Chapter 157
There was no getting around the gossiping and whispers from people behind Uilette's back. Takara returned home to inform Cidelle that he would allow her and Bayaq to marry, but they would do so on Quileute grounds and they'd be sent to Washington closer to their wedding dates. To avoid further awkwardness or altercations, a date was agreed upon when Cidelle, Uilette and her family would come to Washington for the wedding and Taraq, Bayaq and the others were sent back home. Although Caevia was delighted to leave the Tistilal tribe, the location bringing back nothing but horrible memories, she was very sorry for her sons and what had happened. When Cidelle found out that she and Uilette were to marry on the same night, she was delighted. She didn't even mind that it meant their weddings would have to be on Quileute grounds. After what had happened, she didn't want to face the tribe during a wedding anyway. As it was, she and Uilette had remained in their parents' home to avoid the gossip that was spreading. Thank goodness Blu Jae and Desarae had run off shortly thereafter for their honeymoon in New York otherwise they'd likely be up against far worse.
Blu Jae didn't want to be angry over the situation, but he couldn't help being a little upset. Their first night has husband and wife had been amazing. They'd had their sappy but loving moment where he called her Desarae Rouge, he'd played the saxophone for her playing a romantic song he'd written just for her and then they'd made love well into the night and all of the following day. Then on their last day of their time of solitude, they hear all this commotion outside and come to find out not only were Uilette and Taraq having an affair, but now Uilette was pregnant and the likelihood the baby was Taraq was almost a certainty. By the next day when they'd meant to leave, they stayed long enough so Desarae could 1) find out the results of the test they'd heard was to occur and 2) be at her brother's side when the news was released for better or for worse. The whole ordeal had dampened what should have been an extremely happy time, but Blu Jae was determined to make her feel better. So when they landed in New York, the first thing they did was go to central park together to listen to a band playing.
"How do you like the band?" Blu Jae asked when they'd listened for a few minutes and Desarae still seemed somber.
"They sound very nice," Desarae answered. "I'm sorry; I know I'm ruining our honeymoon, but I….I can't believe Uilette would do that to Hawk."
"I know you don't want to hear this but you know how you and I feel for one another? How I'd imprinted on you?"
"Imprint or not, I didn't spread my legs until we were married," Desarae said critically. "And you were perfectly respectable and wonderful. The least Taraq could have done was keep his hands to himself and the least Uilette could have done was woman up and tell my brother she wasn't happy. He'd have told her he wasn't happy and then none of this would have happened."
"I know," Blu Jae said and rubbed her shoulder. "And for the record, you're not ruining our honeymoon. Having this time completely uninterrupted just the two of us is the greatest gift I could ask for."
Desarae finally smiled a light, happy smile, "You're so kind."
"I wouldn't lie to you; I'm telling you the truth," Blu Jae smiled and gave her a kiss. The band began playing 'When a Man Loves a Woman' – the first song he'd ever played for her. It brought a romantic mood to the air. "Dance with me?"
"I would love to," Desarae smiled and followed along with Blu Jae as they danced in the park together.
Yvonne and Salem in the meantime had flown off to Florida for their own honeymoon. Yvonne only had one suitcase with her. All her other things like her record player and records were being brought to Washington on the buses with the kids. It had her name listed on it so once they'd arrived home, someone would bring her things to Salem's apartment. While they'd more or less overheard the entirety of the situation, Salem and Yvonne had stayed well out of it. Truthfully, Salem wasn't surprised to find out that his uncle was having an affair with Uilette and he wasn't even surprise that Uilette had fallen pregnant and Taraq was the father. He'd thought the outcome inevitable to be frank, although he kept that opinion to himself. When they landed and collected their luggage, Salem hailed them a cab and had their driver take them to the hotel right on the beach that was near the Naval Base.
"How long were you stationed here?" Yvonne asked. They'd been speaking English to one another since they reunited to get her used to the language, but she was ever uncertain, they'd return to Tistilal/Quileute.
"Not very long; a little over a year," Salem said. "But out of all the places I was stationed, Ft. Lauderdale was my favorite. Once we have our things at the hotel, we'll spend the day at the beach and then have dinner at The Seagull."
"That sounds like a lot of fun," Yvonne said.
"Wait until you try fresh orange juice," Salem said. "In fact, let's find an orange stand and get some. Driver, do you mind stopping?"
"Buy me a glass and I won't even keep the meter running," the cab driver said.
"Works for me," Salem answered.
The driver stopped at the first orange stand that was along the beach and, as promised, turned off the meter when Salem stepped out to get the juice. He handed the driver his drink then handed Yvonne hers before they continued to the hotel. It was only another four miles away but it was worth it to stop when Salem saw how much Yvonne really liked the juice. Once they reached the hotel, they got their luggage out of the cab and onto a little trolley to take upstairs to their hotel room once Salem got them checked in. He made a point to get a room that had a view of the beach and opened the curtains first thing once they had their luggage on the king mattress. Yvonne came to see the view and pressed her hands to the glass while she stared out.
"It's so pretty," Yvonne smiled.
"I thought you'd like it," Salem smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist bringing her back against his chest. She placed her arms over his and continued to stare out the window while Salem swayed side to side. "Do you want to go to the beach now or relax for a bit?"
"I'd love to go to the beach now if we could," Yvonne said with a contented sigh.
"Let's get in our suits and we'll walk over," Salem said and pressed a kiss to Yvonne's head.
Yvonne changed into her pink string bikini and wore a short sundress over it while Salem got into his own swim trunks and wore his Navy tank top to cover his chest. He helped Yvonne pin up her braid so it wasn't to the floor and while he did, Yvonne stared at herself in the mirror looking thoughtful.
"I want to cut my hair," Yvonne said suddenly while Salem was pinning her hair.
"How short?" Salem asked nervously.
"I don't know. I may want to sit down with Emma Leigh when we get home. I know she'll make it look lovely." She looked at Salem in the mirror. "Do you think I shouldn't cut my hair?"
"I understand why you'd want to cut it. Being a living embodiment of Rapunzel is extremely troublesome. I just really love your hair."
Yvonne smiled sweetly at him, "I can keep it long. I just don't want it to drag behind me when I walk."
"I know; I get you," Salem said. "I guess…just don't cut it too short, okay? I realize that might be a bit unreasonable of me to ask-"
"It's not unreasonable," Yvonne said. "I know Emma Leigh will make it look beautiful."
"Of that I have no doubt," Salem smiled and leaned down to give her a kiss.
Once Yvonne's hair was secured, Salem collected a large blanket he'd brought with and the two of them walked hand in hand out of the hotel and across the street to the beach and searched for a spot to rest. The beach was packed with families and single people sunbathing on their blankets. There were children playing around in the water either at the shoreline or further out and there were some people that were far out on the water in boats. It took Yvonne a moment to get used to walking in the sand but she loved how it felt on her feet. It was nice and warm and she enjoyed the feel of the sand getting between her toes. Salem got their blanket down once they found a good spot and Yvonne went to the shoreline and jumped from the chilly feel of the water compared to the sand.
"You want to go for a swim?" Salem asked after approaching her.
Yvonne nodded and tugged on Salem's hand to pull him with her out to the water. Her feet kept sinking in the sand as she went alone and when they were in deep enough waters, Yvonne went onto her back so she could start floating and Salem stayed close. The two of them stayed out on the water for several minutes swimming and playing around until Yvonne stepped on something sharp. It didn't break her skin but it startled her and then she felt a pinch at her foot. Salem dipped down keeping his eyes open long enough to see what it was and saw that it was a stone crab. He got the crab off her and they returned inland. By the time they'd made it to shore, Yvonne had recovered from her surprise and was even laughing a little.
"What did you say that creature was?"
"It's called a Stone Crab," Salem said. "Wait here for me?" Salem continued and when Yvonne nodded, Salem went back out to find the crab again. Eventually he did and grabbed it by the back of the carapace so its claws were facing away from him and he walked back to shore with the crab in hand so he could show it to Yvonne.
