Okay, for the people who have asked I do something with massage in it. Here it is. I've been asked to make some of these Adult-fics, smut, etc. I can't because I post them on as well and that wouldn't be fair to skip a chapter on them, which is what I would have to do if I write it smut since these chapters are so short.

Anyway, enjoy!

PS: The title is based on one of our teacher's sayings which cracked me up. I to go an Oriental Bodywork school, so our primary work is on Oriental medicine and oriental massage. But, we do that 'normal' Swedish massage as well. Anyway, in class, you have to strip down because you can't work on someone over their clothes. So it's funny, us veterans just strip right off, the newbies get that deer in the headlight "Oh my god, what did I get myself into!" look while, probably, wondering if they'd just joined some sort of nudist cult. Mind you, we never strip all the way. (Unless you are in Swedish Massage class, where you do strip all the way but under the covers. LOL!) It's all fun though and great. My body is bitching about not being massaged regularly anymore.

Oh, I graduate, informally on Friday! Yay! Formally, with cap and gown in August (they try to get our whole year full of students together to graduate them.). Wish me luck, National Board exam is next!

Jackie

PART 40 - It's Massage, Get Over It!
Mac's POV

I'm normally not the type to get uncomfortable really easy. One thing the
Marine Corps teaches is adaptation, to any situation. Now, glancing around
at some of the odd people in this place, I'm a little more than just
uncomfortable. "Again, why was this such a good idea?" I ask Harriet who
is sitting next to me.

"Aww, Mac. Won't it be fun to use on the boys?"

I snort indignantly, "Harm and I already have enough fun, thank you. . .And
considering that you and Bud have FOUR kids, I'd say you're having a good
time as well." Ahahaa! She's blushing now, good. "Anyway, there are other
ways to have fun. . .This is a bit. . .well. . .not me."

Never was I really able to do the whining thing and make it sound good.
Harriet, who I am sure, hears plenty of whining from her kids, isn't phased.
"Have you done this before?"

"No." I can see where she's going. "But."

"Then you have NO idea what you are talking about." She smiles in that
innocent looking 'I got you' type of way that is uniquely Harriet. I swear,
the woman could con the Pope. "Besides, THIS is fun."

Sighing, I glance around once more. There are only women here, no men at
all. My eyes settle on the large poster behind the podium. "Massage Class."
Yes, I am taking a massage class and it's all Harriet's fault! See, when we
agreed to do some 'girlie' things from time to time, I didn't think she'd
drag me out to this. The woman led me to believe this was a Woman's show,
you know? New clothing, make up, things for the home? Erm, no. We are at
Tai Yang's School Of Massage attending their six hour 'relaxation massage'
course. All I can say, if Harm knew about this and didn't tell, he's a dead
man.

A woman who has to be no taller than five foot three, with dark hair that is
everywhere and a tie dyed mu mu steps up. "Hello, everyone!" Bleh, I bet
five bucks her name is Willow. "My name is Rainsong." Hmm, close but no
cigar, I prefer Willow though. I grin. "Well come to the Tai Yang School
Of Massage six hour open house. . .before we begin, did all of you find a
buddy?" I pat Harriet on the shoulder. She's my buddy. Thank God, I don't
think I want to be touched by Willow. "Good, then let's step through the
doors to the right, I want you and your buddy to pick a massage table and
stand by it. . .We'll have more instructions as we go along."

Harriet and I stand then head into the next room which is, I must say,
absolutely gorgeous. There are several Oriental looking pictures, diagrams
and ying yangs galore. There are french windows which give us a beautiful
view of the water gardens outside. As I am admiring, Willow comes in and
tells us to place our sheets on the tables, we do so and then, without any
fanfare, no warning what so ever she shouts out. "Alright, one of you get
naked and get under the sheet."

The ones who have, obviously, done this before, waste no time in working out
the nakedness issue. Harriet, myself and about six others are standing
there, staring at Willow as if she'd lost her mind. "I'm sorry Willo..Rain.
. .umm"

"Rainsong." She cheerily corrects me as she heads over to our table. "What
seems to be the problem. . .?" Will..erm, Rainsong, bows her head slightly,
waiting for me to give her a name. Damn do I have to give her my real one?

