"You don't want to, do you?" she asked.
"You know I don't. I have no idea of what I'm supposed to do if I get elected to Congress. Even if the job was simply kissing babies, I'd probably still be a flop," Dave replied.
She said, "You're a wonderful kisser."
"I don't think babies want to be kissed that way," said Dave.
She replied, "I don't want you kissing them that way, either, not unless you're thinking of expanding the family."
"Why do you keep bringing up expanding the family?" asked Dave. "Is there something wrong either between us or with you or me that I don't see?
"Yes, there is, Dave honey," she said softly.
Taken aback momentarily, he asked in a gentle voice, "Which is it?"
She answered softly, "I'm dying. I'm not going to have a chance to grow old with you. I've already been to several doctors for second and third opinions. They're in total agreement with each other. I'd like to have a chance to meet whoever you decide to marry so that I'll know you're in good hands. You need a woman to back you up at home. You shouldn't have to come home to an empty house like my father did. It tore him up for years after my mother died. I should have expected this, but I didn't. I've got the same thing my mother died from and it's genetically passed on among the women of our family. That means that you're even going to outlive our daughters. You'll probably spoil them even worse than my father did by putting up with their outrageous behavior just like my father did for me in putting up with my wild behavior."
"You're dying?" Dave said with a choking sound in his throat and tears beginning to well up in his eyes. "How many doctors have you seen? Have they been talking with each other to arrive at their conclusions?"
"I've seen four doctors and none of them knew of the others' conclusions. They all arrived at the same prognosis independently. They can't do anything about my condition. About the only consolation I have is that I'll probably go quickly when it happens," she replied.
"How long do we have left?" Dave asked softly as he held on to Annie in a loving embrace.
"I'm already living on borrowed time. The doctors don't see how I can possibly last more than two years at the most," she replied.
"I can request inactivation in the morning so I can be with you. I think that this is one time I won't mind compromising my principles to ask a favor of some people to expedite my inactivation," he said.
"Don't you dare! You do that and you'll probably send me to my grave sooner. I won't be at peace with myself knowing that I deprived you of your other love," she said emphatically, as she pulled away from his embrace to distance herself.
"You don't want me around?" he asked in a hurt voice.
"I want you around, but I want you happy. The way you wanted me to be before you asked me to marry you. When you're happy, I am. That's why I'm so concerned about you," she said with tears of her own rolling down her cheek. "The next time that a woman expresses interest in you, you better start thinking about yourself and our children. William will need all the support you can give because he's going to go through the same thing you do, the same number of times. It'll be worse on him than you because a person only has one mother. At least, if you marry some other woman, now rather than later, I'll know that you'll have someone to lean on. She'll help you prepare William for the day when his sisters pass away. He won't resent you marrying if I'm still alive to sanction it. That's why it's so important that you marry again real soon," Annie explained.
"I see. You're beginning to sound like me," said Dave.
"Some of your long range planning ability's rubbed off on me. It's a good thing now that I know I'm dying. The sooner you marry again, the happier I'll be," she replied.
Dave stepped towards Annie. She allowed him to embrace her again as they both cried softly and quietly, their tears falling together and mixing together where their cheeks met.
***
Dave lay awake that night as he considered his options. Now, more than ever, he knew he didn't want to run for Congress. He only wished he knew of some way to politely refuse the nomination as candidate should Edun draft him to run for office. He also didn't want news of Annie's impending death to get out, either. It was something he saw that would guarantee him the nomination, if only out of sympathy. It would totally defuse any complaints anyone had about his ability to deal with making laws.
He also had to try to comply with Annie's wishes and try to find another wife, only he was unsure about how to go about it. If Majel was still alive, he was sure that she would accept a proposal from him out of the blue. In fact, he hadn't paid much attention to any woman since marrying Annie. There had been plenty of offers for casual sex and perhaps one of those offers might have gone somewhere, but he had gently refused those. Now he didn't want to seem like a wolf on the prowl, seeking sex or marriage for his own gratification. He really had no idea about how to do it. Dave began to realize that perhaps he should seek some advice from a few of his old friends.
***
"George, come in and shut the door please," Dave said.
"This sounds serious," George said.
"Very and personal. I'm entrusting you with something I only learned last night. Annie's dying from what killed her mother," Dave said.
"Oh god, Dave, I'm sorry to hear that," George immediately responded.
"Thanks, but the problem is that Annie wants me to marry before she passes away and I'm not sure how to go about it. Her reasoning is sound and leaves me little choice but to respect her wishes. I need some advice on how to go about finding another wife," Dave said.
"You don't ever come up with easy problems to solve," said George. "You've got one now that I have no idea about, either. Have you given much thought to this? Forget that. I'm losing contact with what I'm thinking about. Knowing you, you spent half the night or longer trying to think about this."
"You're right. I did spend half the night or more thinking about this. I don't even know what I want in a wife, other than Annie. I don't know if she'd be upset if I married a woman who was much younger or not. I haven't decided against any woman, either younger or older than her."
