“Sounds like a great idea to me Steve. Okay if we figure it out later? We have to see and spend sometime with Tomi. And an officer friend of Tomi’s and Brad’s helped Suzie get a letter in official mail to me, so I owe him a favor.”

  “We’ll leave it up to you and whatever night you can make it, we’ll do it. Sound OK?”

  “Sounds great to me. If I know Suzie, she has everything, including that, all set up. She’s my social secretary.”

  “I have one of those too.

  By the way, as soon as the ramp is opened make your break through the terminal and be back at the terminal at 0730 on the 1st. Think it’s a Thursday. And we’ll see you sometime for dinner.”

  TWENTY-FOUR

  Dan hurried through the swinging doors of the MCAF Terminal and the first person he saw was a small young looking Okinawan woman in a flowered light green kimono. She made eye contact with him and broke into a big smile as she turned to a very tall woman standing next to her and spoke. Though only partly within Dan’s line of sight behind a column he could see she had on a Chinese cheongsam that was blue with pink and white flowers entwined and spirally up from the hem and onto her right shoulder. Knowing that Suzie loved them and had several cheongsams because they went well with her height he had what he considered an impossible vision. It can’t be her. She doesn’t know that I’m coming today!

  She stepped out around the column as he drew nearer. They came face to face and both broke into a huge smile. Tears ran down Suzie’s high Asian cheek bones. Her dark hair with its attractive red highlights was up Oriental style showing off her slim neck and small ears with dangling gold ear rings that Dan had given to her their first year together. In fewer than two steps they were together holding each other fiercely. Every inch of one was pressed against the other as if they were trying to take the other completely into themselves to become one. Their mouths met and for several minutes it seemed that each was breathing for the other.

  “My Lover, I love you so much.” Mostly out of breath, they leaned their heads back enough so they could speak.

  Dan looked into her emerald green eyes sparkling with tears. “I love you too.” He started to kiss her tears away. They each refused to let the other go. Both were content to stand pressed together feeling the other’s warm breath on their faces and necks and feeling the warmth and soft pressure of the other’s body.

  They finally separated a bit more and looking into each other’s eyes, held each other with their hands on the other’s hips.

  “How did you know I was on this airplane?”

  “Reiko came to get me this morning at about 0600 and said that you were on your way home.”

  “You didn’t get my letter that I was coming then?”

  “No. When did you send it?”

  “The day after Brad died. I took his R & R. How did Reiko know?”

  Suzie looked over Dan’s shoulder at somebody standing behind him. She pivoted him around by his hips so he could see Steve Lars standing with his arm around his wife.

  “I am not without resources and a little pull. I called Reiko from Da Nang last night after you went to sleep and told her to bring Suzie here with her when she came to meet me.”

  “Thank you. Both of you.” Dan spoke with a catch in his voice.

  Reiko stepped over to Dan and Suzie to hug them both. “We want to see you. We still on for Tuesday night, Suzie?”

  Suzie’s eyes were still full of tears and she could only nod at first then managed to squeak out “Hai.” She stepped away from Dan just a little so she could reach Reiko and leaned down and hugged the barely 5’ tall Okinawan girl. “Domo arigato gozaimasu, both of you.” Suzie spoke through tears and stepped over to hug Steve also.

  “She wiped her tears away, dabbed her nose delicately with a small pink silk hanky before turning to Dan. In a hoarse whisper said, ”Let’s go home My Love. I want you to myself for the next 24 hours. Then I’ll think about sharing you.”

  Without another word being spoken, hand in hand, they left the terminal and stepped into the first on base taxi in line. Suzie gave the driver an address so fast that Dan wasn’t quite sure what it was.

  “Where are we going? That didn’t sound like Koza to me.”

  “You’ll see. I have a small surprise for you. Be quiet now.” She said as she snuggled against him and slid her upper body under his left arm pressing her full breasts against him. She raised her face to him and he gently kissed her red lips though he was sure that he was already wearing as much of her lipstick as she was.