"Sarah!" Harriet blurts out and I feel like killing her. I'm not joking
when I don't give that name out to most people.

A glare towards Harriet has her treading water, I think, if we were at the
office, she'd be as appologetic as could be. "Actually, it's Mac. .
.everyone calls me Mac."

Rainsong frowns slightly. I know where this is going. "Mac? But, that's a
man's name. Sarah is so. .. so beautiful. Did you know it means. . ."

"Princess? Yes. Do you know how many men have located that factoid to
impress me?" I shoot back and by her look of. . .of, hell, there isn't a
name for that look, she's not impressed. "Anyway, do we have to get naked?"

The woman, who now clearly has some sort of disdain for me, smiles sweetly,
her voice just a little short of being fully sarcastic. "It's massage, get
over it!"

And she's serious. Serious and standing their waiting for one of us to hit
the rack. .. um bed. "I'll umm. .. go first, Harriet." Hey, I've done
worse when I was a kid. I strip down to my skivvies, then slide under the
blanket. Before Wingsong. .. no Rainwater. .. WHATEVER her name is, can say
a thing I reach down, remove my underwear and then my bra.

Willow wind and rain is still staring at me. "Dear, you are SUPINE. I need
you to be in the prone position."

Okay, if she mentions the word 'position' one more time, I am out of here.
The only person I want to talk about positions with is Harm. "Prone?"

"Yes, on your chest, with your face in the cradle? When you lay on your
back, that's supine." Then she goes off, now speaking to the whole class -
who, I might add, is pissed at our little detour in learning - giving a
little rhyme about 'Supine: On Your Spine!' The pair in front of us giggles
and finds it cute. I'm not amused.

I lay there, waiting for Harriet to begin and, maybe it's not so bad, this
table IS comfy. I sigh deeply, allowing myself to relax when Harriet's bone
cold hands touch my back. "Jesus Harriet!" I yell and get shhhhhhhhhed for
my efforts. "Sorry." I yell again, raising my head up from the cradle to
find the group still a bit peeved.

Harriet's chuckling. "Sorry." I don't think she is though.

So we go through this whole routine that starts at the upper back and moves
downward in a flowing motion. Next we progress to using forearms with this
very nice smelling oil. "Oww!" Harriet missed and clocked me on the head. Come to think of it, maybe she did it on purpose.

"Sorry." She giggles. Yup. Definately did it on purpose!

An hour later, we break for lunch and we find outselves sitting with Willow/Rainwhatever. "So, Sarah, how are you enjoying the class so far?"

"I have to admit, it's nice being pampered for an hour." I joke and Willow, who's just been irritated with me since the get go, gives me a menacing look.

"So you're all into taking is that it?"

I raise my hand up in surrender. "No, no. . .That was a joke."

She does thish harumffing noise and sticks her nose up in the air. Okay, who the hell made her the last Coca-Cola in the desert? "If you aren't serious about this, why take the class?"

Alright, that does it! "Look, missy. . .I didn't even KNOW about this class, my friend here brought me. . .And second of all, how the hell would you know if I am into giving or receiving. I'll have you know, anything I learn here will be used on my boyfriend, got it?" I get up to leave, but decide to make one final point, "Oh, and for someone who supposedly 'in tune with the universe.'" I make qutation figures as I say this. "You sure as hell are acting like a snob. . .I was never rude to you, this is new to me. . . and yes, alright, I don't like being touched. I'm a Marine and in Bootcamp we don't teach touchy feely unless it's my boot on someone's chest!"

