Shera's Diary

Chapter 9

Instinct

By Kristen Gupton-Williams

Dear Diary,

I feel better this morning than I have since before the launch day. There is just something about sleeping in a bed again, finally, that is divine. How I've missed being warm and comfortable.

Not to mention safe.

The captain was right. Even though it's the end of summer, it did freeze last night. Fairly well, too. I went out after I got up and went outside. There was a puddle on the ground out in back of the house from the previous night's storm and it was frozen solid. The captain has some weather monitoring equipment up and there is a display on a little monitor in the corner of the kitchen.

It had been cold. The display says it got down to twenty-three degrees Fahrenheit. That's minus five Celsius. I very well could have died from exposure.

I owe Captain Highwind so much.

After getting up and having that look outside, I realized that he was up already, sitting in the family room of the house, watching the morning news and having a cup of tea.

I asked him if he would like for me to make breakfast.

His eyes panned over slowly, until he brought his glare over to me. "I'm watchin' the fuckin' television right now. I eat at seven."

Since it was only six thirty, I took that as a cue that yes, he wanted breakfast. I went back to the kitchen and got to making him some waffles and bacon, since that's what happened to be on hand. I may not be a chef by any means, but I can manage to cook the basics, and after seeing what the captain has in his refrigerator, I will be so bold as to say that I'm a better cook than he appears to be.

Promptly, at seven, the captain showed up in the kitchen. I already had his plate at the table and he grunted and landed in a chair. He held up his teacup. "Refill."

Having gotten to know Captain Highwind at least a little over the months, I knew that he did enjoy a cup of tea so I went over, claimed his cup and got to the task of getting it taken care of.

I went over and placed it back on the table in front of him and then stood to the side, watching him eat. He seemed to be quite content, and several minutes went by where he didn't say a thing.

Finally, he pushed back his plate and then turned in his seat to face me. "All right, I'll admit that you might be useful. Can you make dinner, too?"

I perked up to be talked to at all, and to be offered a way to earn my keep. "Yes, Sir."

He nodded and then got up, taking a step toward me. "Get the dishes washed and I want dinner at seven. I don't care what you make, as long as it's good-- and don't go tryin' to make me eat any health food shit. I like meat and potatoes. Keep it simple. I have tea in the mornin', another cup or two around noon. I don't eat lunch, but I have more tea at four in the afternoon with somethin' small to eat. Dinner is my mainstay, seven sharp. I have a cup of coffee after dinner, and more tea at ten before I turn in. Do you think you can possibly handle that or is it some insurmountable task that you would like to try and sabotage?"

With as good as I was feeling after that wonderful night's sleep, his last comment slid right off of me, like his remarks used to. If he was willing to assign me duties, I supposed he wasn't planning on tossing me out on my ear right away. Thanks to my photo/phonographic memory, his list of kitchen chores and deadlines were instantly noted in my mind.

I will do anything he so wishes. I owe him at least that much.

Just to be around him at all is wonderful. I may yet get the chance to redeem myself.

Well, it's getting close to noon so I'm going to go get the tea going for the captain. Maybe I should make him some cookies or some such for his afternoon tea break. I'll see what I can come up with.

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Dear Diary,

After his noon cup of tea, which Captain Highwind accepted from me without a word, I was handed some money and a shopping list. I took that as a hint that I was to go to the store and get what he wanted. I managed to complete the task without much hassle.

The cashier at the store looked at me strangely. "How in the world are you going to use any of this in that car of yours?"

Her snarky tone passed right through me. I'd dealt with worse. "I am not in my car anymore."

She rolled her eyes at me. "Oh, right, so where are you staying then?"

I couldn't help but smile as I took my receipt and change from her, before picking up the grocery bags. "I am staying with Captain Highwind."

I heard her audibly gasp as I walked away.

Let the gossipy, catty women of the town chew on that for a while.

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Dear Diary,

Even now, I still cause the poor captain nothing but trouble. I've been here fewer than twenty-four hours and already, he's taking flack for his mercy on me.

I was in the kitchen, having decided to go ahead and make some cookies for his four o'clock tea when I heard a knock at the door.

The captain cursed something to himself in the other room and I heard him get up and answer the door. I dared to look around the corner from within the kitchen to try and see who it might be. With Captain Highwind standing in the doorway, I couldn't see right away, I just heard a voice.

"That bitch is living here?"

