these things.” Amy did as requested.
“Nice party, huh?” she said as she finished the punch bowl and put it away.
“Yeah.”
“Is Rita coming for Christmas?”
“I hope so.” Rita, Toad’s wife, was a navy test pilot. Just now she was out in Nevada testing the first of the Navy’s new A-12 stealth attack planes. Both Toad and Rita held the rank of lieutenant. “Depends on the flight test schedule, of course,” Toad added glumly. “Do you love Rita?” Amy asked softly.
Toad Tarkington knew trouble when it slapped him in the face. His gaze ripped from the dishes and settled on the young girl leaning against the counter and facing him self-consciously, her weight balanced on one leg and her eyes demurely lowered. He cleared his throat. “Why do you ask?” “Well,” she said softly, flashing her lashes, “you’re only fifteen years older than I am, and I’ll be eighteen in five years, and …” She ran out of steam.
Toad Tarkington got a nice chunk of his lower lip between his teeth and bit hard.
He took his hands from the water and dried them on a towel. “Listen, little one. You’ve still got a lot of growing left to do. You’ll meet Mr. Right someday. Maybe in five years or when you’re in college. You’ve got to take life at its natural pace. But you’ll meet him. He’s out there right now, hoping that someday he’ll meet you. And when you finally find him he won’t be fifteen years older than you are.” She examined his eyes.
A blush began at her neck and worked its way up her face as tears welled up. “You’re laughing at me.”
“No no no, Amy. I know what it cost you to bring this subject up.” He reached out and cradled her cheek in his palm. “But I love Rita very much.”
She bit the inside of her mouth, which made her lips contort.
“Believe me, the guy for you is out there. When you finally meet him, you’ll know. And he’ll know. He’ll look straight into your heart and see the warm, wonderful human being there, and he’ll fall madly in love with you. You wait and see.”
“Wait? Life just seems so …soforever!” Her despair was palpable.
“Yeah,” Toad said. “And teenagers live in the now. You’ll be an adult the day you know in your gut that the future is as real as today is. Understand?” He heard a noise. Jake Grafton was lounging against the door jam. Jake held out his hands. Amy took them.
He kissed her forehead. “I think it’s time for you to hit the sack. Tell Toad good night.”
She paused at the door and looked back. Her eyes were still shiny. “Good night, Toad.”
“Good night, Amy Carol.”
Both men stood silently until they heard Amy’s bedroom door click shut.
“She’s really growing fast,” Toad said.
“Too fast,” said Jake Grafton, and he hunted in the refridge for a beer, which he tossed to Toad, then took another for himself.
Ten minutes later Callie joined them in the living room. The men were deep into a discussion of the Gorbachev revolution and the centrifugal forces pulling the Soviet Union apart. “What will the world be like after the dust settles?” Callie asked. “Will the world be a safer place or less so?”
She received a carefully thought-out reply from Toad and a sincere “I don’t know” from her husband.
She expected Jake’s answer. Through the years she had found him a man ready to admit what he didn’t know. One of his great strengths was a complete lack of pretense. After years of association with academics, Callie found Jake a breath of fresh air. He knew who he was and what he was, and to his everlasting credit he never tried to be anything else.
As she sat watching him tonight, a smile spread across her face. “Not to change the subject, Captain,” Toad Tarkington said, “but is it true you’re now the senior officer in one of the Joint Staff divisions?”
“Alas, it’s true,” Jake admitted. “I get to decide who opens the mail and makes the coffee.”
Toad chuckled. After
“Nice party, huh?” she said as she finished the punch bowl and put it away.
“Yeah.”
“Is Rita coming for Christmas?”
“I hope so.” Rita, Toad’s wife, was a navy test pilot. Just now she was out in Nevada testing the first of the Navy’s new A-12 stealth attack planes. Both Toad and Rita held the rank of lieutenant. “Depends on the flight test schedule, of course,” Toad added glumly. “Do you love Rita?” Amy asked softly.
Toad Tarkington knew trouble when it slapped him in the face. His gaze ripped from the dishes and settled on the young girl leaning against the counter and facing him self-consciously, her weight balanced on one leg and her eyes demurely lowered. He cleared his throat. “Why do you ask?” “Well,” she said softly, flashing her lashes, “you’re only fifteen years older than I am, and I’ll be eighteen in five years, and …” She ran out of steam.
Toad Tarkington got a nice chunk of his lower lip between his teeth and bit hard.
He took his hands from the water and dried them on a towel. “Listen, little one. You’ve still got a lot of growing left to do. You’ll meet Mr. Right someday. Maybe in five years or when you’re in college. You’ve got to take life at its natural pace. But you’ll meet him. He’s out there right now, hoping that someday he’ll meet you. And when you finally find him he won’t be fifteen years older than you are.” She examined his eyes.
A blush began at her neck and worked its way up her face as tears welled up. “You’re laughing at me.”
“No no no, Amy. I know what it cost you to bring this subject up.” He reached out and cradled her cheek in his palm. “But I love Rita very much.”
She bit the inside of her mouth, which made her lips contort.
“Believe me, the guy for you is out there. When you finally meet him, you’ll know. And he’ll know. He’ll look straight into your heart and see the warm, wonderful human being there, and he’ll fall madly in love with you. You wait and see.”
“Wait? Life just seems so …soforever!” Her despair was palpable.
“Yeah,” Toad said. “And teenagers live in the now. You’ll be an adult the day you know in your gut that the future is as real as today is. Understand?” He heard a noise. Jake Grafton was lounging against the door jam. Jake held out his hands. Amy took them.
He kissed her forehead. “I think it’s time for you to hit the sack. Tell Toad good night.”
She paused at the door and looked back. Her eyes were still shiny. “Good night, Toad.”
“Good night, Amy Carol.”
Both men stood silently until they heard Amy’s bedroom door click shut.
“She’s really growing fast,” Toad said.
“Too fast,” said Jake Grafton, and he hunted in the refridge for a beer, which he tossed to Toad, then took another for himself.
Ten minutes later Callie joined them in the living room. The men were deep into a discussion of the Gorbachev revolution and the centrifugal forces pulling the Soviet Union apart. “What will the world be like after the dust settles?” Callie asked. “Will the world be a safer place or less so?”
She received a carefully thought-out reply from Toad and a sincere “I don’t know” from her husband.
She expected Jake’s answer. Through the years she had found him a man ready to admit what he didn’t know. One of his great strengths was a complete lack of pretense. After years of association with academics, Callie found Jake a breath of fresh air. He knew who he was and what he was, and to his everlasting credit he never tried to be anything else.
As she sat watching him tonight, a smile spread across her face. “Not to change the subject, Captain,” Toad Tarkington said, “but is it true you’re now the senior officer in one of the Joint Staff divisions?”
“Alas, it’s true,” Jake admitted. “I get to decide who opens the mail and makes the coffee.”
Toad chuckled. After
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