Deep Behind Enemy Lines, page 22
Josh had thrown this out in such an off-hand manner that Bill realised he was a little embarrassed about letting his softer side show through. Yes, you’ve got a twinge too, he thought drily.
‘OK, look, I’ll go and make my call and at the same time I’ll ask Mo for Angela’s contact number if you like. That is unless you’ve already got it.’
‘No, I didn’t get around to asking for it. Thanks.’
‘OK, see you in a few minutes.’
Bill made his call, got the duty sergeant and then suffered the indignities of a barrage of questions: Who are you? What’s your business? Will Sergeant Hadden know you? etc. Then he endured the proverbial bouncing from one person to the next: No, she isn’t this section. Hold the line please, I’ll ask if she’s available, I’ll see if she is on duty this morning and so on. Finally, he heard Mo’s voice and his frustration subsided.
‘Hello, this is Sergeant Hadden speaking. Who’s calling, please?’
‘Warrant Officer William James Scraggs, Ma’am.’
‘Wow, so official! What can I do for you Warrant Officer Scraggs?’ Bill could hear the laughter in her voice.
‘I’ve an assignment for you, Sergeant Hadden. You’re to make yourself ready and available to report to me at 1930 hours tomorrow, Thursday, for an important meeting. You’re to be in civilian attire and be at your main security barrier at that time. Under no circumstances are you to discuss this meeting. It will be on a strictly need-to-know basis due to the highly confidential nature of the matter in hand.’ Bill hoped to God she wasn’t going to say no. The peal of laughter coming down the line nearly deafened him.
‘Yes, Sir. Sergeant Hadden on duty to carry out your order. I hope you can see me saluting.’ This with a hiccup of giggles.
Phew. Great. That’s the best news I’ve had all day and with luck it will get better.
‘However, I must inform you that regrettably, I’ve been rostered for two days of orderly sergeant duty on Friday and Saturday. I feel you should know in the event another assignment needs covering. My apologies WO Scraggs,’ Mo said, keeping the banter of officialdom going.
‘Enough levity woman! That’s sad but orders are orders eh? Don’t worry, we still have a few days left from Sunday if you are available.’
‘I’m always available for you, Bill.’ Mo laughed, but gently this time.
‘OK, now I have a question. Josh is a little the worse for wear this morning, but I think he’s taken a shine to Angela, although he’s trying hard not to show it. Seems he didn’t get a contact number from her last night. I wonder, if it’s not a state secret, could you let me have it and I’ll pass it on? What he does with it is up to him. He’s quite shy in certain respects, hence the over-indulgence last night, and I suspect he’s feeling a little ashamed and embarrassed about the amount he’d consumed.’
Mo laughed again and gave him the number.
‘Angela’s a real sweetie but she’s had at least two heartbreaks I know of, so she’s built a fence around herself when it comes to men. Oh, she’ll have a good time, flirt and bat her eyelashes, but the gate in the fence has an extremely strong padlock on it. She’s very wary about unlocking it to let out her heart or allow hurt back in. Someone, somewhere, someday, will need to find the magic key. Anyway, tell Josh I wish him good luck but to tread very gently if he’s genuine.’
‘I’ll do that, and thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow evening at 1930 hours.’
‘I’ll really look forward to it.’ In his mind’s eye Bill could almost see her lovely smile.
When Bill got back to the table Josh was looking brighter. He relayed the message from Mo, then told him he was going for a swim, a quiet read of the newspapers by the pool and lunch after that. Did Josh want to tag along?
‘Good thinking, Batman. But first I’ve got a call to make,’ grinned Josh.
As he sat at the poolside after his swim, Bill mulled over the bad timing, wishing like crazy his new posting hadn’t come on him quite so fast now and wondering if this thing he was feeling was genuine or just infatuation. After all, it had been a long time since he’d had a woman, any woman, in his life. And now of all times… God, it really was the pits. Work was paramount, he loved what he did, but didn’t others manage to work around the obstacle? Hell, there were hundreds, no thousands of service folks with the same problem. Finally, he put it to bed, time would tell.