  When they went out the front gate, the taxi turned left instead of right towards Highway #1. Dan decided to keep his mouth shut and enjoy going where his Lover wanted to take him. He wasn’t paying too much attention, but shortly, maybe two miles from the Futemma front gate they turned left on a busy street and Suzie spoke for the first time. “This is part of Ginowan. It is a nice place for us to live. When you come back from Vietnam if you are stationed again at Futemma you are just a short way to work. If you go to Camp Kinser it would not be too far to travel. Anyway, we can live here until you know where we need to live. It’s all right, neh? That I found us a place for you to come home to? I know we were going to wait until you came home on leave, but I couldn’t wait. I wanted our own place.”

  Dan drew her closer. “It’s more than all right. I like this part of Okinawa. It’s very close to where we lived before isn’t it?”

  “Hai. Only before we lived closer to Highway #1 because I was working in the Rendezvous.”

  Do you want to stop working in the bars? Concentrate on finding a BX job, a club or even a job in a restaurant or lunch counter?

  “Can we do that? I used all the money you left me to rent this house. But with what you send me every month will be enough to pay our bills until I find another job and you come back to Okinawa to stay.”

  “We can figure it out over the next couple of days before I go back.” Dan said

  Haiji, dozo.” Suzie told the driver. The street was dirt, had several mid-sized houses that weren’t really Okinawan, nor Western style, but a pleasant blend of each style. Though it was a Saturday and mid-day the street was quiet.

  “Koko.” The driver stopped half way down the street at the third house on the right. It was set back a bit further on the largest lot on the street.

  Suzie took him by the hand and led him through a wooden, oriental style gate which went through a dark brown rock wall almost four foot tall and a foot and a half thick.. Then up to the front door of what appeared to be an Okinawan style of house. It had a red tile roof, a wide wooden front porch and on each side a bit narrower porch all of which the house’s tile roof covered. The front door was of western style, heavy duty solid wood construction with a heavy duty deadbolt lock and brass door knob also with a built in lock. Suzie handed him a key which unlocked both locks. “We do still have stealie boys but they will have a tough job getting through that door.”

  Dan also noticed that the big sliding, Okinawan windows had steel bars across them. Before he stepped through the front door he started to take off his boots but Suzie slapped him playfully on the butt. “Inside. We can put on and take off our shoes inside.

  Right in front of the front door was a tile covered area almost 6 foot square with built in shoe racks on two sides. It had one tall step up to the main floor made of wide boards which was almost two feet above the entrance. Then there was in a short hallway. From this hallway on the right was a western kitchen with small, but western appliances. Straight ahead was a sliding wooden door.

  Dan sat on the raised floor to take off his jump boots.

  As soon as he had them Suzie again took his hand and led him through the door and into the back of the house. “The bathroom and soaking tub is there.” Pointing to the left. “Our bedroom Is through the next door here. On the right is what you call a living room is a tatami room. I haven’t been able
to buy any furniture or pillows for it yet. I want you to help me pick them out.

  Wow. It’s a big room, neh. I love it and it will be fun to buy things for it. It looks about big enough to be a 9’ X 12’ carpet. And windows on two sides facing the back yard.”

  “It is what we call an 8 tatami room. Bigger than the one in our other little house in Futemma. That one was a 4 1/2 tatami room.

  Which do you want first?” She asked as she led him back to the hall then left into the bedroom. A Western style bed that was all made up with floral sheets and a light weight beige blanket dominated the room. She had put his AWOL bag on a chair in one corner next to a double door clothes closet.

  She stepped up to him to be held which he happily did. Again it was as if they were trying to become one physical being. She wiggled and rolled her hips against him as his hands slid down over her slim hips on to her butt and pulled her tighter against him.