The group around me starts clapping and for a moment, I feel like I've entered another dimension. I've just told off THEIR teacher, I mean, some of these people KNOW her and they are applauding! To my delirious shock, Rainchic stands up and hugs me. ANd I am not talking about a little hug, I mean it's a full on BEAR hug that I'm not even sure Harm could administer. "Oh, Sarah, that's so wonderful! You've broken through! You've released your pain. . ." She's crying. No, really. She's CRYING. I can feel the tears on my shirt. From behind RainWHATEVER I can see Harriet giving me an odd look which I shrug off. Looking around, I see other women crying and hugging. "Let's go everyone! Back to the tables." She says when I'm finally let go of. Smiling, she takes my face in my hands and pinches my cheeks. "You're going to be good at this, I can tell." As the Rain starts to head back into the studio, she throws over her shoulder. "You know, I've had two military types quit their job and become full time massage therapists."

"How wonderful." Over my dead body am I leaving the Marines to massage people. Hell no.

This time, Harriet is laying on the table. . .naked. I do my very best to avoid, what I am chosing to call, 'sacred territory', and get on with some Swedish massage who's techniques are French words. I do this effleurage type of thing, where you are basically gliding your hands over the person's back without very much pressure. Then, I begin using my fists to put pressure along the side of the spine. Thirty minutes later, I am sweating, my legs feel like I've ran a marathon from all of this squatting and I am trying to keep my balance while I do this forearm thing. You basically use your forearm and run it down one side of the back, slide up, slip in the other forearm and then work on the shoulder blades with a rolling motion before starting it all over again. Willow obviously likes my "posture" she keeps commenting on it. "Good job, Sarah! Great posture, that Warrior's Stance is fantastic." Yea, it had to be called that didn't it? "Everyone watch the Marine."

So now, I have two dozen pairs of eyes on me, watching as I do this forearm thing to Harriet who is grinning like an idiot. "You so owe me for this." I whisper, then straighten up and continue the routine. "Harm better be grateful for this." And later today I was going to find out just how grateful he was.

LATER THAT EVENING

"Mmmm. . .yes. God, your hands are so wonderful."

"Is that the spot?"

"Umm, how'd you know?"

"There's a knot. . .I'll work it out, just keep breathing it might hurt a
little."

"Your hands are divine. . .I swear, DEVINE."

"Yeah, sure. . .You just say that because you don't want me to stop."

"This is true. . .Oooh, yea. . .Wow. . .OH! My God, yes. . ."

"Is this sex or massage?"

"It can be both." I grin, cracking an eye open as I stare at Harm who has
my foot in his hand, working on my arches. "Did I tell you to stop?" I
motion towards my feet, chuckling as he continues with a huff. The man is
so cute.

Reaching over, Harm grabs my other foot and gets to work. "Weren't YOU the
one that took a massage course?"

Yes, I can see where he's going with this... but. "Your point?"

"Shouldn't you be massaging ME?" It's cute that he actually dared to get
that out.

"And I will, but I was on my feet for six hours, massaging, learning how
to set up that stupid table and. . ." God this is embarrassing. "Rainsong
stepped on me." No really, she did. It's a type of massage. Thai, maybe?
Anyway, she got up on the table and stepped on my foot with her own. I am
not sure what people find gratifying about that. It hurt like hell!
According to her it had something to do with my archs and the high heels.
Whatever!

Harm chuckles. "Rainsong?"

"Don't ask. . .It was a long day." I sit up and slide closer to Harm. "You know, all of this got me thinking. . .maybe we should quit the military and become professional massage therapists?" I say as seriously as possible. I'm joking, of course, but by the Rabb-In-The-Headlights look, he doesn't think so.

"Massage?" He says flatly, apparently the idea doesn't seem plausible to him.

I nod with a big ol' grin. "Yea, we can start our own place, maybe even go around to corporations and massage groups. . .We can call ourselves. . ." Hmm, think of a name, think of a name. "Flyboy and NinjaGirl."

At that, the horrified look washes away from his face only to be replaced by a grin. "You had me for a second or two there, Marine."

"Yes, I know." Grabbing his hand, I pull him up. "C'mon, Squid, bedtime."

"Aww, no massage?"

"Not that kind, no." I say and his mouth falls open. I just love making my flyboy squirm!