Josh had joined him by the pool, looking somewhat more human.
‘Well, I managed to track Angela down and after I made an abject apology about my condition last night and thanked her for a great evening, she was gracious enough to forgive me. Apparently, she likes jazz too so I’m taking her to the NJC this evening. I think they do bistro food there so that’s OK. Don’t want to overwhelm her with too much attention.’
‘Good. Now, let’s have some peace and quiet for an hour. You never know, we might end up there too and invade your space,’ Bill grinned wolfishly.
He took special care with his appearance on Thursday evening. He agonised over whether to use after-shave or not and, in the end, decided not. Some women liked it and some didn’t. But in any case, he didn’t want to clash with a perfume she would undoubtedly be wearing.
At seven thirty he was standing beside his hire car, scanning behind the barrier to catch first sight of Mo. He felt anxious that she might have changed her mind, or something had come up to prevent her coming, but there she was walking towards him. Damn, but she was lovely.
Mo wore a pale coral sleeveless dress and high-heeled shoes. Her hair seemed to shimmer with autumn hues beneath the powerful overhead barrier lighting. All she carried was a small clutch bag and a stole of a slightly deeper shade of coral. God, even his thoughts were becoming flowery and poetic. When she slid into the car they exchanged a gentle hello kiss.
They drove into Nairobi to an Indian restaurant (he’d established she enjoyed curry) called The Khyber, where they were shown to the table Bill had reserved earlier. Over the course of the meal they talked, and how they talked; and it was comfortable, easy and totally unaffected. Again, Bill thought he hadn’t felt so comfortable and at ease with someone of the opposite sex ever in his life. No holds barred as the questions and answers batted back and forth across the table. Neither of them had a drink apart from water because there didn’t seem any need. From Bill’s point of view, this evening was turning into the most magical ever. As he looked at her he could just tell she mirrored that sentiment.
They did in fact, drive to the NJC but neither really wanted to go in and anyway, it was getting on for midnight and raucous music would spoil their mood. Perhaps another evening if there was time, opportunity and agreement. This was only the first and, hopefully, not the last date they’d have.
On the drive back to RAF Eastleigh they talked some more, just superficial stuff getting to know one another. At the barrier Bill turned to Mo, looked at her for a few seconds, and then drew her into his arms and kissed her. This time it wasn’t just a good night kiss. This time there was real meaning and emotion. Bill drew away first and looked at Mo’s face. Her eyes were closed, and he could just make out the glisten of a tear at the corner of her right eye. Concern flooded him.
‘You’re crying. What’s the matter?’
‘Oh, Bill. I’ve just met you only to find out you’ll be gone in a few days. For some reason it seems to be affecting me more than I care to admit.’
‘Hey, have a hanky. If you’re as keen to see me again as I am you, we’ve got a few days to find out where it takes us. If it takes us where I think I’d want to go then we’ll have to sit down and work out plans for staying in touch; letters, phone calls, leave. Can you be free Saturday, take the day off or something, even if it’s just the evening?’
‘Oh, yes. I’ll sort out my duties. I do have some time owing so if my CO agrees, it could hopefully be the whole day. I’ll give you a call in the morning with whatever I’ve got. OK?’
‘Good. Now I’m going to let you go before I lose control. Good night and sleep tight you lovely lady.’ He pulled Mo into his arms again and neither came up for air until they just had to breathe or die. Mo slid out of the car and Bill watched as she walked through the barrier. On the other side she turned fully, smiled and blew him a kiss with her fingers.
Bill drove away in a daze. How come just a simple meal with a wonderful woman could make you feel so good. He’d give up a £64,000 pools win for more of this. He’d never believed in love at first sight but if this was it, if this was what being in love was, then he’d move heaven and earth to make it work out, even if he had to leave the army. Of course, he knew all the consequences of that promise to himself, but right here, right now, was how his whole being felt. Tomorrow was another day and logic would prevail. But on his terms, he promised himself (over-riding the previous promise) and nodded vigorously at the ribbon of road ahead. Yes, Sir, yes, Sir. Oh, very definitely YES, SIR!
