Ch. 37 Announcements
Nikki & Pete
As they celebrated Kate's master's certificate, nine hundred kilometres north of Sydney, Nikki ended a tiresome patrol. The frigate had done some exercises in the rough seas between Australia and Antarctica. As an XO, she had to be alert at all times and keep a perfect appearance for everything that was going on. But now she felt exhausted by the lack of a good night's sleep and that made her grumpy.
She closed the door of the small flat that she was sharing with Pete and she felt even more tired. She put her hat on the rack and undid her bun. Next she took off her shoes with her feet and padded to the living room. What she saw there was a bridge too far. Huge cardboard boxes were placed on the table and others on the ground.
"Oh Pete!", she yelled angrily giving vent to her frustration. She did expect only to see him after office hours and was a little surprised to hear his voice.
"I'm here baby! How was your patrol?", he asked from his club chair.
"Pete? You are already here? Is everything alright?", she asked worried.
"I've taken a day off to welcome you. And I'm fine", he replied standing up.
"Yeah, but wha...wha...what are these fucking boxes doing on the dining room table?", she asked irritated.
"How was your patrol?", he asked again while walking towards her.
"Tiresome, shitty, cold, wet, rocking, all you can imagine except pleasant", she grumbled.
"I was already afraid of that", he said kissing her.
"Pete? What are these bloody boxes doing here? Should we already move?", she repeated.
"Baby, calm down. They are all for you...", he started.
"But? Why?..", she suddenly said, frightened.
He ignored her question and continued, "In each of them is something pleasant for you. You can start with any box", he said.
She looked at him with mixed feelings.
I don't know what you're up to, but the only things I want right now is having a good bath, a decent meal and a good night's sleep. But...you've aroused my curiosity.
What she didn't know, was that Pete had placed the boxes in a specific sequence.
She smiled broadly at him. "I'll start with this one", she said putting her hand on the nearest box.
She opened the first box.
"Oooh! Lovely!", she exclaimed holding a big bunch of red roses in her hand.
"Pleasure. I'll take them so that you can proceed with the next one", he said.
Nikki had forgotten her tiredness and she eagerly opened the second box.
"Huh?", she mumbled, frowning and removing a tiny address card that read
"Good for a romantic dinner. Aah! That's great! Because we had no decent meals aboard that rocking ship. Thanks darling", she said putting it on the table.
With a huge grin she skirted the table and headed for the third box.
She grabbed it and pulled out some books of a travel agency.
"I think it's time for us to go on a holiday, no?", he said.
She nodded with a radiant smile. "Yeah! Do nothing, only what we like!"
When she reached the fourth box, he walked to her to position himself just behind.
Nikki opened it and her eyes widened like saucers. At the bottom of it was a small square velvet box. Uncertain, she took it and opened it slowly to discover a white gold ring set with a diamond.
"Oh gosh!", she mumbled.
"Baby, will you marry me?", he whispered in her ear.
Nikki quickly turned on her heel and wrapped her arms around his neck looking at him with twinkling eyes. She was still holding the small box in her hands. "Of course I will!", she answered and they kissed passionately.
After catching their breath she slid the ring on her finger and glanced admiringly at it. "Thank you so much darling!".
"One more box left to open Nik!", he said pointing at the last box.
"Ooh Pete, you're crazy!", she said.
"Yeah, go on!", he encouraged her.
She opened the last box and took out some estate agencies cards. She looked at them frowning.
"Well, we've talked about it, a home for us and you slipped some details about what you wanted to have. So with these I went to the estate agent and he selected a few cottages. But, no obligation, you know. If you want us to look together, then everything is fine for m...", he couldn't finish his sentence because she kissed him passionately.
"you're too good to me, really!", she said, her eyes shining.
"I think it'll be a hard choice, because at first sight, they all look great!"
"Nice! Let's go see them tomorrow, if you want", he said stroking her back.
"Yeah, absolutely!"
"And uh... Dinner tonight?", he asked.
She gave him a bone melting smile, "Pete, darling, why not tomorrow? I think I'm going to fall asleep with my head on my plate. The patrol has exhausted me".
"No problem. Have a shower, have a drink and relax. Meanwhile I'll prepare something", he said.
It didn't take too long for Nikki to be deeply asleep after dinner in front of the TV. He carried her to their bedroom without she realising it...
