Part 4
PMDSX
After he spoke with Della, Perry slowly walked away as Della joined her comrades in the hotel lobby. Meanwhile, C.P.O Drake was having a good time with Gertie, who was giggling while her arms were wrapped around him and kissed him on the cheeks.
"I see you have found a lovely lady to accompany you around the island, Drake." Perry eyed the pair and winked at them.
"Yes, Sir! It looks like you're solo again. My evening is complete with this beauty on my arm, and tomorrow is looking much better. Right, Ms. Lade?" Paul hugged her tightly to his body while she giggled at him.
"That's what you think, Drake. I already have a date!" Perry called out to him as Gertie led him toward the movie theater for a late show.
While Perry grinned at his fool hardy comrade, Frank joined him on the boardwalk. Perry looked at him and noticed he had a busted lip before he looked towards Della's hotel. Perry smoked a cigarette and noticed that the officer had eyes on Della. Perry blew smoke from his lips and eyed Frank as his competition.
"Frank, are you interested in a girl?" Perry asked him out of curiosity and smoked his cigarette.
"No, Perry. I'm just checking out these beautiful women, but I'm afraid to ask one of them out because they have a lot of good-looking men to choose from." He spoke up before Perry lit a cigarette for him.
"Believe me. If you are the perfect gentleman and tell her the truth and one of them might just go out with you. You'll never know if you don't ask her, and it's a chance you to have to take. I did tonight with Lt. Della Street, who is a doll, Frank." Perry sighed before he flicked the cigarette butt onto the ground.
"She is beautiful, I'm not going to argue with you, Perry." Frank told him as he enjoyed his cigarette.
The following morning, Perry woke up and got dressed in uniform before he made a mental note of what activities he had planned for the day Della. Before he checked himself over in the mirror, Perry washed his face and smoothed his hands over his cheeks for any signs of rough stubble. As the hotels filled up, many service men had to share rooms and didn't get any alone time with their companion's.
Luckily, Perry had a room to himself since he was a high rank officer, and his mind was on one person- Della Street. Meanwhile, Della woke up, bathed, and dressed in uniform. While on shore leave, the military dressed in casual uniforms since they weren't tourists. Due to her late-night date with Paul, Gertie was still asleep. She looked over her shoulder and smiled before she left the room.
As Della entered the foyer of the lobby, Lt. Mason, the man who would change her life, greeted her. He removed his cap from his head and held out his arm for her, which she accepted with a broad smile. While many guests hadn't woken up yet from their late-night ventures, there were still a handful of servicemembers who were out and touring the island. Perry was going to make the most of the one day they had left on shore leave and enjoy every minute with Della if she wanted his company.
"Good morning. How did you sleep last night?" She asked and looked up at him.
"It could have been a lot better since I tossed and turned most of the night because I had many thoughts running through my mind such as the details of our date today. Whether you would stay by my side for the rest of the day or leave mid-morning." He chuckled as she tilted her head in disbelief and giggled at him.
"Perry, I'm sure we'll have a good time today. Where are we going for breakfast? I hope that's first thing on the agenda." Della's eyes sparkled when she looked in his direction.
"After our ship docked, I spotted a decent café, and when I walked by it, I saw the menu which had a nice variety of local foods. Come on. It's not that far and couldn't be any further than three blocks from here." As he looked at her, she observed the other restaurants that weren't open yet.
"Okay. I hope you are right about that because I hate to see another brawl again. How do your ribs feel today?" Della touched him, and he didn't flinch from her touch.
"Don't worry Della. I'll manage until someone has intentions towards you since I have made my feelings known to you." He whispered as he lovingly looked at her with a gaze only meant for her.
"Yes, you have, Perry. However, if one of those local beauties approach you and flaunt their native dance at you, you will be the one with the dilemma." Della flirtatiously told him as she walked away from him and left him speechless.
He quickly followed her and walked towards the café. They entered the welcoming atmosphere and observed there weren't many patrons yet since it was still early morning. Once Perry and Della were seated at a table, more patrons walked inside. As they enjoyed breakfast, they chatted about home life before Perry paid the bill. He joined her while she looked at the artwork on the wall.
"Isn't it amazing? I dabble in it myself, but I'm not this good." Della quietly said to him as she studied the artwork.
"It's a beautiful piece of work, and I didn't know you painted, Della. When did you start?" Perry inquired.
"It's nothing really, and I dabble in my free time." Della answered him before she exited the café while he followed her outside onto the street.
While they walked down the street of the main island, they encountered a tent where a photographer, who was known worldwide for his portraits published in newspapers, documented the island and locals along with the war effort. As sailors exited the tent and showed off their fresh tattoos and their ladies on their arms, Perry nodded toward the tent, and Della knew what he was up to and shook her head in embarrassment.
"Perry, it's not a good idea." Della stopped walking, but Perry took her hand and pulled her inside the tent where the photographer who stood at his camera tripod greeted them.
"Do you want your picture taken? Lt. and Ms.? Please have a seat right there and sit perfectly still for a few seconds." The photographer instructed since he didn't know that Della was an officer too.
"Lt. Perry Mason and Lt. Della Street." Perry and Della introduced themselves in unison and looked at each other at the same time.
"Two high ranking officers are in my tent, and this will probably be the best I will get today." The photographer smiled at them before he ducked behind his tripod and set up the picture.
