Chapter 7
7
TROPHY
Lance,
I know I’m probably the last person that you expected to hear from, but we need to talk about something. Do you have a few moments where I could speak with you?
Stephanie
Lance swallowed in awareness of what this email signified and the timing of it all. He had just witnessed Memphis renew his vows yesterday at his home on base. The couple was glowing with happiness and things were definitely changing for the team of guys that used to party or go out in port together. Orion was more focused on his son and being home when he could be, Memphis was completely infatuated with his bride, and even Ohio had a little something going on the side. Pasteur had been on his cell phone during the entire party after speaking before everyone.
And now this.
Stephanie meant business, too, because she included all of her details. Her cell number, her work number, her email, and home address. Yeah, it was an email that he expected but still came out of nowhere. It had been almost three months since that night. The carrier and fleet were going out for a two-week cruise in a week. The timing could not have been worse. He wouldn’t be able to take a quick trip out there but could plan something when he got back – if needed.
Stephanie,
Thank you for writing – and yes, we should probably talk...
And hesitated, clicking delete immediately.
His mother asked him to call before he replied, and that was probably a good idea so his smart mouth didn’t go flying off the handle or saying things that might come across the wrong way. No, Stephanie was a strong woman making him wait it out this long. She could have written and said ‘Hey, you’re off the hook – see ya!’ but no – she gave him the silent treatment until she couldn’t deny it any longer.
She was pregnant, and he knew it.
Not bothering to get up from his computer seat, he pulled out his cell phone and hung his head for a miniscule of privacy in the busy room.
“Hey, Mom?” he said gruffly, trying to keep from saying ‘Mama’ and having the guys tease him. He was a Mama’s boy and always had been.
“Hey, sweetie, how are you doing? Are you in port? ”
“Mom, Stephanie contacted me.”
“I see.”
“She didn’t say anything but wants to talk – and you said I should contact you first,” he reminded her, feeling like a fool who couldn’t figure out how to use the sewing machine. “What’s on your mind?”
“That’s what she said? That she wants to talk?”
“Yes.”
“Uh-huh. Okay, you are playing a very dangerous game now, and let me give you a hint of what the chessboard looks like,” his mother said tersely. “Don’t mess this up and listen to me very closely – she’s pregnant or has a disease…”
“WHAT?”
“Listen to me,” she snapped, interrupting him. “When a woman doesn’t put it in writing, it’s because she’s taking your temperature to see what you’ll say and how you’ll react.”
“I’m clean – I was then, and I am now.”
“Then she’s pregnant, so let’s move your piece onto the board,” she replied. “Now, if the shoe was on the other foot, what would you be thinking?”
“What do I do now? How do I fix this? And how do I make him responsible for doing this to me?”
“And what do you think you should do?”
Lance sat there for a moment, silent, his mind racing before he spoke.
“I think I should man up, speak with her, and do the right thing.”
“You are assuming she wants you involved.”
“Well, yeah… wait … what? Is there a chance that she doesn’t ?”
“Honey, you both had some fun – and then ditched each other. I think if you decide to take that route, you probably need to focus on the Mama in the relationship - as much as the baby. If you are going to do the right thing, then be kind to her, try to befriend her – and for the love of everything holy out there - do not make her mad. That’s my grandbaby, and I don’t want you getting in a fight with her.”
“I’m not going to…”
“You’ve got a mouth on you – and so does your sister. It doesn’t come from the neighbors, you know. Just think before you say something.”
“Yup,” he said curtly, feeling frustrated.
Was that why she wanted him to call, because his mother suspected him of being snarky or crude enough to drive Stephanie away or push her into getting an abortion? That was his child – whether he wanted to be a father or not. That was a part of him, and he intended to do the right thing, no matter what.
Saying goodbye, he hung up the phone and began typing again.
Stephanie,
Thank you for writing – and yes, we should probably talk. I wish we had parted a little differently, but I’m really glad you reached out. I would like the chance to discuss things, but the ship is pulling out of port in two weeks. I can text, call, or FaceTime you – but maybe this is a conversation best had face-to-face.
Would you mind if I came to see you?