"I think he's angry," Yvonne said when Salem presented the crab to her. It was moving its legs around, it's claws open and ready to snap.
Salem chuckled, "Yeah, he's pissed. He'll calm down once I get him back to the water. He's lucky he's the only one I could find otherwise I'd say let's get these guys in a pot."
"You can eat these?"
"Oh yeah; and they're delicious. The Seagull has a soft shell crab sandwich that's fantastic, but that uses blue crab I think. Their stone crab is usually just the claws." The crab then started to fight more aggressively, swinging its claws from side to side to get Salem to let go. "Alright, calm down. I'll let you go," Salem said and plopped the crab into the water so it could crawl away.
"I feel so bad for stepping on him," Yvonne said.
"It's alright. Crabs have a stronger exoskeleton than a scorpion so if you step on them accidently, they'll be fine, especially when they're in the water," Salem said.
"Exoskeleton means that hard shell, right?" Yvonne said.
"Yeah, that's the technical term," Salem said. "Let's relax for a bit and I'll take a look at your foot."
They returned to the blanket and Salem sat across from Yvonne and checked her foot. The crab didn't seem to have hurt her too bad but he could tell a bruise was going to form. He pressed a kiss to her foot and gently massaged it briefly before Yvonne tugged her foot away from his touch tickling her. They stayed on the blanket laying down together soaking up the sun. Yvonne fell asleep at Salem's side and he soon joined her until he woke to the sound of a cop's siren in the distance. He left Yvonne alone until he felt himself getting hungry and the two of them returned to the hotel to change and walked to The Seagull together.
"So this was your favorite place to pass the time when you were here?"
"Yeah, it was," Salem smiled. "I used to date one of the singers here, but last I was here, I heard she'd married and moved north. She was the one who'd invited us to her house for a pool party and I wrangled an alligator out for her."
"Oh, I see," Yvonne smiled, "Were the two of you dating before or after you rescued the pool from a giant lizard?"
"After," Salem laughed. "Between you and me, I spent a few hours of the night with her before I had to return to base." Salem winked at her and made Yvonne giggle. Then their waitress arrived with some water and got out her little note pad.
"Can I get you two started with something to drink?"
"I'll take a Falstaff," Salem said and glanced at Yvonne who stared at him then the waitress. "Actually, can you give us another moment?" Salem said, suddenly realizing his mistake.
"Absolutely. Did you still want to bring you that beer?"
"Yeah," Salem nodded and the waitress wrote that down and promised to be back in a moment. "I'm really sorry; slipped my mind."
"It's alright," Yvonne said. "I really should get on learning to read."
"Hey, we're on vacation right now. We'll worry about it once we're home," Salem said. "You've never had alcohol I assume?"
"No, I don't think so. I've never heard of it."
"It's basically a fermented drink," Salem said, keeping his explanation as basic as possible. "The only way to know what you like is to try it. I'm a beer kind of guy, but what I ordered is an IPA and you either like those or you hate those. Do you want to start slow and get something fruity?"
"Okay," Yvonne smiled.
"You liked that orange juice, right?" Yvonne nodded. "Then I'll ask the waitress for a screwdriver. It's a drink with orange juice and it's not too strong tasting."
"But isn't the point of a drink being able to taste it?"
Salem chuckled, "It depends on what you're ordering. Do you want to brave something stronger?"
"Sure," Yvonne smiled. When the waitress returned with Salem's drink, he looked at her.
"I realize this is more of a New Orleans thing, but would you happen to have a Sazerac?" Salem asked her.
"Yes, sir," she said and wrote down the order. "Would you like another moment to look over the menu or are you ready to order?"
"Did you want to try that soft shell crab sandwich I told you about?" Salem asked and Yvonne nodded. "Can we get that soft shell crab sandwich and I'll order that steamed Stone Crab special."
"Alright, sir, I'll get your order in now. I'll be right back with that Sazerac," she said and walked away. Once she'd left, Salem sipped his beer then presented it to Yvonne.
"Did you want to try it?" Salem asked. Yvonne reached over to take the large glass and took a sip. Then immediately scrunched her nose and handed it back.
"That's awful," Yvonne said and drank some water while Salem chuckled.
"Okay, so for future reference, IPAs are not your thing," Salem said.
"Why is it so bitter?"
"It's a characteristic of IPAs. Wait until you try that Sazerac," Salem said.
"If it tastes like that, then I know I won't like it," Yvonne said.
"No, a Sazerac is a little different, but if you don't like it, I'll drink it," Salem said. They waited a few more minutes before the waitress returned with a bright drink that was a peachy pink with a lemon twist.
"Oh, it's so pretty," Yvonne smiled. Salem kept quiet while she brought the glass to her nose to smell it. "It smells nice too."
"Does it?"
Yvonne nodded, "It smells fruity." Then she brought it to her lips, sipped and immediately put it down. "That's even worse," she cried and drank her water again. Salem took the stem of the martini glass and sipped it. The only way to describe it was to say that it tasted the way a department store shoe section smelled.
"Holy shit, that is awful," Salem said with a small chuckle. "I'm sorry. I'll get you something different."
"No, no, no more alcohol," Yvonne shook her head.
"Is everything alright, miss?" the waitress said when she came back over, having seen Yvonne's reaction to the drink.
"I do not like that drink," Yvonne said.
"Too strong for you?" she asked with a small giggle.
"It's my fault; she's never really drank before so she's learning what she likes," Salem said and the waitress looked at him teasingly.
"The girl's never had alcohol and you think something with absinthe is a good start?" the woman said and then laughed a little. "I'll tell you what, miss: I'll bring you something good that's not too strong. It's on me."
"No, that's alright; you don't have to," Yvonne said.
"Please, I insist. Are you her husband?" Salem nodded with a silly smile. "I'll make up for your husband's little prank."
"It wasn't a prank! I thought she'd like it," Salem said.
"Sure you did," the waitress said with a smile. "How about a screwdriver? It's orange juice and vodka. It's fresh squeezed orange juice and everything. Or how about a tequila sunrise? That's orange juice, tequila and our house made grenadine."
Yvonne hesitated for a moment and then finally said, "I will try the screwdriver."
"I'll be right back with that, miss," she said and took the Sazerac from the table.
"I promise I didn't order that to tease you," Salem promised.
"Sure you didn't," Yvonne said but she was smiling. Shortly thereafter, the waitress returned with the drink. Yvonne took a sip and, finally, she nodded. "This is nice."
"Excellent! Your orders should be out in just a moment alright?"
"Thank you," Salem said and the waitress walked away. "So you like drinks with orange juice. Noted."
"Why do people drink this if it tastes so bad?" Yvonne asked.
"Because it makes you drunk," Salem answered bluntly. "If you drink too much alcohol, it loosens you up."
"Have you ever been drunk?"
Salem had to force himself not to laugh out loud. Instead he smiled, "Once or twice."
"Is it fun?"
"It's fun when you're drunk but the next day is awful depending on how much you drank," Salem said. "I say stick with two drinks and you'll be alright."
"I'll only drink this one, then," Yvonne said and took another sip of her drink.
Shortly thereafter, the waitress came out with their food and walked away so they could enjoy it. She loved the soft-shell crab as Salem predicted she would. After they finished dinner, Salem got himself one more beer and Yvonne went ahead and ordered the Tequila Sunrise the waitress has suggested before and loved it, however the moment she started to feel strange, she stopped.
"I feel a little dizzy," Yvonne said after she'd gotten through the majority of her drink.
"I think the alcohol's getting to you, but it's nothing you can't sleep off," Salem said and finished off his beer. "How about we get back to the hotel and you can sleep this off?"
Yvonne only nodded and Salem paid the tab, tipped the waitress generously and started walking back to the hotel. Yvonne didn't have trouble walking or anything, but Salem still kept a hold of her. Once they made it back, Salem carried Yvonne to bed and the both of them just went to sleep. He woke up bright and early the next morning having a special day planned out. He showered, ordered room service and by the time the food arrived, Yvonne had woken up.
"Good, you're up," Salem said and brought their food to the bed. "How do you feel?"
"Alright," Yvonne said.