"The best advice I can give you right now is to simply follow your heart when the time comes and hope that the moment comes before Annie passes away. If you try to rush it, you won't find happiness. Look at how long it took for you to decide that you loved Annie before you proposed to her. Hell, I guess she really did know what she was doing when she got knocked up before you married her."
"It appears that way now," said Dave. "You think I should just knock up another woman and then propose?"
"If that's what works for you, then maybe so. I really don't know. Just keep yourself a bit more observant of how women respond to you. Maybe you'll find the right one in time. I can only wish you luck in that. Do your kids know yet?"
Dave answered, "Not yet. That's partly why the rush. Annie doesn't want them to resent me being married to another woman. She knows they might if I marry after she passes away."
"She's right about that. Kids usually do resent new wives for their fathers after the death of a mother unless the woman is already married to their father," said George. "So, I take it then that they won't know for some time to come."
"That's right. I'm not even sure if Annie intends on telling them at all. If she does, she's going to scare the hell out of Angelica and Heather. It's genetic and is passed among the women," said Dave.
"Oh Christ! You've got a nasty problem then. You'll likely outlive them and have to go through this again," George exclaimed.
"That's another reason why Annie wants me married soon. She knows that I'll need the extra support at home both for myself and especially for Will," Dave said.
***
Admiral Oden walked over to the dormitories and entered. His presence in the dormitories wasn't at all unusual since he often visited with cadets to chat. He was immediately noticed as cadets made space for him as he walked along the hallway.
He
was operating on a hunch, nothing more, as he sought out someone who once sought him out. Dave knew that he would be treading on treacherous ground if things happened as he hoped they might. Still, he was desperate and he was willing to tread on treacherous ground to reach the desired solution. Anyway, it was far less dangerous than combat with an enemy.
Dave approached the quarters of Ensign Lucille Wrigley, the woman who once tried to give him her body while on the training voyage. She struck him then as unique and still did. He wasn't at all sure if he loved her or ever could with the intensity he felt for Annie. Regardless, he wanted to know just how she felt. It might just be possible that she would do for a second wife and they might even grow to love each other. At any rate, he might grow to love her. It was just possible that she already loved him based on something he thought he observed in her before. He stopped at the open doorway and knocked softly to get her attention. She turned and looked at him in surprise.
"Admiral Oden! Did you come to visit with me?" she said.
"Yes, I did. May I come in?" he asked.
"Anytime. Please do," she said.
"Would you mind if I shut the door?" he asked.
Her face became concerned since he never asked about that before. She became worried that something was wrong. "I guess so. This sounds like there's something wrong. Am I in trouble?" she asked.
"No, Ensign, you're not, but I am. I need to talk with you in private," he said as he closed the door.
"You? In trouble? And coming to me? Are you testing me, sir?" she asked.
"Not at all. You once came to my quarters while on the training voyage with the intention of sharing my bed. Now I'd like to ask some personal advice from you and possibly a few other questions."
"You want my advice?" she asked with some disbelief in her voice.
"Yes, I do. I'd like to get this on a first name basis so that we'll both feel a little more comfortable. I'm Dave. If you don't mind, I'll call you Lucille as a friend rather than the Commandant of the Academy," he said.
"Uh, sure, uh, Dave. I guess we can do it that way. What advice can I give you?"
"It has to do with women and sex and marriage, Lucille," Dave answered.
She exclaimed, "Oh shit, you don't ask about anything concerning small change, do you? What do you want to know?"
"I'd like to know your feeling on those things and how you felt that night you came to my quarters, if you won't mind baring your soul as much as your body," he replied.
"Well, that's hard to explain really. Let me think. I'm trying to remember exactly how I felt that night. I remember feeling hurt after you said no, but it's harder to remember how I felt beforehand."
Dave asked, "Were you there simply to have sex with me?"
Lucille exclaimed, "Oh, god no! I'm not sure what I wanted, but something inside me wanted to take you. I'm not sure if I wanted to mother you with sex or if I was in love with you. Is that what you're trying to find out?"
He answered, "Partly. Do you still feel that way now?"
Lucille replied, "Well, I'm not sure. Now everyone knows that you're married and have children. I know that you can legally marry as many women as you can convince to do so, but I think that I'd be an intruder into an already established tribe. You know what I mean?"
"Yes, I do, Lucille," Dave said. "However, circumstances do change and mine certainly have."
"You're not getting a divorce and coming to me on the rebound, are you?" she asked.
"Nothing quite like that. Annie, my wife, wants me to marry a second wife," he admitted.
"Your wife wants you to marry again? That's certainly, um, different," she remarked.
"Yes, I know that most women want only one husband and to be the only wife. However, our circumstances are unique. Annie wants me to marry again and soon. I remembered how hurt you appeared that night after I refused your offer to spend the night. That memory spurred me to think that you were hurt because there was more than the mere offer of sex for an evening in your showing up at my quarters," he said.
"There was. Yeah, I guess there still is something inside my heart for you. Did you come here to propose to me?" she asked.
