Stormwatch - A Party of Four

The crowd stood stunned, is he really proposing? A hundred people held their breath as this regular guy who had somehow transformed into a knight was proposing on bended knee to someone that they all considered royalty.

She covered her mouth with both hands and nodded. At first the word wouldn't come out, she was too excited. Then the dam broke and she cried "Yes!" loud enough for all to hear... and he was standing, putting the ring on her shaking finger... now they were holding each other tightly, kissing as the band replayed the last chorus of "Could I Have This Dance."

Anthony and Marjorie came up and wrapped their arms around the couple as the crowd clapped. "Let's go sit down before we fall down," said Josh. He led her back to the table and Terri stood there with her mouth wide open. "My date is here now," Josh told her.

"Jeezuz boss," said Terri in total shock. "When you ask a girl to dance you don't hold back shit!"

During their dance the wait staff had appeared and was busy placing bottles of sparkling wine and sparkling cider on the tables, a little surprise that Marjorie had engineered. As Josh and Veronica shook hands and hugged their neighbors and friends at their table the shocked murmuring of the crowd almost drown out anything that a completely stunned Terri and Anthony said. Veronica ended up sitting on Josh's lap and well-wishers streamed to them to congratulate and take pictures. Someone asked Josh for a big smile and to get him to smile Veronica whispered in his ear "Ephraim! How are you enjoying the party?" He broke into great heartfelt smile captured by the company photographer. "You remember?" asked Veronica softly.

"Those were the first words you ever said to me."

"Do you remember what you said?"

"I remember being surprised that you knew how to properly pronounce my name, and I'm pretty sure it was the last time you used it."

"Ef-rum, how hard can that be?" asked Terri as she munched on chocolates from the desert tray ignoring the glares that she was receiving from Josh and Veronica.

"Ok besides Veronica, show of hands, who was surprised by that?" asked Anthony into his microphone as he stepped out on the dance floor. The response was nearly universal including Anthony. "Ok besides Josh, show of hands, who knew that was going to happen? This time the only hands raised were Paul, Andi, John, Macy, Anthony's wife Marjorie, and the entire band.

"My own neighbors?" shrieked Veronica as she leapt to her feet when she saw all of the Jarecki's, Paul, Andi, John, and Macy lifting their hands raising laughter from the Andalon staff gathered around. "You didn't say a word," she growled at Paul. "I held your wife's hand while she was in labor, and you didn't say a word."

"Now you know how I feel," said Terri as she inspected the ring on Veronica's finger. "I'm Josh's best friend and he didn't say a word."

"Sorry Terri, but I'm going to marry my best friend," said Josh as he tried to kiss a laughing Veronica.

As the laughter died Anthony raised a glass and the microphone. "Let's have a couple of toasts," he waited for everyone to raise their glass. To our dear friends, my right hand, the helmsman of the Starship Andalon, Veronica van Köster, and the engineer of that proud ship, our data center hardware manager e'Frame Gravely, tonight a happy loving couple, Ronnie from Erie and Josh from Georgia, may your wedding be joyful, your union be fruitful, and your children be grateful. Nostrovia!"

"Nostrovia!" cried the crowd and they either sipped or drained their wine. This was a shock to them all;

no one saw the connection between them, Veronica is a beautiful, knowledgeable, soft spoken superwoman whose help at the helm of the ship kept Andalon from the dangerous shoals of the business world. Josh on the other hand was the gritty technician who could fix anything with a hammer, sleeves rolled up, clipboard at the ready, a thousand questions in that southern drawl that could brook no nonsense. They were never seen together, they nodded to each other politely in passing. They even parked in different lots. Everybody knew Veronica and Ephraim, but nobody but Anthony and Marjory knew Ronnie and Josh. Anthony is a wizard at hiring the right person for the right job, and this time his talent paid off splendidly.

"Is everybody refilled? Ok then, our second toast is to ourselves, and to each other. We did fantastic this year, and next year looks better! They said we were crazy for building such a big facility in Orchard Park and already we're looking for more room! Next year we're planning to build a dedicated call center facility in Cheektowaga! Cheers to an incredible year and let's make next year another Andalon year! Nostrovia!"

"Nostrovia!"

"Now let's get this party rolling!"

