Chapter 3: Volatile Valentines

Hitch was polishing his boots in their base quarters while Tully was shaving.

"So, who are you seeing tonight?" Hitch asked.

"Going to movies with Jane then having a romantic walk beneath the stars." Tully answered. "How about you?"

"I'm starting the evening with Missy. Apparently she is cooking a spaghetti dinner that we're sharing alfresco style near supply. Then I'm meeting Betty who says she has made an authentic New York cheesecake. Then Sarah has a little picnic planned and I end the evening with Laura who has a surprise dessert for me."

"Four women in one night?" Tully commented. "That's a stretch even for you. And they're all cooking food? Even you can't eat four meals back-to-back."

"I skipped lunch," Hitch grinned putting on his boots.
"And not all of them are complete meals. I'll just eat a little of each one."

"Better have some bi-carb waiting when you get back." Tully suggested.

"Come on, Tully, it's Valentine's Day. Have to spread the love,
Hitch joked rubbing some Old Spice onto his smooth face.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Tully said as the two left on their respective dates.

"You're sounding like Sarge," Hitch closed the door behind them.

Hitch joined Missy who had a blanket spread beneath several date palm trees. "I hope you enjoy this," Missy said "I had to practically fight several other girls who were using the stove in our dorm. They were all wanting to cook something special for their Valentine dates."

"It smells delicious," Hitch said, "but don't give me a whole lot. I've got an early call in the morning."

"Nonsense," Missy said heaping spaghetti on a plate. "You need a good, home-cooked meal after all the K-rations you guys eat when on patrol. I'm going to make sure you eat every last bite." Hitch looked at the mountain of spaghetti and dug in. Any time he protested he was full, she insisted he continue eating. She kept adding garlic bread and refilling his wine glass. Finally, he cleared the plate and she started to give him another portion, but he managed to divert her with kisses. A short time later, he carried the picnic basket back to the dorm and excused himself saying he had to turn in early for the next day's mission. Glancing at his watch, he quickly chewed a stick of minty gum as he walked to meet Betty on the roof of the laundry building.

She had a blanket spread and Hitch was uneasy when he saw an arrangement of cheeses, dates, figs, and fried Sphynz bread in addition to the cheesecake. "I thought you could use a little more fortification. I wanted to cook something for you, but everyone was fighting over the stove at the dorm. I guess a lot of the girls have special dates for Valentine's Day.

Hitch tried nibbling at the fruit and cheese, but she kept feeding him more. His stomach was becoming uncomfortable, and he realized he hadn't even made it to the cheesecake. She handed him an enormous slice and watched as he ate every bite.

"This was great, Betty, but I need to turn in. We've got a really early start in the morning," he tried to excuse himself.

"Not even time for this," Betty said kissing him.

A short time later Hitch was chewing mint gum and heading for a sheltered place by the hospital. The temperature was dropping, and he wondered how he was going to get through another picnic. He belched very loudly several times which brought some relief but mostly reminded him of how badly his stomach was overextended. Sarah had spread a blanket and was waiting for him. To his horror, it wasn't a light picnic, it was a full repast.

"Come sit by me and let me take care of you. I know you have an early mission in the morning, so I intend to feed you well before you go," she said patting a spot on the blanket next to her. Hitch reluctantly joined her as she pulled out deviled eggs, fruit cocktail, macaroni salad with spam and chicken salad sandwiches.

"I want to assure you the chicken came from a can. We don't want you to go through another round of food poisoning," she said, filling a plate for him. Hitch smiled weakly and for a brief moment wondered if food poisoning might be better than the discomfort he was experiencing. He ate as little as he could, but she kept giving him more. Just when he thought he was finished, she pulled out an apple pie and cut him a huge slice. He ate a few bites and tried to make his excuse of an early mission,

but she wasn't buying it. "How about we come back to the pie later or I can wrap it up for you to take with you. I can't let you go without some dessert," Betty said and pulled his face to hers in a kiss.

Hitch felt miserable as he walked to his final meeting a short time later. It was his last piece of mint gum and with every step towards the motor pool, he felt as if he would vomit. Laura was waiting for him in Bertha's passenger seat with an ooey-gooey butter cake, the pride of her home state of Missouri. Hitch had to fight to keep his stomach contents from making an appearance. He unbuckled his belt and adjusted it to make it bigger.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Laura said coyly. "This is my grandmother's recipe and I want you to enjoy it." She handed him a plate with a generous slice. Hitch inwardly groaned and made his best attempt to eat the cake. At this point he couldn't tell if it was good or not. He made it about halfway when he set the cake aside.

"Seriously, I can't eat another bite," he said, and I do have an early mission in the morning," he said.

"Alright, honey," Laura said playfully. "Then we'll just top off the evening with a little sugar," and she pulled him close for a kiss.

Hitch felt like his stomach was going to explode. His heart wasn't in making out at this time. He just wanted some relief for all the heartburn and indigestion. He realized Laura had stopped kissing him and he opened his eyes. Missy, Betty, and Sarah were standing beside Bertha and the four women were staring at him.

"Really, Hitch," Missy said. "Four of us in one night? I realize none of us are looking for a commitment but four of us? On Valentine's Day?"

"It's pretty insulting, even for you," Laura added.

"So, are none of us good enough to spend an entire evening with?" Betty asked.

"I hope your stomach bothers you all night and you feel every bump on your mission tomorrow," Sarah added. "Next time, keep your evenings to one girl at a time." The four of them huffed off leaving Hitch to ponder the error of his ways.

Twice on the way to his quarters, Hitch threw up. It didn't make him feel any better. He made his way into the patrol's shared room where Tully was in his bunk. The two sergeants were still out. Hitch sat down and moaned as he removed his boots. He stripped down to his boxers and noticed something sitting on the table. Tully had left him a glass of water and some bicarbonate of soda. Breathing a silent thank you to Tully, Hitch mixed the bi-carb and drank it down. He climbed into his bunk and released a tremendous belch.

"Feel better?" Tully's voice came from across the room.

"Much," Hitch said. "Thanks."

"Learn a lesson?" Tully asked.

"Several," Hitch turned on his side and pulled the blanket over his shoulder.

"Good," Tully answered. "Night, Hitch."

"Night, Tully," Hitch replied.