Tired of Teaching

With the door closed the noise level was down to some muffled sounds, and Cheri now found herself feeling yet another thing she hadn't experienced in a very long time.

"You said you wanted to talk?" she asked as Mike looked at her as they stood a foot or so from his bed.

"I do. I wanted to tell you how much it meant to see you at the trial. I try not to complain—ever—but I was at a pretty low point when we first met. You not only cheered me up, Cheri, you gave me hope. Then seeing you in the courthouse was like, I don't know, it was as though the universe was sending me some kind of sign."

Mike had been serious as he spoke, but a smile broke out on his face when he said, "And I don't believe in signs. Or omens. Or UFOs. Or Big Foot."

"How about Unicorns?" she asked, unable to avoid laughing.

"No, sorry. The jury's still out on the Loch Ness monster, but no Unicorns."

She was still smiling, but that stopped when Mike slowly reached up and touched her cheek.

"You have no idea how beautiful you are, do you?"

"I...it's been a long time since I felt...like that."

"Well, I can promise you that you are. And when you smile...it...it just kills me."

Cheri's heart was pounding as she felt like he was about to kiss her again.

"I...I want to talk, too, okay?" she told him as she took a tiny step back.

"Sure. Of course."

"Why did you kiss me?" she asked very quietly.

The look on her face told Mike she wasn't angry or upset. It was a look of confusion or disbelief but not anything negative.

"Was it just because of the verdict? If it was, that's understandable. All that pressure gets released in a second, and anyone would be elated."

"No. It wasn't just the verdict. You're right, though. It was as though the weight of the entire world was lifted off my shoulders. I was free again. And yes, that's a part of why I kissed you. But were I not attracted to you, it still wouldn't have happened."

Mike moved her way the same amount she'd moved back from him then said, "It's more than just physical, though, Cheri. I can't ever remember feeling the kind of...connection...I feel with you. And if you're getting ready to tell me you don't share that feeling, I'll have to accept it."

He smiled a little thens said, "I won't like it, but I will accept it."

She'd been staring into his eyes but looked away when he told her he wouldn't like it.

"I do," she said quietly. "Feel the same way."

"Really? That's fantastic!"

"But that scares me, Mike. It scares me more than anything has ever scared me."

"Because I'm a pilot? Like...him?"

Cheri finally looked at him again then said, "Maybe. But that's only part of it."

Mike moved even closer then took her hands without asking. Cheri let him have them and even held his back.

"What else is bothering you?"

"You're way too intelligent not to know what the elephant in the room is."

She tried to smile as she said, "And I'm not talking about myself."

Mike laughed because she was either a size 6 or maybe an 8. Either way she had a killer body to match the beautiful face making her comment absurd.

"Yeah, right. Because you're so...huge."

"Stop!" she said as though she were 16 again. "This is important."

"Then it's important to me, too," Mike told her as he stared into her eyes again.

"You're not making this any easier, Mike."

"And I won't apologize for that."

"Mike! Stop!" she protested with a pout.

He did stop and waited for her to explain.

"Seriously. Are you really unaware that the...800-pound gorilla...is...age?"

"Yours or mine?" he asked, trying to be funny.

"Michael!" she said, emphasizing the first syllable.

"Yes?" he replied, loving the little game he, and he alone, was playing.

"Be serious. Please?"

"I'm trying, Cheri. I really am."

"Then try harder," she said so sweetly it caused a stirring in the younger man she was speaking to.

"Why is it such a big deal? Why can't we just see where this goes without worrying about numbers?" he asked, also spoken as nicely as he could.

"Mike? Are you even 30 years old?"

"Whoa! Thirty? Are you kidding me?" he said...kiddingly.

"See! Now you're just being mean!"

He moved even closer and put his arms around her.

"You're so cute when you pout."

"Not nice!" Cheri told him, not caring how teen-like she sounded.

"Look. You're over 30 and I'm not. What's so bad about that?"

Mike gently brushed her hair back as he asked the question, and it was all Cheri could do not to pull him down on the bed next to them.

"Because I'm not just over...30," she replied quietly as she watched his eyes for a reaction.

"You don't have three kids by any chance, do you?"

The question came from so far out in left field that Cheri could only shake her head. But it came with a smile she couldn't hold in.

"There's a show on Prime called Step Dave. It's New Zealand...er. Or ish. Or whatever."