Mo called Bill next morning to tell him that she could get away at lunchtime on Saturday.
‘Great! I’ll pick you up at, say, one o’clock. Will that give you time to change?’
‘Yes, that should do it. See you then.’
When he got back, Bill saw Josh walking across the parade ground and called out to him. Strolling towards the mess, Bill told Josh he wouldn’t be around on Saturday until he hoped, well on into the evening.
‘I’m meeting Mo. Unfortunately, she’s got duty on Friday. Did you get any further with Angela?’
‘Well, yes. Angela and I are going out today and tomorrow.’
‘I’m pleased for you, old mate. Have a good time,’ Bill said, with genuine pleasure for Josh.
‘OK. Take care and see you sometime over the weekend.
‘At a quarter to one on Saturday, Bill was waiting outside RAF Eastleigh with his hire car, hoping and praying Mo had managed to get away. When he saw her walking towards the barrier his heart lifted with relief and joy.
His emotions were in overdrive. She looked even lovelier today. When she got into the car he leaned across and kissed her. Bill had decided to drive out along the road overlooking the Rift Valley. Even the sun was conspiring to add to their pleasure.
They drove at a speed that gave them time to take in the stunning views and, at times, watch down on the valley floor as a herd of Wildebeest raced across, obviously alerted to some danger or another. They were well along the way heading towards Nakuru when they came across a little church on their right and stopped to explore it. Bill had been told that Italian prisoners of war had built it. Neither had any deep religious conviction but when they went inside the peace and tranquillity enveloped them.
Further along the road they stopped again to see the amazing display of flamingos on Lake Naivasha. Their cameras in hand, they snapped loads of photos. As they travelled further, film reels were frequently changed. Bill had taken a whole spool of Mo and she of him. No doubt there would be more as the day went on.
‘Did you manage to get lunch?’
‘Well no actually, and I’m getting pretty hungry.’
‘OK, we’ll see if we can find somewhere to eat.’
Bill hadn’t a clue but was sure they’d come across some place to get a bite.
Time stood still whilst at the same time, rushed by at great speed. Bill decided to cut back from where they were to Limuru and treat Mo to lunch at the Brown Trout, and she enthused over how romantic it and the whole setting was. She said she found it all thoroughly enjoyable.
By the time they got back to Nairobi it was well past nine o’clock, and they decided to round off the day at the Nairobi Jazz Club. Josh had reported good things of it and once inside, they both gave it the thumbs up. It wasn’t too crowded, but there were just enough revellers to give the atmosphere good vibes. The music was excellent and the drummer, Pete, was amazing. Good drum accompaniment to good jazz rated high on Bill’s list of favourite listening. Mo’s expression told all about how she was enjoying the place.
The day had to end, of course, and once back at her base, they sat for a while holding hands and kissing. Eventually Mo got out of the car with the promise to sort out some more time off between now and when he left for Singapore. Again, once through the barrier she turned, blew him a kiss through her fingers and was gone.
Bill had the feeling he just might be falling in love, or maybe already there and he grinned. Right now, at this moment in time, it didn’t seem a concerning proposition; quite the contrary, a very good proposition.
How Mo wangled it Bill didn’t know and didn’t care, but they were able to meet once more. Bill had, by this time, returned to daytime duties. However, they both managed to wheedle the full day together.
This time Bill picked Mo up at ten in the morning and drove the road up to Thika Falls where they were the only two people around. Mo was still in raptures about the phone call she’d received that morning, as had Angela. It was an invitation to the next day’s farewell bash at Kahawa. Here and now, the peace and tranquillity were complete and even the constant thrumming of the falls didn’t detract from their sense of solitude.
Mo was really touched and genuinely delighted, that Bill had thought to cajole a small hamper of picnic food from the mess caterer. He spread a blanket out so they could eat in comfort and unpacked the good selection of finger snacks and a couple of bottles of light wine which they took their time choosing, eating, offering each other, taking bites of each other’s choices and drinking from each other’s glass. They were both aware something was building between them.
