Tales from an Unknown Corner

CHAPTER – 40: A Face from the Past (2)

When we finished the main course, the conversation picked up again. Alex asked Dana how long we’ve known each other, and was surprised at the answer. Turning to me he said, “I hope I’ll see you, now that you have a girlfriend that you need to visit frequently.”

“My apologies, Alex. I should have kept in touch after the service, but it’s been a busy time for me. I have regular off-duty time, but I was on the coast, sight seeing, exploring. I guess I reverted to my old self rather quickly after you left.”

“I guessed as much. You never called or dropped by.”

“Well... I’ve spent a day or two a few times, visiting relatives, but to tell the truth those were rare occasions, and I really didn’t stay long enough to look anybody up.”

Sensing my discomfort, he changed the subject quickly. “What else have you been up to?”

“Not much really. A lot of reading, travel, and photography. The work is quite demanding, but pleasant, and on the rig I usually spend any free time either trying to catch up on my sleep or studying.”

“Studying?”

“Just to keep things fresh. I’m supposed to take an exam in a couple of months, and attend a course in Aberdeen.”

“Nice.”

“I’m not sure. It’s in March. The last time I was there, the weather wasn’t very kind, and that was in June. Outside the city, it’s really nice, but the town itself is very depressing. Almost all the buildings are built with gray granite or something, as if the gray sky wasn’t enough. No wonder they have thousands of pubs. The only thing you can do is drink yourself to death. But, the Scots... they are a great bunch, really nice people.”

He laughed at my description of the city. “I can imagine. It’s definitely not a place for us.”

“You’ve got that right. Give me sun. Anytime.”

Dana was listening to our conversation with an amused expression. When I raised an eyebrow, she said, “It’s not that bad, Mitch. Scotland, Wales, Ireland. They have some beautiful countryside.”

“I forgot. You’re Welsh. Sorry.”

She patted my arm, and said, “Half-Welsh. I understand, Mitch. Growing up in a sunny country, I know it must have been different. I grew up here, and I know I didn’t like the weather when I was visiting my grandparents in the summers. But, each place has its own beauty and quirks.”

“I guess that’s true. I know it was much nicer outside the city. And, you travel more than I do.”

Alex got into the conversation again. “Since you mentioned photography... Gary opened a studio a few blocks away from our office.”

“Really? So he quit also?”

“Yes. I guess he was scared he would glow in the dark if he stayed too long in that place,” he quipped.

I let out a thunderous laughter, as he expected. Dana and Sarah were wondering about my reaction, and as soon as I collected my breath I noticed that my outburst had interrupted the conversation of others, too.

“Sorry. As usual Alex was being outrageous,” I said, then went about explaining. Gary worked in the ‘wire-line logging’ department of the company, and sometimes he had to work with radioactive materials. The materials were kept in lead-encased and sealed coffers, but they had to be taken out and placed inside special tools—the specific logging tool—to take measurements from the well bore. The radiation was low level, but he had to carry a radiation badge, which was regularly checked to measure the amount of radiation he was exposed to. When Gary came from a logging job, late at night, we would all joke about how he glowed in the dark. When we had a power cut at the dorm, somebody would yell: “Forget about torch lights, where’s Gary?”

“Now, it sounds like a cruel joke, not something to make light of it, but somehow we kept teasing him like that, and he took it in stride,” Alex added.

“And he paid us back,” I reminded.

“Oh, yes! He did,” Alex said, with a big grin remembering how Gary had paid us back. Turning to the others, he told the story.

“You have to keep in mind, Chernobyl happened not too long before that time. There were still discussions going on about short and long-term effects of the disaster on the environment. He took us to his office, and showed us calibration records, before and after Chernobyl. The calibration records list the measured natural radiation that is present on ground level. According to the records, there were some spot variations, but the natural radiation levels were three to four times higher. With the nastiest grin he could muster, he said: ‘I don’t know how much radiation you guys are exposed to, but I know what I’m getting,’ while playing with the radiation badge he was carrying. Like idiots we asked if he had spare badges, and grudgingly he gave us two, in their original packing. We carried them for a month, and then... Well, you can guess the end. He had them exposed to radiation. We figured out the con he pulled on us, but he had a good laugh.”