"I haven't heard of it."

"He's 25 and carefree and meets the woman of his dreams. But it isn't until after they, you know, sleep together, that their ages come up."

"Oh."

"Turns out he's 25 and she's 40. And divorced with three kids."

"Cheri? Even if you have three kids, you'll still be the woman of my dreams."

Cheri had barely blinked as he spoke, and when he stopped, all she could say was, "I would?"

"Yes. You would."

Mike ran his hands up and down the back of her arms and smiled at her.

"I've never had trouble meeting woman. But I've never met the right woman."

Her eyes were flying back and forth as he added, "Until I met you."

"What...what are you saying?" she asked as her heart hammered in her chest.

"I'm saying I'm crazy about you. And before you tell me we just met, I'm very aware of that. But somehow I...just know...that you're the one. For me."

"I...I am?" she asked, her mouth so dry she could barely speak.

"You are. So can't you put our age difference aside to at least see if you might be crazy about me, too?"

He was looking at her with puppy dog eyes that made her feel like she might swoon, a word she'd never used seriously in her entire life.

"So you want to be my Step...Mike?" she asked, trying to sound funny.

"Only if you have children. Do you?"

"No. I do want children, but no, I...I don't have any."

"I want kids, too, Cheri."

Her head was spinning and this felt like the most romantic moment of her life. It was also by far the most confusing, but unless Mike was a master at lying and manipulation, she was pretty sure he was telling her the truth.

"And, well, at your advanced age, we probably need to get this relationship going before you're, you know, too old to have one."

He was trying not to smile, and while it spoiled the serious romantic moment, it was just as playfully romantic causing Cheri to utter sounds of frustration.

"Ooooh!" she said very loudly as though she were angry.

Her reaction made Mike laugh, and it made someone open the door.

"You guys okay in there?" Duke asked as he poked his head in.

Mike looked at his buddy then at Cheri and asked her, "Are we?"

"Yes. We're okay," she said to Duke.

She then turned to Mike then smiled and said, "Very okay."

"Very?"

"Yes. Very," she replied before pulling him close and kissing him.

"O...kay. Looks like you are," Duke said as he closed the door just as tongues touched and flicked for the first time.

When the kiss ended, Cheri told him she had one more thing to say.

"Sure. Say it."

"Please don't joke about the age thing, okay? Please?"

"I won't. But I really don't care about that at all."

"I'll work on that, but it...it still seems..."

She was going to say something like 'daunting' or even 'impossible', but when Mike kissed her she gladly stopped talking and kissed him back.

"Come on. Let's go see what's going on outside the bedroom," he suggested after the kiss.

She wanted to tell him she'd love to stay IN his bedroom, and more specifically in his bed, but she was happy to leave as long as he was with her.

When they stepped out into the hall, Mike took her hand. The first people they saw were Duke and Blondie, who were tonguing one another like college freshmen with her up against the wall and Duke pawing at her.

"The uh, bedroom's all yours, bro," Mike said as he and Cheri walked by.

"Is everything cool?" he asked, looking around to see Cheri holding Mike's hand. "Oh. I guess it is."

"Yeah. Everything is pretty great."

Mike's dad had a bevy of young officers around him listening to the retired colonel telling war stories and dispensing advice. But the elder King was superb at multitasking and noticed his son holding hands with the beautiful blonde and excused himself.

"Looks like you two are getting along rather well," Paul said with a smile as he looked at Cheri.

"We talked," she told him, a smile on her face, as well.

"I'm happy for both of you," the older man said, genuinely meaning it. He caught his wife's eye and waved her over and she said something similar as soon as she walked up.

Cheri mentioned the talk, and that's when Paul asked if he could have a moment with his son.

"Of course," Cheri said as she let go of Mike's hand.

"And that'll give us some time to talk!" Linda said as she hooked her arm through Cheri's.

They found a relatively quiet place and Linda told her she was very happy to see her son so happy.

"He really likes you, you know."

"I do," Cheri replied. "But..."

"You're concerned about his age, aren't you?" Linda more said than asked.

"His age? No. I'm more concerned about mine."

"You know, had this whole...trial thing...not happened, I'd be, well, leery. Because of the age difference. But I barely slept since finding out that Michael was being charged with something so heinous as..."