"I don't rightly see what business that is of yours, Stephenson," the captain replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

Stephenson. My blood ran cold at the name. He was one of the electrical contractors working on the rocket. He has quite a reputation for being a womanizer and very abusive. I had avoided the man during work on the project, as all the women told me to give him a wide berth.

He didn't seem to agree with Captain Highwind's words. "She cost this town the space program and me the biggest contract I've ever had! I'd say it's plenty of my business! Now, you get that little whore out here because I have a few things to say to her."

I felt my knees go weak, and I didn't dare move from where I was peeking around the corner, not wanting this man to see me. I prayed that Captain Highwind wouldn't call me over.

The captain changed the way he was standing and placed a hand on either side of the doorframe. "You lost your fuckin' job… so what? We all lost our fuckin' jobs. She knows what she did, ain't no reason to beat her for it."

Now, here's what struck me the most in that moment. Captain Highwind, for all of his rough exterior, is not an extraordinarily tall man. In fact, he's honestly rather short compared to most other males. In his combat boots that he wears, he's maybe five foot ten. Stephenson, on the other hand is six four, and probably pushing two hundred and eighty pounds. He is very physically intimidating and is known to be quite a fighter.

Still, the captain didn't seem fazed in the least. He just kept his grip on the doorframe, looking up at the other man.

"I said for you to get her out here now!" Stephenson growled, getting right in the captain's face.

I half expected at that moment for Captain Highwind to haul off and deck Stephenson since he did, admittedly, have an explosive temper. As I've come to learn, though, Captain Highwind doesn't do what one would expect on a fairly frequent basis.

No, he just maintained his position, looking up at Stephenson. "Here's what y'all are gonna do. You're gonna get offa my property and get your ass in your truck. I want you to drive over to Gregory's house and have a little fuckin' tea time with him. You have a good look at his ugly ass and see what happens when guys in this town try to lay their hands on a woman. If you still need further clarification after that, feel free to come on back. You got me?"

Stephenson continued to loom over the captain for a moment, and I wondered what he was going to do. I feared that he would strike the captain, but he didn't. Instead, he just growled loudly and then walked away. I heard his truck start up and drive off shortly thereafter.

Only then did Captain Highwind let go of the doorframe and turn back after closing the door. He instantly saw me peering around the corner. "The damn cookies are burnin', Shera."

He was right! I turned around and got back to the task at hand, trying to calm my nerves after what had just transpired.

I got the table set for his tea and put down the plate of cookies. Right on time, he came and sat at the table, taking up his teacup and drinking. I dared to sit down as well, facing him, but he didn't look at me.

The tension in the air got the better of me and I dared to speak. "Captain… I was afraid Stephenson was going to hit you there for a moment."

Captain Highwind set his cup down and leaned forward on the table. "I weren't in no damn danger there, Shera. His kind ain't a threat to me."

I cocked my head to the side, awaiting his insight.

Those heavenly blue eyes of his narrowed as he looked at me. "Thing is… that kinda guy, sure, he's a big mother fucker, and acts like a real bad ass but… He's the kinda guy that's beat on women his whole life. Which, of course, he can physically get away with because he's just so much bigger'n 'em. Thing is, the women that fall victim to that kinda shit usually are submissive, and all the men he's ever fought have been drunk. Well, I ain't some little submissive bitch and I'm sober as all hell at the moment. I ain't afraid of his little act in the least. Confronted with that, he didn't know what to fuckin' do so he just walked off. He's a Goddamned loser."

"Well, I appreciate that you defended me like that," I said quietly, looking away.

"I did it because it was the right fuckin' thing to do, not because I feel any sorta obligation to you, so don't go readin' shit into it." He reached over and grabbed a cookie.

"Captain… Gregory… is… is that the name of the man that tried to attack me last night?" I dared to ask. I know he denied being involved yesterday, but I think I know better now.

With that, he got up and walked out of the kitchen, not giving me any answer, but taking the plate of cookies with him.

I honestly don't care what his motivation was. He spared me that man's wrath.

Needless to say, some thing inside me had been touched by what he had done. I know it seems insane in light of the way things are but somehow, I can't shake the feeling I have that…

He's the one. He's the one I'm meant to be with. I may be out of my mind but I think… I think this is why fate brought me here. Maybe it wasn't about the rocket at all. Maybe fate did have another plan for me.

Despite it all, I think that fate includes Captain Cid Highwind.