As the dance floor started to fill with revelers, Josh and Veronica went up to the head table and shook hands with the VPs and their wives. When they got to Anthony and Marjorie Josh said "Thank you for all of your support and this great party, Ronnie is going to dance one more dance with Paul and when this winds down, we're heading up to our suite. Y'all still going to join us?"

Marjorie came around the table and gave them a hug. "You didn't even tell me... my own boss!" said Veronica as they hugged.

"He swore me to secrecy, I had to make arrangements with the band and get that wine out to the tables for the toasts. Hey, we need to talk before Monday." Marjorie wanted to talk about a contract that was on the schedule for Monday AM but there is NO business talk allowed at the party. Sure, everybody talked about work, but conducting business was strictly forbidden.

"We're going to be at his cabin all weekend," Veronica started but Josh corrected her by mouthing the words, "Our cabin." Veronica smiled and said, "We're going to be at our cabin, would you like to join us Sunday afternoon?"

"That would be great, we still have the directions," said Marjory.

Just then Mitch came up and tugged at Josh's arm. "I want one more dance with Vicky before you leave honey." Over the past few weeks Mitch and Josh have been calling each other by endearments in jest, it usually ends up with Mitch threatening to steal Veronica's man. Their banter is primarily aimed at getting a rise out of Frank, Mitch's husband.

"Let's do it darlin'," said Josh and the three headed out to the dance floor as the band finished up a tune. Veronica and Mitch stopped in the middle of the floor, Josh stepped up to the band stand and the singer yielded her microphone to him. He started his song with the mantra of all bad public speakers. He tapped the microphone twice and said, "Is this thing on?"

When the crowd saw that it was Josh at the bandstand they stopped what they were doing to find out what the man that surprised the entire company had to say. "Ok, Mitch and Veronica want to do their last dance together, an' they're going to do a dance that I taught 'em. Me! Thas right. This ol country boy taught a professional dancin' coach a dance an' they asked me to karaoke the song because where I'm from, y'all ain't country if you can't sang this song...... Hit it boys!"

The band broke into a base heavy rock-a-billy beat that many of the dancers recognized in an instant. As Mitch and Veronica broke into a spirited Texas Swing, Josh let his South Georgia drawl break free

Everybody goin' out and having fun

Ah'm a fool for stayin' home and havin' none

Ah can't get over how she set me free

Woh, lonesome me...

~~~~~*~~~~~

The party went on for quite a while. Josh and Veronica took up station in front of a cluster of the white flocked pine trees and greeted well-wishers for what seemed to be an entire hour. After that Andi, Macy, and Veronica took to the dance floor in their identically styled red, white, and blue gowns, and they taught a new generation of revelers the joys of the Macarena. While they were dancing Josh was approached by a pair of nearly identical drop dead gorgeous blond women. "Hey sailor," said one of the blonds. Josh guessed it was the mom, except for eighteen years of age separation the two women were nearly identical.

"Ma'am, when I'm dressed like this, I go by sarge, but I prefer Josh."

"I'm Emily Mitchell," she said in that breathy voice that would give the bronze statue of George Washington over in Layfette Park an erection.

"And I'm Audrey Mitchell," said the younger twin who now clung to his arm.

"Good Lord," he thought, "they got matching names too." He realized that he had two breasts pressing against him, one from each of the Mitchell women. "How may I help y'all?"

"Y'all... that's so cute!" giggled Audrey.

"We were wondering if you'd like to dance with one... or maybe both of us," Adriana's lips were dangerously close to his ear.

Outside Josh remained stoic, gentlemanly. Inside he was flashing back and forth between nervous and angry. The way Emily said dance inspired thoughts of a more horizontal form of recreation and if he were a weaker man, he'd be dragging the both of them to the elevator right now... or more accurately, allowing himself to be dragged off to the elevator by these two sexpots.

He settled on angry, he just proposed to the most wonderful woman he's ever met and these two women saw him do it, yet they're hitting on him like they didn't notice? And holy crap, her husband, her father, is standing ten feet away pretending not to notice! A couple of years ago he' have been all over this and would give these two women a fucking that they'd feel ringing in their pussy's for a year. But the sheer arrogance of this! Steady Josh, he told himself, be polite. You may be misreading this whole situation, and their sugar daddy helps sign your paycheck. "Miss Emily, Miss Audrey, I'd like to kindly thank you for the invitation, it's one I shall surely remember and always treasure, but I love my Veronica truly and deeply. Ah'm sorry ma'am, but my dance card is now full for the rest of my life."

The younger blond, Audrey, made a little whimper and seemed to melt with his salvo of Southern Gentlemanly Charm. He could see in her longing eyes that a strict but polite gentleman was exactly what turned this girl on. On the other hand, her mom bristled for a moment, maybe she was the kind that was looking for a ol' redneck horndog she could lead around on a leash. Emily regrouped and went back to her seductress mode. She traced around his ribbon rack with an elegant finger as she asked "Then, could we pose for a few pictures?"

"That would rightly be my pleasure," he said in that panty warming drawl and Emily lead him back to the trees where he and Veronica posed before. As they lined up Josh was shocked to find that the photographer was Robert Mitchell, the husband/father of these two. The moment he raised his DSLR camera and said "Smile!" Josh felt a pair of hands squeeze his ass.

