Ten Months

“Sean Rochester you’re impossible.” That was one of the rare times he was able to flirt with her in public and get away with it – kind of. They left Newbury Street and drove to Quincy center where she parked the car, this time without incident, near the beach. They got out and walked along the water. Seagulls were everywhere stalking them like they were prey, waiting for a morsel of any kind to be discarded for their culinary pleasure. The water was calm with gentle waves cresting onto the beach depositing soap like suds as they receded. The bubbles dissipated quickly only to be replaced by the next wave. Like the memory of a lost love that is constantly refreshed by the rhythmic ebb and flow of life, déjà vu over and over again. “You know, the water and beaches in the Caribbean are so much nicer than here. You can see coral 30 feet down from the surface.” “Maybe I’ll get to see places like that someday. I would like to see the world, Italy, Hawaii, the Grand Canyon, but I could never leave Boston. It’s my home. What about you. Are you going back to your home someday or could you live in a place like Boston permanently? (Test #2 – could you leave the navy and live here?) “I think I could live anywhere if need be, but right now that’s out of my control. I may stay in the navy if I can get an NROTC scholarship but who knows. I’ll probably end up living in many places. I figure that whoever I marry, well, she wouldn’t care as long as we were together (Test #3 – did she really mean that she would never leave Boston. Would she come with him if he asked her?). “It would be hard for me to leave Boston and my family,” she said looking at the horizon and playing in the sand with her toes. “Are you hungry,” he asked. “I could eat something.” He had enough money on him to actually take her to a restaurant. Given his schedule, today would be the only time he would get to do that for a long time. The opportunity might never present itself again. “We can find a place in Quincy center if you like,” she suggested. “That would be great.” It wasn’t a restaurant, more like a deli, but they had sandwiches and pizza. He had two slices of pizza and she had soup and a small salad. They talked about his experiences at GITMO and San Juan. They knew that time was running out before his ship would be leaving but neither of them brought up the subject. They spent almost an hour at the deli. It was getting dark. “Can we go somewhere and park for a while? I would like to spend some time alone with you. I’m not sure what will happen next week. This could be the last time I can see you until we get to Newport.” “Come on,” she said, getting up from the table. She drove to the lake where they had been many times to watch the submarine races. “This spot has become kind of special to me Alisha. This is the first place we went after you gave me my first kiss. I still laugh at myself for being so naive about submarine races.” “Naïve or coy,” she asked tweaking his nose, obviously teasing. “Believe me the word is naïve.” He leaned over and kissed her. Without a word, he got out of the car, walked around to her side and opened the driver and rear car doors. He gently pulled her out of the front seat and steered her into the back seat. “Just for a while, ok,” she said. “Just for a while,” he promised. After a few minutes of hugging and kissing he used his weight, not forcefully but enough so she didn’t have time to react, to lean her backwards and lay her flat across the seat. She really didn’t resist. He kissed her and positioned himself so it would be difficult for her to get up. He quickly undid the first two buttons on her top. “What are you doing, stop it,” she complained. “He ran his fingers across the top of her bra but did not actually touch her skin. He was signaling that he was going to and hoped she would not resist too much (Test #4 – a stupid way of seeing if he was really special or not?). All of a sudden, he was lying on the floor board and she was sitting up buttoning her top. She had caught him of guard with a big heave using her whole body - legs, hips and arms. She didn’t say a word or show any anger. He climbed back into the seat. Both of them sat in silence for a minute. “Sorry, I just don’t understand why you don’t treat me like a real boy friend, like someone you really care about. You give me no privileges, nothing that says our relationship is special. It hurts my feelings. “Sean, you know how I feel, sex is for marriage.” “Touching you a little is not sex Alisha, its part of making out,” he argued. “Not for me.” She got out and moved to the driver’s seat. “How can a girl who jumped into my lap in the back seat of a car and initiated a kiss before she knew anything about me be so conservative? Did she have a problem or close calls with other boys in the past and decided to immediately test me? If I had put my hands all over her would she have kicked me out of the car that night? She was testing me and I didn’t even realize it. I’m going to go crazy!” he thought.