“Good for Gary. You guys earned it,” Sarah said, amused by the story, but taking sides with Gary, whom she perceived as the underdog.

“How old were you?” Kathy reprimanded, getting chuckles from everybody, including Alex and I.

“We were old enough to act like kids. In that kind of atmosphere, you try hard to have some kind of fun, and the practical jokes were either very childish or quite inventive and elaborate,” Alex replied.

“Yeah. They were. Gary got me in the dark room. We had a spare room in the basement, and he had converted it to a dark room. I bought a box of print paper, and wanted to get some black and white prints. I asked Gary to help me with developing and fixing the prints, because he had promised to teach me. We put on the safe light, turned off all the other lights, and I opened the cover of the box of papers and put the box in the drawer where we kept the print paper. I took a sheet and exposed it under the enlarger. The first print was OK when we developed and fixed it, but after that, it didn’t go well. Every print was black. Gary took over and did some prints, and they were OK. Well, almost. The edges of the papers were dark or black, but the actual exposed parts were perfect. When I took over, I kept getting black prints, and when he tried, he got good prints. I was going nuts. Finally, Gary explained the trick he pulled on me. He had a small light fixed in the drawer, with a hidden switch at the side of the table. Before I picked a sheet, he would light it up, so the top sheet would get exposed, thus a black print. The sheets below were relatively safe, except the edges, so that’s why his prints had those black edges when we developed them,” I explained.

“So, how long did you waste in the dark room?” Dana asked, with an amused tone.

“He messed with me about an hour, then we got down to business, and finished the prints. He was good. I learned a lot from him.”

“Yes, he is. He’s doing quite well with the studio. I think it was the best decision he ever made,” Alex said.

“So you two get together, frequently?” I asked.

“As much as possible. He’s married, with a two-year-old daughter. She’s a doll,” Alex said.

“Wow! I guess I really have to visit you guys.”

Alex smiled instead of making a comment. We were interrupted again by the arrival of the waiter, who collected the empty plates, set new plates and cutlery, and gave us the dessert menu. After we all made our choices, he left us.

Sarah asked, “Since you were a bunch of jokers, I’m wondering if you all had nicknames.”

Trust Sarah to pick a subject like that!

Alex and I both grinned at each other, but when we didn’t answer, Sarah insisted. “Well, it seems you did. Let’s hear it.”

“Mine was very obvious,” Alex answered, and waited for Sarah to take a shot. When she said, “Zorba,” he nodded. “Can you guess what was Gary’s nick?”

Sarah offered ‘torch,’ and Kathy offered ‘flash’ while the remaining chose to listen. With a grin, Alex mimicked the master of ceremonies. “And the Oscar gooooeeesss tooooo... Kathyyy!”

“You knew it?” Sarah asked Kathy, who shook her head.

“Lucky guess. I knew it was supposed to be something with light, like a torch or flashlight considering the radiation joke, but he was also a photographer,” she offered.

“Good deductive technique, Kathy. Now, I understand why Mitch kept complaining about your formidable brain,” Alex quipped, earning me a sharp look from Kathy. Before she could say anything, he continued. “But, I doubt you would be able to guess Mitch’s nickname. First, a warning, so you don’t waste your efforts. It wasn’t ‘Georgian,’ although I used to call him that a few times.”

“That eliminates the most obvious. How are we supposed to take a guess?” Kathy objected.

“Hmm. OK! It’s an animal,” Alex offered.

While the girls were thinking about it, Dana turned to me and asked, “Were you born before or after February?”

Before I could answer, Kathy offered, “April. I don’t think it’s Ram or something. I think it’s ‘condor’.”

Dana seemed to mull something in her mind, and received a quizzical look from Kathy. “I think it’s ‘dragon’,” she said, eventually.

“I would call him ‘tiger’,” Sarah offered, smiling at me, and I knew why she had chosen that nick, after what she had said about the way I moved.

“I think it’s ‘wolf’,” offered Sabine, surprising us by joining in the guessing game.

“Interesting choices. I didn’t think any one would guess correctly, but one of you did,” Alex said. After a pause, he said, “Sabine guessed correctly.”

