Dance With Me
Part Four
Story and Art by Angie Dargo
Chapter One
Nova grudgingly signed the paper and slid it across the desk to Dr. Jackson, the base’s so-called “reproductive psychologist”. This woman had grilled her for 3 hours on her philosophy of child-rearing, sex before marriage, sexual deviance, and why she did not want to have children at this time. Nova cooperated like the obedient child she was raised to be, but all she wanted to do was get in this woman’s face and scream, “I want to go into space and beat the crap out of aliens that are overpowering our planet instead of bringing children in this insane war, you stupid cow!” But she bit her tongue instead and soon she could taste the coppery twang of blood in her mouth.
Dr. Jackson signed the paper also, stamped it with her seal, and slid it back over to Nova. She smiled and said, “Good luck lieutenant. I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” said Nova. She walked out of the office and into the stifling air of the underground city. She walked back home and hoped to God that Elaine would be there.
When she got to the apartment, Elaine had a note on the door. “Read your orders NOW! Hope I see u soon! Had to go! Elaine.”
Nova slid her keycard into the slot and walked into the apartment. She took her orders out of her bag and opened it. She looked confused as she read the orders.
“I thought that battleship sunk at the bottom of the…wait a minute. What is this?”
Nova locked the deadbolt on the apartment door. She ran into the bedroom and opened the computer cabinet. Elaine had left out the gel pad console and microphone. Maybe that was a good sign they would be stationed together? Nova tapped one of the keys and the screen lit up.
“Computer pass code FOR-0213. Please pull up any and all information on a World War Two battleship called Yamato.”
Nova’s orders were to wait until 0700 May 1st, 2199 to board the Yamato that was now being refurbished and refitted into a space battleship. She would be in charge of calibrating all the radar screens on the battleship as well as helping out in getting views for the holography room, and making sure the hospital wing was fully stocked for a long voyage. She would have to be escorted in and out of the ship by armed guards and “patted down” before entering or before she could leave. Her bag would always be checked although she would be assigned a locker on board for any personal items. Her shifts were to be only 8 hours long and only 5 days a week. The orders stated that the EDF wanted only the best of the best preparing this battleship and they wanted them well rested. But, Nova thought to herself, what in the world could be done in only that little time? When did the EDF think this huge massive hulk would be ready to go into space anyway?
She could not discuss her assignment with anyone. Until May 1st, which was a few days away, she was on liberty. She called her mother and decided to spend Easter with her family. She would probably regret it, but she wouldn’t be able to leave the base once this “special assignment” began, and who knows how long that was going to be? She started to pack a suitcase when she heard Elaine come in the front door.
Elaine looked at her and smiled. “Hey there!”
“Right back at ya,” said Nova.
“So, did you open your new orders?” asked Elaine.
“Yes. Thanks for leaving the gel pad out and the microphone out for me. They came in handy,” said Nova with a raised eyebrow.
The two friends screamed and ran into each others arms. “So how come you weren’t there today?” asked Elaine as she looked over at Nova’s suitcase. “And this whole suitcase thing doesn’t look quite right.”
“Um, I’m not supposed to report…anywhere…until May 1st. So I’m going to my parent’s apartment until Sunday night. What about you?” asked Nova with a look of confusion.
“I was asked to report today,” said Elaine. “I can’t leave the base except for our apartment and Yesteryears. Maybe, we haven’t been stationed together after all.” Elaine slumped down on the couch and Nova sat down beside her.
“Let’s not think about that until we have to. I’m just glad that Phil has some good connections in the right places and that everyone on base can still go to Yesteryears,” said Nova.
“I sure helps that some of the Higher-Ups like the place. Not to mention that the old saying really sums it up well,” replied Elaine.
“And that would be...”
Elaine gave Nova a wink. “You know, ‘All work and no play make Jack a dull boy’. Although, “dull” probably isn’t the appropriate word here. Disheartened, maybe…or depressed…or…”
“Let’s just say that we’re all thankful for the diversion,” said Nova. “I know we aren’t supposed to talk about it, but do you know anyone else at your assignment?”
“Yeah, a few,” said Elaine. “I guess we should stop talking about it. You want to make a salad with me and open up that wine we’ve been saving?”
“Sure,” said Nova. And the two friends ate their dinner nearly wordless, as for once, they had almost nothing to say.
Chapter Two
Sandor waited for Elaine to meet him and come up with him on the boarding elevator on Friday. He had seen her on her second day on the Yamato. She was eating alone in the galley at lunchtime, looking like she could melt into the chair she was sitting in. There was a space marine standing over her, asking her name and how come she was sittin’ all alone? Did she want some company?
