Chapter 11
Ten years later.
24 Dec 2021
HMAS Hammersley
It was a beautiful day with blue skies and scorching sun. The day was drawing to a close and the Hammersley anchored in a small lagoon on Mount Adolphus Island off the Cape York Peninsula.
Downstairs the radio was bellowing.
Oh the weather outside is frightful,
But the fire is so delightful,
And since we've no place to go,
Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!
It doesn't show signs of stopping,
And I've bought some corn for popping,
The lights are turned way down low,
Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!
Lieutenant Commander Kate McGregor's face got gloomily and shoved her hands deep in her trousers pockets.
Idiots! Snow? Right here? Don't radio presenters think anymore?
Is it really necessary to turn up the volume so loud?
She shrugged.
Oh, it's Christmas only once a year!
She was brought back to reality by : "Anchor is down and the ship is safely anchored boss!", announced the bosun, Chief Petty Officer Andrew Harper alias Harpie.
"Thanks Harpie", Kate answered.
"Are you coming to our Christmas party?", he asked her.
"Of course! What do you think?", she replied with a smile.
He smiled back at her.
"Where's the X?", she asked him.
"He's going around the ship", he said gesturing with his thumb over his shoulder.
"Uh-hu. I'll be in my cabin", she said, then turned and walked down the stairs. Behind her she could hear his 'yes ma'am'.
Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say
On a bright Hawaiian Christmas day
That's the island greeting that we send to you
From the land where palm trees sway
Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright
The sun will shine by day and all the stars at night…
She nodded slightly.
Yeah, it's more our reality.
As she passed the bulletin board she glanced at the signal announcing Christmas dinner with aperitif. No menu. It should be a surprise, although she could guess what it was going to be because it smelled good in the corridor.
'Dress code : S7'.
She smiled. Bomber wants to do it in style!
This time we have no luck, we are spending Christmas at sea!
Hmm, no way around. We're at sea!
And I don't like it!
Before we reached the base again on the previous patrol Bomber had come to ask if we could arrange a Christmas dinner aboard.
Of course! Why not? We already have the misfortune to be at sea, so why not have a little fun. And I'm not going to chase FFVs on Christmas Eve, no way!
She asked me for a budget and I asked her what she intended to do with it. But it had to be a surprise and I had insisted a little. Then Rebecca gave me one of her sad looks asking me if I didn't trust her anymore. Okay, okay, I had to trust my friend and I agreed.
She smiled at me radiantly and said I wouldn't regret it. I trust her, but my curiosity is nagging.
Kate reached her cabin and entered.
She took off her DPNU jacket and untied her ponytail, then she ran both hands through her hair to loosen it. Kate sat down and started some administration but her attention turned to the photo on her desk. It was a photo from last Christmas with her husband Mike, their son James and herself in a summer outfit next to a Christmas tree.
She smiled. It's an absurd photo. Celebrate Christmas with 30 degrees in summer. I still hope to be able to replace it one day with one with snow!
What are they doing now?
Of course you know it!
Jamie is asking what I'm doing now, if I can celebrate Christmas too.
And Mike is trying to give him an answer he wants to hear! Otherwise he keeps on nagging. I know he's more than happy to have Nikki taking care of the turkey. The only time he had to deal with it on his own, it went wrong and I had to clean the kitchen thoroughly afterwards! I don't know how he prepared it, but the kitchen was sticky all over!
She smiled and leaned back in her chair.
I wish I could be with my family and friends. Normally we celebrate Christmas with Nikki, Pete and their two daughters. They found each other and got married two years after us. Now it's awkward. I'm here and they're there! Hmm.
Well, it's not the first time I've been at sea over Christmas, but I don't like it!
A knock on the door brought her back to reality.
"Come in!"
The door opened, it was Dutchy. He was now lieutenant and her executive officer.
"The ship is ready for… uh.. Christmas", he said with a grin.
"Thanks Dylan", Kate replied.
"Okay", he said and turned around but he lingered and turned back to her. "Don't wait too long Kate, we're thirsty!", he told her with a wink.
"And I'm hungry! I can eat an ox", she replied tit for tat.
"Yeah, I know that. And for the next fourteen days you're going to stare gloomily at my food because you're trying to lose weight", he replied, raising an eyebrow.
"Stop laughing at me!", she replied pretending to be angry.
"We'll see, we'll see", he said as he left her cabin.
"Bandit!", Kate mumbled before returning to her paperwork.
And the worst part is that he is right!
After twenty minutes, she stopped and looked at her watch. Kate nodded and closed her laptop. She took off her boots and undressed. She had a quick shower and looked at herself in the mirror.
Another year gone! You're forty-six now. Married for nine years, a son and your own command. The last nine years have been the best of your life while the first… I don't want to think about it anymore. A dark point, I was not always at home for my son, but on the other hand Mike prooved that he was a good father!
She examined her face carefully for wrinkles and smiled when she found none.
Kate put on light makeup and perfumed herself then padded back inside to put on her white shirt and trousers. While buttoning her shirt, her gaze fell on the photo of the entire crew in front of the Hammersley.
Yeah, I can count myself lucky with this crew. Mike made a huge effort to bring the old gang back together and he largely succeeded. I can say that the backbone of the ship is the former crew of the Hammersley. Dylan trained as an officer and became my XO. Harpie move up the career ladder and is now chief petty officer and my buffer. Robert, RO, has also made progress and is now petty officer. His weird character hasn't changed but on the other hand he's probably the most dedicated person aboard. Bird became leading seaman and is still the cook and medical assistant. And finally Bomber, Rebecca alias Becca who has been my best friend for years. We can both talk freely about anything. She's now petty officer, our swain and medic. She has h ad a lot of trainings and she's almost a doctor. Bird is good as cook, but Becca is much better and on special occasions she takes over from her, like tonight.
Kate smiled.
She's an incorrigible bachelor, or she pretends to be. She and Dylan are just friends. That's what they want the world to know, but I know even more. They're more than friends, they're a couple. And the crew? They pretend not to know, but often we see by details that they consider them as a couple. They spend each shore leave in each other's company, and his flat or her house is always empty. I suspected it a little, and she already told me. And I also noticed that she sleeps in one of his T-shirts.
She glanced to her bunk where a man's sweater was folded up.
Mike's. I put it on when it's cold at night.
But when it comes to moving on together, they both announce loud and clear that nothing is going on. I even know more. Deep down they want to get married, but I don't know what's holding them back yet.
They are a couple. Normally it's not allowed aboard, but it has become an open secret. Everyone knows, but no one talks about it. Moreover, they act professionally and I'm silent because I know damn well how hard it is!
A sad event has darkened the last nine years. 2Dads. He was AWOL in Singapore and three days later his body was found at the docks. Shot dead. Asian poker players don't have the same sense of humour as Aussies.
She bent down to grab her white lace-up shoes but she shook her head.
"Nah! We're not at Navcom", she mumbled. She put the socks away and she put on her white pumps.
Finally, she looked at herself in the mirror and nodded.
Okay, lieutenant commander, you're ready to celebrate Christmas! Now, go to the quarterdeck. They are waiting for you to start.
To be continued