In Limbo

Chapter 59

As Lee got ready for bed that evening, he wondered why he had his parents' funeral day on his mind all of a sudden.

It wasn't the anniversary of their deaths, but something was eating at him.

Turning down his bedspread, and pulling back his sheets to climb into bed, he then heard someone knocking on his door.

Lee, looking at his watch, sighed thinking, as he pulled his robe on, It's nearly ten thirty... Amanda left a while ago...Who could that be?

Coming out of his bedroom and heading for the front door as the knocking continued, Lee commented, "Alright, I'm coming!"

Opening the door, he was surprised to see his uncle, and asked confusedly," Colonel? What are you doing here?"

Colonel Clayton shook his head, perplexed, stating, "I was told to come here... That you wanted to talk."

Grimacing, he asked Lee, who gave him a blank stare, "Well? Are you gonna just stand there, or am I allowed in?"

Lee, shook himself out of his reverie, and replied with a gesture, "S-Sorry, Sir. Please come in..."

-SMK-

As Lee closed the door behind him, he queried, "Would you like a drink?"

The Colonel, sitting down on the couch, answered curtly, "No, thank you. I received a message from my Staff Sergeant, that you needed to see me. Now, cut to the chase, because I have a meeting at 0:700, and I need my sleep-"

Lee, bewildered, answered, "I swear, Sir, that I did not call the base-"

The Colonel then asked, "Are you sick or dying?"

Lee shook his head commenting, "N-No! Of course not! Sir, I know your regimen after all these years...If I need to see you, I call the base, and make an appointment, and we meet at the Officer's Club, as per your instructions."

The Colonel then answered irritatedly, "And yet, here I am, without a meeting set up...So, tell me, Skip...Who called this meeting of the minds?"

Lee shrugged, commenting, "I swear, I don't-"

Then a realization came over him, as he sighed, and clearing his throat, headed over to the phone, dialing a number, as he grumbled crisply, " Oh, my God! I told her I was fine, and to drop it, but did she?! No!"

The Colonel queried, "Who, Son?"

Lee put up a hand to silence the Colonel for a moment as he remarked angrily into the phone, "Get yourself dressed and over here right now!"

Hanging up quickly, he sighed as he went to pour himself a drink, asking, "You sure you don't want anything?"

The Colonel responded, "I told you no thanks...So, who was that you were speaking to so rudely?"

Lee, after pouring himself a Scotch, took a sip, and replied after swallowing, "Amanda King, Sir..."

Colonel Clayton blinked, querying, "Amanda? You-You're still with her?"

Lee, bringing his drink over to the couch, sat down, and putting the drink on the coffee table, answered defensively, "Yes, we work together at IFF, if you remember, but we weren't a couple when we met you for dinner at the time you had that trouble with General Patterson...And while I know she isn't from a military background, I assumed you approved of her?"

The Colonel nodded, stating, " Of course! Didn't I tell you that your taste was improving?"

Lee, puzzled, then asked, "Then what do you mean, "Am I still with her?"

The Colonel gestured to his nephew, answering, "Take a hard look at your track record with the ladies, Skip...You haven't been serious about anyone since you first started the dating ritual as a teenager-"

Lee chuckled responding, "No thanks to you, constantly scrutinizing my choices-"

The Colonel pointed an index finger to Lee answering, "You were in a military environment...There were rules to follow!"

Lee nodded mumbling, "Yeah, yeah...Even when you attempted to loosen the rules when we went to Miami for a couple of weeks for R and R, you still couldn't relax, and there I was, continually towing your perfect line at a hotel..."

-SMK-

They were still arguing twenty minutes later, when there was a knock at the front door, and Lee getting up from the couch, stated as he headed in that direction, "Saved by the door...Excuse me, Colonel..."

Opening the door, there stood Amanda in a sweatshirt and jeans, with her hair in a pony tail, and Lee answered, as he took her arm, leading her into the apartment, "Thanks for coming so quickly."

Shutting the door, Lee commented to Amanda as he gestured towards the living room, "You remember Colonel Clayton, my uncle?"

Amanda, floored at seeing the man, gulped and looking at Lee, answered, "I know you must be angry with me, but I-I didn't think he'd just show up-"

Colonel Clayton remarked impatiently, "Well, of course I did, Young Lady, because I thought there was something seriously wrong! "

Looking at Lee, Colonel Clayton commented, "Well, I believe she owes us an explanation, don't you, Skip?"

Lee nodded and remarked with a gesture to Amanda, "Come sit down, so we can get to the bottom of this, hmm?"

As Amanda went to sit on the couch, she felt both men staring her down, and thought, Oh boy, I've really done it this time...

TBC