trouble.”
Tasha began to pick up her dolls. Lynda said, “Thank you,” to Marcus.
The pizza arrived, and the three of them ate ravenously. Lynda had never seen Tasha eat so much.
Marcus and Lynda again sat up until midnight. This time Marcus made no suggestive remarks. She was beginning to like Marcus.
Marcus said, “Tomorrow I ship out. I will be gone a month, then I would like to come back and see you for a week.”
“That sounds fine to me.”
The next four weeks, Lynda spent working behind a computer. She was learning things that she never knew existed. It seemed that no one in America or anywhere had any real secrets. Everything was on the internet in some fashion or the other. She found out things about her neighbors that were hard for her to believe.
Marcus was back on Friday. He wanted to take Tasha to an amusement park in Arlington. He said that it would be okay if Lynda and Ted went too.
They went on Saturday morning. Tasha was very excited. She was sticking to Marcus like glue. Lynda and Ted rode several sedate rides. Marcus took Tasha on the rollercoaster. He also took her on every “scary” ride that there was. Tasha was falling in love with Marcus. She seemed to think that Marcus was “her” boyfriend. She was jealous of her mother.
When they got home, Tasha asked, “Mom, can Marcus spend the night with us?”
Marcus stood up and held his hands in the air. “Lynda, I had nothing to do with that!”
She said, “Not tonight, maybe another night, Tasha.”
Marcus said, “Can I come by and take you guys to church tomorrow?”
Lynda was stunned. She had not been to church since Ted’s funeral. She said, “Sounds fine to me.” She looked at Tasha. Tasha was beaming. Lynda said, “Don’t break my daughter’s heart!”
Marcus left early. The next morning he was back, dressed in his Navy uniform. He looked magnificent. Marcus carried Ted and held Tasha’s hand. Tasha was in heaven.
Lynda wore a black sundress. She knew from the office that she looked good in it. She worked for two hours getting her make-up and hair just right.
The people at church assumed that they were a family. They finally just let people think what they wanted to.
After church they went out to eat at a nice restaurant. Tasha made sure that she sat close to Marcus. Lynda had to control her giggles. She had Ted to deal with, the only “man” in her life.
They finished the meal and went back to Lynda’s place. Marcus changed clothes, putting on shorts and a tee shirt. He looked like he could rip the shirt apart just by flexing his muscles.
That night Marcus left at about seven, saying he had to do some shopping to do.
After he left, Tasha said, “Mom, I think Marcus is going to ask me to marry him!”
Lynda was stunned again. She said, “Why, honey?”
Tasha said, “He asked me what you might think about marriage.”
Lynda was confused. What did Marcus mean? What had she got her family into?
The next morning she was at work, when she got a phone call. Someone was here to see her. She had on her white sundress. She walked to the front office, and there Marcus sat in full uniform. He had a dozen red roses for her. She took the roses, and cuddled them. Then he asked her for her hand. She stuck out her right hand. He seemed flustered, and took her left hand. He felt out her ring finger and slipped something on it. It was a ring, an engagement ring. She almost went to her knees. He said, “I love you, Lynda!”
She got her wits about her and stood shakily. “Marcus, I don’t know—my daughter—Marcus, I just don’t know.”
He took both her hands. He calmly said, “Take all the time that you need. I love you enough for both of us.” He walked out the door. All the secretaries were astir.
One of the secretaries said, “Ma’am, if you don’t want him, send him to me; I will take him.”
Lynda was useless the rest of the day. Tom sent her home at about two-thirty.
She got home and Tasha was just getting off the school bus. She showed Tasha the roses and the ring. Tasha seemed a little put out with her mother.
Marcus came by about seven and knocked on the door. He was in jeans and a western shirt. He said, “Lynda, let me take you out tonight. I know your maid is here to watch Tasha.”
Lynda went and put jeans and a tight shirt on. She wanted to go to a western bar.
They went to a huge place in Fort Worth. She had never been there before. They went in and went straight to the dance floor. There were very few people on the dance floor. Marcus was a spectacular dancer. He spun Lynda around and picked her up. It seemed that everyone was watching them. She was watching everyone watching them, when she saw three guys dressed in biker garb watching her.