“No, she has some company,” said Sandor as he brought his tray over to her table. The look of relief on her face was almost comical. “And aren’t you supposed to be standing guard somewhere?”
“Yeah, protecting your ass, brain boy,” the marine replied.
“Well, I’ll return the favor when my big guns protect your ass one day, moron!” said Sandor meeting the marine’s gaze.
The marine walked away muttering foul language under his
breath and Elaine patted him on the hand.
“Good for you Lieutenant! You
didn’t back down a bit. I would have been
a shaking little
“So where are you stationed on the mighty Yamato?” asked Sandor taking a bite out of his sandwich.
“I’m working with a few other men on some new artillery hardware for now. I just go where they tell me to go. They’re actually using one of my designs for a shock canon! Could you just die!” She smiled and shrugged her shoulders up. Her brown bob haircut fluttered around them.
“Yeah, well when I talked to some of the captains and generals at the EDF headquarters the other day, I told them to look into one Lt. Elaine Hayden’s designs. They were quite impressed. By the way, you got an ‘A’ in my class in case you were wondering,” he said as he took a huge bite of his brownie.
“Okay, three things. One, you did that for me? Thanks Sandor! That is so sweet of you to think of my little ol’ guns at a time like this! Two, of course I got an ‘A’, I worked my sweet ass off, and three, you eat like a pig, did you know that?”
He snorted laughter and iced tea came out his nose. “Well, I do now!”
Chapter Three
Nova got back to her apartment Sunday night to find Elaine and Sandor sitting on the couch looking at stacks of blueprints. They both had laptop computers seated next to them, and there was a paper bag from a fast-food place on the floor. Cola containers were lying on top of the TV. Elaine had her hair up in the back with a stylus stuck in it and they both still had their blue and white EDF uniforms on.
They jumped up when they saw Nova come in and struggled to hide the blueprints as she took her suitcase into the bedroom.
“Hey there! Welcome back! How was your trip?” asked Elaine as she began to pick up the trash lying all over.
“Uh-oh, what have you two been up to?” asked Nova waving her finger in a “tsk-tsk” way.
“We were just working on something,” said Sandor.
“Oh, of course you were my darling Mr. Sandor! I know when Elaine is working on something good. She puts her hair up with whatever is handy,” said Nova as she plucked the stylus from her friend’s hair.
“There’s my stylus!” said Sandor. He grabbed it from a grinning Nova and put it into his pocket. “So, how was your trip?”
“My infernal mother has gotten into her head that she is going to set me up for marriage whether I like it or not,” said Nova. “She had three different men over for 3 different meals while I was there!”
“What did your dad say?” asked Elaine.
“Nothing, as usual. He just let her go at it. Oooh, I am so mad! I want to go for a run or something!” she said. She began to pace the room.
“Too bad,” said Elaine. “Curfew is in a few minutes. You’ll have every guard between here and headquarters stopping you and asking for your ID badge just when you start to work up a good sweat.”
“Oh I know! Sandor, let me teach you that tango now. Are you up for it?” asked Nova.
“Sure I am. Elaine would you like to join us?” asked Sandor. Nova nodded her head up and down like a marionette and joined in.
“Please Elaine? It would be so much fun! I could teach you too!” called Nova. She ran into the bedroom and closed the door to change clothes.
“No thanks. I’m going to work on my plans and I’ve got to have you out of the apartment tonight to be able to do that anyway. Sandor can take you off my hands for a while,” Elaine called through the closed door.
“With pleasure,” said Sandor.
“Oh I don’t know how much pleasure there’s going to be in it with her teaching you a tango. Are you familiar with that particular dance?” asked Elaine.
“Well, she made me watch a spot on the ‘net about it, why?” said Sandor with one eyebrow way up on his forehead.
“What sane man would go into learning a dance like that while Nova is mad at her mother? And be with her in a dark dance studio; alone? It was good to know you,” Elaine said as she reached out and shook his hand.
Nova came out of the bedroom with a leotard and dance skirt on. She wore running shoes until she could change at the studio.
“Elaine, what did you say to him? He looks scared to death!” asked Nova with her hands on her hips.
“I said nothing that Mr. Genius shouldn’t have seen coming. Have a good night Sandor!” said Elaine with an evil grin on her face. Nova led him by the hand out into the underground city air. Elaine did her best hideous cackle as she closed the apartment door.