"You don't have a headache or anything?" Yvonne shook her head. "Okay, good. You don't have a hangover. I didn't think you would, but I just wanted to be sure."
"I feel fine," Yvonne said and sat up accepting one of the muffins. "What are we doing today?"
"I thought we could visit Andy today. We'd better leave soon if we're going to catch him before it's busy," Salem said.
"I'll wash up quick and we'll go," Yvonne said and finished her muffin quickly and went to shower.
Once she was out, Salem helped her with her hair and, unable to resist, arranged it so that it mirrored his tattoo. They left early enough to make it to Andy's shop early and as Salem expected, the doors were locked. He saw Andy and three other artists inside prepping their tools and Salem knocked on the door.
"We're not open!" Andy barked without looking up.
"Can you make an exception for an old friends?" Salem yelled so he'd hear him and Andy looked up, put down what he was doing and came to the door.
"Holy shit, Salem! How've you been?" Andy said and gave Salem a hug. "Come in; I could use some company while I prep my tools."
"We're right here, sir," one of the artists said.
"You idiots don't count," Andy said and the artists all laughed. He finally noticed Yvonne and for a moment he was struck by her. "And who's this little lady?"
"This is my wife Yvonne," Salem said. "Yvonne, this is Andy: the mastermind behind some of my best tattoos."
"When did you get married? And why wasn't I invited to the wedding?" Andy asked.
"It happened a little quickly and I didn't really think you'd want to drive two hours out of Phoenix for the wedding. I figured it was best that we came to you."
"Well, aren't you thoughtful?" Andy said and took Yvonne's hand to shake it. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Yvonne. Your husband and I go way back. So when did you two meet?"
"We met back in June when his tribe came to Arizona to assist us with a dispute we were facing," Yvonne said.
"Wait…June as in this past June? Or last year?"
"This past June," Salem answered. Andy lost his smile and looked at Salem like he was insane then cleared his throat taking a hold of Salem's arm.
"Yvonne, can I burrow your husband for a moment?" Andy said but took Salem away to the back of the store before she could answer. He brought Salem to the drawing room in the back and closed the door. "Tell me you're kidding," he said as soon as the door was closed.
"That I got married?"
"That you married this girl after a month!"
"There's no need to yell, Andy," Salem said with a chuckle.
"This isn't funny, Salem. What possessed you to marry this woman?"
"Because I love her?"
"Okay, Salem, 'love' and 'a need to get your dick wet' are two very different things."
"One usually accompanies the other I'd think," Salem said and Andy groaned.
"God damn it, Salem, don't be a smart ass. I get it; she's a pretty young thing. I married a pretty young thing too. That pretty young thing left me for another man and made me say I beat her."
"Come on, Andy. Just because you're marriage didn't work out doesn't mean everyone's marriage won't work out," Salem said.
"No, but getting married too fast is a recipe for disaster," Andy said. "I mean, did the two of you even do more than sleep together before you married?"
"Yes, Andy, we did more than sleep together," Salem said with a groan and rubbed his face a little.
"You didn't get her pregnant or something did you?"
"Not yet. At least not that I'm aware of. I'd rather get us a house first before we start having kids, but I can always kick into high gear if need be."
"If she's not pregnant then why get married so fast?"
"Because I just knew I wanted to marry her," Salem said. "Look, Andy, I get what you're saying. I know it looks really fast but I love her."
"You're sure she's not a gold digger or something?"
"I can assure you, Andy, she's not a gold digger," Salem said. "Do you really think she'd waste time with me if she were?"
"Alright, alright, fine," Andy said and sighed heavily. "So you two met last month in Arizona?"
"Yeah," Salem said.
"So are you living in Arizona now or something?"
"No, we just went to Arizona to help her tribe out with something," Salem said. "Yvonne and I met, we got to know each other and we got married."
"And how old is she?"
"35," Salem lied. He had no idea, but he knew that was at least close based on what Yvonne had said.
"Really?" Andy said with a raised brow and looked out the glass window of the room to look at Yvonne. "Well shit, I'd thought she was in her twenties."
"Nope, she's 35," Salem said.
"Well," Andy said and looked at her through the window again before shrugging, "She's a looker. I'll give you that. Just for the record, I'm not giving you a couple's tattoo or some stupid shit like that. That's a kiss of death for a relationship. Take it from me," Andy lifted his left hand pointing at his ring finger – with his middle finger no less – showing a tiny tattoo of a nuclear explosion that looked like it was meant to cover something.
"You got a couples tattoo?" Salem said. "I never noticed that."
"One does not usually draw attention to something that brings them great shame. Today I make an exception," Andy said. "This used to be my wedding date. Now it's a representation of how that ended."
"I can see that," Salem laughed a little. "So are we okay to go back outside?"
"Yeah, we'll go back," Andy said and opened the door so they could return to the floor. Yvonne was staring at a wall of basic artwork at the front of the store.
"Are these tattoos you have given people?" Yvonne asked once they'd returned.
"Those are the small tattoos we offer," Andy said. "This shit's reserved for people that want a tattoo but didn't give it a damn bit of thought."
"I see," Yvonne said. "I much prefer Salem's tattoos."
"So do I," Andy said. "So what do you think of your husband's pin up?"
"His pin up?"
"He means my tattoo on my left ribcage," Salem said.
"Oh, yes," Yvonne said, "I'm very fond of it. My favorite is his alligator tattoo."
"Did he tell you the story behind that one?" Andy asked.
"Yes, he did. I'm still not sure if I believe him," Yvonne smiled.
"Oh no, that stupid asshole really did that," Andy chuckled. "What was the reason you'd given to the officer when he got there?" Andy asked Salem.
"It was interrupting my relaxing time," Salem said and Andy laughed a little harder.
"You fucking moron," Andy said through his laughter. "Listen, I'd better get my station ready. Did you want to get a tattoo while you're in Florida? How long are you here for?"
"We're here for the week," Salem said. "I don't know if I can stay long enough for another big project so if I got something, it would need to be smaller."
"I'll tell you what: my last appointment today is at five, so come back over around then and we'll have a consultation."
"Works for me," Salem smiled. "In the meantime, I'll take you to the Naval base."
"Retired and he still wants to go into work; unbelievable," Andy teased. "I'll see you at five."
Salem and Yvonne left the shop and Salem hailed them a cab to take them to the Naval base. He presented his military ID and they were granted entry but since Salem was retired he wouldn't have the same access as he'd had when he was still enlisted. Salem was able to show her a submarine that was docked though he sadly couldn't show her the inside except for a picture that was available. He explained the ins and outs of the submarine and what it was like to live on one for an extended period, explained his former rank and position and was even able to show her a picture that was in one of the admin buildings that he was featured in, but it was in black and white.
"You haven't changed a bit," Yvonne smiled as she looked at the picture. "You and your brother look so much like your father."
Stunned a little by her statement, Salem looked at her and said, "How do you know that?"
"The day the army was set to come and we were all asleep, I had this strange dream. I'd woken beside the oasis and I had my sight. I saw this man in the distance that asked me to come to him. I'd thought it was you but he'd said he was your father," Yvonne said. "I can now say that I can see the resemblance."
"Dad came to you?" Salem asked.
"Yes," Yvonne said. "He told me that I would hear something call my name and when I did I needed to walk into the oasis and go to the cactus then fall back into the water to expel the creatures there." Salem was at a loss for words for a moment. Yvonne placed her hand gently over the necklace he'd given her running her fingers over the smooth stone and the tooth. "He'd told me this would protect me."
"What happened when you fell into the water?" Salem asked.
"I'm not really sure," Yvonne said. "When I was submerged, I heard the sound of babies screaming. I can't describe the sensation I felt. I can only say it wasn't pleasant at all. Then the pain I'd been feeling stopped and as soon as I could finally control my own body again, I resurfaced and then realized I could see. I couldn't believe it. Then I turned around and when I saw you, I knew exactly who you were." She smiled lovingly at him and Salem returned the smile then lifted her hand to give it a kiss.
"Honestly, I think I look more like my mom," Salem finally said.