Mike & Maxine
Mike put his visor cap on and looked at his reflection in the mirror and smiled.
It's 'coming home' now. Not in an empty house where you find the things as you left them a couple of weeks earlier. Max has texted me that she was going to leave earlier and that she had something special in mind. That's what I mean with home.
He nodded to himself, turned back, grabbed his briefcase and small suitcase and left his cabin.
He parked his car in the lane of the apartment and walked to the front door. He glanced at the upper doorbell and smiled. 'Flynn – White'.
He inserted the key into the lock and entered.
In the lift he became anxious.
Come on, bloody thing, can't you go faster? It's lucky that we didn't buy a loft on the two hundredth floor instead of the sixth?
The lift stopped.
Ah! Finally.
He came out of the lift and opened the door. He smiled again as he heard soft music inside.
"Max! I'm home!", he said out loud.
This is great! It's really coming home!
Maxine walked into the entrance hall to greet him with a radiant smile, "Hey darling, welcome home!" and they kissed.
They walked into the living room and he could have a better look at her, a dark blue T-shirt and a cream coloured trousers and stylish flip-flops.
"Ah? Do we have guests tonight?", he asked seeing the dining room table set for four.
"Yeah! Ryan and Jessica are coming", she announced with shining eyes.
"Ah, Bird!", Mike said, but Maxine gave him a gentle slap on his arm, "Jessica! The girl has a name, you know, not only a call sign!"
He nodded, "Yeah, you're right."
She took the suitcase, "I'll take care of it and go have a shower. I expect them in an hour".
Fifteen minutes later he was back and he was sniffing the air, "It smells good! What is it?"
"Paprika soup, then roast beef", she replied from the kitchen.
"Nice! It's been ages since I ate something decent. The voyage was wobbly from the beginning to the end and the galley never cooked decent meals".
Suddenly the doorbell rang.
"They're are earlier than expected!", Maxine says. "Do you want to open? My hands aren't clean".
When Mike opened the door he saw Ryan's radiant smile and a shy Bird behind him. "Come in!"
"Hey Mike, how are you? Or should I say 'dad'?", Ryan asked.
"Nope! Let's keep doing what we always used to. It's fine for me", Mike replied.
"Good evening sir", Bird said as she entered.
"Come on Jessica, no 'sir' or 'madam' here. We're family, so it's Mike and Maxine", he answered as they shook hands.
"Ok, then", she said with a relieved smile.
"Fine, please come in", he said showing them the living room.
He scowled as she passed in front of him.
I could look her straight in the eye! She didn't seem that tall to me, or so... would I have shrunk?
Then he noticed her high heels.
Ok, it's only that!
Maxine came out of the kitchen and embraced the young people.
When they sat down to eat, Mike noticed that Max was in an excellent mood.
I've been lucky! Apparently I've made the right choice. Although, I didn't have to do it. Kate did it for me. She left without saying a word and fate threw Max into my arms.
"This is a special evening! It's the first we are gathered around the table as a real and complete family. Cheers!", Maxine said raising her glass.
"Well, mum you announced that this is a special evening and we think it's the perfect time to make an announcement", Ryan said grabbing Jessica's hand.
Mike and Maxine looked at them.
"I'm pregnant", simply said Jessica with sparkling eyes.
Maxine looked baffled. "That...that's fantastic! Amazing! Congratulations!", she said impressed.
"Wonderful!", Mike answered.
Meanwhile Maxine had grabbed Mike's hand and squeezed it.
"This is the happiest day of my life! Becoming a grandmother", she whispered to him.
"Yes, it's amazing!", he replied kissing her.
"And...that means that you'll also become a granddad!", she said teasingly.
She let go of his hand and stood up. She embraced the young people, "I'm so happy for you both! And to celebrate such occasions, I always have something cool!", she said joyfully on her way to the kitchen. An instant later she returned with a bottle of champagne and four flutes.
"Shall I open it?", Mike asked.
"No, darling, I'm a big girl, I can do it!", she replied with a twinkle in her eyes.
"Maxine, a juice for me, please", Jessica asked.
"Oh, yes, yes, of course! What was I thinking?", Maxine said, "Mike, love, take over, I'll get some juice!"
As soon as the flutes were filled, she raised hers, "Cheers! To the future new member of the Flynn-White family!", Maxine announced.
To be continued