Chapter Four
Sandor awoke the next morning with every muscle in his body aching. That was certainly saying a lot because of his bionic limbs, he only had real muscle in limited areas of his body. Nova had worked him like a dog and he had to beg her for permission to go home.
The Argentinean Tango that she had taught him was a very passionate, sensuous dance. But she was right when she told him it was a great workout. He sweated through every pore until he thought he would pass out.
He showered for a long time. How in hell would he make it through the day?
Nova was ready the next morning by 0645 and stood at the living room window watching for the EDF aircar that would be sent for her. She had a small backpack with her of personal items to put into a locker. Elaine came up next to her in her blue and white uniform and handed her a cup of coffee.
“They’re always here at 6:55 on the dot. You mark my words,” said Elaine as she stretched and yawned.
“But what if there are two different cars, Elaine? I really hope you’re going to be where I’m going to be,” said Nova.
At 0655 (on the “dot”) a dark blue aircar pulled in the front of the apartment building. Nova said goodbye to Elaine and ran out the door.
The driver looked at Nova and said, “Lt. Elaine Hayden, I need to see your ID, ma’am.”
Nova looked disappointed. “Oh, I’ll get her, she’s my roommate.”
“Then you must be Lt. Nova Forrester. Glad to have you aboard ma’am. Could I see your ID?” said the ensign driver with a salute.
“Yes, of course you can!” Nova said. She showed him her ID badge as Elaine walked up behind her.
“Ensign, can you tell me, will this aircar be going to two different places today or just one?” asked Elaine while Nova slid over to the far side of the backseat.
“Just one ma’am,” said the ensign. He looked at Elaine’s ID badge and Elaine got into the car. She and Nova grabbed each other’s hands and screamed.
The startled ensign turned to look at the women. “Is everything alright back there?” he said.
“Peachy keen, jelly bean…now onward soldier!” said Elaine.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Chapter Five
Nova, Elaine, and Sandor met a few other people on board the massive Yamato as the months went past. They barely saw each other at all on the ship. They would see each other occasionally at lunch or as they were leaving but that was all. After work, Nova and Elaine would always wait for each other though. They would work their way down towards a massive marine named Roman for the after work pat down. He wasn’t “handy” like the other marines on after work pat down duty. Roman most of the time would just touch you here or there, not in any private places, and let you go. Others would take their time. It was the worst part of the day. The morning pat down was okay, one of the generals or captains were always there. But they would go home earlier than any of the other soldiers.
There were only about 15 women working on the Yamato at any given time and if you were
unlucky enough to get caught alone with some of the other marines or even,
Heaven forbid, some of the other EDF soldiers who thought it funny to take
advantage of the women on the ship, then God help you. Nova had been cornered a couple of times but
had always managed to get away when others came in the room. One particular man
from the engine room named
Nova had to stop her dance therapy lessons altogether. She could teach the children after work, but most of the radiation was sinking underground so fast that their parents wanted to keep them inside, and Nova couldn’t blame them. When she wasn’t working on Sundays after church, Nova would visit her littlest patients and bring them cookies she had baked with Elaine on Sunday mornings.
Nova had thought at first that there was a romance beginning to blossom between her friends, Elaine and Sandor. But now, there was so much tension between them. They would meet at the apartment and go over blueprints and sketches for weapons until the wee hours of the morning and start yelling at each other like crazy. He would tell her why something wouldn’t work and she would scream for him to think outside his little box and try something different. These shouting matches were always followed up the next day with Sandor asking Nova if she wanted to meet him after work to dance. He liked the tango very much and was really good at it. He said it helped him unwind. They had developed their own style and, had they let anyone see it, they would have been told how good they were.
But the arguing continued as every week, the Yamato looked more and more like a space battleship. Nova had to go to the commissary to buy earplugs so she could get a little sleep when Elaine and Sandor started their yelling. She had to talk to them when she and Elaine got several strongly worded letters from their neighbors as the weeks went by. Why did they even bother being around each other if they couldn’t be in the same room more than 15 minutes before the yelling starts? thought Nova. They already act like they’ve been married for years, why don’t they just make it official for God’s sake?
Chapter Six
Elaine and Nova remained at Yesteryears a few nights a week along with a few new members of the Yamato staff including Homer, the saxophone and trumpet player.
Sandor still showed up to every show Nova and Elaine did at the club. Elaine had replaced the piano man permanently now as he was on the Pluto Base. Elaine even did a few numbers at the microphone herself. She was a soulful singer and the audience loved her. If either one of them performed, Sandor would stand up and clap the loudest and cheer.