Without waiting for Alex, Kathy turned to Sabine and asked, “Why did you think of a wolf?”

“My father used to go hunting. I remember him talking about wolves. Even though they have a highly evolved social structure, and travel in packs, there are also lone wolves. Listening to Alex, the image just jumped into my mind,” she replied, which earned her an appraising look from Kathy. I almost missed Dana’s reaction. I had been paying attention to her out of the corner of my eye, but it was very small.

“I see,” Kathy said, a bit distractedly, then she turned her attention to Dana, who knew what was coming.

“I thought it might be his birth sign in Eastern astrology, since he mentioned Buddhism. He was born in the year of dragon. Why did you pick condor?” Dana responded before Kathy said another word.

“I was tempted to say eagle, because I know Mitch likes eagles. But later, he was more interested in condors, and I never heard him mention eagles after that,” Kathy answered.

Both of them looked at Sarah expectantly. With a flush on her face, Sarah said, “I was taking a shot in the dark.” Knowing Sarah well, Kathy realized there was more to it, but she let it go. Dana also sensed Sarah was hiding something, but didn’t say anything.

The waiter arrived with the dessert and coffee. Alex and Sabine conversed with Mark and Kathy, while the girls and I listened to their conversation. Mark had been quiet initially, but now he was more talkative. I guessed the few drinks finally helped him to relax, after a stressful and busy week. Alex inquired about their plans for a formal engagement, and Kathy told him she hadn’t yet talked with our parents, and explained what prompted the pre-engagement celebration; Mark relocating here.

As we all finished our dessert and coffee, I checked my watch. It was almost eleven. Alex caught me, and asked if we had plans. I told him Sarah and Dana would be having an early start tomorrow, working. He mentioned he and Sabine would be catching the 8:15 flight tomorrow; the only flight they were able to get after their meeting ran late. Dana inquired about their flight details, and told them she would be on the same flight. Promising not to stay up too late, Alex invited us to a bar. We all agreed, and Kathy suggested a nearby bar. I signaled the waiter for the bill. After I paid, we left the restaurant, and walked the short distance to the bar. Alex discreetly tried to pay their share, but he knew it was a futile effort, since he was visiting my hometown. In the end, he settled for a promise of a visit and a dinner.

* * * * *

The bar was quite small, and dark, and already crowded. We found a small table, and after arranging for a few extra chairs, everybody was seated. There were only three people behind the bar, acting as the bartenders, so all the patrons had to get their drinks themselves. Alex got our drink orders. Kathy and Mark opted for cognac, Dana for a single malt, and Sabine for gin and tonic. Sarah asked for coke, mentioning she would be driving.

Turning to me, Alex said, “I’m going for Ouzo,” with an expectant smile, and I nodded.

Kathy quipped, “At least they aren’t going for red wine,” getting some knowing smiles from everyone.

“You haven’t mentioned the times we got drunk on Ouzo?” Alex responded, getting a groan from me. He was trying to bait Kathy.

“We never got drunk on Ouzo.”

“Let’s say we never got wasted,” he retorted. His eyes were on Kathy, but she refused to be baited. Instead of a reply, she fluttered her eyelids at him, drawing a laugh from all the girls.

Mark, Alex and I went to the bar to get the drinks. As we were waiting for our order, Alex turned to Mark and said, “I only knew Kathy for a short while, but she really left an impression at the time. I hope you won’t take offense, but I wish I had met her later. She’s changed in some ways, and I believe it is you. You’re a very lucky man, Mark.”

Although a bit surprised, Mark replied, “Thank you. No, I wouldn’t take offense. I know I’m a lucky man.”

Alex smiled in appreciation, and offered, “And she’s a lucky woman,” with a sincere tone. “Mitch and I may be friends, but we both know Kathy doesn’t need a rascal like me,” he added.

“I don’t believe you’re anywhere near being a rascal. I doubt Mitch would be friends with a rascal,” Mark responded, before I could say anything.

Alex nodded in appreciation. By then the bartenders had our order ready, and we returned to the table with the drinks. I offered a toast to Mark and Kathy, and Mark followed it with a toast for friends, old and new. As Alex and I clinked our glasses, he said, “To the good old days.”

