A Uniform Kind of Love

November 20, 1986

Copyright © 1997 Property of Deborah K. Fletcher. All rights reserved.

It was a warm, September evening. Bekka was in a good mood; she had found an activity which she really enjoyed. She had become an Air Rescue cadet. Her mood changed as she rode into the parking lot of the Rescue headquarters. From her place in the back seat, she saw a white car, parked at the edge of the parking lot. She couldn't see it very well, but she saw that it had Ohio plates. There was a man in the driver's seat, and no one else around. She felt a sudden chill, and panic washed over her.

She got out of the car and stood in place for several moments while she decided what to do. She had only learned protocol in the past week, and was not good at it, so she decided to avoid the strange man, whom she had realized was an officer. She skirted around the flight school, adjacent to the headquarters, and walked down the flight line to the main building. She walked quickly, painfully aware of her too-large fatigues, men's-style combat boots, and hastily-braided hair. She was just past fifteen, and she was beginning to realize that her uniform was less than flattering to her.

As the meeting time drew closer, Bekka returned to the trailer, which the Rescue used as its headquarters. The man from the car was standing next to his car, putting on a jacket. Her fears were realized; he was an officer. She took a deep breath and moved toward the trailer. She stood in the shelter of the steps, pressed against the wall. Then he started toward the trailer. Bekka's panic increased. The man was hardly three paces from her by the time she gained the courage to raise a shaky salute. He stopped and returned her salute with a smart snap.

Bekka was saved the additional problem of handling a conversation with the man, whose uniform had identified him as Lindsay, by Chris' arrival. She saluted him confidently, being accustomed to working with Chris.

After rendering the salute, Bekka said, "Chris, you've gotta teach me that. I don't know what to do."

Chris laughed, and walked over to salute Lindsay.

The meeting passed well, with a full flight of cadets in attendance. Lindsay stood in a corner, watching the proceedings.

As the meeting ended, Bekka and Randy began exchanging insults, as usual; Randy was considered the squadron brat, and he had only been a cadet for a month longer than Bekka. When she realized that Lindsay was still there, Bekka became embarrassed. She was not used to having unfamiliar officers observing her activities.

Three months passed, and Bekka became confident of her abilities. She progressed rapidly through the ranks, learning everything she could. The squadron moved to winter quarters, and she thrived on the attention that she received in the new, closer quarters.

Then, on a frigid night in December, Lindsay returned to visit the Rescue again. Bekka had learned to recognize grade insignia by then, and she recognized him as a Cadet Major. Her fear was already gone from her, and realizing that he was a cadet set her at ease.

The winter headquarters was locked when the cadets arrived, so Bekka began talking to Lindsay. Both cadets were maintaining strict levels of protocol, so neither learned the other's first name. Lindsay called Bekka by her surname, MacLennan, and she avoided using his name.

Finally, about an hour after the meeting was supposed to have started, a caretaker opened the doors. The headquarters were in no condition for a meeting that night, so everyone called home for rides.

Almost a year passed before Bekka saw Lindsay again. She progressed through the ranks as quickly as possible, gaining position and power, as well as grade. She lost the last vestiges of her fear of officers, and gained confidence in her abilities. Then, at the end of October, he returned again.

Bekka was surprised to see Lindsay at the meeting that night. He had arrived in civilian dress, but he carried himself as though he was in uniform. His assuredness impressed Bekka, and she saw that he was much friendlier than she had thought during the winter.

Bekka and Lindsay talked during their free time, and they got along very well. The Colonel, her commanding officer, was concerned about their friendship, however, and he warned her to be careful of him.

Two weeks later, after another meeting, Bekka's telephone rang. She picked it up and a male voice asked, "Is Bekka there?"

"This is," she replied.

"This is Sean," the voice said.

"Sean who?"

"Sean Lindsay."

"Oh! I didn't know your first name."

Sean and Bekka talked for nearly an hour. Then, just as they were getting ready to hang up, Sean said, "You can take this any way you want, but I'd like to take you out."

Bekka took a deep breath, then said, simply, "Okay."

They talked for a little while longer, then they hung up and Bekka went to bed.

The next day, Friday, Bekka called Sean to tell him that a meeting, which they were supposed to have attended for the Rescue, had been cancelled. Once she had given him her message, they turned to more casual conversation. In the course of their conversation, Sean asked Bekka to go to dinner with him on Sunday. She accepted, and the conversation ended for that evening.

Sean and Bekka talked on the telephone several times between Friday night and Sunday afternoon. Their conversation was light, but it had a serious note. Their friendship deepened as the week progressed.

Sean arrived at Bekka's house a few minutes before six o'clock in the evening. She had spent a long time getting dressed, and had done her best to look nice.

Sean met Mrs. MacLennan, then he and Bekka left. They went to a restaurant in the next town away from Bekka's home, and they had a wonderful time. Bekka let Sean handle everything, including ordering dinner.

During dinner, Sean gave Bekka his class ring. She was hesitant about putting it on, so she put it on the table during the meal. After dinner, she slipped it on, but she felt shy about it, so she didn't tell Sean.

They drove around town for a little while, then they went to an observation point with a view of the city's lights. They just sat for a little while, then Sean told Bekka about himself. When he asked her about herself, though, Bekka became self-conscious.

"I dunno. There really isn't much to say. I mean...." She trailed off into a confused silence.

Seeing her hesitation, Sean took her hand in his. She looked up at him and smiled. Then she relaxed and told him about herself.

After a while, Sean said, "Close your eyes. I have a surprise."

Bekka did as he asked. She heard him rummaging in a pocket, then he took her hand again. He slipped a ring on it, fumbled for a flashlight, and told her to open her eyes.

"Oh," she breathed. "It's beautiful." She looked up at him with her eyes shining. The ring was a diamond solitaire.

"I wanted to see your reaction," he said. "You know what it is, don't you?"

"I think so."

"Good." He leaned over the armrest in the middle of the seat and kissed her. Then they sat together, looking out over the city.

It was five minutes before ten o'clock when they returned to Bekka's house. She had a ten o'clock curfew, so they were pleased by the timing. She asked Sean to go in with her, and they sat in her kitchen for nearly an hour. It was nearing midnight before she even got to bed; she didn't sleep that night.

The next day, Bekka was in a wonderful mood. She showed everyone the rings, and told all of her friends about him. Everyone, except Tim and Rick, was happy for her. It did not seem to matter, though; Bekka was in a wonderful mood.

Monday night, Sean surprised Bekka by showing up at her house. He visited with her mother for a while, then Sean and Bekka went for a walk in the yard. They ended up at his car, and he took a package out of the front seat. He took something out of a bag, and put the bag in the back seat. Then he handed her the thing from the bag. It was a little teddy bear. She smiled with a small, warm smile that had never been there before. Then he kissed her and asked her to marry him. She accepted, and the engagement became official.

Two years passed while Bekka went through her training with the Army. Then, after her technical school, she and Sean moved to a base in central Texas. They were married after a week on the base. Bekka knew then that she had never known happiness before.

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