~~~~~*~~~~~

As Veronica toed off her shoes, Paul offered her some advice. "Honey," said Paul placing a hand on Veronica's shoulder. "I've known Josh for a couple of years, we both spent some lonely, miserable days fishing together, looking back I don't know how either of us survived. It was awful, we both bought our land to fight the loneliness, something constructive to do in the day while we waited out the lonely nights. Believe it or not, it was like we both knew that Andi and Ronnie were out there waiting for us, but the wait was a nightmare. Andi and I are so happy for the both of you, that storm came in the nick of time for Josh, we were getting so worried about him." His words reminded Ronnie that he and Andi were brought together by a snowstorm too.

"What... why were you worried about him?"

"I'm right here people, you could at least pretend you know I'm listening," said Josh as he looked through the pictures on his phone. He had asked several people to take photos of his dance with Veronica and send him a copy.

Andi was breastfeeding little Danny, she had a modesty cover made from the same material as her dress, as did Macy. She looked up and said, "watching you dance together that first day in our library we knew... I've never seen Josh so happy." They were sitting in a suite that Josh had rented as a present for Ronnie, he was pretty sure that she would want to unwind after the emotions of tonight, and he was right. After all the eating and dancing and pictures and emotions, she was spent.

So many well-wishers! She wasn't upset at Josh for proposing in front of everyone, in fact it was the right thing to do. If he had proposed to her someplace else, word still would have gotten out at work and traveled around the company like wildfire. She'd have nothing but a string of well-wishers at her office door and she wouldn't get anything done for days. Right now, there are many well-wishers, but work isn't being interrupted and now they have to take the elevator to the 28th floor where their luxury suite was located. By Monday things would have settled down and only the dedicated few that really wanted to see her would knock on her office door.

Josh called this little party an "After Glow." He, Veronica, Katarina and Danny and their parents could get out of the noise of the party but still enjoy a party along with Mitch and Frank and anyone else who wanted to unwind yet still enjoy their beverages. Marjorie insured that the office interns were acting as wait staff running drinks and snacks up to her "daughter's" engagement party. Josh was sitting on a big comfy easy chair and after that bit of encouragement from Paul, Veronica ended up sitting on his lap. She had his Air Force blouse (suit coat) on her lap and was trying to get him to decode the mystery of the ribbons. "Ok, what's this one? The one with the three little footprints."

"Those are oak leaves," Josh explained. "You get an oak leaf every time you get another one of those ribbons. That one is the Air Force Good Conduct Medal."

"So, you were good three times?" Veronica asked. She was getting very confused.

"That's more than I woulda guessed," said Terri, she was sitting near them in a folding chair closely watching the decoding of the ribbons.

"Actually, I have four, the ribbon counts as one, then each leaf counts as an additional ribbon."

"So, you were good four times?" grinned Paul stoking the fire. Officers don't get the good conduct medal and some young lieutenants feel some jealousy over that. The Good Conduct Medal is an actual medal that can be worn on the USAF Mess Dress, many ribbons do not have a medal associated with them.

"You have to have a spotless record of conduct for four years to earn each award," explained Paul.