Linda couldn't say the word out loud and just thinking about what could have happened made tears well up in her eyes.

"You poor thing!" Cheri said as she took Linda's hand in both of hers.

"My point is that after imagining my son going to...prison...there isn't anything that can phase me. And when I see how happy you make him, nothing else matters to me. And you do make him happy, Cheri."

"Thank you. And the truth is, he makes me happy."

"But?"

"I don't know. I mean, I do know. Or at least I think I do. Another big part of it is how we just met. But aside, I really like your son. I'm just..."

Cheri stopped to collect her thoughts and Linda took her hands and squeezed them as she waited.

"I...I'm afraid he'll wake up one day and realize how much older I am and..."

"And you'll get hurt again. I get that. I really do."

"I know it isn't fair, because Mike isn't my ex. In fact, other than being pilots in the military they're nothing alike."

"But 'once burned, twice shy', right?" Linda said with an understanding smile.

"You're a very smart woman, Linda."

"No, I'm just a mom who loves her son. And if he loves you..."

"Love? No. Not yet...anyway," Cheri replied a little nervously but feeling much better.

"No, of course not," Linda said in agreement even though she suspected her son had already fallen for this beautiful, older woman who looked ten years younger than she was.

"Would you like a drink, honey?" Linda asked, hoping to change the subject.'

"You know what? That sounds really nice."

"Is white wine okay?"

"That sounds perfect!"

The two of them talked for a few minutes alone covering much of the same ground as their female counterparts. When they finished, Mike decided to join the throng of lieutenants, captains, and majors who gravitated back toward the retired Marine.

Mike found himself just as interested as his fellow pilots in what his father had to say. The man had flown Cobras just like his son and had gotten his first taste of combat in the Gulf War on the Highway of Death strafing the retreating Iraqi army. He'd also served in Iraq as a squadron commander and then as the CO of a helicopter group at MCAS New River where he retired.

He was also a whiz at administration and logistics and he fielded dozens of questions using his 30 years of experience when he spoke. Even junior officers knew when someone was blowing smoke up their ass, and Paul King wasn't. He was the real deal, and all of them wanted to pick his brain for as much 'gouge' as they could. And his having had a couple of drinks only made it all the more interesting for them.

"Your husband is very popular," Cheri observed during one point of her lengthy talk with Linda which moved from Mike to Cheri's interests in life.

"He is. He's actually a legend among Cobra pilots."

Cheri was nodding when Linda cracked a joke that it took a few seconds to get.

"Yes, indeed. Paul's a legend, all right. A legend...in his own mind."

When the light came on, Cheri laughed so loud she had to cover her mouth, and that caused several of the retired colonel's groupies to look her way, including Mike.

She saw him looked and smiled at him. He, in turn, winked at her, and when he did, she felt goose bumps all over her body.

"You see," Linda said as she observed the silent affection.

"I do," Cheri replied quietly as she continued staring at the younger man she realized she was falling for just as Linda asked if she'd like her glass topped off.

Wanting to be near Mike, she politely declined and asked Linda if she would excuse her.

"Oh, of course. Go on over."

Cheri was a little surprised the older woman knew, but she was a woman, so...

Mike held out his arm when she got close, and Cheri cozied right up to him as his dad continued holding court.

Most of the conversation went right over her head as it was either specific to flying a helicopter or so Marine-specific she couldn't follow. But being next to Mike was all she really wanted, and having his arm around her was an added bonus.

Paul soon told the young officers he needed another drink, and with that, the 'skull session' was over. He got himself a beer then came back and said hello to Cheri and his son.

"Hi, Paul. That was all very interesting," she told him in spite of having no interest in it. It also reminded her of her ex, but she didn't mention that, either.

"They're still young enough to believe everything I say," Paul told her accompanied by a wink.

"I believe the age thing just reared its ugly head," Mike said with a laugh.

Cheri laughed, too, and something told Mike his dad wanted to talk to this very attractive, older woman. Older to Mike, younger to him.

"I'm gonna go grab a beer, too. You want anything?" Mike said, giving his dad some alone time with Cheri.

"No. No thanks," Cheri told him as Mike walked away.

"I saw you and my wife talking. Everything okay?" Paul asked in an unobtrusive way.

"It is. She's very nice."

"Hey, she's been married to me for 32 years. She'd kind of have to be."

