on his plate my fork was more on his than on mine. But each time I was only greeted by a smile of his.
"Charlie, that was the best barbeque I've ever had," Harm says when he puts down his fork at last.
"Thanks."
After a while of silent revelry in our current state Nick can no longer bear the quietness and gets up from his chair and vanishes inside. Only moments later he is back, bringing a football along.
"Dad, can we play?"
"Nick, we've only just eaten."
"All the more reason to burn the calories," Charlie teases her husband whereas she is rewarded with him rolling his eyes.
"Who can argue the reasoning of children and women?" Mav answers and pushes himself out of his chair.
"No one. Come on Harm, get going." I place my hand on Harm's shoulder to encourage him to get up as well.
"Mac!" he starts to protest but finally surrenders and joins the rest of the males.
Leaning back again, drink in hand I watch the football game begin. It's Nick and Mav against Harm and DC. Immediately Nick starts a tackling at Harm who plays along and falls to the ground. Surprised by Harm giving way that easily, the young boy falls on top of him. And resulting from his momentum does pretty much of a roll before he comes to a halt quite a way from Harm. I watch the foursome erupt into laughter.
"Boys will be boys," Charlie, who by now has occupied her son's chair and sits next to me, says. Just give a man the chance to be a boy again and he happily takes it. Maybe that is part of the reason why men love fast jets and cars so much.
We continue watching as Mav helps his son back up before the game starts anew.
"Has Mav always been like this?"
"Like what?"
My eyes are focused on Maverick. What is it that he is? What is it about him that I can't find the right word for but still need to know about it?
"That settled," Settled – that's what I called it when I told Mav about it. "Balanced." This might be the proper word.
"Oh my god, no!" Charlie exclaims laughingly. "He was reckless when we first met. He thought he was the world's greatest. Nobody could stop him." She pauses a moment and glances back down onto the yard, for a long moment watching her family playing in the evening sun. "Nobody but his inner demons," she then adds, more quiet now.
"From when he lost his RIO." I know how much that can trouble a man.
Charlie looks at me a little surprised. Then she shakes her head, no. So maybe Mav wasn't just being comforting when he said that he had his share of struggles.
Her voice nothing more than a whisper, a clear sign that she was giving away personal matters, Charlie starts to tell me, "That came long after and only added up to his problems. Mav lost his dad in Vietnam when he was still a child."
There, just another thing Harm and Mav have in common. Had their childhood experience formed them both into men that much alike? It surely left a big mark on both of them.
"Mac?" I must have stared at Charlie as if she'd grown another head.
"It's just that Harm lost his dad in Vietnam when he was six. He ran off to 'Nam when he was only sixteen to search for him. He didn't stop until he finally knew what happened. And I'm not sure that he got it all sorted out in his heart. That he can let his dad and his memories rest. Has Mav?" I suddenly need to know if there is the possibility of Harm ever getting over it. I certainly don't want him to forget about his dad, but one way or another he would have to cope with things.
"It took a hard and long time for him to come to terms with it. But now he accepted what happened. And I think our kids helped him, up to a point."
"I understand what you mean. Ever since Harm took in Mattie, his teenage ward, he changed a lot."
"Losing your father at this young an age will mark a boy for life, I guess."
"Were you never afraid this could happen to your boys?"
We continue watching. DC now jumped on his father's back, trying to get a hold of the football. Their laughter drifts towards us.
"Each and every day. But every night when Mav comes home I forget about it. Over the years the fear has become something like a distant memory. It no longer dominates my thoughts. I know that Mav doesn't take the unnecessary risks."
My eyes switch from Harm to Charlie when I feel her gaze on me.
"You are scared for him, aren't you?"
I look back to Harm who's laughing happily with the Mitchell boys. "Yes, I am." How could I not after all we've experienced, after all he experienced? "But sometimes I wish he would never set foot into one of these damned jets again."
Suddenly Charlie's voice gets serious. "Never make him choose between you and flying. You gonna lose either way."
"I never would. I never could. I know that flying is part of him. He wouldn't be happy if he could never fly again." And that in turn would hurt the both of us. So I would have to cope with my fear just as Charlie and every other woman involved with an aviator does.
I continue to watch him score a point when I feel a warm hand come to rest on my arm. I turn my head to look into the reassuring eyes of a woman that knows how I feel.
"You must believe that everything will work out alright for you."
-J-A-G-
-J-A-G-
I know that this belief and the knowledge and experience from the past that Mav will do everything in his might to return to me and the boys is the one thing that lets me get through the day without becoming an emotional wreck. But I also know that all of this can change in the blink of an eye. That once something happened, this wouldn't be enough.
My hand still rests on the arm of the woman next to me. A woman Mav feels so close to and a woman I feel I can confide in even though I've only known her for not even half a day. I draw as much comfort from this touch as I intended to give her. It makes us one of a kind.
Meanwhile I watch my youngest score a point and happily dance around his dad who laughs loudly. When Nick turns to me I proudly clap my hands to his achievement.
A little while later he's satisfied by my approval and returns his attention back to the game that is about to start without him. That is when I relax back into my seat and just let the fading day lull me into a peaceful mood. The soft tunes that drift out of the house from where Mav put some CD's into the player earlier only adding up to that. Softly I hum along to the songs I love. Isn't it just great, that you can burn a collection of all your favorites onto a CD without all those you don't like?
"Do you mind me asking if this is yours and Maverick's song?" Mac quietly asks when 'You've lost that loving feeling' comes on.