If I already had a sip from my glass, I could have easily choked on it. Still, I couldn’t keep from bursting into laughter, drawing quizzical looks from everybody.

“You might want to revise your perception of the good old days, after hearing the little story I have for you,” I said, and told him about Manfred ‘Pops’ Reinhard, giving him a verbatim account of what he told me about ‘the good old days.’

“Sounds like my kind of guy. He’s got it right,” Alex responded.

Both Sabine and Kathy shook their heads at Alex. I noticed Dana was watching our interaction very closely, with an amused expression on her face. When I raised an eyebrow, she said, “What other stories do you have?”

“Oh, no! If you let Alex and I start, we’ll still be here tomorrow afternoon.”

“He’s right. Every time I open my mouth, I usually end up with the short end of the stick,” Alex said. Looking at Sabine, he added, “I want to leave a good impression.”

This time, it was Sarah’s turn to comment. “Has anybody told you how incorrigible you are?”

“Umm. No. But what gave you the idea, my dear?” he asked, flirting with Sarah unabashedly.

“You’re terrible, Alexei,” Sabine said, with a soft smile on her lips.

“I’m not terrible. I think of myself as a gardener. I love all the flowers and try to attend to their needs,” he replied with a serious tone. “I said something wrong again, didn’t I?” he added with a grin.

Mark must have been getting warmed up to Alex, because he quipped, “You can’t win ‘em all.”

Hitting Mark on the arm playfully, Kathy retorted, “He doesn’t need to win any.”

“Have a heart, Kathy. You have a good man there. Everybody needs some loving,” Alex joked.

“Oh, you, poor baby. You need some TLC, don’t you?” Kathy teased him.

“TLC?” Sabine asked, not getting the acronym.

“Tender loving care,” Sarah answered, and giggled when she saw Alex’s expectant look at Sabine.

“Isn’t it the gardener’s job?” Sabine retorted.

“Didn’t I just say I always get the short end of the stick when I open my mouth?” Alex quipped, drawing more laughs from the girls.

Trying to help him out Kathy turned the subject to the past, and got Alex to tell more stories about our time together in my previous company, the places we had visited, things we had done...

“..... Gary and I were driving back from the rig to town, and about a kilometer before the junction to the highway we saw Mitch’s car parked on the side of the road. To tell the truth we didn’t expect to see him, since we left before he did. But, he knew the roads well, and had taken a short cut. When he waved us down, we stopped to check what the problem was. It turned out, he had locked himself out of the car, with the keys inside,” Alex said with an amused smile.

I grinned sheepishly at him. “I had forgotten about the door lock when I stepped out of the car. I needed to relieve myself in a hurry.”

When Mark asked how that could happen, Alex explained I was driving an old model Renault, and most of us set the doors in the locked position after unlocking them.

“So, there he was, standing by his car, in the middle of the night, shivering in the cold. It was mid January, around minus fifteen, and he was contemplating whether he should break one of the windows. We tried Gary’s keys, since he was also driving a Renault, but of course that didn’t work. Mitch was looking around for a stone with the intention to break a window, but Gary told him he could take out the back window without breaking it,” Alex continued.

“Yeah. It was a neat trick. The rubber strip that held the glass had a sort of a locking mechanism. It took him sometime, but he managed to take the glass out without breaking it, and I crawled into the car from the opening. Next day, I visited a garage and got the glass put back. It sure saved me some bucks,” I finished the story.

“How did Gary know how to do that?” Dana asked.

“He had a similar incident himself, getting locked out of his car. And he hadn’t been as lucky as I was. He was couple of miles away from a village and there usually were vicious dogs near villages. When he heard the dogs, he had to break the back window in a hurry to get into the car and drive away. Gary was scared of dogs. When he was getting the glass fixed in the garage, he saw how they took the remains of the broken glass out, and fixed a new one. It’s rather simple, after seeing how Gary took it out, and how they fixed it back at the garage,” I replied.

“It sounds like all of you had some interesting times,” Sarah commented.

As usual, Alex was quick with a quip. “It’s not just a job. It’s an ad-ven-ture!” he said.