They were walking off the floor, when the front biker guy said something about her breasts. She decided to ignore it. The third guy patted her on her bottom. She spun around with her free hand and slapped the guy as hard as she could. Marcus swung around, grabbed Lynda and pulled her to him. He said, “What happened?”
She said, “That man tried to fondle me.”
Marcus went to the three men. “Each of you, apologize to the lady!” It was an order.
The front biker was taller than Marcus. He swung his fist at him. Marcus blocked it and hit the man on the chin, knocking him into a table. The second man tried his luck; Marcus blocked his punch and hit him in the stomach, then in the nose. He went down quickly. Marcus turned to the third biker.
The third biker, who was the one that felt Lynda’s bottom, said, “Hold on, boy, I will apologize.”
Marcus grabbed him by the arm and twisted it behind the man. He said, “You dammed right you will, and you will be very polite about it.”
Lynda was ready to take one of the guys on if needed. She came out of her defensive posture and stood very ladylike.
The man apologized profusely, then Marcus cold-cocked him.
Security came running up. Marcus held both hands up in surrender. The bouncer came up and asked, “What is going on here?”
Lynda explained everything to the lead man, and he left Marcus alone. He escorted the three biker guys out of the establishment.
She looked at Marcus, she said, “Yes!”
He said, “Yes what?”
She said again, “Yes!”
Marcus looked forlorn. He said, “Lynda, don’t play games with me. Yes what?”
She looked at him like he was stupid. “You asked me to marry you. I just said yes!”
Marcus let out a war whoop and did a little jig on the floor. He picked Lynda up and swung her around his head. He put her down and kissed her hard on the mouth. He was grinning ear to ear.
She said, “There is a problem though!”
He stopped and said, “What?”
“You broke my daughter’s heart. I warned you not to do that.”
“Don’t worry; I will fix her up with some other dunce-head.”
She hugged Marcus. She hoped Ted would forgive her.
She began to show off her ring to all the women in the bar. They “oohed” and “aahed” about it.
The bouncer came up to Marcus and whispered something in his ear. Marcus smiled and whispered something back to the man.
Lynda asked, “What did he say, Marcus?”
Marcus grinned. “He said we might have to fight our way out of here. The bikers brought some friends back.”
Lynda asked, “What did you say to him?”
Marcus grinned bigger. “I said the US Navy never backs down from anybody!”
Lynda leaned over to Marcus. “Neither does the CIA.”
They went to the front door. There were six guys there with sawed-off bats and chains. Lynda and Marcus went out the door. The six guys blocked the way.
Marcus said, “Let me go put her in my car, then I will come back and take each of you guys on.”
The closest biker swung a bat at Marcus’s head. He ducked and swung his fist into the guy’s solar plexus. The guy went down quickly.
Lynda spun around and kicked one of the guys in the head. She judo-chopped the second guy in the throat. The third guy grabbed Lynda by the hair and shoved her to the ground. Marcus kicked out at the man, catching him in the groin. There were only two bikers standing. Marcus went after both of them. The bouncer was outside now; he had Lynda by the shoulders and picked her up. When the guy she had kicked got up, the big burly bouncer hit him with a haymaker, then said, “Lights out!” The man fell to the ground. Marcus had both the last two bikers on the ground. He was pummeling them with punches.
The bouncer yelled, “That is enough, stop.”
Marcus stopped and stood up. He had blood all over both fists, but none on his face. Three of the biker guys were up and running to their bikes. One of the three pulled a gun out from his saddle bag, and aimed it at Marcus. Lynda heard, “Put it down or I will shoot you.” A policeman was standing behind the three men with his gun pointed at them.
The biker dropped his gun.
Lynda saw that the guy who had felt her butt was on the ground. She kicked him in the groin.
Marcus said, “Ouch!” He grabbed at his own groin.
Lynda explained everything to the policeman. He wound up letting everyone go. He confiscated the biker’s handgun.
Lynda and Marcus walked to his car, and Marcus opened the door for her. He just said, “My beautiful!”
Lynda sat down and let him close the door. She watched him prance around to the driver’s side.
He drove her home and walked her to the door. At the door, he said, “Oh yeah, when do
CIA - The Slave Traders Page 33