Cheri laughed politely before Paul got serious.

"I want you to know I'm okay with you and Mike. It's none of my business, but I do approve."

"That means a lot to me, Paul."

"Linda and I tried not to imagine this court martial going the wrong way, but until these things are over you just don't know. And even though you try not to let your imagination run wild, it's human nature to think about the worst-case scenario."

"Your wife said something very similar."

"You know. Great minds and all that."

Cheri laughed again, but this time she decided she really liked Mike's dad. He was handsome, confident, and yet unassuming. And it was obvious he was a very intelligent man.

He took a drink from the long-necked bottle then said, "We shouldn't even be in that shit...god-forsaken country."

"Afghanistan?" Cheri asked, immediately realizing the answer was obvious.

"Yep. We had every reason to go in there in early '02 after the World Trade Center. And we did. We had the Taliban on its sorry ass in less than three months, and that was enough. We should have left and never gone back."

He took another sip, shook his head, then said, "And don't even get me started about Iraq. That was the worst foreign policy mistake since Vietnam and the second worse in US history. But if we get sent somewhere, there shouldn't be ANY 'rules of engagement'. Go in, destroy the enemy completely, then get the hell out. Or don't send us. But Bush sent us and tied our damned hands!"

Cheri hesitated but then asked what she was thinking.

"I guess I just assumed that a military officer would be a Republican."

"I am," the older man replied. "And a conservative. But I'm not a goddamn neoconservative. Like Bush. Or Cheney. Or Rove and Bill Kristol with their 'spreading democracy' and love of using the military to spread it bullshit. And I was gonna mention how Obama was even worse when it came to tying our hands. I just didn't have time to get there."

"I...I'm a little confused," Cheri said, not at all put off by his directness.

Paul smiled then said, "Don't worry. Mike doesn't share my political beliefs."

"Oh. He's...a Democrat?"

"What? Oh, hell no! He's one of those..."

Paul leaned closer as though he was revealing a national secret and said, "He's a...Libertarian."

Relieved, but not sure why, Cheri laughed again.

"Should my ears be burning?" Mike asked as he walked up.

"Ah, you know. I was just venting my spleen about Iraq again," his father said.

"Oh. Lucky you," he said to Cheri.

"I'm not very political, so it's quite interesting to me to hear other people's ideas. And I don't know much at all about what Libertarians believe."

"Uh, oh. I need another beer," Paul said as he smiled at Cheri before draining the one in his hand.

As he walked away Mike assured his new...friend...that he didn't wear his politics on his sleeve.

"Just suffice it to say I'm for individual freedom and personal responsibility. I want the government to play a minimal role in our lives and otherwise leave us the hell alone."

He bowed slightly then said, "Okay. That's it. I'm done."

"No, that's fine. I want to know what you think and believe and...want," Cheri told him as her heart fluttered when he smiled at her.

"Well, first and foremost, I want to get to know you. That's what I want," he told her as their eyes locked again.

"I'd like that," Cheri told him.

"Hey. You wanna go get something to eat?" Mike asked out of the blue.

"Yes. I'd love to."

Cheri was starving and had wanted to grab something several times, but she didn't want Mike to think she was a huge eater and only took a couple of chicken fingers and a few melon balls while he loaded his plate. And yet she knew that would be more than enough to hold her, and judging by Mike's physique, he could eat or drink anything he wanted and still look good. And as she looked at him, he looked very good to her.

"Your mom and dad are really great," Cheri said as Mike took a huge bite of something.

"I agree. But it sounds like you're referring to something in particular."

"Did they say something to you?" she asked, wondering if they had or if Mike could read her mind.

"About?"

"They both took the time to tell me they're fine with us. With you and me, you know..."

"Dating?"

"Are we? Cheri asked as she got that same, warm feeling again.

Mike set his food down then got a bit more serious.

"I'm not very interested in what we call it as long as I can see you. Often."

"You may change your tune."

"We've been over that," Mike reminded her.

"No. Not...that. I meant that if you...see me...a lot of me...you may not want to continue seeing me."

Mike tried not to laugh but couldn't help himself.

"That's not funny!" Cheri told him, falling back into the 16-year old version of herself.

He got even more serious and put his hands on her upper arms as he quietly asked, "How many more things are you gonna try and come up with to see if you can scare me off?"