"You aren't a mirror image like JJ, but you definitely look like your father," Yvonne said. "You have his smile too."
"Do I really?"
"Yeah, you do," Yvonne said. Salem leaned down to give her a kiss but made sure to keep it chaste since they were in a public building. "Do you still have your uniform?"
"Yes, ma'am, I do; all my uniforms. They still fit too," Salem said and Yvonne giggled.
"Would you wear them for me? I'd love to see them," Yvonne said.
"I can arrange that," Salem smiled and gave her one more kiss. "So what should I get as a tattoo?"
"You want me to pick a tattoo for you?" Yvonne asked. "I mean, none of the pictures at the entrance looked like you'd like them."
"No, no, we'd make up a design," Salem said. "We're only here for the week so we can't go too crazy. It'll need to be something simple."
"Um," Yvonne thought while staring at Salem's arms.
The large clock tattoo on his left shoulder took up most of that space and Yvonne couldn't think of anything that would fit naturally into that. She knew his right shoulder had the tattoo to commemorate his nephews and while it wasn't enormous, that fit perfectly right at the top of his shoulder. His left wrist had the open faced orange with an orange blossom and, again, it fit into the space perfectly. She didn't think anything should disrupt it's flow. She then looked at his alligator tattoo that rested on his inside right forearm; easily one of her favorite tattoos that he had on his body.
"Maybe you should get something like the alligator," Yvonne suggested and Salem glanced at the artwork. He turned his hand around to study the negative space and, staring at the top of his forearm and top of his hand, he had an idea and grinned.
"I know what I'm getting," Salem said.
"You do?" Yvonne asked.
"Yeah," Salem said.
"What are you getting?"
"I want to surprise you," Salem said.
Leaving her to guess what he was thinking, Salem pulled Yvonne with him to see more of the base that he was allowed to show her. After a tour of the premises, they left to get a late lunch together at a restaurant on the beach so they could stare out onto the docks. After that they had a few more hours to kill, so they walked along the beach together walking in the direction of Andy's tattoo shop. By the time they'd made it to the shop, it was nearing five o'clock and Andy was hovering over a guy's shoulder, so they took a seat at the waiting area. Yvonne looked up at the artwork around the shop and her eyes fell on the display of Salem's pin up tattoo. She smiled thinking fondly at their morning when she'd dressed in nothing but an apron mixing cake batter while Salem took a picture of her. She even blushed a little.
"Are you okay?" Salem asked making Yvonne look at him.
"Sorry; I was looking at that picture he has of your tattoo and it just reminded me of that time I recreated it for you," Yvonne said and then blushed more as she averted her eyes.
"That was a fun morning," Salem said and squeezed her hand. "Would….um…would you be open to doing something like that again? Different poses, outfits, things like that?"
"You mean taking a picture of me?" Yvonne asked and Salem nodded. "If you want to; so long as they stay between us."
"They will," Salem promised and kissed her cheek. "That first picture is still safe in the manila envelope where no one will see it."
"I trust you," Yvonne smiled and rested her head in his shoulder. They waited about an hour before Andy was finished with his last client and after everything was finalized, Andy sent the guy on his way and went to Salem.
"Sorry that took so long," Andy said. "Do you want to come back to the drawing room and we'll talk about your next tattoo?" Andy led them to the back drawing room and took a seat at the table that was tilted upwards while Salem and Yvonne stood nearby. "So what are you thinking?"
"I'd like to get a tattoo here," Salem said, pointed at the top of his hand and forearm. "I'd like an American Traditional rattlesnake coiled around a flower."
"What kind of flower?"
"I don't know what they're called, but it's this cactus that takes a shape similar to a flower. I saw them when I'd been in Arizona and thought they were pretty."
"I think I know what you're talking about," Andy said and grabbed one of his botany books and searched until he found something called a Haworthia. "You mean this thing?" Andy said pointing at a cactus that was shaped in such a way that it looked like a flower. It was entirely green and the 'petals' were extremely thick.
"Yeah, that's it," Salem said.
"Let me measure the area," Andy said and used a sheer sheet of paper to outline Salem's hand and forearm. "How long are you here for?"
"We leave Sunday," Salem said.
"Not giving me much room to maneuver," Andy said. "My last client tomorrow ends at 7, so come in after that and we'll start tomorrow."
"Works for me," Salem said.
"Good. If you and Mrs. Dauer don't mind staying really late, I can get this done for you in 1 session."
"So long as that's alright with you," Salem said.
"Good. I'll work on the stencil and show it to you tomorrow."
"Alright, we'll see you again tomorrow," Salem said.
Salem and Yvonne left the shop together and returned to the hotel to enjoy the rest of their evening together. In the morning, Salem checked the phone book to find out if there was a zoo nearby. He called the front desk to check if they knew the hours and once he had what he needed, Salem and Yvonne both showered (taking their time with the task), Salem helped Yvonne with her hair making sure it was braided and pinned up and then the two of them left the hotel to catch a taxi so they could go to the local zoo. Salem really only had one animal he wanted to show her, but they enjoyed all the attractions while they were there. Then they finally came upon the exhibit he wanted to show her the most.
"That's an alligator," Salem said, pointing at the enormous reptile that was out of the water and had its mouth slightly open. This alligator was actually bigger than the one he'd wrangled, but not by much.
"You really overpowered this thing?" Yvonne asked.
"I don't know if 'overpowered' is the right word. I had to wrap a garden hose around it's snout and while I was doing that, we were under water and it kept spinning around to get me off. That's what Alligators will do: they take a bite of their prey and spin around to tear off chunks of meat, but it's also very effective in getting unwanted wranglers off them. Pulling the damn thing out of the pool took all the strength I had. Alligators are powerful, especially when they're in the water. Thankfully, the muscles that open its jaws are extremely weak, so once you've got their mouth closed, they're not nearly as ferocious."
"Does Washington have these animals?"
"No," Salem smiled, "Alligators and crocodiles are more of a Southern America sort of animal. They live it hot climates, so Florida has them, Louisiana has them; Parts of Africa have these animals and they also live in Asia. They need hot and wet. You can tell the difference by the shape of their noses. I think crocodiles are generally smaller too."
"And they sneak into people's pools?"
"Sometime, yeah," Salem said. "Sometimes these guys will leave the water for a walk, end up in a residential neighborhood, find someone's pool and go right in. Do you see that head poking out of the water over there?" Salem pointed at an Alligator that was submerged, but had its mouth ajar in a stalking stance. "Alligators can stay still for hours with their mouth open just waiting. So if an alligator is in your pool in a stalking stance like that, you need to call animal control. Unless, of course, I'm at the house, then I'll get the gator out myself."
Yvonne giggled, "I wish I could have seen it."
"Me too," Salem said and kissed her cheek. He had her back to his chest and arms wrapped around her waist. He started playing that day back in his head. He pictured Yvonne being there in her little white string bikini and pictured the two of them dancing together to Elvis Presley music before finally retreating upstairs for a few hours of fun.
"Does it hurt to get a tattoo?" Yvonne asked suddenly, interrupted Salem's daydreaming.
"Yeah, it does," Salem said. "How bad depends on where you get it done. So for instance, when I got my tattoos on my lower stomach or my shoulders, it wasn't so bad. My dad's memorial tattoo on my chest wasn't so bad either. The tattoos on my wrist and my ribcages were the worst because he was hitting bone."
"Hm," she hummed and kept looking at Salem's tattoos. "Should I get a tattoo?"
"That's entirely up to you," Salem said. "It's on your body forever, so you have to be sure you want it. Too many people get tattoos on a whim and they regret it later."
"Do you regret any of your tattoos?"
"No; I don't get a tattoo unless I've got a reason," Salem said. "I may have tattoos I like more than others, but everyone I've got has a reason for being there. Like the collage on my back. That's for every place I've been around the world. The only tattoo I've got that doesn't have a good reason behind it is my Pinup tattoo, but I had a good artist that does amazing artwork."
"I see," Yvonne said. "Maybe one day."
"There's no rush; your first tattoo deserves a lot of thought behind it," Salem said.
