Home Goes The Warrior

by Jeff Noonan

  The ship’s officers streamed into the wardroom, all voicing their surprise and appreciation for what they had just seen. Lee gathered himself and said his goodbyes. His bags were already in his car out on the pier. It was normal that a departing officer would leave directly from the ceremony, but he had needed the time to clear his head, so he had stopped in the wardroom. Now he was recovered, so he headed for the quarterdeck. He saluted the OOD and requested permission to leave as was normal. The OOD returned his salute. At the same time, on the ship’s announcing system, a boatswain’s mate blew his bosun’s pipe and announced, “Lieutenant Raines, departing”. This was an honor normally reserved for flag officers, not lieutenants.

  Lee looked at the OOD and said, “I’m gonna get the hell off here before these guys talk me into staying.” With a smile on his face that hid the turmoil he felt inside, he left the ship.

  Maggie was waiting in her BOQ room when Lee arrived. The BOQ area was alive with people, so, after a warm greeting and some heartfelt kisses, they decided to not waste any time there. Both of them were anxious to start their adventure, and they had Maggie’s bags in the car within minutes.

  That evening they didn’t get far. Neither of them was ready for a long car ride. They just wanted to be together. Maggie had done her homework and found a nice motel not too far from San Diego. They stopped there.

  As soon as they were in the room, she moved easily into his arms. Lee kissed her softly on the lips and then, lowering his head, placed another kiss in the hollow between her neck and shoulder. He whispered in her ear, “Maggie, I have never missed you so much.”

  “I know, me too! It seems like every separation is harder than the last one.” Then her voice trailed off as his kisses again moved to her face. His right hand started softly caressing her temples, smoothing her hair back from her face. She loved this, arching her back and pressing against his hand with her head in appreciation. As she did this, her hips ground into his, and a small groan escaped from him.

  She pulled back a bit, looking up at him. “Hold up, big guy. I bought some special clothes for tonight, and you aren’t going to see them if we keep going.”

  He smiled. “Don’t worry, lady. I’ll see ‘em tomorrow night. They’d just get ruined if you put them on now.”

  “You might be right.” She moved closer and kissed him long and hard.

  He picked her up and moved across the room to the bed. For a brief moment, he looked around and realized that Maggie had picked the motel with care. The room was beautiful. But all of that awareness left him quickly.

  He tenderly lowered Maggie onto the bed and lay down beside her. His mouth brushed hers in a soft, teasing, kiss as his tongue came out to caress the very outside of her lips, lips that parted ever so slightly at the touch. It was her turn to moan softly. Lee turned his attention to the buttons of her blouse, which seemed to magically come free at his touch. Soon his free hand was cupping her breast and she was unbuttoning his shirt. Then, as if by a prearranged signal, they rolled away from each other and began frantically undressing. It only took a moment before all of their clothes were intertwined in a pile on the floor.

  Lee flipped the covers back, and the two bodies found one another under them. This time, his kisses were firmer as she pressed her long body against his. Gently he pushed her away, moving her onto her back as his kisses explored her throat and that sensitive hollow where her long neck met her shoulders. His free right hand again found her breasts, moving from one to another as he teased the nipples to rigid erection. Then his kisses and his hand both moved lower, the kisses teasing those erect nipples and his hand softly stroking her stomach, moving gently from there to the small of her back and then back to her stomach. His touch was so soft that it seemed to just graze her skin, raising the soft down on her belly and making her gasp with pleasure.

  Then his hand took another path, reaching far down her body, almost to her ankles. Still it touched so softly that she strained to feel it’s slow passage. The gentle fingertips slowly explored her ankle, then her calf, teasing the tender spot behind her knees before moving on up her leg, caressing the inside of first one thigh and then the other, but never quite touching their all-important junction. Instead, his fingers moved across her belly again before easing their way down her thigh again and on to her lower leg. The teasing touch repeated its slow and gentle caresses as his head moved lower, his kisses coming closer and closer to the center of her passion.

  But his lips followed the path his fingers had explored moments before, bypassing the point of her desire. Now his tongue left a moist trail as it moved gently around the soft curls and roamed repeatedly up and down her inner thighs.

  She came alive, rolling her upper body closer and grasping his manhood in a firm, tender hold. She moved to bring herself toward it, but he gently pushed her back down, saying, “No, love. It’s your turn today.” As she relaxed, his tongue trailed over the little crevices where her inner thighs joined her soft belly. His fingers parted the valley at the top of her thighs and his tongue moved in, finding its way to the center of her being.

  All conscious thought left her and she screamed in ecstasy, her whole body arching to him, her hands forcing his head even closer, her open loins grinding into his face as she sought more and more of this deliciousness. He obliged, his tongue stretching as it explored every available crevice and valley, seeking the small erect nub that he knew was there. He soon found it and took it between his lips, softly sucking as his tongue worked its magic. Her screams tapered off and were replaced by continuous deep moans as her body took on a life of its own, quivering and shaking in ecstasy. He moved his body parallel to hers and slowly worked his hands, followed by his tongue-kisses, up to her breasts.