One particular week at Yesteryears was deemed Show Tunes week. The younger soldiers had already decided this wasn’t for them. They didn’t realize they were going to miss some really good numbers. Since there were hardly any patrons in the audience, Sandor asked the owner, Phil, if he could tape a couple of the shows with the holography camera from the Yamato. Phil said he didn’t see why not, someone should be seeing it.
Sandor got the camera set up discreetly at his table (now he sat in the center of the room looking right at the stage) as the band started playing a rag-time jazzy blues number. Elaine had a dark pin-striped suit on and looked for all intents and purposes like a skinny man at the piano. But boy, could she play! The lights went dark and then a spotlight appeared on Nova in a very short black flapper type dress. She belted out “All That Jazz” with several other ladies in similar black attire dancing along with her. Sandor was thrilled he got this on the camera! This would be so great to watch on that holography deck, big and bold as real life. Nova would either be thrilled or she would kill him. He would wait until after this week was over to tell her.
After the song, he saw Elaine get up and go back stage with all the other ladies.
The next number Elaine stood in the center of the stage. She was in a bright red sequined dress and her hair was piled up in a French twist with little ringlets at her cheeks. She had an old felt fedora hat in her hands. The dress was short and her long legs were in full view. Sandor’s eyes almost popped out of his head. Elaine had legs? Who knew?
Elaine started the song. She was singing “Big Spender” and she looked right at Sandor as she sang:
The minute you walked in the joint
I could tell
you were a man of distinction;
A real big
spender!
She walked down the little steps in front of the stage…right towards him! She put the fedora on her head low over her eyes as she walked.
Good lookin’, so refined!
Say, wouldn’t you like to know what’s going on in my mind?
Sandor couldn’t help it, he actually nodded. He also seemed to have lost the ability to close his mouth. Several men laughed at this.
Elaine continued the song and sat down on Sandor’s table. She crossed her legs and hiked the short skirt up a bit. The other men in the club whistled and cheered.
So, let me get right to the point…
I don’t pop (Elaine jerked her shoulders dramatically)
My
cork for every guy I see.
She kicked her legs up and slid off the table. She took the hat off her head and placed it on Sandor’s.
Hey Big Spender!
Spend a
little time with me…
She sashayed back up to the stage and looked back over her shoulder, she continued to sing as one of the gentlemen at the table behind Sandor clapped him on the shoulder and asked him, “Is that your wife, son?”
“No sir, just a friend,” said Sandor.
Elaine finished her song and Sandor, along with the rest of the audience, stood up and applauded.
Sandor took off the hat and looked at it in his hands. When in the world had he ever been in such a position before? There was Nova, that danced with him rather intimately and Elaine, who would yell and scream at him one second and sing sweet nothings to him the next. Both of them probably thought of him as a big brother. Nothing more. Sandor picked up the holography camera and turned it off. He put it back into its bag and left money on the table to pay his tab. He had to get out of here. He had to things to think about. He waved goodbye to Homer as the next number was setting up. Elaine came out again, this time in a plain black dress, and sat back down at the piano. She saw Sandor walking out the door of the club.
Great, Nova sings to a
guy and he wants to marry her. I sing to
one and he tucks his tail between his legs and runs, she thought. Such is
my cheery life.
Nova came up to her with a guitar strapped on one shoulder. She was sitting down with the band behind Elaine. “Well, what did Sandor think of your big number?” she asked as she flashed a winning smile.
“Well, he must have loved it because he just left to go home and forget about it,” said Elaine.
They started their next song as a man dressed like a young Frank Sinatra took to the microphone.
Nova mouthed the words, I’m sorry, to her friend. And the band played on…
Chapter Seven
The next day, Nova made it a point to corner Sandor on the main bridge. She walked up to him in the middle of a conversation with his team and tapped him on the shoulder.
“Excuse me Lieutenant, but I need to speak with you for a moment,” said Nova standing behind the other men surrounding Sandor.
“Can’t it wait just a minute Miss Forrester?” asked Sandor barely looking at her.
“It’s Lieutenant Forrester and no it can not wait,” she said sternly. He looked at her then as the other men either whistled under their breath or did a soft “wooo”.
“Uh, it looks like I’m in trouble boys,” said Sandor, trying to save face. “I’ll be right back.” He walked away from the group. Nova followed him.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he said.
“What the hell did you think you were doing last night?” said Nova putting her hands on her hips. “Elaine was so nervous singing that song for you…FOR YOU! And you just walked away. What is it with you?”
