Random Acts of Kindness

Because he had plans to stop by the campus's clinic that morning, he wore them even though the woman he was hoping to impress wouldn't know one piece of colored cloth from any other. Still, it mattered to him because she was by far the most interesting and attractive woman he'd ever known.

At 10:20 that morning, Phil finished his second class and had 50 minutes before the next one, so he gingerly made his way outside and got in his car and headed to the clinic.

It wasn't quite as busy as it had been the day before, and as was almost always the case, Phil's presence caused nearly every head in a room to turn his way—both male and female. The uniform caused the males to look, and the handsome man in it kept the females looking.

In fact there was rarely a day some cute co-ed didn't try and flirt with him, and he was so used to it that when one looked his way and used her hand to say 'call me', he barely even nodded.

He wasn't being rude, it was just that there was an actual woman in the room, and she was the only person he was interested in, or so he thought until he heard a young male voice call out his name.

"Tim? Hey! What are you doing here?" Phil asked as he bent down to give the boy a hug.

But the hug never happened as Tim stopped short and stared at the uniform.

"Wow! That is SO cool!" he said as he checked out the two silver bars on each collar, the ribbons, Phil's name plate with 'Sexton' on it, and the sharp creases in the shirt.

"Don't you look handsome!" another voice he recognized said, causing him to look away from the shorter person standing in front of him.

"Hi," Phil said, a huge smile on his face.

"I'm impressed," she told him as she also stared.

"Oh. The uniform. Yeah, it makes doing the whole mix and match thing a lot easier. Especially for guys like me who don't exactly do well at it."

"You look...very dashing," Jessica told him before remembering to smile.

"Thanks. And what's this guy doing here?" Phil asked as he looked down at Tim and smiled.

"It's a planning day for teachers, and my mom can't afford a...."

He stopped and looked at his mom then said, "Sorry. I forgot."

"It's okay, honey. It's true."

She looked at Phil and told him she was waiting for her first full paycheck and couldn't afford a babysitter. She'd been paid for three days on the 15th, but still hadn't received a full check.

"The school keeps them until 5pm at no charge, and since I get off at 4:30, school days aren't a problem. And we don't work weekends, so this a rarity."

"Okay. Well, are you helping your mom fix people up?" Phil asked.

"No. I just get stuff for her like bandaids and rubbing alcohol. It's boring."

He again looked up at his mom who tried not to laugh.

"Sorry, buddy. I know this isn't any fun, but it's only until 4:30, okay?"

Phil saw Tim give his mom an 'I know' look then explained why he was there.

"I was kind of hoping I might be able to take you to lunch today."

He looked at his favorite new 9-year old and said, "Both of you."

To no one's surprise, Tim started in with, "Can we, Mom? Please?"

"That will depend on how many people walk in just before noon. Yesterday I didn't get to go to lunch, so we'll have to see."

"Tim? Can I talk to your mom for a second?" Phil asked.

"Okay," he said before asking if he could play a game on his phone.

"Sure. That's fine," his mom said as the boy went to her office to sit down.

"I hate making him stay here, especially if someone's sick. The last thing I need is him being unable to go to school."

"Well, I was about to ask you if you'd mind letting him hang out with me. In the ROTC building. I'm inside teaching classes all day, he'll be totally safe, and I'll take him to lunch whether you can get away or not."

"Thank you, but I can't ask you to do that. You have a job to do, and I...."

"Jessica? I'd not only be glad to do it, I'd really enjoy it. And I'm sure Tim will, too."

Suddenly, Phil seemed much older than his age, and as he looked at her, Jessica felt her heart pounding again.

"And I'll text you every hour or so if you'd like."

"Are you sure?" she asked, hardly able to believe he would be willing to do this while knowing Tim would be thrilled.

"I'm positive. And the cadets will love having him around, too."

"Well, if you're sure."

"I am. One-hundred percent."

Several more students signed in, and Jessica had to get back to work.

"Okay then. Thank you, Phil. Again."

"My pleasure. And you go take care of your next patient, and I'll grab young Timothy."

Jessica laughed a happy laugh then warned him not to ever use her son's full name.

"It's almost as bad as 'Timmy', so say it at your own risk."

He laughed then told her he understood.

"I'm not wild about being called Phillip."

"Hmmm. I think I prefer it. It sounds...distinguished."