"Wasn't 'Welcome Aboard' your first tattoo?" Yvonne smiled.
"Yes, and that had a lot of thought behind it. Juvenile thought, sure, but thought none the less," Salem said and kissed her head. "When mom found out about that tattoo she asked me, 'what are you going to tell the woman you marry?' or something like that. I just told her, 'the woman I fall in love with will think it's funny'." Yvonne giggled a little. "And I was right. When I told you about that tattoo, you laughed."
"I did," Yvonne smiled. "And it does make me feel welcome."
"That's the whole point," Salem chuckled and tightened his hug. The mood was interrupted by a low bass sounding growl coming from the alligator's enclosure. Yvonne watched them closely as one of them moved just a little towards something, but she couldn't see what while the one in the water stayed put but she did see the droplets of water bouncing from the alligator's skin as it rumbled. "I don't think these guys will be putting on a show any time soon, so let's go ahead and move on."
"Okay," Yvonne smiled and followed Salem to another part of the zoo.
While they walked around, there was a stand up for the kids that offered a prize if they could shoot all the targets with a little BB gun. Salem noticed one of the stuffed animals on display was an alligator and he couldn't resist. He paid the $1.50 fee to play and asked Yvonne if she'd like to try. Yvonne agreed to try one and Salem helped her hold the gun study and showed her how to aim. Once she was comfortable, she pulled on the trigger like Salem directed and just barely hit the target, knocking the marker over with the BB. Excited that she'd hit the target, she took her time doing the same with the remaining seven targets all with Salem close ready to help her if she asked. She managed to shoot down all eight targets winning a prize, asking for the stuffed alligator. After the zoo, Salem got them on a boat for a river tour so they could site see, but finally have a chance to relax a little while they did so. While they were on the river tour, there was a little girl – maybe three or four at oldest – that was wandering around the boat and ran right over when she saw Yvonne's alligator. Yvonne played with the little girl until a woman from the other end of the boat called the little girl's name demanding she get back to her and the little girl complied immediately, going right to her mother and into the woman's lap.
"Let me ask you," Salem said and got Yvonne's attention, "if we had a daughter, what would you want to name her?"
"I'm not sure," Yvonne said and then took a moment to think. "I suppose anything that sounds nice with Dauer."
"Okay, that narrows it down a little," Salem chuckled a little. "What about a boy?"
"I don't know," Yvonne said and started giggling. "What about you? What would you want to name our son or daughter?"
"Let's see," Salem said and started thinking. "What about Cheryl?" Salem suggested. Yvonne thought about it but shook her head. "No?"
"It's nice, but I don't know," Yvonne said. "I'd like to give them American names."
Salem almost laughed but stopped himself, "So something like my name? Jacob, Kyle, Kevin – that sort of thing?"
"Yeah," Yvonne said.
"Alright, let me think," Salem said and laid his head back. "If I'm honest, I was thinking about giving them a traditional name. You know what I mean? Hell, maybe make something up. Lord knows my sister's name is completely made up."
"Nesia is?"
"Yeah. Mom and dad constructed a name from my grandma Renesmee's name and my grandma Caevia's name."
"I do love your grandma Caevia's name," Yvonne said. "Oh, what about May?"
"I'd agree to that if we can spell it M-A-E," Salem said. "When my Uncle Kevin was a kid, he had a big crush on Mae West. She's a former Broadway star and movie actress. Raunchy lady. Apparently back in the fifties when she'd had an interview that toured her home, the reporter saw a mirror above her bed. Supposedly the reporter asked her what the mirror was for and she said, 'I like to see how I'm doing'."
Yvonne laughed a little, "Oh wow. I'm starting really like Mae now."
"So our first daughter will be Mae. What about our first son?"
"You said Mae is an actor right?"
"An actress, yes," Salem said.
"Is there a male actor that you are fond of?"
"Not enough to name my kid after them," Salem smiled and kept thinking. "You know what? How about Jae?"
"After your father you mean?"
"Yeah," Salem said. "Name him after my dad without anything added. Just Jae. Not Jay Jacob, not Blu Jae or Jae Sun or Jaedynn or anything else – just Jae."
Yvonne smiled and rested her head against his shoulder, "I like just Jae."
"Me too," Salem said.
The two of them enjoyed the rest of the boat tour and by the time they got off, they started the walk back to Andy's shop. They still had an hour left so they'd be a little early, but that was fine. They could wait. Once they were on the same street, they went ahead and stopped somewhere to eat something really quick before going to Andy's shop. By the time they arrived, he looked to be finishing up with his last client of the day finalizing a payment so they didn't wait long before Andy waved Salem over.
"What do you think?" Andy asked, presenting the draft to Salem. It was a rattlesnake in the American Traditional style being almost all black with brown scales at its face, bright red eyes with the characteristic slit pupil, it's fangs visible and in an attack stance. Resting on the coil of its body was a green Hayworthia accented with yellows and a bright red rattle poking out. "The cactus and its coil will fit on your hand and the body and head will rest on your forearm."
"I love it," Salem smiled then showed it to Yvonne. "What do you think?"
"I've never seen a black rattlesnake before," Yvonne commented as she looked at the picture. It was certainly ferocious looking, but she was so used to the snakes that were brown in hue that went unnoticed in the dusty landscape. The pop of color from the little cactus shaped like a flower added a lot of character and softness to the tattoo. "I really like this," Yvonne said.
"Getting the wife's permission before getting a tattoo now?" Andy said, both poking fun and being just a little sarcastic.
"We'll both be staring at it a lot; I just value her opinion," Salem smiled though leaving out that she'd inspired this tattoo. He suspected if he told Andy that, he might refuse to do it and point right at his ring finger again. "I'm ready when you are."
"Give me a moment to get this on transfer paper, then I'll shave you and we'll get started."
"Is it alright if I watch?" Yvonne asked.
"So long as you're on the other side of me, you'll be fine," Andy said before departing to the drawing room. Salem took a seat at Andy's station with his right arm on the armrest. Yvonne sat to Salem's left and Andy soon arrived with the transfer paper, some shaving cream and a razor. He shaved the area, got Salem cleaned up and placed the stencil onto his skin. Salem took a moment to make sure he liked the placement and once he confirmed he did, Andy got to work.
"My goodness, that things loud," Yvonne said once Andy had turned on his machine.
"I hear if someone's getting a head or neck tattoo that the sound is deafening," Salem said.
"Don't get that shit unless you're a hoodlum," Andy said. "So how's your shop doing, Salem?"
"It's doing great. We've got a good base of people that like our work and will refer people and we've got plenty of walk-ins. We've even had a guy come in asking for a genital tattoo."
"Won't do that bullshit," Andy said.
"Neither will we. Not anymore anyway. This guy came in and said he wanted a torpedo on his dick or something like that. Arturo had this guy tugging on it for about four hours before it was finally done and once the guy left, Arturo looked me dead in the eye and said he's never doing that again. We now have 'no genital tattoos' listed in our terms and conditions."
"I thought you said getting a tattoo hurts," Yvonne said.
"It does," Salem said, "So getting a tattoo down there would be excruciating. The guy didn't scream or cry once so I'll give him credit: he's a trooper."
"He's a moron," Yvonne said and Andy lifted his machine so he could laugh without ruining the tattoo. "At least your tattoo makes a girl feel welcome."
"That's the point," Salem smiled and Andy finally got a hold of himself.
"Alright, she's funny. I'll admit it," Andy said and finally returned to working. "What about that rum concoction you said you and Arturo were working on?"
"It'll be ready next year," Salem said. "JJ, Arturo and I got our liquor licenses, so once they're bottled, we'll get those selling and see what we can earn."
"If there's any business to get into, it's the business of people's vices," Andy said. "Prostitution's illegal, but gambling and booze are still very legal."
"I'll stick with alcohol," Salem chuckled. "I don't even know what we'll do if that turns out to sell really well."
"You make more and sell more," Andy answered. "I'll even be your first customer. Once it's done, name your price, I'll pay it and you can send it to me."
