say the two of them didn't go well together. He told me, to my face, that he'd slept with three women while I was gone. This after I bought him dinner at the most expensive restaurant in town. So I cut him loose. I had to. Eight weeks... can you imagine what he would have done when I was gone for two years at a time, out on deployment? I don't know how I could have been so blind. He duped me, Rade. Duped me to the core."
"Like you duped me?"
"I'm sorry, Rade." She leaned closer. Her gaze lingered on my lips. "Let me make it up to you."
Our faces were so close now. "You know what? Hell with it. All is forgiven."
I hoisted her up, led her to the bathroom and locked the door.
* * *
Our group got back to base on Sunday night, and I took my leave of Shaw at the train station. She was moving on to her rating school, while I would stay behind with Tahoe, Alejandro and Ace. We promised to keep in touch.
"Good luck Astronaut Apprentice," she said, and leaned forward to kiss my cheek. I turned my head at the last minute to meet her lips with my own.
She pulled away. "You're a sly one."
"I am."
She held my hand, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "Remember me in the deepest, darkest hours. When you think you can't go on. When the training is too much. Hold on to the moments we've shared. Hold on to last night."
"I will." My voice was thick with grief. It felt like I'd only just found her, and now I was losing her. "Maybe we can meet again sometime, when we graduate. Arrange some liberty time together."
She beamed. "I'd like that."
When she let go of me and turned to walk away, I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd never see her again. Once she finished training and made it to her posting she'd probably shack up with someone else. She was far too beautiful to stay single for long. Probably be an officers wife when we met again.
"Maybe next time we meet you'll be my boss," I called to her back.
She glanced over her shoulder. "You wish. Besides, it won't be so long."
If you say so, Shaw.
I watched her board the vactrain. I waited there, as new recruits emerged from the open doors, recruits both starry-eyed and frightened at the same time, like I had been. I almost wanted to change places with them. To live those eight weeks over again, despite how tedious Basic had been. If only to be with her.
But it was time to move on.
I turned away as the train's last call came, and I didn't look back.
CHAPTER SEVEN
After eight more weeks of intense PT under the tutelage of civilian coaches hired by the Navy, Alejandro, Tahoe, Ace and I were shipped off to the spec-ops rating school at New Coronado, California, where we would begin MOTH Orientation.
Monday morning found me seated cross-legged on the concrete deck beside the combat training tank (pool). I was dressed in swim trunk s and a white T-shirt. Beside me were the other students of Class 1108.
I heard footsteps echo off the black concrete. I glanced at the digital clock embedded in the cinder-block wall. 0500 on the dot.
Our class leader, Lieutenant Jaeger "Jaguar" Robinson, climbed to his feet. He was the senior officer among us, a Space Warfare Officer with four years experience. We were all equals here—officers trained right alongside enlisted men.
"Feet!" Jaguar yelled.
" Feet! " Nearly two hundred voices shouted in unison as the class members clambered upright.
"In-struc-tor Ree-ed!" Jaguar said.
" Wooyah, Instructor Reed! " we proudly roared. Sounded like a vactrain in here.
A well-built man ambled into my field of view. His head was completely shaved. I would have pegged him at mid-forties. He was dressed the way I'd soon learn all enlisted instructors dressed: blue T-shirt, khakis, white socks, black military boots. He wore a pair of wraparound sunglasses —possibly an aReal. His face was almost kindly, but by the way Instructor Reed carried himself, like a tightly-wound coil ready to spring into action and pounce at the slightest provocation, I knew
"Like you duped me?"
"I'm sorry, Rade." She leaned closer. Her gaze lingered on my lips. "Let me make it up to you."
Our faces were so close now. "You know what? Hell with it. All is forgiven."
I hoisted her up, led her to the bathroom and locked the door.
* * *
Our group got back to base on Sunday night, and I took my leave of Shaw at the train station. She was moving on to her rating school, while I would stay behind with Tahoe, Alejandro and Ace. We promised to keep in touch.
"Good luck Astronaut Apprentice," she said, and leaned forward to kiss my cheek. I turned my head at the last minute to meet her lips with my own.
She pulled away. "You're a sly one."
"I am."
She held my hand, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "Remember me in the deepest, darkest hours. When you think you can't go on. When the training is too much. Hold on to the moments we've shared. Hold on to last night."
"I will." My voice was thick with grief. It felt like I'd only just found her, and now I was losing her. "Maybe we can meet again sometime, when we graduate. Arrange some liberty time together."
She beamed. "I'd like that."
When she let go of me and turned to walk away, I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd never see her again. Once she finished training and made it to her posting she'd probably shack up with someone else. She was far too beautiful to stay single for long. Probably be an officers wife when we met again.
"Maybe next time we meet you'll be my boss," I called to her back.
She glanced over her shoulder. "You wish. Besides, it won't be so long."
If you say so, Shaw.
I watched her board the vactrain. I waited there, as new recruits emerged from the open doors, recruits both starry-eyed and frightened at the same time, like I had been. I almost wanted to change places with them. To live those eight weeks over again, despite how tedious Basic had been. If only to be with her.
But it was time to move on.
I turned away as the train's last call came, and I didn't look back.
CHAPTER SEVEN
After eight more weeks of intense PT under the tutelage of civilian coaches hired by the Navy, Alejandro, Tahoe, Ace and I were shipped off to the spec-ops rating school at New Coronado, California, where we would begin MOTH Orientation.
Monday morning found me seated cross-legged on the concrete deck beside the combat training tank (pool). I was dressed in swim trunk s and a white T-shirt. Beside me were the other students of Class 1108.
I heard footsteps echo off the black concrete. I glanced at the digital clock embedded in the cinder-block wall. 0500 on the dot.
Our class leader, Lieutenant Jaeger "Jaguar" Robinson, climbed to his feet. He was the senior officer among us, a Space Warfare Officer with four years experience. We were all equals here—officers trained right alongside enlisted men.
"Feet!" Jaguar yelled.
" Feet! " Nearly two hundred voices shouted in unison as the class members clambered upright.
"In-struc-tor Ree-ed!" Jaguar said.
" Wooyah, Instructor Reed! " we proudly roared. Sounded like a vactrain in here.
A well-built man ambled into my field of view. His head was completely shaved. I would have pegged him at mid-forties. He was dressed the way I'd soon learn all enlisted instructors dressed: blue T-shirt, khakis, white socks, black military boots. He wore a pair of wraparound sunglasses —possibly an aReal. His face was almost kindly, but by the way Instructor Reed carried himself, like a tightly-wound coil ready to spring into action and pounce at the slightest provocation, I knew
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