Curtis Woodman Ch. 02

We slipped in unannounced, the colonels regiment dropped in with all the bells and whistles known to man and press. The Unit was the eyes and ears for Colonel Franklyn for the entire operation, and for months to the press he looked like he was chasing a ghost. The rebels told the world that they would wait until the regiment of foreigners were gone, and then go back to instilling their will on the people.

Upon making their position known, the inhabitants of that country started heading to the boarders, and the neighboring countries promptly closed them. Colonel Franklyn called for calm and the press mocked him as the leader of the rebels held his own press conference demanding that the colonel leave and take his boys with him. The UN stuck their nose in at the insistence of the Prime Minister and a conference to hammer out a deal was set for the end of the week.

The colonel's regiment held back the tide of trouble, he was outnumbered and in a country where he knew he would receive little or no support from the neighbors. The leader of the rebels walked in like he owned the place, he postured for all of ten minutes while Colonel Franklyn sat and pretended to listen, then he held out a tablet for the rebel leader to look at.

He stopped talking after that. It was now the colonel's turn to tell him what was going to happen from now on. More so when every time he looked at his wife and family sitting terrified between two women in full Burkas. The rebel leader left the room and told the worlds press, 'sorry' before getting into a car and heading for retirement from politics. He met up with his wife and children as he crossed the border.

Colonel Franklyn and his regiment stayed another month to get the political parties sorted, and the UN to place a presence in the country for another year to see to elections.

The Unit left a month after Colonel Franklyn just in case a certain person took it upon himself to slip back into the country and start all over again. We got back in time to see the medals being handed out. The Colonel sent over a few bottles of nice vintage Champagne as a thank you.

I can't understand why, 'officially' we were training on the Brecon Beacons and didn't know about any of this going on.

We all stood as a group off to one corner, watching the medal ceremony when I leant over to Ashley and said. "Just think, if you'd hung on to your request a little longer, you could be getting one of those."

She smiled and we all knew that she just had to have to last word. "What, and miss all those nice flowers, hills and shit that the Brecons are famous for boss, not a chance."

They all laughed, even more so when I added. "See, we have a woman of culture with us now that can see all that stuff, not like you bunch of Neanderthals."

The colonel sent his RSM over to remind us of the medal ceremony and that we were making too much noise.

*******

The boat club looked like a building site. In my absence they had pulled down the old clubhouse, and as the gates closed behind me, the workmen were putting on the roof to the new building. It sure looked bigger than the last one, then I reminded myself what they planned to add to this one.

I also had to do a double take when I pulled my car alongside my boat. The boat moored in front of mine was supposed to be Terry and Tracy Hannaman's boat. So, unless they stuck their hand into their pension money to buy this big-ass canal boat, something was definitely amiss here. I kinda got a clue when I spotted Munchkin sitting on a folding chair, sunning it up on the roof of the big-ass boat.

I spotted the name on the boat about the same time Munchkin caught me laughing my ass off. The big-ass boat was called 'Becky Ortiz'. She came and joined me so that we entered my boat seconds after each other.

"Momma said she wanted to name it, Titanic, because it would be if she was ever allowed to drive it."

Then she got that really confused look. "Curtis why are you in Miss JoJo's and Miss Ashley's boat.

Before I had a chance to answer my boat tilted slightly and the sound of female voices could be heard on the deck, seconds before a couple of bags dropped onto the floor in front of me.

JoJo stuck her head in next and the rest of her followed. "Oh, hey boss, you know you need permission to be on our boat now?"

Before I had a real chance to get up a head of steam, Ruth barged her way onto my boat.

"Becky, you promised to call me when Curtis arrived."

"Well momma." Then she pointed to me. "He's here."

That set everyone laughing, except me. Ruth had by now scooped her arm around mine and gently pulled me above deck.

"First off, you shush mister. When you left you didn't give me a chance to reply. So that's your fault." She then pointed at the big-assed boat that Becky had once again made herself at home on the roof, minus trainers and socks, I might add. "This is ours until the apartment above the clubhouse is finished; and then, I'm under threat from my daughter of leaving home if I try to sell her boat."

It seems that Ruth did talk to Maggie. The guy in me sure would have liked to have been a fly on the wall for that conversation. The result being that what I had said to her before leaving hit her hard. Maggie was still an officer's wife, so Freddie would have told her where we were going, but until Ruth took that next step, she was still an outsider.

Maggie had run aground many times with her conversations with Ruth, to the point that she basically told Ruth that she had not only all the information, opinions but the opportunity to do something about it. So, she quiet literally needed to 'piss or get off the pot'.