“Look Nova, I’ll have you know that I have taken care of things with Lt. Hayden. Now I am busy with real life stuff, we are not on a soap opera. Go back to work!” Sandor pivoted and walked back to the group of men that he had been talking with moments before. Nova couldn’t believe what she had just seen and heard. Had Stephen Sandor just dismissed her?
“Ooooh!” she cried with her fists balled up.
He called to her as she walked towards the elevator shaft, “Oh, and I’ll see you a little later tonight. I’ve got a lot of aggression to work out.”
“Like hell you will!” she sang back with her pert little nose in the air.
She marched into the elevator and if she could have made the doors slam, she would have.
Chapter Eight
Nova waited for Elaine before getting in the pat down line. Elaine
was taking forever tonight. Nova started
looking for the best line to get in. She
couldn’t find Roman, the nice marine tonight, so she was trying to pay
attention to how the marines groped and where they groped. Come on
Elaine, we’ll be the last ones on the ship if you don’t hurry.
Elaine finally caught up to her as they got in line. Elaine looked light as air as she turned to Nova and smiled.
“Sorry, I went to find Sandor to thank him. So, how was your day?” asked Elaine.
“Oh it was crap. I got yelled at by one of the commanders for leaving my radar calculations out and going to talk to Sandor.”
“Yeah, I heard you and he got into some kind of argument. Is everything alright?” asked Elaine. She was the next one in line.
“Oh, it was nothing. Forget about it,” said Nova. “What did you want to thank Sandor for?”
“I’ll tell you in a minute,” said Elaine as she leaned up against the metal wall. The marine patted her down. He touched places that were uncomfortable, but he didn’t linger.
“Where’s Roman tonight?” asked Elaine to the marine. She looked for his name badge but he wasn’t wearing one.
The marine grunted something to Elaine, but she couldn’t hear it and didn’t want to hang around to hear it again. She started down the gang plank to the waiting aircars.
Nova was next. She leaned forward and put her hands up on the wall. Then the marine kicked her legs apart.
“Hey little songbird…” he whispered in her ear. “I caught your show last night. You look great in black.”
Nova tensed as he pushed up against her. Elaine turned to look back at Nova. She started back up the gang plank with a curious expression on her face. Two other marines put their guns together to hold Elaine back. One of them told Elaine she would get her turn in a minute as he suddenly grabbed and held her. Elaine started to scream when she saw the marine holding Nova grab her and turn her to face him. He started to kiss her face and neck. Nova tried to get a knee up to his crotch but he overwhelmed her.
The only thing Nova heard next was Elaine screaming,” Sandor! Help her! Help her!”
Sandor came running down the hallway with a stack of blueprints in his hands and his laptop computer in a pack on his shoulder. Without hesitation, he dropped the blueprints and laptop, and dove for the marine.
“What the hell? I thought those chicks were the last two on the ship,” said the one of the marines holding Elaine back.
“Well, you were wrong, shithead!” screamed Elaine as she started to claw at one of the men’s faces.
As Sandor started punching the marine in the pat down area, Nova squirmed away from them. She ran down the gangplank to help her friend. Two other men came running from the shadows in other areas with communicators in their hands. They pulled their guns on the whole company and everyone’s hands went in the air.
That’s when Nova and Elaine saw Roman. He looked badly beaten and bruised and he was bleeding from one corner of his mouth.
“That’s them, sirs. That’s the ones that locked me in that storage closet.”
Nova ran over to Roman and touched his face. She wept onto his shoulder and Elaine fell to the gang plank in relief.
Sandor went with the two sergeants to file reports on the marines while Roman shared an aircar with Nova and Elaine. They dropped him off at the hospital after they called Dr. Sane to meet him at the emergency room entrance. They got out of the aircar with him and shook his hand and saluted him.
“I hope you two don’t think all of us marines are like those guys,” he said. “They were just bad apples.”
“No, we don’t,” said Elaine. “We’re just glad there are guys like you protecting us. If it wasn’t for you, there’s no telling what would have…”
“Oh, don’t Elaine,” said Nova. “I don’t want to even think about it,” she said as a shudder passed over her.
They saw Dr. Sane approaching with a robot close behind him. The robot’s head started to spin when he stopped in front of Nova.
“What in the heck is that thing?” asked Roman.
“You don’t even want to get into it right now,” said the doctor. He pushed the robot back down the hallway and called back to Nova and Elaine, “You ladies call me later if you need me for anything. And I mean anything!”
“Okay Doctor! Thank you,” they called back.
