Kate, Page 4

Chapter04 - Answered Prayer

  At 0900 hours Tuesday morning, Rita found herself opening the base personnel office door and at the same time offering up a thankful prayer in her heart that she would soon escape Sophie for good. Thinking back to Sunday night when she walked aimlessly about and returning to the house after dark where she listened to her dad and his new wife until they went to sleep. The next morning she heard her dad tell Sophie to lay off his daughter. Rita smiled and said to herself.

  "Super efficient Sophie was still in bed snoring away when she left. Poor Daddy, you got yourself a real doozie this time. Sophie is a lazy tramp to the very core. If all Dad wanted was a lay job, he should have bought a professional and at least got his money's worth. Instead he picked up Sophie, a cheap chippy looking a place to flop and a free meal ticket. Daddy, getting her was easy, getting rid of this old whore will neither be quick nor easy."

  Taking a seat, Rita looked around the room at those present and lost herself in a daydream about the future. With almost half of her life running a house and taking care of two younger brothers, dampened any further thoughts about continuing domesticity. Rita was in no mood to marry, become a mother or do housework. She was ambitious and wanted to be in control of her own future, not tied to raising kids and having a man about always wanting to use her body for any number of purposes.

  Rita always knew she wanted more from life than having a man to keep her broke, barefoot, pregnant and living at the end of a dusty road. She gave extra credit to her high school counselor for guiding her to focus on a goal she could attain by putting extra effort into her studies. Rita demonstrated an above average scholastic potential and the counselor encouraged her to make an effort to attend college. Unfortunately, her family was in no position to finance any further education. Her father made only enough money to keep the family afloat and there were no savings. Tradition held there was little future in sending a girl to college because she would soon get married. If anyone from the Blaine family went to college it would be one of her brothers.

  Sophie's suddenly and unexpectedly charge into the family changed everything. There was no reason to believe the likes of Sophie wouldn't hold any interest in building a family savings account nor would she be interested in helping her stepchildren attend college.

  "No," Rita thought, "I can't count on Daddy for anything now, whatever progress I make will have to come from my own efforts." Rita's daydream was interrupted by a clerk calling her name. Rita arose and followed the clerk into a nearby office where she filled out an assortment of forms, finger printed, photographed and escorted to the base infirmary for a physical examination. Lastly, she was told to report to Mr. Donaldson in building 54, room 115 at 0900 the following morning.

  Glancing at her watch she noticed it was eleven fifty-five. Rather than returning to town for lunch, Rita decided to eat at the PX cafeteria. Leaving the cashier station, carrying a food tray she heard her name called. Looking around she saw a waving arm attached to a girl named Julie she occasionally worked with at the drugstore.

  Joining Julie, Rita learned Julie began working at the airbase a week earlier. They were so caught up in the ritual of going through the: who's, what's and when's with Rita filling in the latest news about being surprised with a new stepmother and needing a place to live. Julie was elated to hear Rita was looking for a place to live, because over the weekend she went out on a limb to rent an apartment and was desperately looking for someone to share expenses. It was quickly decided Rita would move in that evening.

  "What a relief to know I have an immediate place to live away from Sophie." Rita exclaimed, with a lilt in her voice.

  "From the way you talk about your new stepmother she must be quite the character and if I were in your place I'd feel the same way."

  They made the typical team, Rita was slim and attractive while Julie was about fifteen pounds over weight, plain and didn't keep herself as well as she could. The only point of contention between the girls was dating; they were poles apart regarding men. Julie desired and sought out male company. She viewed dating as a searching ground for winnowing out a suitable husband candidate, culminating in marriage. Rita on the other hand had no desire for men. She wasn't interested in dating and definitely held no desire to get married. As a result, double dates were seldom and far between, leaving Julie to date alone.

  At Rita's three-month review she explained to Mr. Donaldson her desire to attend college but her family was unable to supply the necessary financial support. He suggested she start a self-study program and later challenge college equivalency tests for course credits. He further volunteered to supply her with a reading list, make assignments and critique her results. She accepted his offer and books soon filled the hours of her non-working life.

