It Has to be Fate Pt. 02

Mrs. McDermott replied, "Yes Dear, those are very old. It is Rose Medallion pattern china, place settings for twelve plus the serving dishes. I have some of it in storage in the states, I had to replace a plate several years ago and it cost over a hundred dollars for one plate. We bought our set thirty some years ago and thought it was high at five dollars American per plate then. The silver tea set is valuable too. Those dresses and that suit are the latest Paris fashions, you know. And the Mandarin jacket in the red and gold brocade can really dress up almost any solid color dress or pants. It will never go out of style."

Melissa grinned, "I know! When you made me try it with the black silk trousers and the little scoop necked black shell it was amazing. With the jacket unbuttoned it was really sexy and with it buttoned it was so very elegant."

Mack smiled, "Sweetie, you make anything look elegant."

"Mica is right." said Betty McDermott. "You have that regal bearing that really shows off formal wear."

Melissa laughed, "That's not regal, that is how Lady Marines are taught to hold themselves on parade."

A week later Mack and his wife were in the Marine Air Control Squadron control room in Atsugi, Japan. Mica was showing Melissa the radar scopes and the status boards for various aircraft under their control. Melissa was fascinated by the young Marines standing behind the clear boards; they were writing in various colored markers, to update or add information. They were wearing headsets and writing backwards from behind so it was readable from the front. A large map of Japan showed the tracks of various flights.

Mica explained what was going on, he pointed out a new track that that appeared on the western edge of the map. It was marked in red as an unidentified flight.

Mica took her to one of the radars and showed her the faint return from the unidentified plane. "That is probably a Russian Tu-16 Badger or a Tu-95 Bear Reconnaissance aircraft."

Mack turned to the controller at the radar, "How fast is the Jet Stream today?"

The lieutenant looked up. "It is running at about 230 Knots today. This guy's ground speed is around 720 knots. We have one flight that can catch him. The flight is a pair of H&MS-10 FJ-3s. This is their track. They are climbing on a vector to intercept the Bogie."

Melissa said, "Our planes seem to be moving very slow compared to the Russian aircraft."

"Ma'am our fighters were already at altitude when the unidentified track appeared. They are now well above the possible enemy now. Our guys are flying into the 230 knot wind while the bogies are flying with the wind. When I turn them in behind the bogie they will be faster, the trick is to catch them before they are back over international waters where we can't touch him." said the controller.

They heard the flight of FJ-3s report , "Tally Ho! MACS one zero, Tango Mike 3 has one 'Bear' in sight, over."

The controller replied, "Rodger Tango Mike 3. Authenticate hotel oscar tango 21 dash 57. Over."

"Roger MACS 10, Tango Mike 3 authenticating, zebra, juliette, 4936. Over."

Mica whispered in 'Lissa's ear that the controller was having the lead pilot verify his identification.

"Tango Mike 3,Rodger, you are cleared to engage at your discretion. Call 'lock-on' with Sidewinders, Over."

"Rog MACS 10, here we go." They watched as the track of the two fighters curved in behind the 'Bear', rapidly overtaking it now. "Tango Mike 3 has a solid tone, request permission to launch."

Mica yelled, "NO", the 'Bear' is over International Waters now!"

The controller yelled, "Tango Mike 3, He is over International Waters now. You are cleared to take pictures only. Over."

"Shit!"

"Say again Tango Mike 3."

"Rodger, MACS 10, Tango Mike 3, Sidewinders on 'Safe', All weapons 'Safe', Gun camera 'ON'. Tell him to smile." They watched the blip representing the fighter close in behind the 'Bear'.

"Hey! Tango Mike 3 is being fired on, disengaging now! Unnngh!"

"Tango Mike 3, What is your condition? MACS 10, over."

"MACS 10, Tango Mike 3 is OK. The tail gun fired on us. I saw the tracers go under me, close, very close, I think I heard a hit but all my gauges read OK. I didn't feel anything."

Melissa grabbed Mack's arm, "My God! Did they really shoot at him?"

"They sure did, nobody told them he was just taking pictures."

She looked up at him, her eyes wide, "Do you do that?"