Nova and Elaine got back into the aircar and Nova put her head on Elaine’s shoulder and sobbed.
When they got to their apartment, Nova went straight to the shower. She started scrubbing every inch of her body with water as hot as she could stand it. Elaine put a can of soup on the stove and went into the bedroom to change her clothes. When Nova came out of the shower, Elaine was sitting at the little kitchen table in her pajamas. The pleasant smell of hot soup wafted through the apartment.
“Are you okay?” asked Elaine when Nova immerged from the steamy little bathroom.
“I guess.”
“I called Phil at the club and told him what happened. He said he hopes you’re okay and he wants you to call him when you can,” said Elaine.
“Thanks,” said Nova. She sat down at the kitchen table in her bathrobe and wrinkled her nose up. She sniffed the air.
“What’s wrong?” asked Elaine.
“What’s that smell?” asked Nova.
“You mean the soup?”
“No…something else,” Nova got up and sniffed the air again. Elaine started to smile.
Nova walked into the little bedroom where she could smell the scent of…
ROSES!
“Oh my gosh! Where did you get these?” asked Nova.
Elaine jumped up and ran over to her friend. They came this morning after you left early to check in at the hospital. I didn’t have time to tell you before…the chaos started. Read the card!”
Nova opened the paper card and read aloud:
Dear Elaine,
You are captivating.
You thrilled me
to my very core as you sang to me.
Please accept these roses as an
apology for leaving so soon last night.
I just didn’t know what to say!
You are enchanting, and charming,
and you have the unique ability
to drive me
insane with anger.
What an interesting combo of emotions.
Let’s pursue this shall we?
Stephen Sandor
“Oh no!” cried Nova. She banged her head on the doorframe of the little bedroom.
“Why? What’s wrong?” asked Elaine.
“I just chewed him out for walking out on you last night. And I did it in front of his team is all,” said Nova. “I am such an idiot!”
“Oh well, don’t feel too bad,” said Elaine. “I found him at the end of our shifts today and was sure to get him all alone and thank him properly. What do you think took so long?” Elaine started to fan her face. “Woo, that boy has pent up emotions that need to be released! I thought he had them all tangoed out, but luckily you must have pissed him off enough to bring a little tiger back into him today.”
Nova eye’s grew wide and her mouth flew open.
“What did you do?” she asked. Nova’s face had turned a solid red and Elaine started to laugh.
“Oh please, you know me better than that! But we did kiss! He is a great kisser!” screamed Elaine.
She and Nova grabbed hands and screamed together!
“I’m so happy for you and him!” said Nova giddily.
There was a knock at the door and both girls grew quiet. Sandor’s voice called through the door, “I came to see if you ladies were okay.”
It was Elaine’s turn to look surprised as she pushed Nova towards the door.
“Answer it! He can’t see me in my pajamas!” cried Elaine as she dove into the bedroom and started throwing clothes hither and yon.
“You answer it! You’re the one who was playing tonsil hockey with him a couple hours ago! He can’t see me in my bathrobe!” said Nova.
“Hell, I’ll close my eyes, just let me in,” came Sandor’s muffled voice.
“He better not have heard you!” whispered Elaine through gritted teeth as Nova looked at the door in horror.
Nova went over to the door and undid the deadbolt. Sandor stepped in with his eyes closed and he closed the door behind him.
“Nova, are you alright?” he asked with gentle concern in his voice.
“Yes, I am, thanks to you, my dear Mr. Sandor,” she replied. “You saved our lives tonight.”
“Uh, that’s Lieutenant Sandor to you!” he said with his hands on his hips mocking the way Nova had said something similar on the bridge this morning. He opened one eye to look at her.
“Oh I am so sorry Sandor!” cried Nova. She ran to hug him and he patted her on the back.
“It’s alright, I’m just kidding,” he said. “But I had taken care of my little faux pas already you know.”
“I know,” said Nova. “Those roses are beautiful. And they must have cost you a fortune! You just can’t find flowers anywhere anymore!” She walked over to the stove in the kitchen and moved the pot of soup off the burner. She turned the burner off and was about to ask Sandor if he wanted a bowl of soup when Elaine walked into the room with a tan linen blouse tucked into a pair of khaki jeans on. She looked radiant.
“Hi Stephen,” said Elaine.
Sandor just stood up and they looked at each other. Nova took her cue. She ladled soup into a bowl, poured some iced tea in a glass, and took her dinner into the bedroom. No one seemed to notice she had left the room.
To Be Continued…
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