Mo looked intently at Bill. ‘You know, we’ve only known one another for a few days but unlike the norm, you haven’t once pushed or even hinted at something more intimate. I’ve been extremely grateful for that but, on the other hand, a bit disconcerted. Most men I’ve known couldn’t wait to jump into bed. I know it’s contrary, but a girl somehow knows when it’s right and when it’s not. Tell me I’m wrong and we aren’t just passing ships, please.’
Bill looked at her. ‘Why haven’t I tried it on with you? Well I promise I’ve thought about it but been too scared of frightening you away. And yes, rejection. Not in all my life and the women I have known, have I ever had such turmoil of feelings. I suppose with you it’s been a case of my respect for you. Previously I’ve just been a bloke sowing his wild oats but, where you’re concerned, it’s like I’ve somehow felt if I rush my fences it might all go to pot. Am I making any sense?’
Mo was nodding and again there were tears in her eyes. She leaned forward and kissed him gently. As he responded, the kiss became more urgent as thought and words gave way to their need and passion as they lay back on the blanket and began to undo one another’s buttons and belts. Time really did stand still. During those moments neither one gave thought to the other as their own personal needs took control. There was no finesse, no gentleness, and no consideration, just need.
As they lay together, cradled in each other’s arms, kissing gently occasionally, the world seemed to have evaporated and they were alone in the vastness of this beautiful ancient place, just floating on a cushion of other-worldliness. Bill turned his face to Mo’s and saw those tears again.
‘My darling you’re crying again, please don’t cry. Are you sorry? I can’t really put into words what I feel for you although it’s love, of that I am certain. I know I’ve got to leave soon but on my solemn oath, somehow it won’t be for long, and I’ll ring you and write to you as often as I can. When my next leave comes up we’ll arrange something. That is if you haven’t got fed up with my pestering by then.’
Mo smiled through her tears, kissed him again, and told him he’d better make good on that oath or she’d have him court-martialled for dereliction of duty, or something, and started to get to her knees.
‘Oh no you don’t, my beautiful lady. Come here. I want a second take on the love scene we just had.’
The gentle banter and humour made their second coupling a more emotionally satisfying and joyful experience without the urgent rush, and afterwards they lay talking quietly, making rough plans, joking, laughing, kissing and making promises they both hoped and prayed they could honour until death.
At five o’clock Bill reluctantly said he really needed to get back to camp because he had quite a bit of stuff to get ready for the farewell bash next day. When Mo asked if she could come and see him off when he eventually left Kenya he said no for a couple of reasons, not the least of which was he might just bunk out of the move and that would do no-one any good. The other reason was all the men would be there and he didn’t want to put her in any sort of embarrassing position, or himself for that matter, certain he wouldn’t be able to stem his bawling. Mo, on the other hand had decided she’d be hidden at the edge of the airfield to see him board, wave and blow him a kiss with her fingers. There was no knowing when, or even if, she would see him again.
‘If I’m not mistaken you’ll be going into some pretty hairy and dangerous places. Please, please promise you’ll be extra careful for my sake. You’ve got two people to think about. If anything happened to you now you’ve come into my life I think I’d go into a nunnery.’ She didn’t sound as though she was joking.
‘I promise, but I’m afraid a certain amount of danger goes with the territory, sweetheart,’ was his short but sincere reply. ‘Oh! Sorry I almost forgot, there’ll be a taxi waiting for you outside your base on Tuesday at 1745 hours to bring you and Angela over to our party.’
Bill drove her to the barrier where they kissed again, Mo cried some more, Bill wiped her tears, kissed her again and she finally climbed out of the car. He sat watching until she turned, waved and blew him her trademark kiss and only then did he drive away.
Once back at camp, he decided the first thing he’d do next morning was locate a local florist and order the biggest bunch of red roses they had, to be delivered after the flight to Singapore had taken off.