"Yeah! Sometimes, all our planes carry a full war load here. If I am up getting my flight time in and I am in the right place they will send me after one. You see, with the jet stream behind them, they fly over Japan so fast there isn't time to climb up to intercept them before they are over International Waters again.

"They are just taking photos and recording our electronic emissions, we do the same thing to them all the time. Have you seen the jets with the real long wings?"

"The U-2s?"

"Yes, that is what they do every day."

"I don't want you doing that. I am so scared I will lose you now that I found you." Her eyes searched his face. "Please be careful, for me." Tears ran down her cheeks. "I can't live without you."

"I promise I will try and be careful, but you know as well as I do that Marines do get shot at now and then. It's part of the job."

"I want to go home now."

"Ok, I'll take you home right now."

"NO, I mean home to the States, home to wherever we want to live."

"That will take a little longer. You know we are going to travel home to the States in ten more days, we can't speed that up. We are very lucky we will be able to travel together."

"I know, Dear, I just got scared for you. I'll be OK soon."

Later that night he was awakened by a shaking of the bed. He looked at her, she had her face buried in the pillow. Her shoulders were shaking. He heard her muffled sobs. He gently pulled the pillow from her face. She looked up at him and sniffed, "I'm sorry, I tried not to wake you up."

"Hey girl, if it is bad enough to make you cry, it is bad enough to wake me up to talk about it. I am part of you now, when you hurt, I hurt. Is it about this afternoon?"

"YYess! I was dreaming about it and I got scared again. I know I am being silly, it is just that I have never loved anyone this much before. I'm a Marine too! I am pretty tough for a woman, except where you are involved. I just can't help it."

"Hey, I love you partly because you are a sweet gentle loving woman. I know and rely on the fact that if you need to be tough, you will be as tough as you need to be. That doesn't mean you can't be your sweet gentle caring self in our bed at night."

"Mica, just hold me tight and kiss me. I'll be alright, I promise."

A a little over a week later, they found themselves trying to cuddle together and stay warm in the chilly cabin of a chartered Lockheed Super Constellation, four-engine propeller driven airliner. They had departed from Tokyo early Friday morning with a full load of military and dependents. They stopped to refuel at Midway Island after almost twelve hours in the air.

The plane was comfortable but the crew seemed to like it cooler than was necessary. Not that Melissa and Mica objected to an opportunity to spend the day together snuggled under a blanket. They made the trip in uniform and the stewardess told them they were the first Marine couple that they had ever had aboard. They laughed and said that they were the first Marine officers married to each other that they knew about, although they had heard of others.

The leg from Midway to Honolulu was only about five and a half hours. They arrived the next morning shortly after two o'clock. They were bused to a hotel for the night. They departed the next morning about 10:30 and they talked the crew into warming the cabin a little more. The leg to San Francisco, was thought to be another eleven and a half hour leg, but when they caught a good tail wind they made it in eight and a half hours. Early the next morning they departed San Francisco for Washington D.C. aboard a Trans World Airlines Super 'G' Connie. This was a newer aircraft and was more comfortable. They arrived early due to another tail wind. They hired a taxi to a Hotel in the city. After calling Melissa's family, they ordered a meal from room service. They went to bed and slept like logs all night.

The next morning, Saturday, they rented a new Chevy convertible and departed for Clifton Forge, Virginia. It was a five and a half hour drive, but they stopped and walked on the Civil War battlefield at Manassas and then stopped for Lunch in Waynesboro. They pulled in the driveway at Melissa's home at 4:30. There were almost a dozen cars parked in front of the house.

Mica just stood back and smiled as the crowd of people hugged and kissed Melissa. She turned and waved him over. He met the family. A lovely woman hugged and kissed him on the lips. She was crying, "I never thought I would ever get to hug a husband of Melissa's. She wiped her eyes. "Golly! She found a good looking one too! But you would have to be handsome with the parents you have. I love your Momma. She was born two houses down the street." She introduced the family, one separate family at a time, a brother or sister and the wife or husband and each of their children.

Mica smiled at the husky and fit older man who approached with his hand extended and a large smile on his rugged face. "Micaiah, I am Melissa's father, Jack. Welcome to the family, son. I hate to see her go, but at least she married a hunter and a fisherman. She was always my favorite and the other kids know that too! Really, she was everyone's favorite."