“Yes, Sir, Drill Sergeant, Sir!” I responded, which drew some amused smiles.

“That sounded like both of you were in the army,” Sabine said.

“We weren’t. Well, not together I mean. Alex is ex-military. He quit and went back to college to get his degree. After that, he took the job with that company. I just did a short time in the service, after I left the company,” I explained. Turning to him, I said, “That reminds me. Thanks for all the pointers, Alex. They came in handy.”

“I didn’t know you were in the army,” Kathy cut in.

“I was. I quit after a few years,” Alex answered.

“Any particular reason?” Kathy asked.

“Politics. The army had always been apolitical to a large extent, but at the time it was getting its fair share of influence. In the past, there had been some quiet purges in the ranks, and I didn’t want to be around if something like that happened.” Turning to me, he asked, “How did it go?”

We hadn’t seen each other since we took the short trip after I had quit the company, and before I did my short spell in the army.

“It was interesting. Being competitive and clever is not a good mixture. They don’t appreciate college boys at all,” I retorted.

“What did you do, Mitch? Get into trouble?” he asked.

“No, not really. But, sometimes I bit off more than I could chew.”

“Like what?”

I must have felt very relaxed, and talkative, or it might have been the drinks, because normally I wouldn’t have opened the subject or talked about what I did, especially with the present company. But with Alex there, and talking about good old times, I guess my guard was down.

“I enjoyed the shooting practices, and was a pretty good shot. There were also incentives, like getting the first shift at guard duty instead of the later shifts, which allowed a chance to get some uninterrupted rest. Anyways, towards the end of the first month, we had to do a five kilometer run with backpack and all that, then practice shooting at 400, 200 and 100 yards. There were quite a few who were good at 100 and 200 yards, but after a run, your breathing and heartbeat really affects your accuracy, especially at 400 yards. Plus we were on the clock. I ran at a pretty fast pace, but slowed down in the last kilometer to get my breathing under control. I was counting on being able to shoot better at 400 yards. My plan worked like a charm. However, the drill sergeant was kinda pissed, even though I finished the whole course below the time limits. He had a hard-on for ‘college boys,’ and thought I was being clever. So, I ended up working in the target ditch.”

That got a gasp from the girls, especially from Kathy, but Alex was quick to reassure them. “It’s very safe. Believe me it’s not dangerous at all. The ditch is about 4-5 meters deep, and you work the controls that raise and lower the targets. When the shooting is over, you lower them and report the results via an intercom, and replace them with new targets. There’s a very high sandy cliff behind the targets, so the bullets don’t ricochet. I did it many times when I was in the army.”

“Yeah, it’s exactly as he described,” I replied. “The sound of the bullets whizzing past over your head wasn’t bad, but the sonic boom was scary. The first time I heard that, I thought I would soil myself. After I got over the initial fright, and realized I was safe, I wasn’t as scared.”

Mark asked, “Sonic boom?”

“When you fire long bore weapons, like a rifle, the bullet travels faster than the speed of sound... like a jet fighter. So when it’s passing above your head, above the speed of sound, you hear something like a whip crack, only sharper. It’s pretty scary the first time you hear it, but you get used to it,” Alex explained.

Kathy couldn’t help herself. “What other crazy things did you end up doing, Mitch?”

“I didn’t do any crazy things, and I certainly wasn’t expecting such a reward at the time,” I replied.

Alex came to my rescue. “That kind of thing happens; quite frequently. They try to keep you under tight leash, and strict discipline. If they think you’re being clever, they try to teach you a lesson.”

“It’s not fair,” Kathy commented.

“Kathy, fair’s got nothing to do with it. It’s very difficult to explain or understand the reasoning behind such things. It’s the way it is in the military,” Alex said, trying to placate Kathy.

“Alex is right. I’ve seen it happen time and time again. To tell the truth, it wasn’t a bad experience,” I said.

Besides that, I had developed a healthy respect for guns, having experienced what I had.

There’s no way anyone can steal a look behind a wall, as they do in the movies, when the bullets are raining.