"I thought you said you retired early," said Terri who was still amazed that someone she knew had a spotless record of conduct for sixteen years.

"I was planning to stay in longer, but Uncle Sam had used me up and sent me home." He had re-enlisted and was planning a few more years in uniform, but the Air Force doctor said no more and sent him home on full disability. His commander was able to keep him in a full sixteen years.

"Ok, you have a leaf on the purple one, what's that for?" asked Veronica. Her mind spun; she was engaged to a hero! She wanted to know everything, what he did, where he went, how he felt.

For his part Josh was overwhelmed, his ex-wife just didn't care, as long as she had a roof over her head and cash in the checking account, he could be digging ditches in hell for all she cared. Every ribbon, every award was done at first to impress her, but as she grew colder, he began taking every dangerous mission he could, demanding more and more out of his crews. Did he do that to impress her or was he suicidal? Now he has a lover that actually cares for him, how far could he have gone in his career with her waiting for him to return home? How much more pride would he have taken in his work knowing she was behind him under the umbrella of his protection. How much safer would he have acted knowing that she was there waiting anxiously for his return?

"That purple one with the heart is for the injuries I suffered when my plane was shot up and had that rough landing and I got bounced around," he said praying she wouldn't argue when he refused to answer the next question.

"What about the leaf?"

"That is a classified incident, I can't discuss it." His heart sank, he didn't want to keep secrets from his fiancé, but he was required to. "If anyone asks just tell them that I cut my thumb opening a beer can."

Veronica turned to Paul, her face a mask of confusion and concern but he just shook his head. Now Andi joined in too, it didn't happen often but on occasion she would ask a patient at the VA where such and such a scar or condition came from, and the patient would say the exact same thing that Josh just said. "He's not allowed to talk about it honey," said Andi.

Paul patted her shoulder and said, "When a flier on a gunship says 'it's classified' quite often it's a pretty bad story, politically or militarily they're stories that you end up wanting to unhear. He's probably got a pocket full of ribbons and medals he's not allowed to wear because of the classified nature of the mission." Josh nodded in agreement.

"I know it's tough," said a very concerned looking Andi, "just be glad he came home."

"What's with the letters?" interrupted Terri. This wasn't the first time she interrupted a conversation that was heading in a direction that caused Josh some pain. He wished it was because Terri has his back and is concerned for him, but most likely it's because she's pretty oblivious to what's going on around her. She was now indicating ribbons that had an R and a C device.

"The R is for Reading; the C is my grade on my promotion exam..."

"Stop!" cried Veronica nudging Josh. "What are they for?"

"What did you do?" Terri was bug eyed in anticipation of a war story.

"The C stands for combat. My team and I put a few fancy new weapons into a mud hut containing the command staff of a bunch of bad guys turning them into something that resembled chunky style raspberry jelly. The fighting in that entire province of Buttfuckistan ended immediately."

"Brutal!" Terri grinned. "What's with the R?"

"I told you, that one stands for Reading. I finished the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy and turned in a book report to my commander."

"No really, what's it for?" Terri wasn't going to be ignored.

"If he didn't answer it by now," said Andi, "I think that means he can't talk about it... or he just forgot."

"I think we heard enough," declared Veronica. Everyone was beginning to droop, the wine and cider was gone, Terri had polished off all the snacks, and Veronica was anticipating a nice warm shower with Josh. Besides, she wanted to tease him in private about the Mitchell girls.

~~~~~*~~~~~

"Where is my blue blazer?" asked Josh as he relaxed in bed. After their shower he had searched the suite while Veronica made herself up, he was sure that he had brought that blazer upstairs with them.

"Are you sure Emily and Audrey didn't take it home with them?" came the taunt from the bathroom.

"That's not going to end any time soon, is it?" he asked.

"I your blazer home with Paul and Andi," called Veronica. "And no, it's not going to end for a long, long time." Josh frowned, not just because of an anticipated year or two of teasing but because he'll have to wear his uniform home. He was hoping that tonight would be the last time he will ever wear it. Still, he was proud to have worn it. Not at all because of the medals and badges, and because he's been out of the service for years and it still fits, (that's saying something about him or maybe about the virtues of lite beer) but because Veronica liked seeing him in it. Paul was right when he convinced Josh to wear it.