"Not at all. Yeah it is. How do you know?" A smile creeps over my lips.
"Mav mentioned it to be his favorite. Has it been playing when you first met?" By now she has sat up in her chair facing me to the full.
"Actually Mav and his RIO Goose sang it to me when we first met."
"He really did?"
"Yeah, while the whole bar watched and all the guys joined the chorus."
"Oh my gosh." She claps her hand to her mouth.
"That's what I thought. I never had somebody singing for me before."
I follow Mac's glance that now moves from me back to the boys.
"Was that when you fell for him?"
For a moment I think about it. I've been thinking about it before. Yet still I'm not sure. "Maybe. Though at the time I tried to put it off as the typical pilots' coquetry and was desperate not to let it affect me."
"But in the end you gave in."
"Yeah, some weeks into the course. How long were you able to resist?"
"Eight years." I'm not sure I really heard the slight hint of remorse in her voice. And from the way her eyes are fixed on the men I can't tell from her eyes if it was really there.
"Eight years? You resisted that man for eight years? How?" I can't believe it. How can somebody avoid something that obvious for that long?
"It just happened. Something always happened. Respective others, work, our past. We just never found the right moment."
"But now you did."
"Yeah." Her answer is almost whispered and I need to strain my ears to hear it over the music and the cheers from the yard. Maybe Mac still can't believe it finally happened.
"So how did Harm manage to capture your heart?"
I can tell that her eyes instantly settle on Harm. But after a short moment she closes them and sinks into what I suppose are memories. The seconds tick by while I wait for Mac to answer my question. And slowly, very slowly the smile on her face gets brighter, as if her memories get brighter as well. There must have been quite a lot of things that happened over these eight years. Things that only got them closer in the end.
"With all the little things he did. That came naturally, about which he didn't have to think about. He somehow made things right."
I nod my head. Sometimes it are the small things that count, not the big gestures.
We remain silent after that for some more moments before the men finally abandon their game and return to the table.
"How about the ice cream you brought?" Mav asks once everybody has settled down.
Harm confirms, "Yeah, I could use something to cool off."
"Okay, some big ice creams for the though footballers," I laugh before I reach for some of the plates and start inside.
-T-O-P-
-G-U-N-
I follow my wife into the kitchen taking the remaining empty plates. When I enter, I find her leaning against the bar, her gaze fixed on the window. I drop the dishes into the sink and walk over to her. Stepping up behind her, I wrap my arms around my wife and place my chin on her shoulder. My glance follows hers. Harm and Mac stand cuddled together by the far side of the porch. They make a great pair. Suddenly we hear Mac's laughter drifting towards us.
"They are good for each other," Charlie says.
"Like you are for me."
"Like I am for you," she confirms.
"And I, what about me?" I start to breathe softly into her ear, a thing she can't stand for long.
She leans back against me and a small sound escapes her lips, "Mhmm, has Pete Mitchell ever been good for me?" I let another breath tickle down past her ear.
"With all your knowledge of MiGs, I'd say you have."
I see her grin reflected in the window and can't help but add mine when we both remember our very first private meeting.
She just sat there, tucking a little piece of bread into her mouth when she said, "And then I thought about it. I thought; you know, Charlie, he's a smart guy why don't you just tell him why you got him here."
"Well?" I fixed my eyes on her waiting for her answer.
"It's the MiG." For a second there I was disappointed, before I realized that this might be the reason she wanted it to be and the reason she would tell anybody that might ask, but in no way was this the only reason nor the important one.
"The MiG. You're the only pilot that's been up against one. I'm working for that big promotion…"
"Seems to me you got it all figured out."
"Yeah."
"It's a pity you forgot the wine." I lifted my empty glass.
"Sorry."
"You always get what you want?"
"No, not always," she starts but then answers truthfully. "Yeah, maybe."
"Then relax about the MiG." My voice had now dropped a level to a more seductive tone.
Thank god she wanted me as well back then. The remainder of the evening was quite enjoyable and the start of what turned out to be the rest of my life. I'm still thanking god at times that she wasn't mad at me for being late.
"So is there anything you want now Mrs. Mitchell?" I whisper seductively into her ear.
"Yeah, how about –" she starts when another voice cuts her off.
"Mom, I wanted ... Uhh, do you all have to do this?" DC comes into the kitchen only to stop right at the door when he finds us locked in our embrace.
We've never been a pair to hide our love from our children. They grew up with many displays of affection between both Charlie and me, but between either of them and us as well. But ever since DC started on puberty he couldn't stand the sight, at least not very often. And as I shoot a quick glance outside to where Harm and Mac stand I see them still close as well.
"Hey, that's what love is. One day we'll remind you when you stand out there, not able to keep your hands from your own wife."
"Yeah, maybe. So, what about the ice cream?"
"You're a kill-joy," I complain but let go of my wife and walk to the fridge. Our son vanishes back outside as soon as he sees me going for the dessert.
Returning with the ice cream, I can't resist lifting up Charlie's shirt and pressing the iced box quickly against her bare back. Charlie spins around in a rapid motion while a high pierced cry escapes her lungs. The moment she faces me, a mocking fury in her eyes, I address her with the smile I believe to be my most innocent. Sometimes I just can't suppress the little boy in me, despite my age. Sometimes I just have to do these little childish things; they help me bear my adult life. And I always get away with them. Always. It's no different this time. A slight slap on the chest and "Jerk," is all I get before Charlie grabs the package, turns back around and finally opens the box to feed our hungry children.
-J-A-G-
-J-A-G-