Yours,
Lance
“HEY!”
Lance looked up to see several of the guys talking and waving over a few others to join in. He knew what this was – and smiled. They were heading out on the town and getting their ‘posse’ together for the evening.
“Trophy – you up, bro? A little birthday celebration for Tic-Tak?”
“It’s your birthday?”
“Yup,” the man grinned broadly, causing him to laugh as he rose from his seat, hugging his friend. “I’m legal now and…”
“Whatever,” Lance laughed wildly, slapping him on the shoulders. “You’ve been legal at least ten times.”
“Eleven,” Tic-Tak said, winking. “But whose counting -eh?”
“Round ‘em up!” Ohio yelled wildly, “We’re loading up. Get your paper and your brothers! Ain’t nobody looking to ‘load a dishwasher,’ if you get my drift.”
“What’s he talking about?” a guy walked past them, looking completely confused, and Lance shook his head. Heaven help him from the na?ve ones, he thought, chuckling.
According to Ohio, a ‘dishwasher’ was a woman – and he didn’t want to have a bunch of kids all around the world. The rolls of laughter around them at the slang terms were telling. ‘Paper’ was the dollar bills for the strip club, tips, and dollar long-necks… and ‘plastic’ was contraceptive for the night.
His team partied hard when they went out, and Lance sobered suddenly at the thoughts that hit him hard at that moment. He was married – and possibly going to be a dad because he was guilty of ‘loading the dishwasher’ – and felt ill at the crass term. The thought made him uncomfortable because he would never imagine labeling Stephanie like that. She was better than anything implied by that statement .
“We’re going,” Shellac announced, tugging on his arm. “C’mon…”
“I think I’m going to stay here,” Lance replied, ignoring the groans of frustration. “I’m tired, fellas.”
“Ohhhh my gosh,” Ohio groaned aloud, rolling his eyes and glaring at him. “This is Tic-Tak’s birthday. Our squadron, our brothers, are all going out, including Orion – and you know he never goes. Come with us, live a little, and get whatever stick is stuck up your whiny butt outta there so you can party for a little while like the old Trophy.”
Lance looked up and saw Orion was indeed standing there, looking at him curiously and lifted an eyebrow in question.
“Fine…” Lance muttered, knowing he wasn’t going to get out of this tonight without someone poking at him. He wasn’t in the mood for any of it, much less getting drunk with a bunch of guys looking to burn off some energy. As they all started to leave the carrier – Orion walked up behind him.
“You’re riding with me. Ohio, go ride with Shellac and Pasteur.”
The man jogged off without a word as Lance glanced at the other man who kept a neutral expression. As they climbed into the truck, Orion shoved the key in and started it up, still not looking at him.
“So? Are you going to make me pry it out of you, or do you wanna talk?”
“I loaded the… eh, I messed up,” Lance admitted quietly, watching his friend’s expression for any sort of judgment or surprise. He couldn’t bring himself to call Stephanie a ‘dishwasher.’
“We all do,” Orion shrugged. “Do you have a plan to fix it?”
“You aren’t surprised or want to know what happened?”
“Nope. That’s your business, not mine. I just want to make sure you are okay, or if you need someone to talk some sense into you, then I might be able to help.”
“It’s the girl from New York City…”
“Your wife ,” Orion stressed, glancing at him and smirking. “I figured as much. What’s wrong? Does she want you out of the Navy? Want a big diamond ring? Pregnant?”
“Pregnant.”
“And it’s yours?”
Lance hesitated as the air seemed to be sucked out of the cab of the truck in that simple line of questioning. Orion glanced at him, looking concerned.
“It’s okay to say ‘Yes,’ ‘No,’ or ‘I don’t know’ – because we deal with a lot with our jobs. We are always coming and going, trying to hold our lives together, and sometimes they fall apart no matter what you do to hang onto what ‘Normal’ looks like to you.”
“I don’t think Stephanie would have… ya’ know … since I left. I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure it’s mine – if she’s pregnant. She wants to talk about something, and I suggested that it be face-to-face.”
“Unless she wants a divorce?”
“I’d give her one… I think.”