"I needed an answer to a question you didn't want to talk to me about Curtis. By the time I was given that answer, I just knew. Being told by Constance what you did sealed the deal for me. I'm sorry I went behind your back Curtis, but with you gone and my mind in such turmoil, I had no choice."

It wasn't hard to pick up the name she had used.

"You spoke to Constance?"

I barely heard the whispered confession that came next. "I spoke to Brooke as well."

The tears welled up and threatened to engulf her. "Your back was on fire when you carried her daughter through the building."

Her arms went around her body and held on tight. It seems being part of the social elite back home had its advantages; the story of Brooke and her daughters kidnapping was huge gossip material for weeks. When Rick came back and Ruth was told his name, a vague light came on, in the recess of her mind. She phoned her security chief and told him the story of the kidnapping of the daughter and granddaughter of one of the power houses at the capital.

Both the daughter and a man that had came to visit the Unit for a couple of days before I up and left, had the same last name. Coincidence may be one thing, but a finely honed instinct buried within her, told her something wasn't adding up unless you shine a light on it. Her head of security called Ruth back a couple of days later; he too had friends at the capital. He had dinner with an old friend who went by the name of Cooper, and over that dinner, an interesting story was told to an old friend and college buddy.

Her whole body visibly shook, even holding herself so tightly couldn't calm the images that seemed to have been running rampant in her thoughts. "Brooke said that it was only when you gave her her baby back that you screamed in agony. The boys were on you in an instant, but the damage was done by then wasn't it?"

I couldn't talk, to talk meant my mind would have to re-live the decisions I made and would make again, for the sake of the people I love so dearly. Constance chose well when she got the President to send for the Unit. To a man and woman, we would have all done the same. We went into that building and took them back because one of our own was missing his wife and child.

"I was one of the lucky ones, fire owns you. It takes what it wants and leaves you with that reminder for the rest of your life. In my case, the whole of my back down to the small of my back and the top of my backside. My arms fared slightly better, but not by much. I would certainly be a talking point on a nudist beach."

Ruth looked directly at me, she tried to hide the smile, unsure if she should find what I said funny. In the end, her hands came to her breasts and she pushed them up and let them drop.

By the time my eyes returned to hers, she was waiting for me. "Shall we give that a test one day Curtis; I guarantee I've got a better idea of what people will be looking at."

She pulled air into her lungs and they grew a couple of inches, I looked. I'm a guy, I'm sure I drooled a little as well.

We both looked at each other for a moment, we knew we couldn't continue this line of conversation just now, maybe later. But what needed to be said, had been. We knew both of us had to move past this or both our moods would have taken too big a plunge into sadness, and this wasn't an evening for such a mood.

I nodded my head towards that big old boat and said. "What did you do with Terry and Tracy?"

She looked relieved that I chose to move us on, and once again, scooped my arm into hers and climbed onto her boat. We both waved at Munchkin as we went below for a drink and to finish our conversation.

"Between the harbor master and I." She then made a pretty poor attempt at Italian gangster now. "We made them an offer they couldn't refuse."

Declan Johnston had the unenviable job of trying to keep everyone happy. As Harbor Master, Declan would take the bookings of boats that were coming to visit the area, he would welcome them and find them a mooring at the club. When someone left the club, their permanent mooring would go to someone from the club that wanted it. If you ever thought of the proverb, square peg into a round hole. That was Declan's job as Harbor Master.

But the man had a gift for the job, and when his time as Harbor Master was up, no one sought election to the job. So, by default Declan, got his job back and the whole boat club was happy. Terry and Tracy Hannaman aren't getting any younger, so they asked if they could have the next slot that came up, closest to the new clubhouse.

That conversation coincided with Bill Dunham asking if his boat could be moved back and take the last slot next to the newly planted trees so he wouldn't have to walk his two little dogs so far. The Harbor Master also knew what Ruth had in mind and so the Hannaman's boat moved, so did Bill's.

Ruth took Becky shopping, along with the Harbor Master, and a week later, due to her new boat being given a few upgrades and serviced to within an inch of its life, came back with a widebeam, or as more commonly known as, a big-ass boat. Of course, me being me, I just had to throw in the odd comment about Americans always wanting bigger and better.

That of course, led to another bruise that would take a while to go away. Ruth sat down next to me, her conversation continued, although in a quieter tone.

"I fucked up the last time Curtis, I know I did, and every time I tried to correct that mistake, I went and made another. So, I'm asking for another go. The girls, hell the whole boat club have offered to look after Becky tonight. I want you to show me your scars and in return, I'll show you mine."

It was the first time I had seen her bite her lip, her cheeks went a slight pink color as well. Ruth's hand slowly came to my cheek and rested there. Her eyes seemed on the verge of panic.

"I can absolutely guarantee, I'm a consenting adult Curtis. Please give US a chance."