After the initial fright, it had been an almost exhilarating experience, but... it was eclipsed by something much more scary. We went through an actual live fire drill; crawling under a safety wire mesh, while a heavy machine gun kept firing above us. At first, I was hugging the ground, the dust and smell of earth filling my nostrils, the sweat running in rivulets, itching something terrible. My training helped me overcome the fear, and I managed to ignore the continuous barrage of the whistle and cracking sounds of the bullets flying just inches above me. And then, I felt alive, almost dizzy with the adrenalin coursing through my veins. Now, looking back at those times I felt a strange discomfort.

Was I trying to prove something? An adrenalin junkie? Was it another way to deal with the emptiness and the anger I had inside?

I didn’t have any answers, and didn’t want to seek any. It was in the past, some strange place in the twilight zone, to which I wouldn’t be returning.

“What!!!” Kathy exclaimed, taking me out of my reverie.

“I got a taste of how it would be like under fire, without being in danger,” I offered. “And there was no danger,” I finished pointedly, while Alex nodded in confirmation. “Let’s change the subject,” I said, and that was the end of the story. Inside, I cursed myself for my stupidity.

The conversation moved to inconsequential subjects. Around midnight, Sabine reminded us of the time, and the outing drew to a close. We had a lengthy goodbye outside the bar, then Mark, Kathy, Alex and Sabine shared a cab, while Sarah drove us back to her place. On the way, the girls were subdued. I ran the whole night through my mind. The chance meeting with Alex had been nice, and I enjoyed it very much. I hadn’t thought about the past very much in the last years, especially the period right after college. Now, I could see parts of it had been nice; it hadn’t been all dark and gloomy. However, I was having second thoughts about some of the things that we talked about. Perhaps the realization that the girls had gotten a glimpse of quite a chunk of my past had something to do with that feeling. I didn’t even want to contemplate what Kathy might come up with after my return.

Just let it go. It’s done, and there’s nothing you can do about it. Take it as it comes!

My inner voice was right, but...

It was a good night, and your lovers are with you. What more do you want?

Directing my mind to pleasant thoughts helped me get over the mood swing I was having, and I let out a contented sigh without realizing the girls had heard it.

“Tired?” Dana asked.

“Was thinking it’s been quite a night, a very pleasant one. Having you and Sarah by my side, seeing an old friend...”

My eyes were looking at a point a thousand light years away. I felt Dana turn and look at me. She had loosened her seat belt, and was sitting sideways on her seat, watching me. I slid down the seat and leaned forward, and she twisted more in her seat leaning towards me. Our lips met, and we shared a gentle kiss. Then I kissed her on her neck, whispering, “This is for Sarah, but if I gave it to her she might be distracted.”

“I’ll pass it on,” she said, and as I sat back, she leaned closer to Sarah, and kissed her, whispering something. Sarah responded with a soft moan and thanks. Catching my eye on the rear mirror, she said, “Thank you, Mitch.”

The rest of the trip was quiet, and we arrived sometime after midnight.

* * * * *

At Sarah’s we all went to her bedroom to change into something comfortable. Dana put on pajamas, and Sarah put on a long shirt and a peignoir, and I changed into jeans and a shirt. While I was putting my suit in the garment bag, Sarah suggested that Dana leave her dress in her wardrobe, if she didn’t want to carry it back. Although surprised with the suggestion, she was quick to catch the hidden invitation; this was her second home away from home. After they exchanged a brief look, Dana nodded her agreement. Grabbing my overnight bag, I went back to the living room. Few minutes later, Sarah and Dana showed up, Dana carrying her empty overnight bag.

We sat down for a while, chatting about tomorrow. Because it was a 4-5 hour drive, we would be arriving late at Dana’s place, around eight or later. Dana was planning to prepare dinner, but I mentioned we might have something on the road. Sarah threw an annoyed look in my direction, and turning back to Dana, she said, “Never mind him. But don’t prepare anything big.” With reluctance Dana agreed, mentioning she would prepare a simple menu consisting of lasagna, salad, and fruits.

“We’ll bring the red wine,” I quipped, feeling adventurous.

Both girls laughed, after what they had gotten to know about me and red wine!

“One bottle should be more than enough,” Dana retorted.

