Secrets From The Med

Chapter 14

"Since you four have duty today, just stay up here and keep painting," Petty Officer Cleary said in his usual business- like tone of voice. Tabitha, along with Williams, Thornton, and O'Connor, was painting the bulkhead along the starboard side main deck. It was almost 1300, which was when the members of the division who didn't have duty were scheduled for knock off.
"These duty days come around quick," O'Connor said after the petty officer walked away.
"That's the truth," Tabitha wistfully agreed as she continued to paint with a roller. "I wonder what Garwood, Fletcher, and Marple have in store for us today."
"I wonder that too," Thornton spoke up. Tabitha glanced over at the girl. Her ball cap hung low over her forehead and she wore an unmistakable worried expression on her face.
"I agree these duty days are no fun," Williams was talking this time. "But I've been enjoying taking pictures here in Naples. I've already used up two of my disposable cameras."
"Oh, that reminds me," O'Connor interjected. "You guys know there's an American Navy base here in Naples, right? Anyway, I was walking around at the Exchange last night with Barnett and we saw these t-shirts that said: Navy wife, it's the toughest job in the Navy. Can you believe anybody would think that? Those Navy wives are sitting at home right now while we're out here busting our butts and being treated like crap."

"But it was only a t-shirt, O'Connor," Williams reminded her.

"But still!" O'Connor argued.

The other girls kept talking while Tabitha glanced at her watch and reminded herself that she had to go to fire party muster at 1400. She then tuned out what the others were saying and became lost in her own thoughts. Since Wednesday night, she had replayed Jason's revelation about his youngest brother over and over in her mind and wondered if she had responded to it correctly. Every time she saw Thornton or Reid, she came to the conclusion that she had. Christopher certainly had no control over the way he was brought into this world and if Jason shunned him because of it, the boy would eventually pick up on that and would suffer, just like Thornton and Reid had suffered during their childhoods. The two girls were still suffering, for that matter. As far as Jason's mother sleeping with that other man, Tabitha still wasn't sure what to say about that.

There was another subject that had been occupying her mind lately. Since the ship had been on the Med cruise, she'd overheard plenty of conversations concerning sex. Just that morning down in the berthing, one of the girls from second division had been telling someone that the guy she was seeing asked her to have sex on the first date. The other girl had remarked by saying that wasn't surprising, since guys loved sex so much. So why hadn't Jason ever initiated sex with her? Did he not find her attractive enough? Tabitha sighed. She knew she was terribly inexperienced when it came to guys. Her mother had become ill right around the time Tabitha was old enough to date. During her earlier teenage years, though, she and her mother had had talks about guys and sex. Each time, her mother had told her that if she would wait until marriage to give of herself that way, she wouldn't regret it. That was the way God intended for things to happen, she had said. But Mom was gone, and God had allowed that to happen, so did His intentions really matter anymore?
"You rock heads haven't made much progress up here." Tabitha recognized the condescending voice. It was Garwood's.
Williams whipped her head around. "We've been working steadily for the past three hours and we're almost halfway done!" She fired.
"I'd watch that tone of voice if I were you, Seaman Williams," Garwood said as he glared back at her. His rust colored hair was tousled and his uniform looked like he could've slept in it. Tabitha wondered how he got away with such an appearance.

"You rock heads keep working. I'll be back in a little while. You'd better be getting more done."

"Oh, the nerve of that guy," Williams put her paint roller down and wrung her fists after Garwood walked away. "How dare he come up here, call us names, and accuse us of not working hard enough!"