  As summer passed into fall, the girls developed an individual, yet mutual life style. Julie busied herself in social activities leaving Rita alone at home to read and work on assignments Mr. Donaldson gave her. Her task was demanding, in both educational pursuits and developing the necessary self-discipline needed to hold her on course.

  On a Monday morning before Halloween, Rita was confronted with the third major shock in her life. During the weekend she finished a lengthy sociology paper in preparation for challenging a for-credit-examination and was anxious to speak with Mr. Donaldson. Rita arrived early for work and went directly to his office where she was greeted by a black edged note pinned to his office door.

  "It is with deep regret the management must announce the sudden death of Robert Donaldson. Funeral particulars will be disclosed when information is received from his family."

  "Oh my God!" Rita gasped, "What a rotten piece of luck. The first man I've ever known who was interested in helping me rather than getting into my pants, and now he's dead." Still stunned, she walked back to her desk and slumped in her chair.

  "This is going to be one hell of a long day," she said to an empty room.

  A week later, Second Lieutenant William Snook assumed the position once held by the deceased Mr. Donaldson. Lt. Snook was a ninety-day wonder holding a fresh commission gained from a college "V" program put in place by the national government to pump officers into the military build-up in anticipation of being drawn into the war raging in Europe.

  Snook recognized the army was a place where one could make a good living with a minimum amount of effort and with a supply MOS number it was unlikely he would be exposed to front line duty when the war came. Based on his limp line of logic, Lt. Snook decided to make his career in the army.

  It could be said Lt. Snook made a good supervisor depending on the ambition level of his subordinates. Lt. Snook was conspicuous by his absence, either by being away from his office or by keeping his office door closed. He communicated to his staff by written announcements posted on the bulletin board. When dealing with a private personal subject, he dropped a memo into the individual's in-basket and expected a written response in return. His sterile method of management soon reached his boss who didn't take kindly to this impersonal method of management and ordered him to loosen up. Following this admonishment, a few days before Christmas, Lt. Snook came out of hibernation.

  Christmas was on Friday and a no workday, resulting in Thursday becoming a day for non-sanctioned office parties while passing as an unofficial on the job holiday. All non-essential base functions were put on hold. At-risk functions, such as flying airplanes, were removed from the day's activities. Though each office or shop placed its own spin on party format, one particular item was common to all, a punch bowl. Although these popular libation containers were similar in purpose their contents varied widely in ingredients and octane.

  In his own conniving way, Lt. Snook considered himself as having a natural talent for organizing parties and thought of himself as being close to irresistible when it came to seducing women. He splurged on an office party with a two-fold purpose. A party would give him an opportunity to check out the females in
his section at close range, Rita in particular. And second, (still smarting from being counseled about his management style) he wanted to show the staff he was a great and sociable guy at heart.

  The office party wasn't showing signs of producing the kind of progress Lt. Snook originally had in mind, instead it was well on the way to being boring. At noon many old-timers began wandering away giving Lt. Snook an opening to move the party to a new venue, Barney's Place and invited his staff to be his guests at the popular watering hole a short distance from the main gate, where a more lively spirit could be injected into their celebration.

  With a little play on Rita's need to get out and meet people, Julie talked Rita into joining the migration of office celebrants to Barney's Place. Without a car the girls walked the short distance and were among late arrivals. Finding an empty booth Rita slid across next to the wall, giving her less exposure to searching eyes set on keeping her under surveillance. Looking around the dimly lighted room Rita could distinguish a mixture of gender and occupations. Army uniforms slightly out-number those in civilian dress. She recognized a few co-workers, mostly women. At a table near the jukebox sat Lt. Snook and another officer repeatedly surveying of the room and scanning the young women as they arrived.

  "There she is," said Lt. Snook nudging his table companion, Lt. Steve Miller and nodded toward the booth occupied by Julie and Rita.

  "Rita and fat gal just slid into the booth over there."

  "What did you say her name is, Snooky?

  "Rita Blaine, she's got a nice body with great jugs and with looks to match her body. It wouldn't surprise me is she's still cherry." Snook snickered.

  "She may be all of that, Ol' Buddy, but are you sure she isn't a little on the young side. Mess around with her and you may find yourself looking down the barrel of a 12-gauge shotgun with added time in the old Stoney Loney for sampling an underage item of entertainment.

