Chapter 29

Cathy brought over a coffee and set it on Mike’s workstation. She turned away without saying a word to him. Mike watched her go and wondered what the matter with her was. She was normally very cheerful. He watched her go about her work in a rather listless manner. When she went to make the lunch run,

Mike called Joe over and asked, “What’s the matter with Cathy?”

Looking at Mike as if he was a dimwit, Joe answered, “She’s rather fond of this idiot and he’s not paying her any attention.”

“Oh, I guess there’s nothing I can do about that,” Mike said with a shrug of his shoulders. He turned back to his desk to read more of a report.

Joe looked down at Mike’s left hand. The bandage had been off for a while. The little finger and the ring finger didn’t work. The stumpy middle finger wasn’t of much use. There was only the forefinger and the thumb that worked. Smiling, Joe reached down and grabbed the one good finger.

Bending it back far enough to be painful, Joe said, “If you don’t ask her out, I’m going to break this finger right off.”

“What are you talking about?” Mike asked looking down at his one good finger. All he needed now was to lose the last good finger and all he would be able to do with that hand would be to hitchhike.

“You’re the idiot she’s rather fond of,” Joe said shaking his head. He released the finger and said, “Ask her out, and show her a good time. Maybe she’ll like you afterwards; maybe not. At least give her a chance.”

“Okay,” Mike said looking up at Joe as if he was crazy.

Joe walked off muttering, “It’s always up to the Gunny Sergeant to show these wet behind the ears Lieutenants the ropes. He’s just as bad as his...”

Mike knew that the people he worked with were capable of keeping secrets, that was their job. He didn’t realize that they could gossip like a bunch of old hens about things that weren’t secret. Within hours the news that Mike had asked Cathy out on a date had spread far and wide.

Stepping into the house, Mike found Kim Sung waiting for him by the massage table. Her oils were in a bath of warm water. She greeted him, “Welcome home. I have had your clothes pressed for your date tonight.”

Mike stared blankly at Kim wondering how she knew about the date. Less than three hours had passed since he had asked Cathy to have dinner with him. He asked, “How did you know about the date?”

“Teva told me,” Kim answered with a smile.

“How did she know?” Mike asked knowing the answer.

“Sanjay told her,” Kim answered.

Mike had no idea how Sanjay knew, but he was pretty sure that asking Kim wouldn’t produce an answer. He asked, “You pressed my clothes?”

“Yes. I want you to look your best,” Kim said with a slight bow. Pointing to the massage table, she said, “Your date is at seven. You have time for a massage before you go.”

Thinking about how Kim usually ended the massage, Mike wasn’t sure that it was such a good idea. He was about to object when Kim used ‘the voice’ on him. Pointing to the table, she commanded, “Strip and get on the table.”

Mike was not about to disobey. He stripped and positioned himself on the table. An hour later a much more relaxed man left the table. Like all of the massages that Kim gave, this one had ended with a hand job. Nodding to herself with satisfaction, Kim said, “Now you will be able to focus on her needs. Shower, shave, and dress for your date. Your clothes are on the bed.”

“Thank you,” Mike said thinking that perhaps she was right about being able to focus on Cathy’s needs. That hand job had definitely taken the edge off his sexual frustrations.

Unfamiliar with the dating scene in the Washington area, Mike had asked for advice on where to take Cathy for a nice drink and a meal. His request had sparked a long hour of discussion and the result was that he had reservations for eight o’clock at the Two Quail. Thus it was that a few minutes after eight he pulled into the parking lot of the unpretentious historic row house.

Cathy, wearing the finest dress that she owned, looked at the building and asked, “Are you sure this is the right place?”

“Yes,” Mike answered wondering if the guys at work had known what they were doing. Shirley had insisted that Cathy would be suitably impressed.

All doubts were dispelled when they entered the restaurant. They were taken to a nice semi-secluded nook where they could talk without having to shout. There was no rush in getting through the meal. They started with drinks and then moved on to appetizers. The main course was outstanding and the service impeccable.

It was the best dining experience of Mike’s life. The fanciest place at which Cathy had ever dined was a high-end chain restaurant. Needless to say, she was overwhelmed. The quality wine had gone to her head, the service had made her feel like a queen, and the food had left her appetite sated. All of that paled in comparison to the conversation.

Rather than talk about himself, Mike had asked Cathy about her life. She talked about her childhood, her family, and her job. She talked about her dreams and desires. She talked of hopes for a college education that were dashed when her family couldn’t afford it. She was now pursuing it after work. By the end of the evening, she was convinced that Mike was one of the finest conversationalists that she had ever met.