Jessica smiled then said, "It...suits you."

As she turned to walk away he said, "Then I may have to make an exception for you."

She smiled over her shoulder but didn't say anything as she called for the next person while Phil went to give his buddy the good news.

"Are you serious? That is totally awesome!"

"Your mom gave me the a-okay, so let's blast outta here."

"Yeah! Let's blast outta here!" Tim said, beaming from ear to ear.

"Have fun and be good!" his mom said.

"I will. I promise!" Tim called back.

She saw Phil put his hand on her son's shoulder and found herself choking up and having to dab her eyes before asking her next patient how she could help them because of the way he was looking up at the Marine in uniform.

At 11:45 Jessica texted Phil and her son to let them know she was swamped. A couple of minutes later she got a reply that told her that was fine, and that the two men would do lunch together.

Had she not been so busy, Jessica might have done more than tear up as she realized she might just be having feelings for this younger man she'd tried to convince herself was much too young. But for some reason, his age now mattered less than who he was, and by all accounts, he was as mature as he was handsome, and the way he made her feel was proof of just how handsome he was.

"No problem. They serve BLTs in the cafeteria, and I know two guys ready to eat a couple of them," Phil texted back. "See you when your day is over."

Phil's last class ended at 1700 or 5pm to Jessica, so she asked if she could stop by the ROTC building and save him a trip.

"Yes. Definitely!" Phil texted back.

"I'll avoid your classroom, though, so you won't be embarrassed," she replied.

"What? Are you kidding? Embarrassed? That's impossible. In fact, I'd be the envy of every guy who sees you, Jessica."

Jessica's heart pitter pattered as she thought about writing, "Are you trying to make me fall in love with you?"

But she settled for, "I had no idea Marines had such low standards in women!"

His reply made the pitter patter skip a beat.

"We don't have low standards. Not in any area. That's the reason I find myself unable to stop thinking about you all day, every day."

Jessica had another student waiting for her and couldn't reply. But what she just read caused her hands to shake as she put her phone down.

Part of it she understood. She not only hadn't made love with a man since her husband was alive, she hadn't been on a date or even been kissed. And here was someone so handsome it took her breath away who was blatantly flirting with her, and while it made no sense to her, she found it hard to believe he wasn't being honest and sincere. And that realization only added to growing sense of confusion and happiness she was experiencing.

She'd never been in or even near the ROTC building but knew where it was. She walked inside and looked around, and a female Navy sailor asked if she could help her.

"Oh. Yes. I'm here to pick up my son. He's with...."

"Oh, sure! I saw Captain Sexton come in with him. What a cutie!"

"Thank you. I think so," Jessica told her as she walked toward the younger woman in white.

"And your husband or boyfriend is, well, it would be unprofessional for me to say," the Navy yeoman said with a smile and a bashful look.

"No. He and I...we're not...he's...he's just watching my son," a stammering Jessica told her.

"Ma'am? I can't imagine someone like Captain Sexton watching anyone's child unless he was, you know, very interested in his mom. And after seeing you, I...I understand why."

"Oh. Oh, my gosh. Um...thank you. I...that's very kind of you to say."

The younger woman was rather plain-looking and had had a secret crush on the handsome Marine Corps officer since the first time she met him. But there wasn't only the rank issue, she didn't look anything like the beautiful blonde standing in front of her, and she had no illusions that there would ever be anything more than a silent crush.

"Do you need me to show you where his room is?" the sailor asked. "It's right above us on the second deck and on the starboard.... Sorry. It's on the second floor on the righthand side. You'll see his name plate outside the door."

"Is it okay for me to go in?"

"I'm pretty sure he won't mind," the younger woman said with a smile.

Jessica thanked her then took the stairs up one floor to the second 'deck' and started looking around. As she walked down the hall, she saw other Navy people in each room. All were commissioned officers teaching classes and dressed in their white uniforms.

She went a little further and saw the name plate: Captain Phillip J. Sexton, USMC.

She peeked in through the window and what she saw caused her eyes to open wide with disbelief. Tim was standing on the desk in front of the class and it looked like he was saluting. Someone saw her and that caused Phil to check the door.

"Stand by," he told the class before opening the door and saying 'hi'.

"Jessica. Come on in."

"Cadets? This is Tim's mother, Jessica Logan. She's the nurse in the campus clinic."

