“Even my brother, who’s actually a sergeant in the army.”
“Really? Well, that seems hypocritical of him, doesn’t it?”
“Yes. Yes it does.”
He couldn’t believe it. He was actually having a real conversation with a beautiful woman, and she was so easy to talk to. The night was looking up.
“So why the army, Carl? You don’t seem like the army type.”
Now he was embarrassed. Apparently sensing his insult, the girl clarified her remark. “I mean, you seem like someone who’d do well in the private sector.”
“Yeah, that’s what my brother seems to think. But the economy is so bad, I can’t afford any more tuition, and there are no jobs.”
“So the army seems like your best option at the moment.”
“Well, I want to do something with myself. I don’t just want to sit around and do nothing. I am my own man. I want to see the world.”
“Well, Carl, you know the army isn’t a vacation.”
“I know that, but maybe I want to do some good, and perhaps I’ll learn some skills on the job.”
“What were you studying in school, Carl?”
“Engineering. I figured that there’s plenty of on-the-job training, and the army can pay the rest of my tuition.”
“Well, there are other skills you can learn too, besides engineering.”
“Oh?”
“Like leadership, independence, discipline.”
Carl thought he was falling in love. Here he was talking to a beautiful woman who understood him and what he wanted to do. Was this actually going somewhere? She seemed older, but he wasn’t sure how much.
Then he realized that he knew nothing about her. Here he was droning on about himself and his existential quandary. He suddenly felt self-conscious and rather clumsily tried to change the topic to her.
“So, I’ve been going on and on about myself, I don’t even know your name.”
She was looking over his shoulder. “Oh, I think I see the person I was supposed to meet.”
Oh great. She was blowing him off. He screwed up, blathering on about enlisting, unemployment, and his parents.
“Let’s go say hi.” Unexpectedly, she grabbed him by the arm and nearly yanked him off his bar stool. She pulled him through the crowd, through the smoke, and across the tiny dance floor until she was standing in front of Peter.
Peter looked away from his brunette as he saw some blonde pulling his brother across the bar. He almost did a double take when he saw who it was.
“Hi, Peter.”
Carl was confused. “What? You know my brother? Pete, you know her?”
Peter, embarrassed by his company and completely unprepared for this encounter, straightened up. “Captain London.”
Peter didn’t know why, but he was disconcerted. He didn’t want Captain London seeing him with this bar fly. Part of him found her attractive since their first meeting, even though romance wasn’t an option. She was his therapist after all.
Carl couldn’t believe it. He was finally able to maintain a conversation, with a total knockout no less, and she was here to meet his brother. What was it with this guy? What did Pete have that he didn’t?
“I was just talking with your brother, Carl, over at the bar.”
Peter didn’t quite know what to say. The brunette, no longer the center of Peter’s attention, looked flustered.
“What are you doing here, Captain?”
She sized up the brunette contemptuously. “Major Lewis sent me to personally tell you that your leave has been cut short.”
Great. Again?
“He has approved you for…that program we were talking about.”
It took a moment for the meaning of her message to register with Peter. At the moment, it was really the last thing on his mind.
Carl was lost. “Program? What’s she talking about, Pete?”
She was staring him dead in the eye, no doubt gauging his reaction.
Carl stood there stunned. The brunette, her ego bruised, was losing interest fast. Carl was happy for his brother. “Pete, this is great! Lieutenant. Congratulations!”
“08:00 hours, Captain.”
Captain London turned to Carl and shook his hand. Her skin was soft to the touch, but her grip was firm. “It was nice meeting you, Carl. Peter, you never told me your brother was cute.”
Then she turned and left the bar.
Now Carl stood there just as flabbergasted as his brother was. The brunette had already left the scene and was now talking to some other jock. Both brothers basked in the glow of accomplishment, and each would have argued that his was