"I'll hand deliver it," Salem said.
"Ah, good customer service," Andy said. "So Yvonne, tell me: what did you do in Arizona?"
"What did I do?"
"For work I mean," Andy said.
"I was a priestess to the oasis," she answered and Andy lifted his head and his machine to look at her strangely.
"I'm sorry, you were a what?"
"It's part of the hierarchy of the tribe's religious practices," Salem was quick to add.
"I was under the impression that being a priestess of anything demanded being unmarried," Andy said.
"Not for her tribe," Salem said.
"And she's not this…priestess thing anymore?"
"She was released from her position," Salem said and then quickly changed the subject. "So anyway, Andy, I see you've got a bunch of new artists."
"About three more, yes," Andy said. "So what are your plans once the two of you get back to Washington? I can't imagine 'Priestess of the Oasis' translates well on a job application. You just keeping her barefoot and pregnant?"
"Andy, don't say it like that," Salem said with a sigh. "We are planning to have kids, yes, but if she wants to work, I'll help her find it."
"Well, Yvonne, from what I hear, being barefoot and pregnant with a Dauer baby has it's perks," Andy said and Yvonne looked at Salem strangely.
"He's poking fun at my sister-in-law," Salem said and, trying to imagine Eun Mi pregnant, Yvonne started giggling a little.
"Poor thing must have felt like a beached whale," Yvonne said.
"Trust me she did, but Eun Mi loved being pregnant. My favorite story was when she'd been pregnant with…l think she was pregnant with Eun So at the time. She'd gone to the grocery store with Jae Sun and Mae Sun and everyone in the store parted for her giving her a clear path. That image always made me laugh."
"Yes, I heard my mother and Eun Mi talking sometimes."
"Remind me how tall your sister-in-law is?" Andy asked.
"She's 4' 11"," Salem said, "And my oldest nephew Jae Sun is 6' 8"."
"You're shitting me," Andy said with a laugh.
"Nope. The boy's 6 feet 8 inches of vaguely Asian looking muscle," Salem said. "Poor kid tried to enroll in the army and they turned him away saying he was too tall. Whenever he goes into town, he has to duck his head to get through the doorway."
"And you said he's muscular?" Andy asked.
"When he'd gotten his physical when trying to enlist in the army, he weighed in at 242 lbs," Salem said.
"Jesus Christ," Andy said. "How tall are you?"
"I'm 6'4" 200 lbs," Salem said. "Actually, probably closer to 210 or something."
"Christ almighty; you're making me feel like a damned midget," Andy said.
"This is the same nephew I'd told you about before that really liked drawing. He didn't get a position working for Disney, but he works for an animation studio in Seattle that does commercials and things like that. He makes his own comic strips about their old cat Popo, but the local newspaper turned it away. I guess they said it 'wasn't their style' or something. I told him just keep trying. He's a really talented kid, but he has a style that makes me think of that tattoo on my back of Astro Boy and Kimba the Lion."
"Japanese you mean?"
"Yeah," Salem said. "He can do photo realism and Arturo's training him on how to apply tattoos. I told him he'd always have a job with me even if it's only commission work and that's what he's shaping up for right now."
"Has he applied anything to human skin yet?"
"Not yet. Arturo's still got him practicing on pig skin. Before I'd had to return to Arizona for the wedding, he did his first pin up. It looked great but try telling that to Jae Sun. He said it just wasn't speaking to him."
"What did he make?"
"It was a sailor girl," Salem said.
"Does that interest him at all?"
"Not that I'm aware of," Salem said.
"Well shit, no wonder it doesn't 'speak to him'," Andy said. "When you go home, give him this bit of advice from me: when he makes another pin up, make it his 'Betty Crocker'. He's not putting this on anyone's skin so he has no one to please but himself."
"I'll let him know," Salem said. "Knowing that boy, he'll just make a picture of Eun Mi wearing a Hanbok making him Ox Bone stew."
"It can't be a picture of your mother. That's fucking nasty," Andy said.
"I assure you, it wouldn't be sexual in the least," Salem laughed. "Some of that boy's fondest memories are of his birthday when Eun Mi would make him Ox Bone stew and these little rice cake things and he'd eat himself sick. All the kids get that special treatment on their birthday."
"Is Ox Bone stew hard to make or something?"
"It takes all day to make," Salem said. "Eun Mi will be in and out of the kitchen during Christmas focused entirely on Jae Sun's birthday dinner. While everyone's enjoying turkey and stuffing, Jae Sun's eating Ox Bone stew. When he was little, Eun Mi would let him giggle the bowl of broth when it would congeal."
"That sounds….really gross," Andy said.
"Hey, it's better than watching Mae Sun enjoy his birthday dinner. That kid loves seafood more than anything in the world. His favorite is king crab and he'll eat the whole fucking crab – eight enormous legs, body and all – by himself with a big thing of rice and some kimchi and still have room for those rice cakes Eun Mi makes. I swear, it's a miracle none of those boys are fat."
"By the sound of it they just got tall," Andy said. "How tall is Mae Sun?"
"He's six foot now, but he'll get taller I'm sure. He's only about 15."
"Andy?" Yvonne asked, "I'm curious who your Betty Crocker was."
"Mine?" Andy asked. "I wasn't calling her that, but my first pinup that I'd fallen in love with was a woman wearing nothing but a fur coat. I'd found that stashed away in my dad's things once. I guess it was an old girlfriend before he'd met my mom and the picture was in black and white, so when I made the pinup I did it in black and grey on the pig skin I was practicing on. Still have a drawing of that pinup framed at my place."
"Did you ever name her?" Yvonne asked.
"I call her Irene," Andy said. "If you can believe it, my ex used to get jealous of that damn picture. Never even met the woman! I had to keep it in a draw so she'd shut the hell up so after the divorce, first thing I did was hang Irene on the wall."
"What was your ex's name; just curious," Salem said.
"Cunt," Andy answered sarcastically and Salem just laughed a little.
"Fine, I won't ask again," Salem said.
"Cunt isn't her name?" Andy looked up at Yvonne then at Salem.
"Is she being funny again?" Andy asked.
"She's not used to your vulgar way of expressing yourself," Salem teased and then answered, "'Cunt' is a word for vagina. It's an insult."
"Oh," Yvonne said. "Alright, then."
"Was that Quileute or something?"
"Yeah," Salem said. "So Andy, when are you coming to visit Washington? I'm happy to relay your advice, but I think Jae Sun could use one on one training with the master of pinups."
"I can't leave the shop for that long, but you send your nephew my way and I'll give him training. Only for you, though," Andy said.
"You're the best, Andy. I'll talk to Jae Sun about it and we'll work something out," Salem said. It was a very long six hour session of Andy applying Salem's tattoo and halfway through, Yvonne went to the couch to take a nap.
"She's a nice girl," Andy said to Salem once Yvonne had been down for about an hour.
"She is," Salem said. "I know you think it was fast, but when you know, you know."
"I guess so. She doesn't look the type that would hurt you."
"I don't think Yvonne has a mean bone in her body," Salem said.
"I'm just trying to look out for you is all," Andy said. "Lord knows I've bitched to you enough when it comes up so I'd thought perhaps my views on marriage had made you cautious at least."
"For anyone else, it probably would have but Yvonne's different," Salem said.
"And she loves you? Really loves you?"
"Yeah, she does," Salem said.
"Alright. I'll trust you then," Andy said. "So you'd said there's plans for a kid?"
"Yeah," Salem said, "I'd like to start a family. We already agreed on baby names today."
"You did, did you?"
"Mae for a girl and Jae for a boy," Salem said. "Mae, M-A-E or Jae, J-A-E."
"So either after the actress or after your dad?"
"Pretty much," Salem smiled.
"You rooting for a boy or a girl when the time comes?"
"I admit I'd really like a girl," Salem said. "I'll be happy with either, though."
"Enjoy your spine while it lasts then," Andy said and Salem chuckled.
"I will," Salem said.