Nodding, Sarah joined her. “I’ll make sure.”

Sarah stood up, told us she would wake us up at six, and kissed us good night, before she left for the bathroom. When she was finished with her ablutions, Dana and I visited the bathroom, before getting ready for the bed. I turned off the lights, leaving a small table light on and we undressed. When she got into the bed, she shivered at the contact with the cold sheets, and quickly snuggled to me trying to warm up. She was quiet, and seemed preoccupied. Without giving her a chance to speak her mind, I said, “I think you have something in your mind. Do you mind if we talk about it later?”

“I was curious about Alex, and what else you two had done,” she replied softly.

“I guessed as much... We didn’t do much really. I was busy on the rigs, but I tried to get away as much as possible whenever I had the chance. I was lucky to meet him and Gary, and a few others.”

She ran her fingers over my chest, and asked, “Is he really a womanizer?”

“I’m not sure I would call him a womanizer, but, yes, he chases women. From what I have heard and seen, his affairs seem to be short lived.”

“Was he like that before you met him?” she asked.

“From what I’ve come to know, he wasn’t. The last time I saw him was when I quit the company. I took a short trip with him and a few others, before I joined the service. He managed to score on quite a few occasions during that two week vacation. At the end of the vacation, he dropped me at home and stayed for dinner. That was when he met Kathy, and she pegged him as a womanizer.”

“I think it’s an act,” Dana commented, surprising me.

“What makes you say that?”

“I think he’s trying to compensate for something, or covering up something,” she replied. From her tone, I knew she was expecting an explanation.

“What gave you that idea?”

“In many ways you’re opposites, but I noticed how he reacted when I said I was a flight attendant, so he knew something about you. That suggests you must have talked and perhaps have something in common. What I heard and saw makes me wonder if he was running away from something similar,” she said.

With a sigh, I answered, “He had a failed affair. We didn’t talk much about our histories. We didn’t have to, but we both learned some things about each other.”

She was quiet for a while, running her hands softly over my body, in a loving manner, and I returned her caresses. Then she said, “What was the joke?”

“Huh?”

“When we were talking, you didn’t want him to tell us the joke,” she said, trying to refresh my memory.

“It’s really something stupid, Dana,” I replied, not wanting to talk about it.

But she insisted, now that she had me talking about Alex, and the past. With reluctance, I told her. “When we realized we both were trying to get away from familiar surroundings, he had coined the term ‘voluntary exiles’ for us. We used it to laugh at ourselves. He was just pulling my leg with that quip.”

“I think he was doing more than that, and it seems he had a good reason,” Dana replied. Before I could say anything, she kissed me, and said, “I’m glad you had a friend there, and that he’s concerned about you. I understand, Mitch. Your work is there, but we both know why you went back.”

Did we?

Cut that crap, will you? You know why you went back there!

Yeah, we both knew, and I couldn’t deny it. We were quiet after that, but our hands were busy, doing their own talking, and eventually we couldn’t delay our impending needs. She pulled me over her, between her legs, and we made love. Afterwards, we cuddled, and she whimpered and let out a disappointed sigh when my cock slipped out from its warm nest. As we were continuing to caress each other, we heard a soft moan in the quiet of the night. We hadn’t been quiet, too lost in our passion, and I had forgotten what Sarah told me about listening to Dana and I.

“Was that what I think it was?” Dana asked with an amused tone.

“I think so. I guess she heard us.”

“Poor girl,” she commented. “I think we should clean up, and cuddle with her.”

“Umm... We might embarrass her, Dana.”

“I don’t want her to feel alone,” she said.

“She’ll be alone for a while, and you’ve been alone,” I replied.

“That’s why.”

“Dana, I know you mean well. I also know Sarah thought she was monopolizing my time, and wanted to give us some space. She said as much.”

She responded with a resigned sigh, but didn’t argue further. I turned off the light, and after a while, we fell asleep.

* * * * *

Sarah woke us up early in the morning, then went to the kitchen to put the coffee on. After a few minutes of lazing in the bed, Dana got out of the bed, and went to the kitchen to help Sarah. I stayed in the bed, somehow reluctant to get out, yet, listening to the intermittent sounds coming from the kitchen. Eventually I got out of the bed, and put on my boxers, and a shirt, before joining the girls. They were chatting while preparing the table for a quick breakfast.