Melissa ran to Mica and hugged his arm. "Daddy, I love this man more than I thought it was possible. He even likes the Washington Redskins!" All her family gathered around and were listening to them talk.

Jack looked at him, "Are you really a Redskins fan?"

"Yes Sir, I have been based in Cherry Point, North Carolina so often I follow them pretty closely. Of course the fact that they are the only team we get on television and the only southern team in the league helps a lot."

"Yeah, we get them out of Charlottesville and Roanoke. That's about the only thing on TV that I watch. Do you like trout fishing? I remember you as a little kid and you cried because your dad and I wouldn't carry you along when we went."

"Mr. Murphy, I like any kind of fishing. Dad being in the Navy he usually took me saltwater fishing. The fly rod is my favorite way to fish though."

"Do you have trouble finding heavy enough rods for saltwater fish?"

"No, Sir, 9 and 12 weight Salmon rods work just fine, the reels are the problem. Most of them do not hold enough line or have any kind of decent drag on them. There are some being made for an English firm that work OK, but they are very heavy and will wear you out pretty quickly."

"Well, the trout fishing is pretty good right now, so I would like to get you and Mel out to my favorite stream before you go. She and Tony and I used to fish together all the time."

"That'll great, we'll be here for three or four days then we will go to Cherry Point and get settled in an apartment next to my house. The house is rented for another four months. It's a two bedroom apartment with two baths, with living room, dining room , and kitchen. We should be fine there for a while. I think I will want to redo the interior of the big house before we move in anyway. I'll let my bride choose how she wants it decorated."

"One of Melissa's brothers, John, asked, "Mica, how big a place do you have there?"

"It is five acres on the piece the house is on and forty on the adjoining piece."

"Melissa said, "I didn't know you owned another piece next door."

"Honey, WE own it, and I thought I told you about it. It will not be like it is now for very long."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, they are ready to lengthen the runways at the Marine Corps Air Station and I have a contract to sell the dirt from that property to the contractor who is doing the job. I get the money for the timber they have to cut off the property too."

"How much fill do they need?"

"Well, it figures out that I will end up with two lakes of about 12 acres each, and about ten feet deep. In cubic yards it is right at 4 to 500,000 cubic yards."

Jack Murphy stared at him, "That's worth almost 2 million dollars."

"No, not quite, but I did get a good price because the next nearest place they could get the fill was ten miles further away."

Helen, one Melisa's sisters said, "How long have you owned the property?"

"Two years. I thought about buying it when I bought the house. Then one day I overheard some engineers talking about the problem they were going to have finding fill for the runways and knowing the piece next to me was for sale, I bought it. When I checked I found out it had a small fill pit on it already and was zoned for earth mining. Six months later they requested bids on the fill. I submitted a bid and included some paved roads and other things I wanted done so it wouldn't be just a big hole in the ground. A spring fed creek is in one corner and runs through the property so a dam will fill both lakes, plenty of forest will be retained or added. I think it will look nice. It should double the value of the property after it is finished."

Mike, another brother wanted to know if Mica was going to sell the place. Mica said he didn't know for sure but he had been approached by a man wanting to buy the land for a catfish farm.

Melissa's Father said, "Oh man, I would love to do something like that. That would be a dream for me."

"Do you know anything about fish farming?"

Maryalice said, "He sure does, that is what he does for a living. He is a fish biologist for the state, he supervises the trout fish hatcheries in western Virginia. He has been talking about starting a fish farm for years."

Mica grinned at him, "Mr. Murphy, Sir, please work up a proposal and we can talk about it. I am looking for something to do after I get out of the Marines. I can change the layout of the ponds or lakes as long as the contractor gets his fill and it doesn't cost them too much to do it."

"Son, please call me Jack or Pop or Dad, forget the Mr. Murphy and the 'Sir' stuff. I think that six or eight ponds would work better. We would need a couple of small breeding tanks, then a series of ponds that the fish would be raised in. The best way would be to leave a batch of fingerlings in one pond until harvest. That way you can just drag net the whole pond at one time. We need to find out what size is most marketable in what areas. With a number of ponds we can raise fish to several sizes. After the harvest a new crop is started, with 8 ponds we could harvest every 45 days after the first no harvest year. Ideally, we should have our own food plant and a packaging room with flash freezing capabilities. Then we can hold fish without losses and sell under our own label or under store labels."