Once Andy finally finished the tattoo, Salem looked at it in the mirror and smiled at it. it had been a whole lot of black with just hints of yellow and brown along the snake's body and it's red eyes, yellow teeth and tongue with a pop of green from the Hayworthia cactus. It rested on his hand and forearm perfectly and it made him think of Yvonne, just as he'd wanted. He gently woke Yvonne so she could see if and finally seeing the final product, she loved it immediately. Andy took a picture of the tattoo for the portfolio, Salem paid for the tattoo and they said goodbye to Andy so he could lock up the shop and they walked back to the hotel. Sadly, the new tattoo meant he couldn't get in the pool at the hotel or go into the ocean, but the two of them still went to the beach again even if just to sunbathe. When it was the end of the week, Yvonne almost didn't want to leave having enjoyed the area so much. Once they'd landed in Washington, Yvonne kept her eyes out the window of the car staring at the mountains and dense forest as they'd driven from Seattle all the way to Port Angeles. He parked in the lots of his apartment complex and helped Yvonne with all their luggage. Once at the door, he unlocked it and used their suitcases to hold the door open so Salem could carry Yvonne over the threshold in a romantic display.
"Welcome home, Yvonne," Salem said as he hugged her after he'd put her back down on her feet.
"It's good to be home," Yvonne smiled. "You said you still have your uniforms, right?"
"Yes, I do," Salem smiled and released her to close the apartment door. "Do you want me in my formal uniform or my uniform that I wore day to day?"
"Day to day," Yvonne said.
"Wait here," he said and left Yvonne in the living room while he retreated to the bedroom.
He searched his closet for his black work pants, a belt, a clean white shirt and the pale brown button down top. Technically, his day to day (in Vietnam especially) was his pants and a white t-shirt or tank top, but he went for the full attire. He got dressed in his uniform and took a moment to comb his hair. It was no longer buzzed down but it was still pretty short. He got into his black shoes wearing the work shoes rather than his dressier shoes he'd wear with his white uniform and then finally stepped out to see Yvonne waiting for him on the couch. Once he stepped out, she stood up from the couch and took him in.
"You look so handsome," Yvonne finally said and Salem smiled.
"We aim to please, miss," Salem answered. Yvonne blushed and seemed like she was thinking about something. Salem stayed quiet for the moment.
"Is…" Yvonne finally began, "Is there anything I can do to thank you for your service?" Salem grinned a little and she blushed even more. Salem thought about what he'd ask, remembering the Polaroid he'd bought was in his room.
"I could use a pleasant reminder of home," Salem suggested when an idea came to his head.
He walked over to take Yvonne's hand and brought her into his bedroom. He'd made sure to clean before returning to Arizona, but it was still a rather bland space. The only light was from what little was coming in through the window past the gentle rainfall. Salem turned on both lamps on his nightstand and then went to close the blinds of the window so the only light came from the lamps. Then he pulled back the heavy comforter of his bed and pulled out the light blanket underneath. It was nothing special: just a pale blue fabric, but that's all he needed. Yvonne's hair was braided, but Salem got an idea.
"Come here and I'll undo your braid," Salem said.
Yvonne approached and turned her back to him so he could begin removing all the bobby pins. Salem never thought he'd get good at doing a woman's hair, but Yvonne had given him plenty of practice since they'd married. The long braid tumbled down to the ground after all the pins were removed and Salem kneeled down to remove the tie at the end and then went about the task of undoing the braid. Once all the loops were undone, Salem ran his fingers through her silky black hair. It really did reach down to the floor and dragged just a little bit behind her. He loved her hair so much, but he had to admit it could use a cut. While looking at her long locks was wonderful, he could imagine how inconvenient it was for her. Once her hair was undone and he'd brushed his fingers through it, he placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Undress and get on the bed for me?"
Yvonne nodded her head and removed the jacket she wore and undid her sundress. Salem realized he should probably also get her more clothes. What she had was fine on the rare occasion it was sunny, but it wouldn't do her a bit of good in the rain and in winter. He loved seeing her wear his jacket, but it was far too big for her and she needed her own. Once Yvonne was out of her clothes, she crawled onto the bed and waited for further direction. Salem approached and lifted the blanket and told her to hold it against her chest, got her sitting on her knees with her feet poking out under her butt. He moved her hair to one side so her backside was completely visible and her hair was wrapped around so it landed on the other side of her with enough to still fall off the bed. He gently moved Yvonne's head so it tilted forward as she was looking over her shoulder until he finally had the imagine that he wanted. All that was visible was her slender shoulders, her back that curved in at her waist then out again to form her full hips and her butt curved to form a heart shape. He'd heard once that the traditional heart that was put on Valentine's Day cards and other romantic signs were inspired by the shape of a woman's butt and he could tell that was true. Her tiny feet poking out made her look more relaxed and the way her head tilted made it look like she missed him.
"Perfect," Salem said and grabbed his camera. He positioned himself so that he got her at the perfect angle and took the picture. It came out instantly and Salem caught it. He looked at the photo and smiled. "Are you up for a few more?"
"Anything for you…you're title would be 'sailor' right?"
"Lieutenant if you don't mind, miss," Salem teased.
"Forgive me, Lieutenant," Yvonne blushed. "How do you want me to pose next?" Salem thought about it and then remembered one of his old pictures.
"One second; I need to find something," Salem said and put down the camera and checked through a few drawers until he found some of his old formal photos from the Navy. The first was when he'd first enlisted, one was from after he graduated A-School and the last one was from right before he shipped off to Vietnam. The one that had him in his more formal uniform was from before Vietnam while the other two had him in a lower rank white uniform or his training clothes. He presented all three to Yvonne. "Which one do you like the most?"
"They're all nice," Yvonne said and accepted all three with a smile. "I love your smile in this one most," Yvonne said, pointing at the one he'd taken when he'd graduated from A-School.
"Yeah, that's from when I graduated," Salem said. "This is from when I started and this is right before I shipped off to Vietnam."
"You said you wanted pictures that made you think of home? So in that context, you'd be away somewhere to fight?"
"Yeah," Salem said. "I'm trying to make my own version of a picture of you missing me. When JJ was in Korea and stationed at the Parallel, Eun Mi got a picture of herself in a formal Korean dress and in it she's holding a picture of JJ. I've always really liked that photo, granted theirs is much less…well, you know what I mean." Yvonne looked at the pictures again and handed back the oldest one from when he'd enlisted.
"Can I pick two?"
"Sure," Salem smiled and took back the picture she'd handed him and put that on his dresser. "Put the pictures down a moment and I'll get you in position."
Yvonne put down the pictures as asked and followed Salem's lead as he got her positioned. He had Yvonne lay down on the bed and at first he wasn't sure what to do with her hair. He took a moment to think about it, not wanting her hair to cover her body. Yvonne had a suggestion and lifted her head and turned her body so she could gather all her hair and wrapped it around her head to act as a pillow. It looked like a halo and it made Salem smile. With her hair styled, Salem bunched up the sheets so they framed her body but didn't cover her. Then Salem gave her the pictures she'd chosen and had her hold them in each hand. She placed the one of his graduation photo on her belly with her hand only covering a corner so she was holding it and the picture of him before shipping to Vietnam she rested between her breasts keeping it in place with her thumb while the rest of her hand was just under her breast. For a while, Salem just stared at her. She looked like an angel and when she was waiting for him to give the word that it looked the way he wanted, her face looks so patient and innocent.
"Is this alright?" she finally asked.
"Yeah," Salem said. "I was just enjoying the view."
Salem finally went back to the dresser to grab the Polaroid and stood on the edge of the bed so he could get all of her in the picture. He snapped the button to take the photo, grabbed the picture that released and then got on his knees staying in the same spot so he could get a close up. His second picture got her upper half of her body that encompassed her hips up to the top of her head. Once that picture was taken, Salem brought those to his dresser to sit beside the first picture he'd taken then put down the Polaroid so he could start removing his shirt.
"Can I ask for one more?" Salem asked.
"What did you have in mind?" Yvonne asked.
"I want you to wear my uniform shirt," Salem said and pulled off his shirt once it was unbuttoned.