Perry took his seat before Della sat by his side. The bulb flashed as the photographer took their portrait. As they waited for the picture to be developed, Perry requested the photographer take another picture so both could have a picture as a keepsake. After the pictures was developed, one was given to Perry while Della received the other copy. Perry paid for the pictures and placed his in his wallet while Della tucked her picture into her uniform. While they enjoyed each other's company, Perry spotted a concession stand and purchased shaved ice for himself and a pineapple fruit medley drink for her.
Perry pointed to a large palm tree in the secluded part of a nearby park. As Della and Perry spent the whole day together, Perry realized that Della would find another man when they returned stateside after the war was over; however, he didn't want that to happen, he found himself falling head over heels in love with her gentle nature. He wondered if she shared the same feelings towards him before they boarded their respective ships. Taking a chance, he took her hand in his and guided her to the bench and sat down. They looked out into the vastness of the ocean as the waves slowing receded into the sea.
Meanwhile, Captain Tragg and Commanding Officer Burger met at a café for lunch. They observed the many service men and women having a good time while they relaxed. To make their visit on the island better, some local island women took their arms which didn't bother Commander Burger since he wasn't married, but on the other hand, Captain Tragg who was older, had been married to his childhood sweetheart for over thirty years.
The men obliged in sightseeing until the captain informed the young lady that he was waiting on a telegram and was needed back at the hotel. He left Commanding Officer Burger, with two ladies on his arm which made his afternoon delightful as the trio strolled the island. He spotted one of his Lieutenant's out in the park as he chatted with a young Naval officer due to her uniform. Out of curiosity, Commander Burger walked in their direction and noticed it was Lt. Mason, but he wasn't familiar with the gorgeous female who accompanied him.
"Lieutenant Mason. I see you have enjoyed your shore leave with an incredibly beautiful lady." He smiled as they saluted each other.
"Commander, Sir. This is Lieutenant Street. Indeed, we have enjoyed our afternoon and shore leave." Perry explained before he smiled at Della and looked back at his superior.
"I'm Lieutenant Junior Grade, Chief Nurse on USS Solace, Sir." Della replied firmly with her hands behind her back before she looked over at Perry whose eyes were on her before he returned his attention back to his superior.
"Lt. Street I'm happy to see you serve alongside our fellow country men and women. Well, I'll be going and let you two enjoy the rest of your shore leave. I will be seeing you first thing tomorrow morning, Lt. Mason." The commander saluted them both again and walked away with his two guests on his arms.
Perry and Della walked toward the lookout telescope which was located at the east part of the park. He inserted a coin into the slot and looked into the lens and scanned the horizon for any activity on the sea. He stepped back from the telescope, offered Della a turn, before he placed another coin in it so that Della could look for herself. She pulled back and found Perry staring at her before she tilted her head at him curiously.
"What's the matter Perry?" She asked him while he diverted his attention for a moment and saw they were alone and looked back at her.
"You're stunning, I can't help myself and could look at you all day. Come on. Let's enjoy the rest of our day. I saw a small shop down the block that I think you might like." Perry explained and placed his hand on her lower back before he removed it out of respect. He didn't want his intention known as being sexual in nature to Della, but he found himself touching her at any given moment, and she didn't seem to mind.
Della didn't like that answer from Perry since she unknowingly thought that he didn't want her company, and she had developed feelings for him and didn't want the day to end. Being with him most of the day without a care in the world, she was having a good time until he paused back at the telescope in deep thought. She knew something was going on in his weary mind and wanted to resolve it and she stopped in her tracks before Perry turned and looked at her with a confused look on his face when she grabbed his large hand into hers.
"Perry, what's bothering you? Am I boring you, or would you want to do something else while you still have time on your shore leave? If you want, we can part ways." Della confessed in a whisper so that only Perry could hear.
"Why would you say that, Della? You are anything but boring to me. I'm sorry, Della, that I have not told you how I felt because it's hard for a man to say certain things to a woman that he just met without being rude." Perry solemnly told her and grabbed her hand with his.
"Perry, you are a high-ranking officer but you can't tell me how you feel which I find that hard to believe." Della chuckled at him.
"I wanted to show you how I felt about you since I saw you on USS Solace." He whispered to her and kissed her on the lips.
Della was taken aback slightly when Perry's lips softly met hers and felt the electricity between them. The kiss was so surprisingly romantic and Perry pulled away from her. He wasn't sure if he was going to be slapped across the face or kicked below the belt since he didn't know if Della was interested in him. She could have done both and showed her disinterest in him, which she hadn't. He sighed in relief when she placed her hand directly on his jacket.
"Perry, I feel the same way and I wanted to know for sure if this is what you want with me since our shore leave is coming to an end. It's not going to be easy after tomorrow because our future is not set in stone." Della calmly told him.
"I know for certain, Della, that I want a relationship with you, and if you want to wait, that's okay with me. I can't imagine spending the rest of my life with another woman." Perry removed her hands from his chest and kissed them.
"Perry, remember our future is not always promised to us, and war is life altering for everyone including us." Della told him without regret and slightly turned from him to walk away, but he held her hand in his.
Della looked at Perry who never released her hand from his grip and held it while they walked around the island. As the local shops came in view, he released her hand from his grip and pointed to a small building that held local crafts and art décor. Another shop caught Perry's interest more when he saw some glittering jewelry in his peripheral vison. However, Della hadn't seen the building when Perry left her side momentarily. When she looked over and saw he was gone, her heart sank as she thought he changed his mind about her, which was not true at all.