For Mike, it was a pleasant evening in which he managed to forget his problems for a few hours. Listening to Cathy talk about her family gave him insights into a totally different lifestyle. She had lived her entire life in the same house whereas he had grown up moving from military base to military base as his father’s commands changed. She had gone to the same school with the same group of kids while he had attended a different school every other year.

It was well after eleven when Mike parked his car in front of Cathy’s house. This was the moment that he had been dreading. He didn’t know if he was to kiss her in the car, escort her to the door, or wait to see if she invited him into the house.

Looking at the lights of the house, Cathy said, “I’d invite you in, but my parents are still awake.”

“Oh,” Mike said.

Cathy licked her lips and looked at him expectantly. When he didn’t pick up the hint, she moved closer to him and said, “I want to thank you for a wonderful evening.”

“I had a very good time,” Mike said feeling the palms of his hands sweat.

She leaned in and kissed him. After a quick flash of the first time he had kissed Karen, Mike returned the kiss finding that his passion flared into desire for her. By the time the kiss ended, they were both breathless.

Feeling out of her depth, Cathy said, “I better get in the house now.”

“Sure,” Mike said wondering what he was supposed to say.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Cathy said hesitating in opening the car door.

Mike pulled himself together and said, “Let me escort you to the door.”

“That would be nice,” Cathy said. She had never had a young man escort her to the door of her house.

Mike got out of the car and went around to her side. Together they walked up to the door; both nervous about what to say next. When they reached the door, Mike stopped and licked his lips nervously.

He said, “Maybe we can do this again sometime.”

“That would be wonderful,” Cathy said very pleased that the fabulous evening was coming to a perfect end.

Mike leaned over and kissed her again. Free from the awkward constraints of the car, Cathy was able to mold her body against his. They were both weak in the knees before ending the kiss. Cathy opened the door and slipped into the house before she totally lost control. Once the door had closed, Mike made his way to the car. He turned back and saw that she was watching him from the window.

Mike had just finished his morning jog and was about to have a small breakfast when his telephone rang. He listened as Kim Sung answered it and then accepted the phone from her when she brought it to the table. With a very satisfied expression on her face, she announced, “It’s your mother.”

“Hello, Mom,” Mike said into the handset.

“How was your date last night?” she asked.

“How did you know that I had a date last night?” he asked surprised by the call.

“A mother has her ways,” Louise answered with a laugh. It was the one line she had used on Mike whenever he had done something without telling her.

Mike looked over Kim who was watching him with innocence written all over her face. He said, “I think I found out your source.”

“So how was it?”

“It went well, I think,” Mike answered.

“Are you seeing her again?”

Mike chuckled at the grilling and knew that she would dig out one fact at time until she knew the whole story. He answered, “She said that she would like to go out with me again.”

“That’s good. Cathy is such a nice girl,” Louise said. Stunned, Mike didn’t know what to say. He didn’t have a chance to say anything. His mother said, “I better let you go. You’ve got to get to work.”

Before he knew it, his mother had hung up the phone. He was left staring at the handset in shock. The telephone rang again. He hit the talk button and said, “Hello.”

“Hello, Mike. This is Sally. How was your date with Cathy last night?”

Deciding that the rumor mill was running full steam ahead, he answered, “It went well. She said that she’d be interested in going out with me again sometime.”

“You didn’t set a date?” Sally asked.

“Uh, no,” Mike answered.

“Ask her to go out with you Saturday night. I have some extra tickets to a performance at the Kennedy Center,” Sally said.

“I’ll think about it,” Mike said wondering if there was some sort of conspiracy at work here.

“There’s nothing to think about. Just say yes,” Sally said.

“I’m supposed to go fishing with Sanjay and Tim,” Mike said.

Sally laughed and said, “I’m sure that Sanjay is not going to be able to go.”

“Huh?” Mike said rather surprised by her comment. He had talked to Sanjay and Tim the previous day about going fishing. They were both looking forward to another day on the river.

“I’ve got to go now. I’ll drop the tickets by your house this afternoon,” Sally said just before hanging up. She didn’t want to give him a chance to decline.

Mike stared at the telephone handset. He had just put it down on the table when it rang again. Looking over at Kim, he said, “This is ridiculous. How am I supposed to eat breakfast?”

“Answer the phone,” Kim said smiling at him.

Mike picked up the phone and, after pressing the talk button, said, “Hello.”

“Hello Mike. This is Sanjay. I have to tell you that I can’t go fishing this weekend.”

Mike looked around convinced that there was a very large conspiracy at work. The only question that remained in his mind was who the conspirators were.

He asked, “Did she use ‘the voice’?”

“Yes. You understand perfectly,” Sanjay answered trying to sound serious.