Yvonne sat up on the bed still holding his pictures. She put them down before Salem got his short sleeved shirt on her. Salem pulled it on her as he would if he planned to secure it, but he only secured one button that fell at her midsection. Once secured, Salem had her pick back up his pictures holding them in her fingers with her hands resting on her lap. He pulled the shirt off her shoulders so it was only being kept up by her arms and so her breasts were visible. He sectioned off two very thin segments of her hair from the base of her neck pulling those strands forward. Yvonne lifted her arms so those strands would be under her arms and Salem arranged them so they were away from her breasts.
"Okay. Hold that pose," Salem said once her hands were back in her lap with both his pictures visible. Salem got into position so he could take a picture at just the right angle. Once he had it, he snapped the button and the picture fell from the camera for Salem to grab. He took a look at it and grinned. "Did you want to see them?"
Yvonne nodded with a gentle smile and put his pictures aside so she could sit up on her knees and accept the photos Salem had just taken. She blushed as she looked at them, seeing herself in such provocative positions though she thought they looked tastefully done. She'd been nervous about taking these types of pictures before and to some extent, she still was. Perhaps it was the thrill that they could potentially be found. But she found she loved doing this. She loved the feeling of being the center of every fantasy Salem had. She loved the idea that they had this little secret between them and she especially loved the idea of Salem looking back at these pictures later and wanting her because of them. She bit gently on her bottom lip as she looked at them and then looked up at Salem when his fingers brushed over her cheek and then rested his palm on her cheek.
"You like them?" Salem asked and Yvonne nodded with a smile. Then he remembered something he'd had tucked away that he was planning to give her and when he remembered it, he said, "I know I said this before, but can I ask for just one more picture?" Yvonne nodded at him with a loving smile and waited on the bed while Salem went to his nightstand to pull out two small boxes. He opened the box that contained his ring, a very simple gold band, and slipped that on his ring finger. Then he opened the box that had Yvonne's ring and removed the jewelry. She'd not have wanted a diamond. They were too rough and jagged. So he'd gotten her a gold band that matched what he wore now. He was hoping with all his might that it fit. They could get it resized if they needed but he was really hoping he'd guessed her size right. He walked over to her and asked for her left hand and once he had it, he slipped the gold band on her finger. "I know you already have a bracelet. But I'd love for you to wear my ring, too."
"You made this?"
"No, this I didn't make. It's just traditionally a husband and wife wear a wedding ring," Salem explained. Yvonne looked at the ring and a smile played across her face.
"It's so pretty," Yvonne said. "You want to take a picture of me with this?"
"Yeah," Salem said.
She sat up a little straighter waiting for him to give her direction. First he had Yvonne remove his shirt which he placed to the side and then asked that she wrap her right arm around her waist and then wrap her left arm over her chest so her hand was resting on her shoulder with her wedding band in view. Then he gently moved her so she was facing the head of the bed and had her look over her right shoulder. She lifted her hand further onto her shoulder so the ring was in view and asked Yvonne to smile sweetly at him and once she was in position, Salem took the picture to capture the moment.
"Did it come out nice?" Yvonne asked.
"See for yourself," Salem smiled and handed it to her so she could see it and she smiled.
"If I weren't naked, I'd say we should hang this one," Yvonne said.
"It'll just have to be for my eyes only," Salem said.
Yvonne handed back the photo so Salem could put it and the camera down and finally he approached her. He lifted her into his arms and made sure her hair was out of the way so he could climb onto the bed and rested her down so her head was on the pillow. Save for her necklace, her bracelet and now her wedding ring, she was completely naked in his arms and, given he was still in his uniform, it all struck him as intensely erotic. Yet no easy fling be it in the U.S. or overseas had ever made him feel the way Yvonne did.
"Thank you for letting me take pictures of you," Salem said.
"It's my pleasure," Yvonne smiled up at him.
Salem smirked at her and started trailing his hand down her body, "Is it really?" he asked and then he reached between her legs to touch her. When he reached her entrance, she was soaked and his fingers slipped in effortlessly which made Yvonne moan. "I guess it is," Salem said and then started kissing her neck.
"I wouldn't lie to you," Yvonne answered and brought kept her hands on his hard chest loving the feel of his muscles under her touch.
Salem continued to maneuver his fingers inside her while his thumb rested on her clitoris all while he pressed kisses over her neck, chest and then her breasts. Yvonne laced her fingers through Salem's short hair and whimpered with each touch of his tongue against her skin. When he found and sucked on one nipple, the pleasure shot right to her core and made her cry out just a little. After giving her left breast ample attention, he then kissed his way to her right, doing the same thing to it and eliciting another reaction from her. Then he started kissing his way down her body until he was between her legs. He replaced his thumb with his tongue to intensify the pleasure. Yvonne released a high pitched squeak of excitement and she kept her hands on the bed gripping the sheets. He swirled his tongue around her clitoris and rubbed her inner walls moving his fingers in and out in a gentle thrusting motion until he brought Yvonne to orgasm feeling her walls contract tightly around his fingers. While she was recovering, Salem removed his shirt and then got off the bed to remove his remaining clothes. Once he was undressed, Salem returned to the bed, got on his back and pulled Yvonne on top of him. Having regained her control, Yvonne rubbed her core up and down Salem's erection teasing him. She glanced down at all his tattoos and zeroed in on his greeting.
"You really know how to make a girl feel welcome, Lieutenant," Yvonne said and, glancing down then realizing what she meant, Salem smiled mischievously at her.
"I aim to please Mrs. Dauer," Salem said and moved his hips in just the right way so he slipped inside her, taking her by surprise and making her put her weight on her hands which she now hand planted on his chest for balance.
Soon Yvonne started moving her hips in a gentle and slow motion just enjoying the feel of having him inside her. The aftermath of her orgasm made her more sensitive and his girth that much more noticeable. She eventually sped up her pace so that she was bouncing on top of him from the speed of her hips and Salem grabbed a hold of them to guide her along. When Salem felt like he was getting close, he turned so Yvonne plopped back onto the bed and he'd been removed from her. He turned Yvonne over so he could get behind her and started kissing her back after brushing her hair aside and continued kissing down her body. He kissed along her spine until he reached her ass where he kissed both cheeks before sitting up on his knees and pulling Yvonne up so she was on her hands and knees.
Once she was positioned before him, Salem slipped back inside her, grabbed a hold of her hips and then began to thrust. He went slow at first trying to regain control of himself but soon increased he speed until Yvonne couldn't keep herself up on her hands and had to lay her arms and face down on the mattress, presenting herself to Salem even more so than before. Yvonne felt herself getting close to release again and supported her weight on her left hand just enough so she could reach her right hand down to touch herself. When she did, it made everything feel that much better and she begged Salem to move faster and harder. He was happy to comply. But he wasn't ready for this to end just yet and when he realized he was getting close again, Salem left her and turned her over onto her back and dipped his head between her legs to help her reach her climax again. Yvonne allowed it for a moment, loving the feel of his tongue on her but when she felt just on the edge of release, she tugged on Salem's hair to make him stop.
"Come back," she pleaded. Salem was already returning to her when she said, "I want you inside me."
That alone nearly did him in but he held it together as he slipped back inside her. This time he wasted no time with gentleness. Instead, Salem held her legs to his chest so her calves rested on his shoulders and pounded with fevered abandon. Yvonne couldn't contain her moans and reached her hand back down so she could ease herself to her release while Salem moved. Within minutes, she'd reached her second release and Salem wasn't far behind her. After her orgasm, Salem released her legs so he could lay down atop her and continued to move. Yvonne wrapped her arms around Salem's shoulders and cradled his hips supporting him as he thrust into her until she felt him get impossibly harder and his hold of her tightened while he pressed his lips to hears. Yvonne continued to move her hips, but very slowly in a way so as to ease him through his release. Salem rested his weight on her while Yvonne kissed his head tenderly until their lips met again.
"I love you, Salem," Yvonne whispered to him after their lips parted.
"I love you too," Salem said and kissed her again. "God, I love you," he said again and kept kissing her for a moment before resting his head on her shoulder.