In the last couple of years, the seventeen year old had learned that being tall, handsome, and related to a high-ranking officer could usually get you a girl, if you wanted one. He'd picked up a lot of tips on how to score from the enlisted men, and usually did pretty well for himself.
A leggy brunette passed him, and Lee contemplated the retreating view, thinking again that he liked this new style-- the mini-skirt, wasn't it called?-- even if the Colonel did think it was indecent. Or maybe because the Colonel thought it was indecent.
Of course, a girl didn't have to be tall to look good in one of the new short skirts. That one, leafing through the magazine rack in front of the PX, for example. She was tiny, maybe five-three, but the length of leg displayed was delightfully proportioned and the thin, snug-fitting knit tank top showed off her smooth shoulders to perfection.
The girl, a local if her blue-black hair and golden coloring were any indication, reached for something on an overhead rack and her skirt hiked up another inch. Yes, Lee could get used to this new style. Now, if she'd only turn around, he could see what that tight top looked like from the front.
The magazine slipped from the stretching girl's hand and dropped to the ground. Lee, not about to let an opportunity like that pass, stepped quickly forward and crouched to retrieve it for her. As she turned around, he rose to his feet and offered her the magazine-- a local one-- with his best lady-killer smile, hoping she spoke English. "I think you dropped this."
The girl opened her mouth to thank him-- and froze, mouth forming a soundless 'o' and eyes widening in surprise as they rose to his face .
He was a little startled by the intensity of her reaction, but was about to continue when the pixie-faced girl asked, "Lee?"
That was completely unexpected, and the teenager spent a frantic few seconds running every girl he'd ever dated through his mind. He was certain-- well, almost certain-- he'd never dated this one before, but she was vaguely familiar. Now, where...?
The girl's astonishment was replaced by a delighted smile, and she planted both hands on her hips before demanding, "Lee Stetson, you no-good son-of-an-officer, is that you?"
The pose, combined with the old, familiar semi-insult, was all he needed. "Mike?" he gasped. "Mike!" A genuine grin replacing the smooth, facile smile and he swept the tiny figure up in his arms, whirling her in a circle with her feet well off the ground.
His old friend returned the grin, looking down at him from her involuntary perch. "Stetson, you big lummox, put me down!" she laughed, and beat good-naturedly at his shoulders with both fists.
He did so, and the petite Eurasian took both his hands in hers and backed off a half-pace.
"Jeeze, you're tall!" She craned her neck to survey Lee's six-foot length. "It's good to see you again, Lee. Been a long time since Istanbul."
"Three years," he agreed, and wondered how he could ever have failed to recognize her. "Keeping out of trouble, Mike?"
"No more'n usual." Her eyes sparkled with familiar mischief. "When'd you get here? I can't believe I didn't know you were coming. How long you gonna be in Okinawa? Where are you quartered? Has your uncle made Brigadier yet? Did you--"
"Whoa, take it easy," Lee laughed, raising both hands in protest at the flood of questions. "Give a guy a chance to answer, okay?"
Mike folded her arms and tilted her head to one side. Her slim, sandalled foot tapped the pavement. "Okay, I'm waiting."
"Impatient noncom brat," he teased in turn, then relented and answered her questions. "We got in yesterday morning. I think it was an emergency transfer, which is probably why you didn't know about it." Mike always knew all a base's gossip before anybody else. "I don't know how long we'll be here, we're in number 18 in Officer Country, and the Colonel--" he sighed-- "is still the Colonel."
Mike's smile was replaced by a concerned frown. She knew all about Lee's uneasy relationship with his uncle. "You doin' okay, Lee?"
"I'm fine," he assured her, not quite truthfully. "How's your family?"
The girl's expression turned a trifle smug. "I'll have you know Pop made Master Sergeant last year," she informed him with obvious and pardonable pride.
"Really? That's great!"
"I would've written you about it, but you haven't sent me a new address in a while," she added pointedly.
"Yeah, well." Lee shifted uncomfortably and tried to talk his way out of it. "We move around so much, all your letters were getting forwarded two or three times. And then I just sort of lost track...." He trailed off, knowing the excuse was a flimsy one. He could have found out her father's latest posting, if he'd tried. They were almost never classified assignments, unlike most of the Colonel's.
Mike took his big, sun-brown hand in her slim golden one and smiled forgiveness. "S'okay, Lee. I know how it is," she assured him. "Listen, what say we--"
She was interrupted by someone noisily clearing her throat. Lee turned toward the sound and saw his date, standing behind him with arms crossed and a decidedly put-out expression.
"Ah, Patti, hi," he said, wondering how long the girl had been standing there. "Uh--" he glanced from the tall blonde to his tiny friend. "Do you two know each other?"
"We have a few classes together," Mike told him with a marked lack of enthusiasm.
"Do we?" Patti raked the smaller girl with a scornful gaze. "I suppose we do. Sammy, isn't it?"
Mike's eyes narrowed, her jaw thrust forward, and she rose on her toes, seeming suddenly and ominously taller. Lee, recognizing the signs, rushed to head off an explosion. "Uh, Mike, it's been great meeting you again," he said, taking her arm and turning her away by main force. "We'll talk later, okay? I've got to go now. Patti and I are going to catch the early show."
As soon as their backs were to the blonde, Mike reached up and grabbed her friend's shirt front, catching him off balance and pulling his head down next to her own.
"Don't let that harpy get her claws in you, Lee," she hissed, furious. "She only wants to add a Colonel's nephew to her collection. She'll dump you as soon as she gets laid."
Lee stared at her for a moment, shocked by his friend's forthright comments. Then the meaning of her words sank in, and he realized tonight was going to be even better than he'd thought. "I can handle it, Mike," he assured her with a tight smile.
Concern flickered across the mobile little face, but she nodded and let him go.
Lee watched her walk away, then turned back to where his date waited impatiently. They were starting toward the base's cinema when he heard a familiar shout.
"Hey, Stetson!"
Lee turned toward the sound. "Whatcha want, Reilly?" he bellowed.
"Sukiyaki! My place, tomorrow, seven o'clock!" Mike shouted from three doors down, hands on hips and grin firmly back in place.
"It's a date," he agreed, and only realized how it sounded when he turned to find Patti glaring at him.
"Uh--" He tried to repair the damage. "She's an old friend."
"Really." She obviously wasn't buying it.
Lee decided to let it drop. "Shall we go?" He offered her his arm and his most persuasive smile, and after a moment she accepted. They continued on their way, and Lee began to plan his strategy for the evening. Mike might be right, Patti might only be interested in adding to her 'collection'. But two could play at that game....
The Pewter Gryphon's Lair