  She kissed him harder before moving her head back so she could see his eyes. With a soft and obvious happy smile she spoke in a deep hoarse voice. “I think we have what we want to share.” With more of a smile she rolled her hips rubbing against him some more before gently pushing him away far enough so she could turn her back to him. “Unbutton me, dozo. I will fill the tub while you shower, and I will wash myself Okinawan style then I will scrub your back, then we can soak together. Neh?”

  After undoing the tiny silk covered buttons which ran from the back of her neck to below her tiny waist he gently slipped the cheongsam off her shoulders and let it drop to the floor. She stepped out of the dress before turning back to him. She didn’t have a bra on. Her full breasts were high and their nipples pinkish beige and very hard with aureoles the same beige around them the size of a silver dollar. She had on a pair of small and very lacy red panties.

  Dan bent over and softly kissed each of her nipples before she gently pushed him away with a soft laugh. She unbuttoned his green fatigue blouse and pushed it off his shoulders and pulled each sleeve off one at a time. While he peeled off his tee shirt she undid his belt and fly buttons. He felt her soft fingers slip under the waistband on each hip as she slid his trousers off.

  With a smile she kissed his chest in several places then on his lips. “You taste salty. And muddy! I think that you should take a shower.” A warm soft hand tenderly held his manhood “It’s going to have to wait until we are both clean.

  Shower!” Was the last thing she said as she pushed him towards the bathroom.

  Still damp from the hot soaking water and their somewhat aggressive love making they lay on the sheets of the bed quietly holding each other. Sated and comfortable in their nakedness and knowing what the other liked, their warm sweaty state didn’t interfere in their enjoyment of the moment.

  “”It has been too long My Darling. It will take more than a couple of 5 day R & Rs to make up for the time we have not had each other” Suzie’s voice was hoarse and very low. Her right hand was down between his thighs, halfway down to his knees and slowly caressing his smooth skin.

  “I hope that we never catchup, but I do want to sleep with you every night for the rest of our lives.”

  “Are you asking me to marry you? Again? Do you still want me to have your baby?”

  “Yes and yes. I think that we should keep on working on that baby thing. Don’t you?”

  “Mmmm, ohh! Yes!

  Oh most definitely yes!

  Suzie what are you doing to me?”

  Dan started to slowly wake up and become aware of his surroundings. He felt her hot skin pressed against his back and felt her arm which lay across his side as her hand softly and slowly caressed his chest. He forced one eye to open and look out a window as he tried to orient himself to the bed they were in and the position of the window. He slowly moved his head.

  “Are you awake My Love?” Suzie asked him quietly.

  He felt her warm lips touch his forehead then gently touch his lips. He couldn’t help but to react even if he hadn’t wanted to. His lips pressed back as he nipped hers before sucking her lower lip between his lips.

  “Oh! You are awake.” Suzie leaned over him her breasts teasing the skin of his chest. “Are you ready to wake up and have something to eat? You’ve been asleep for over 8 hours.”

  “Hai.” He said sleepily in answer to her question.

  “Is that all you have to say? Me your one true love and I only get a ‘Hai’ after all the time I spent holding you and holding you, and..”

  “And what?”

  Dan gathered her up in his ams and pulled her naked body on top of him. “Don’t you ever wear any clothes?”

  “Not when I’m in bed with you. Does that bother you?”

  “Only if you decide to start wearing them.”

  “Want some coffee? I think that maybe you want to pretend it’s morning. At least for a while. And it is all ready to make. Just boil the water and pour it into the coffee press.

  Coffee and then breakfast? American style breakfast. I remember how to make you pancakes, bacon and eggs.”

  “After a couple of cups of coffee that will really sound and taste good. Your pancakes are terrific.”

  “Of course. Real Aunt Jemima right from the box. With real butter.”

  “And where did this box of good American pancakes and butter come from?”

  “The BX at Futemma. Reiko got them for us so I could make your first breakfast back on Okinawa like I used to make for you. It’s good she got it the day after I asked if she could because you were not supposed to be here until maybe June.