  The Army also frowns on its officers messing around with the young stuff. I've also heard fathers in these parts of the country are not the least bit understanding when a daughter comes home knocked-up, especially when the donor happens to be a newly minted army ninety day wonder."

  "Well, I like my meat tender and unblemished; anyway I know Rita and the fat gal live together. I heard some buzz about Rita's old man giving her a stepmother as a graduation present and Rita moved out the next day. I doubt if there's any love lost between she and her dad. So, I think I'm safe from looking down shotgun barrels," soothed Snooky.

  "How do you propose to initiate the conquest of this prized virgin?"

  "It's all a matter of tactics Ol' Buddy. You're going to be my lead skirmisher. You make a frontal advance on the big 'un by asking her to dance, leaving me with a clear maneuvering field."

  "Thanks a lot! Ol' Buddy, I clear out the debris and you waltz away with the table stuff. It's going to cost you more than a pitcher of beer for this skirmish. Are you going to feed the jukebox so we can put this play into action?" Steve queried, pushing back his chair preparing to stand up. Both Steve and Snooky consulted the jukebox menu, making mutual selections with Snooky putting in the quarter. As music filled the room, Steve ambled across the dance floor to where Julie sat.

  "Looks like the army is advancing," whispered Rita, nudging Julie as Steve approached their booth. When Steve asked Julie to dance she was both pleased and surprised, expecting Steve to ask Rita. Julie stood and was moving away when Rita saw Lt. Snook rise and cut across the dance floor toward her.

  "Here he comes for me," Rita thought. "He didn't waste time. I bet he has more on his mind than just dancing."

  "May I have the pleasure of this dance, Miss Blaine?" Snooky asked with a velvet lilt to his voice, stretching out his hand while leaning over the booth table. Rita ignored his hand as she scooted across the booth seat and stood up.

  "We don't have to be so formal this afternoon; you can call me Snooky, like my friends do."

  "All right, Snooky," smiled Rita. "I don't know much about this dancing business so don't be surprised if I ruin your shine."

  It wasn't true about Rita not knowing how to dance, in this particular circumstance she didn't want to know. Rita was well aware it was not the time to offer encouragement. An office romance was the last thing in the world she cared to deal with, now, or at any time. After a series of knee bangs and foot collisions it became obvious to Snooky dancing with Rita wasn't going to serve his purpose. Not one to give up he decided to stand still, hold Rita and sway with the music. Snooky let his right hand drift slowly down Rita's back until it came to rest on top of her right hip. All in the same maneuver he drew her body tightly to him and pushing his right leg between hers. Responding to messages sent by Snooky's tactile body sensors liberally distributed across his virile young body they informed certain glands a female body was in a procreating position. Said glands dumped specific hormones into his blood designed to stimulate and raise a designated organ to greet the occasion.

  Rita's own body sensors told her Snooky was playing the age-old game of seduction and heard the works of Ol' Lizzy playing in her mind.

  "All a man wants to do is get his thing into you any way he can." Rita knew pulling away wouldn't solve the immediate problem. Snooky was not the type to give up with a subtle hint; something more forceful was called for to stop his belly rubbing and she wanted to end his quest permanently. Having a sharp nimble mind, Rita quickly found an answer. She leaned her head back; increasing pressure on his pelvis... held Snooky in an eye lock and tolled out loud enough to be heard by those dancing nearby.

  "Snooky! Do you always carry your Swiss Army knife, or do you buy your shorts with a stick of baloney in them?"

  Steve and Julie were dancing near by stopped suddenly to look at Snooky and two other couples stopped abruptly, and broke into laughter. Snooky was suddenly transfixed as his body went stiff and his mouth stuck half open. His mind searched without success for a quick comment to relive his shock and hopefully save face from this verbal ambush. For the first time in his life, Snooky stood stock-still and brain dead. He couldn't think of a single word to say.

  At last he blurted out, "Sorry ma'am, I guess my Johnson must have got a little out of control." Releasing Rita to stand alone on the dance floor, Snooky retreated to the nearest exit.

  Walking to his car Snooky said to the open air, "How in the hell am I ever going to live this day down?"