"I'm not sure. To tell you the truth, I didn't propose to Annie until months after I got her pregnant because I didn't know then that I loved her," Dave answered.
"Then you came to ask me to have sex with you?" she asked.
"No, I didn't come here to ask you to have sex, either. I honestly came to you for advice and to inquire about your feelings towards me," he answered.
"Well, that seems honest enough. You probably don't know it, but I'd still give you a roll in the hay just about anytime you asked. If you want, I'll even do the asking," she said.
"That's not necessary, either, Lucille. Are any of your opinions changing as a result of our talking?" he asked.
"Some are. You sound like there's a bigger problem than what you're telling me," she said.
"There is, but I'd rather not go into that right now," he replied.
"Umm, I think you're asking me to advise you on things without giving me all the information I should be entitled to have," she said bluntly. "You've said it often yourself. Never make a decision on partial information when the rest is clearly available. Will you trust me with the rest of the information I need?"
"It's beginning to look like I have to, though I didn't want to influence your advice or feelings with this other information."
"Hmmm, something tells me that you really did come here to propose. Would it help if I accepted now so you can then explain the deep dark secret before we have the ceremony?" she asked.
"You're willing to marry me without any knowledge of what's going on?" he asked.
"I think that I still love you enough to risk it," she answered. "I won't guarantee that it's as a mother or a lover, but I'm fairly certain that I do. I also know that you're not going to be opposed to my preference for nudity, either, since I know you practice it at home. I think we're a little more compatible than I previously thought. That night at your quarters, I was willing to give up my lifestyle for a proposal from you. I guess I've still got some schoolgirl thoughts in my head."
"Okay, I will trust you with something that only a few people know of. You must keep it secret, even if you suddenly change your mind about accepting a proposal. Annie is dying. She wants me to remarry before she dies so that she'll be certain that I have someone to lean on," he said.
Lucille's mouth opened and she looked at Admiral Oden in shock.
"Her condition is genetic, so there is no cure or treatment. I only learned last night about it. Her time is limited and, as you can see, I'm desperate to comply with her wishes. I don't know if I love you or if I'll grow to love you as much as you might love me. I can't even promise you that after Annie dies that I'll be faithful to you, either. I don't know how I'll react when she passes away. I'm really hoping that if one of us has any love for the other, that things might manage to stay together and settle down into a stable relationship. That's what you'd be accepting. Are you sure that you want to now?" he said.
"I need one more answer before I give you my final answer. Do I have to be strictly a wife or will you permit me to continue in the service?" Lucille asked.
"I think it's only fair that you be allowed to continue in the service if that's what you want. I don't blame you for wanting something of your own, especially since there are no guarantees that we can make a go of this. I hope that's the answer you want," he replied.
"It is. When do you want to have the ceremony and will we have our own honeymoon?" she asked.
"Well, the sooner the better and a honeymoon is going to have to wait until you graduate. Fair enough?"
She nodded and said, "Yes, that's fair. At least, I'll get to sleep with you once or twice before then. Right?"
"Sure. We can do that much before we have a honeymoon," Dave replied. "Now, if you'd like, why not grab your shoulder pack later when I get off work and meet me at my hove
r. I'm sure you'd like to meet Annie. Perhaps the two of you can make the wedding arrangements. I'm sure it's something you'd rather attend to alone, but I'm asking if you'll allow her to participate some."
"I'd love to meet Annie. She can probably fill me in on a lot of things about you that I don't know. You're not going to keep many secrets from me, Dave."
***
The questions thrown at Admiral Oden by the reporters were somewhat confused when Ensign Lucille Wrigley climbed into the hover beside him just before it left headquarters. Almost instantly, the reporters knew that something was up when Admiral Oden put one arm around the naked woman whom they didn't know. They only knew that she was a cadet, judging from the body-paint rank on her bare shoulders and her Academy-issued weapons belt.
Just as quickly as the admiral's hover left, the reporters rushed to their own so they could follow to see what was happening. Some of them probably expected the Admiral to try to give them the slip, but they were again surprised when the admiral's hover went directly to his home.
They stopped at the edge of the lake where many of them quickly undressed so they wouldn't be told to leave. Only a few left, unwilling to get naked even for what appeared to be a new twist in their coverage of the admiral.
***
Dave undressed, letting Lucille see him naked in person for the first time as Annie came out to greet him.
"You work fast, honey," Annie said.
"Not really, but I saw something before in Lucille that prompted me to investigate further. We've talked and I've told Lucille the truth. Anyway, I'm being forgetful of my obligations. Annie, this is Cadet Ensign Lucille Wrigley. Lucille, this is my wife, Annie. In a while, I'll introduce you to our children. I suppose the three of us should talk some to get the groundwork in place," Dave said.
"No, the two of us are going to talk. You go play with the kids, big boy," said Annie as she embraced Lucille with a welcoming hug.
***
"What do you suppose her relationship is?" Noel said.
Paravoid (Rust Bucket Universe) Page 21