“Sounds like you have a lot of ‘thinking’ to do, brother.”
Lance cursed and leaned forward in the truck, putting his face in his hands in despair. He did have a lot to think about and felt like he was on the edge of a cliff, barely hanging on by a thread. Something was about to change, and he wasn’t sure if he was going to like it or not.
“We’re here,” Orion said simply, putting the truck into park. “Stick with me, breathe, give yourself some grace to make mistakes in life… just be ready to pick up the pieces when it’s necessary.”
“What if she hates me?”
“She must have liked you well enough at some point,” Orion chuckled, looking at him. “The guys are waiting on us, and you know what you need to do. Use a little of that charm that I’ve seen in the past. Heck, it’s probably how you got into this mess. Instead of picking up chicks, you can pick up your wife.”
“Huh?”
“Trust me – dating is fun, but it escalates to a whole new level when you are trying to pick up and flirt with the woman you love… and if you tell any of those boys out there what I said, I’ll deny it.”
“I’m not in love with her,” Lance whispered under his breath, embarrassed. “We barely know each other, and I only married her to get her into bed.”
“And you did,” Orion said sympathetically. “The fun part is done. Now, it’s time to work on the rest of things. Get to know her, date her, be involved, and talk to her. You might end up having fun once again, or you might find that stranger is now your best friend.”
He pointed at the guys waiting near the front door to the bar.
“If we are staying here and singing Kumbaya all evening, let me tell them not to hold a table for us,” and his buddy smirked at him, yanking the driver’s door open. “One beer, relax, and think about your next move.”
“Is that what you do?” Lance retorted… only to see Orion smile widely and nod.
“Sure do. I watch them make fools of themselves, think about my son, and focus on what I’m going to do next to surprise my wife. Try things my way for a little while, Trophy… you might find that you enjoy life a little more when things calm down.”
Lance followed the other pilot into the bar as Orion headed toward a booth – and nodded at the waitress, who rushed over to say hello. Most of the sailors on base that came here usually left nice tips, and all the waitresses knew they were safe because one wrong phone call made to command could possibly turn south very quickly.
“Hey Sheila, are things better here?” – and Lance looked at Orion in surprise as the man continued speaking. “Do you have any Dr. Pepper or Ginger Ale?”
“Much better,” the woman nodded, smiling. “And you? How’s everyone at home?”
“Good,” Orion replied simply before looking at where he waited. “Trophy, you want a soda or a beer?”
“I’ll have what he’s having,” Lance replied, pointing at Orion and nodding at the woman. “Thanks.”
“See? It’s not so hard.”
…And here comes trouble.
He grimaced as two women slapped each other’s arms for attention and pointed to where they were sitting in the corner. Yeah, the two guys waiting at the empty booth probably looked like easy pickings – and a few months ago, that might have been the case. As they got closer, Lance couldn’t stand it.
“That seats are taken ladies… sorry.”
Lance couldn’t do it.
He didn’t even want to talk to someone else when he kept playing out every scenario in his mind when he finally got a chance to talk to Stephanie and hoping that things when well. Maybe Orion was right, and he needed to give the stranger in his corner of the boxing ring a chance to win the fight.
“Good for you,” Orion nodded quietly. “You can get plenty of ‘thinking’ done when you keep yourself focused on what is important.”
“I don’t love her…”
“I didn’t ask you if you did this time around – but if you are here, acting like this, and skipping on the beer and women… maybe you should be asking yourself that question. So, while I might not be right about everything, maybe there’s something there after all.”
As the waitress set down the two cold soft drinks and a basket of peanuts, he looked around at the bar with a fresh set of eyes. He’d been here several times in the past, left with different women, and had fooled around in the bathroom here once before, and now the entire thing just made him feel wretched, disgusting. He was embarrassed, humbled, and mortified to think at just how wild he was not a few months ago – and for the first time in his life, instead of focusing on the ‘now’… he was looking to the future, wondering what it would look like in six or seven months from now.
Looking at Orion, he held up his soda.
“Thank you,” he said simply and he saw Orion nod in unspoken understanding.
“Always, my friend.”