Almost in unison, the entire class said, "Good afternoon, ma'am."

Phil saw the look on her face then explained what was going on.

"Tim volunteered to be my visual aid. He's showing the class how Marines salute, and doing a very good job of it."

The smile on her son's face got to her again, but this time she fought off the urge to cry and smiled back.

"Don't let me interfere," she said before asking where to stand.

"Next to me would be nice," Phil told quietly told her, causing a warmth to rapidly spread throughout her body.

It wasn't until later that she realized how respectful the class was. Another other group of students would have made one or more comments about her presence and probably some rude noises. But everyone was sitting up straight and giving their instructor their full attention.

"Okay. So one more time here, young Marine. Upper arm is parallel to the deck, the forearm and wrist form a 45-degree angle, the wrist is NOT bent nor are the fingers, and the tip of the index finger is touching the brim of the cover. And what does 'cover' mean to Marines?"

"It means a hat, sir!" Tim yelled out.

Phil said that was correct as he looked at his young protege.

"Excellent, Cadet Logan. Just like that. Now cut the salute."

The arm came straight down to his side and once again Phil said, "Outstanding work, my friend."

He offered the boy a high five and to help him get off the table but Tim said, "I got it!" and jumped off like he owned the place.

The cadets began banging their desktops and hollering, "Tim, Tim, Tim! OORAH!"

Jessica wanted to grab her son and hug him and tell how proud she was of him, but she knew he'd never forgive her so she opted for a high five herself as he walked by. And as her son walked to his seat in the rear of the classroom, Jessica found herself wanting to hug someone else; someone who took a genuine interest in her son and someone who made her feel...special.

As she watched Phil finish up the class she asked herself how she could feel like this about anyone she'd only known a short time and never even....

She wanted to say 'kissed' but they hadn't even held hands. And then there was the little detail about how far apart they were in terms of their age. As she was daydreaming, Phil dismissed the class which left in an orderly, single-file manner with every cadet nodding and saying, "Good afternoon, ma'am," as they walked by.

"So what did you think?" Phil asked once he was alone with just the Logans.

"I was very impressed."

"With?" Phil asked with a smile.

"Everything. You, the class...."

Tim was standing beside her so she put her arm around his shoulder then said, "Our young Marine."

"Did you see me salute?" he asked, looking up at his mom as happy as she could remember.

"I did."

"Phil said I did outstanding!"

"Outstanding is the highest compliment you can get from a Marine," Phil said by way of clarification. "Except on an inspection in which 'noteworthy' is better. But this guy is pretty amazing."

Tim was beaming, and Jessica was both happy and thoroughly confused as Phil suggested they go ahead and walk out to their cars.

Outside, Tim was running and playing some kind of game by himself, so Jessica took advantage of the alone time and asked Phil a question.

"Is this...are we, you and I...are we...."

They stopped walking as Jessica stopped talking just before she tried to finish her thought.

"I'd like it if we were," Phil said before she could speak.

"If we were...what?" Jessica asked so quietly Phil barely heard her.

He moved closer then touched her hand, smiled, and said, "A couple."

"Phil, I have...."

"A son? I know," he said, still smiling. "And I think Tim is great. He's such a good kid. And I want you to know I would never, ever do anything to hurt him or...you."

Jessica had been looking into his eyes, but when he said that she looked down at the empty space between them.

"What's wrong? Is it me?" Phil asked.

"No. You're...amazing," she told him without looking up.

"But?"

Jessica looked up and stared at him, amazed at how attractive she found him then said what she'd been thinking but dreaded saying.

"Phil. I'm...I'm 41 years old. Well, closer to 42, actually. I know you think...."

"Jessica?" he said quietly as he moved closer, causing her to stop talking again.

He took both of her hands in his as they stood just inches apart and said, "You can't know what I think. You can guess and assume, but you can't know."

He touched her face for the first time then said, "Unless I tell you."

Her eyes were moving back and forth between his so fast it was almost comical as he asked her, "Would you like to find out how I actually feel?"

Neither of them noticed that Tim had stopped playing. Nor did they see him standing a few feet away watching and waiting and hoping.

"You promised you wouldn't hurt me," she said just above a whisper.

"And I won't," Phil told her as he put ran his hands up and down the back of her arms.