Seeing me there, Dana said, “Why don’t you two take a shower, while I strip the bed and put the sheets in the washing machine? It will save time, and I’ll join you in a while.”

Without waiting for a reply, Sarah took my hand and steered us to the bathroom. Even though it looked casual, it was obvious that the girls were in cahoots, and the whole thing was pre-arranged. In the bathroom, I cupped Sarah’s face for a kiss. “Is this a ‘let’s take turns with Mitch’ kinda arrangement?” I quipped with an amused tone.

With a giggle, she nodded. “We have to be more careful to keep you in the dark.”

“Whose idea was it?” I asked.

“Who do you think?” she replied. “She told me about last night.”

I nodded. “I had forgotten about our talk. We didn’t really do anything much, but I guess we were noisy, too. So, did you have fun?”

“Mmm hmm.”

Opening the curtains, she stepped into the tub, and I followed her. After I helped her wash, I inspected the clean-up job... with my tongue, as she held onto my shoulders, moaning her pleasure. Afterwards, I held her until she managed to collect herself, then helped her shampoo her hair, and rinse. Stepping out of the tub, she said, “Stay there,” with a twinkle in her eyes. Wrapping a big towel around her, she left the bathroom.

As I expected, Dana came in, and joined me in the tub. After she washed me, she proceeded to give me a blow job, and it wasn’t long before I was coming in her mouth in long, hard spurts. I helped her wash, and tried to return the favor, but with a smile she declined, telling me she wanted to save her energy for tonight.

We went to the kitchen and had our breakfast. Sarah was already dressed and ready, while Dana and I sat with the towels wrapped around us. She was in a hurry, and after finishing her cup of coffee, she asked me if I could take the sheets out of the washer and put them in the dryer. She knew I was going to drop Dana at the airport, so she gave me her house keys, and then explained the dryer settings, asking me to put the sheets in her bedroom when the dryer was done with the sheets.

“When you’re back here you can take my suitcase. I should be finished by 3:30, so if you pick me up from the hospital, we can leave as soon as possible,” she said in a rush.

Dana was smiling fondly at Sarah’s enthusiasm. After a quick kiss and a hug with us, she left. Finishing our breakfast, we dressed and I took Dana to the airport.

We were early, so we looked for Alex and Sabine, and had a cup of coffee with them. Dana left us before the flight was called to help her colleagues, and I sat with Alex and Sabine. When Sabine left to use the facilities, Alex was quick to take advantage of the opportunity, and quizzed me about Dana and Sarah. I didn’t explain our arrangement, but mentioned Sarah was my sister’s best friend, and let him draw the conclusion that Dana was my girlfriend. I wasn’t sure whether he bought my explanation or noticed my subtle maneuvering, but he didn’t ask more questions. Even though he might have questions about Dana, and perhaps Reina, considering both were flight attendants, he didn’t ask, or steer the subject to the past, which was a relief. When Sabine returned we talked about my vacation plans, and he repeated his invitation, asking me to visit him when I was there. I didn’t want to drop by with all three of us, which could have raised questions. Instead, I told him I might drop by before the end of my off-duty time, and that seemed to satisfy him. I also got Gary’s address and telephone.

“I could give him your regards, but I think it would be a good surprise to drop by unannounced,” Alex said. He was very enthusiastic, and excited about the idea.

“Yeah! I think that would be great,” I replied.

When the flight was called, I bid them goodbye, and left the airport, returning to Sarah’s. The washing machine was finished with the sheets, so I put them in the dryer, washed the breakfast dishes and did some general tidying up. I didn’t want Sarah returning to a mess from her short vacation. I located a foldable wash hanger in the bathroom, so when the dryer was done with the sheets, I folded and hung them on the wash hanger, which would help her with the ironing. Checking the house one last time, I took her suitcase, and collected my belongings, then drove to Kathy’s to drop Sarah’s suitcase, and my belongings. I still had to pack, do some shopping, and pay a last minute visit to my parents.

* * * * *