  But again I knew deep in my senses that you were on your way to me.“

  “I need a shower while you make coffee then we can lay around and drink coffee and talk. God, how I want to talk to you. There is so much I thought about after I went back to Vietnam.”

  “I want to do that also.

  I already took a shower while you were asleep. If you want I’ll wash your back for you.”

  “That would be great. A hot shower followed by an Okinawan bath to jump into .”

  They had finished eating their late evening breakfast. Suzie took the dishes into the kitchen and objected when Dan tried to help her. “Now I will do it. Later, after we are really married, and you are home all the time, and maybe we have aka-chans to take care of, you can help.”

  Though they were yet to furnish the tatami room, they both liked to use it and usually ate their meals in there using trays that Reiko and Steve had given to them as a house warming gift when Reiko saw how bare the room was.

  “Is it too late to go to Tomari and see Tomi, Suzie?”

  “I think it would be better if we go early Monday morning, tomorrow. It’s almost 2200 hrs. She is probably not asleep, but by the time we get ready to go it would be very late, My Love.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. I can’t adjust to the time. If I looked out the window I would know it’s the middle of the night.”

  “I think that in a couple hours you will be ready to go back to sleep. You are always so very tried when you come home from Vietnam.”

  “I don’t think that I sleep very much or very good in Vietnam and we work very hard. Here I’m more relaxed and since I can touch you at anytime I want, I know you and the rest of our world is all okay.”

  The early morning sun was flooding their bedroom with a warm golden glow. Dan was laying on his back with both his hands behind his head. He was trying to be quiet and moving very little so he would not wake up Suzie. She had moved closer to him when he first stirred awake maybe 30 minutes ago. She was on her left side curved in an arch with her bare butt pressing against his left hip, Her hands were pursed together under the left side of her face.

  “Are you ready to get up, My Love?” She asked without changing position.

  “How long have you been awake?” He asked her while turning up onto his left side.

  “I think the same time as
you did. The sun is beautiful and feels so nice.”

  He realized that the light weight blanket they had been sleeping under had been thrown off the bed and except for the gay floral print sheet across their lower legs they were naked and he also knew how great the sun felt on his skin.

  Suzie snuggled closer after he had got on his side and took his right hand and arm and pulled them over her side and placed his hand on her left breast. “There, that is where it should be. It feels very nice and makes me feel safe.

  We can get up and I’ll fix you coffee and breakfast again if you would like.”

  “Let’s just stay here a while longer.”

  “Mmmm. Hai“ She agreed in a contented and sultry voice.

  “We do have to get up now if we are going to see Tomi.. It’s almost 10 hundred hours.” Suzie said as she wiggled and pressed her butt into Dan’s crotch.

  “Hai, you shower while I make coffee. Then when I shower you can fix us something to eat. Neh?” Dan asked as he swung out of bed and headed for the kitchen.

  “Are you going to put on your nemaki?”

  “Iie. I thought that I would tease and tempt you and you would shower faster to come back to me.” He answered before reaching for the light blue geometric patterned nemaki in the doorway to the bedroom.

  “Where is my nemaki?” Suzie asked as she slid off the bed.

  “I think it’s in the living room where you dropped it last night.” Dan answered.

  “Where who dropped it?”

  “Hai. You dropped it. Don’t blame me for all your clothes falling off.” Dan responded with a smile as he ducked into the kitchen to avoid a pair of Suzie’s airborne panties.

  It was a warm typically sunny morning with a gentle onshore wind carrying before it the smell of the tide flats and hint of Okinawa. They had not hurried showering and went out on the small back porch with only their underwear on to drink their coffee. Only the roof of the house behind them showed above their backyard fence. They were content to be in each other’s company and neither was in a hurry to leave their home knowing that this time visiting Tomi would not be a fun visit. It was past noon before they finally had finished getting dressed and left the house.