"Dad, what do you mean by a food plant?"

"Well son, we can buy feed corn and ground fish much cheaper than a prepared catfish food. The scrap from the fish cleaning would be processed too. There other things that would go into it but that is 98 percent of it."

David, the third son said, "Hey, I fish salt water down there quite a bit. There is at least one fish processing plant near there. They process mostly menhaden and shark, it is ground and dried and a lot of it is sold to fertilizer plants. That and all the scrap and bones from the hog processing plants in North Carolina should be good sources of food but you would have to dry it and grind it."

Mica said, "Hey, I forgot about that, I met the guy who operates one of those fish processing plants, I wonder if he is still there."

Melissa said, "I saw a place in the Philippines where they were raising fish in a stream, I asked our guide and he said they had the fish in big circles of netting closed at the bottom and held up by big glass balls covered in netting. They fed the fish every day. There were about twenty of those things along one side of the stream. He said they used a truck with a boom on it and harvested several thousand of pounds of fish at one time."

Her Dad asked where they got the baby fish to raise. She didn't know. Her father looked very thoughtful, and then he said, "That has a lot of possibilities, we need to think about this and I'll do some research on it."

Everyone gathered in the living room to watch the 8mm movies of the wedding. Melissa and Mica had to narrate the show to explain what was going on. After the pictures of the wedding and the reception there was about five minutes of film Melissa took of all their wedding gifts in the McDermott den. Then there were shots Melissa made of Micaiah flying the Skyraider on the flight from Taiwan to Japan. There were excellent shots of Melissa in her flight gear and climbing up in the huge plane.

Mica took some nice shots of her looking very professional in her Marine uniform at a Ceremony for the awarding of Medals for actions from several years before, during the Korean War. She was the announcer and Mistress of Ceremonies. General Gossett pinned on the medals. First Lieutenant Melissa McDermott read the citations. When the show was over Mica explained that they had several other rolls of film that they had not yet had time to have developed.

They had to show the film again and stopped it several times to explain who some of the people were or what was going on. Mica noticed that every person in the family shed a tear or two somewhere during the show. Melissa's mother had them rerun the part showing Mica's Mother and father several times. She remarked at how beautiful Betty McDermott was at the wedding. Mica said, "You have to remember that Mom and Dad represent the United States at these functions and she has to work really hard to look her best. I think she is beautiful too, but not any more beautiful than you are Mrs. Murphy."

Mrs. Murphy looked at Melissa, "Golly, Betty has him really well trained doesn't she."

"No Momma, both of you are beautiful."

"Thank you Dear. Talking about beautiful, you looked like a movie star in that beautiful wedding gown. You were stunning, watch the movie of the wedding and you will see that Mica never once takes his eyes off of you."

All of Mellissa's family clamored in their agreement about her beauty. Her brother Mike said, "She was so beautiful I couldn't take my eyes off of her either, even if the little witch is my sister, you scrub up damned good Sis."

Melissa had a tear in her eye as she said, "Thank you Mike." She giggled, "I have to be careful with Mike and Mica around, I had better use Micaiah and Mike while I am here."

Melissa's sister Susan said, "I think Micaiah and Melissa looked like they were part of a Hollywood musical extravaganza when they walked through that arch of swords. That was just so romantic. What did he whisper to you just before you started down the stairs?"

Melissa laughed, "My darling and romantic new husband said, 'On my command, forward march, Won, Hup, Tree.' I will never forget that. He will always be a Marine."

Mica laughed, "I forgot, no one could see your feet in that long dress. You were so beautiful I couldn't believe you married me, I kept expecting someone to call the whole thing off because you were too good for me." He looked down at her, she pulled him down and kissed his lips. "I know." she said with a tender smile and giggle.

Later he smiled at her and asked, "So who is Tony?"

"Oh, Tony Magnasson, he is a guy I used to date, we went together for years, High School and College."

"What happened?"

"He was a star football player and he was offered a full scholarship if he transferred to Mississippi State. He did. We wrote for a while, then I think he found someone else."