"Jessica, I've never met anyone—ever—who makes me feel the way you do. And no one has ever been on my mind the way you are."

"Meaning?" she asked as her heart pounded in her chest.

"PDA in uniform is discouraged. Very discouraged," he told her with a smile. "But sometimes, the need to display affection overrides the general rule."

"Meaning?" she asked again as Phil moved even closer.

"Meaning...this."

He lowered his head and softly kissed for the first time. A slow, short, dizzyingly wonderful kiss that made Jessica's head spin.

"Are you still confused?" he asked when she opened her eyes and looked up at him again.

"Yes, but for a different reason," she told him.

"Oh?"

"Before, I wasn't sure how you felt about me. Now I...I'm not sure I understand why you feel the way you do."

Phil smiled then said, "One thing at a time, okay? For now, just know that I like you more than I've ever liked anyone, and that I want to get you know you and Tim and see if we...."

"Are you gonna kiss my mom again?" they heard Tim say, causing Jessica to take a half step back as though nothing had happened.

"Not out here, buddy. But are you okay with me doing that?"

The boy was grinning as he looked at his beautiful mom then said, "Uh-huh. It's fine," just like he was ten years older.

Marines weren't supposed to hold hands in uniform, either, but that was also subject to a certain amount of discretion.

"So is it okay if your mom and I hold hands?"

Jessica smiled and took the hand Phil offered as Tim surprised by saying, "Duh!" before turning around and going back to whatever he'd been doing before.

"I uh, I was wondering if you'd like to stay for dinner," Jessica said as they continued walking hand in hand.

Phil let go and explained why he had then told her he'd like that.

"As long as we're still on for Saturday," he added.

"Yes. You and your mom," she told him with a laugh.

"I just need to stop at my place and change."

"Then we'll head straight home and get dinner started."

They were almost to Jessica's car, so Phil told her that sounded great.

"Okay. I'll see you soon then," she told him as they faced each other.

"I have Tim's permission, but would it be okay with you if I kissed you again?"

Jessica laughed a happy laugh and told him she thought it would be fine.

She felt emboldened and said, "In fact, you're welcome to kiss me anytime you like. Without asking."

"You may change your mind if you let me kiss you as often as I'd like, because I'd like to kiss you all the time."

"Okay, I might need to keep going to work, and cooking, and a few other things, but in between them, you could kiss me...."

Before she could finish, Phil pressed his lips against hers again. This time, Jessica put her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

She looked at him, smiled, then asked, "Does that apply to me, too?"

"Oh, yeah. Definitely. Why? Do you want to kiss me, too?"

She tried not to laugh as she told him, "Uh-huh. All the time."

They both laughed, but just before Phil said goodbye, he told her, "I am so glad your tire was flat that day."

She laughed some more then told him, "And I'm glad you're the kind of person who performs random acts of kindness."

"Hmmm. I hear my mom's voice somewhere in there," Phil replied as seriously as he could which made Jessica laugh even more.

"She told me you've been doing them for as long as she can remember."

Phil laughed then asked her, "What self-respecting Marine wouldn't help out a damsel in distress?"

"One not wearing shining armor but maybe...bicycle clothes?" she suggested with a laugh.

She smiled then said, "You look very nice in spandex, by the way."

"And you just look very nice," he told her, causing her to laugh before hugging him again.

"I'm glad my tire went flat, too...Phillip," she said, wondering if he'd allow her to be an exception to the rule.

He narrowed his eyes then said, "I don't even let my own mother call me that."

Jessica kissed him again then told him very quietly, "I'm not your mother."

"Yeah, I uh, I noticed," he said, causing her to hold him even tighter as she laughed again.

"All right. I'll uh, I'll see you soon."

"Bye, Phillip," she said, loving that she could call him that.

"Are you coming to our house?" Tim asked even though he heard most of what they said.

"I am. If that's okay with the man of the house."

It took him a second to realize Phil meant him, but when he got it, Tim said again, "Duh!"

On the way home Tim chattered incessantly about Phil, the class, how Marines salute, that hats are called 'covers', and a lot more. But his mom, who normally lived for every word her son said, only heard the pauses when she could say something like 'oh' or 'uh-huh' as she thought about what just happened. And more importantly about what might happen now that she knew this gorgeous, younger man liked her in a way she never thought possible.