  He gently slid his body into position, and with a long, slow thrust encased himself in her burning softness. Again she screamed, a primal scream that somehow said that everything was right with her world. He wanted to grind into her now. He had never been so aroused. But he restrained himself and began a series of long, slow motions, entering her anew with each thrust. She came alive around him, her hips writhing as she moved to meet him with the muscles of her inner loins grasping him as if to never let him go.

  It didn’t take long, but it seemed forever. He found that he had to abandon his slow lovemaking and begin the long, hard, strokes that brought him as far into her as possible. With every thrust, he moved his hips in little circles, grinding the hard muscles of his lower abdomen into her, subtly increasing the pleasure for both of them until finally they exploded as one. His head fell into the pillow over her left shoulder as their bodies went through a series of uncontrollable spasms before going quiet and still.

  They lay silent and unmoving for a long while. Finally, she moved her head and kissed him on the side of his neck. In a voice still shaking with the depth of the feelings she’d experienced, she whispered in his ear, “My God, Lee. For the first time, I really know why they call it making love! That wasn’t sex. That was, truly, making love! Now I don’t want to ever let you out of this bed.”

  He raised his head and smiled down at her. “I know, lover. I know exactly what you mean.” Neither of them had enough strength left to continue the conversation. After a moment, Lee rolled to the side, enjoying her little protest as he came out of her. He put his arm under her head and pulled her onto his shoulder. She snuggled close to him, and they lay there silently enjoying the deep feelings they had for one another.

  She was the first to speak. “Lee, you’ve been very quiet today. Is something bothering you?”

  He smiled and pulled her even closer. “No, Mag. I’ve just been thinking. Something happened earlier today that just made me think about a lot of things.” He told her about the ceremony, how the crew had presented him with the sword, and what the captain had said about his ability to communicate.

  “I guess the whole thing just hit home for me today. All my life, I’ve pretty much taken things as they came and just assumed that li
fe was going to take care of me. Even when I left Philadelphia as a kid, I was just escaping from a bad situation. I didn’t know where I was going or what I was going to do. Life happened and I went along with it.”

  “Then in Montana I met a real leader, a man that helped me get over the deaths of my family and helped me grow up. That man - his name was Ray Moore - told me that I was going to have to be careful because I was always going to be an example to others. I never really understood what he was telling me until today. Now, or the first time, I really am beginning to understand what Ray was saying. Today, I realized that those kids on that ship were looking to me as an example, someone they should emulate. That thought scared me. Whether I like it or not, I am really providing an example for them, an example that will, more or less, influence the rest of their lives. The thought scares me.”

  Then a long pause as he gathered his thoughts. “Does any of this make any sense to you? I don’t want to sound like some kind of egomaniac, but today did make me think. Can you understand what I mean?”

  “Yeah. Somehow, I do understand. It sounds like you have had one hell of a big day. I knew that the crew loved you. I’ve heard enough of their comments while I was there to know that. But, I don’t think that you ever saw that. You were just you, and I love that. Don’t let this change you, big guy. I like you the way you are.” With that, she rolled on top of him and kissed him tenderly.

  “Now it’s my turn.” Her kisses and soft hands began exploring her man, much as his had explored her earlier.

  It was almost three hours later that they found their way out of the motel in search of food. An all-night diner down the road satisfied that craving, and they returned to the room too tired to do anything but fall into bed and sleep.

  The next day they drove to Las Vegas. Neither of them had been there before, but again Maggie had done her homework. She’d called ahead and made reservations at the newest hotel/casino in town, the Union-Plaza. They were both amazed when they saw it. By anyone’s standards, the place was huge, and neon lights were everywhere. The whole town seemed to be alive, with bustling bodies everywhere.

  Lee drove to the front of the hotel and parked. A uniformed valet took his keys and assured him their belongings would arrive in their rooms shortly. Lee was reluctant, but Maggie prevailed and they let the valet have his way. Arm in arm, they strolled through the huge front doors and approached the check-in counter. It took a bit of navigating to get there, because the huge crowd was everywhere.

  After checking in, they followed the signs to the hotel elevator and went to their room. It was large and airy with a view of the strip and the desert behind it. They’d only been in the room a few minutes before another valet arrived with their suitcases. They made short work of getting settled. They both wanted to see more of this place.

  It was late afternoon when they got back to the elevator for the ride down. Before they left the room, they’d discussed the casinos and had agreed on an amount they would spend. Both of them had both heard stories about people who arrived in Vegas with money and left as paupers. They weren’t going to do that, but they did want to try the games. After all, they were on vacation!

  They were alone riding down in the elevator. Lee took advantage of this by grabbing a quick kiss and cupping one of those wonderful breasts. They had just broken apart when the elevator doors slid open.

  When the doors opened, a large, balding man with thick horn-rimmed glasses was waiting to enter. He was dressed in a very expensive suit and looked like he was totally in charge of his surroundings. He was talking to one of two large men who flanked him. As the doors opened, he glanced their way. Then he did a classic double-take, whipping around to stare at Lee.

  Lee stared back, surprise registering on his face. He stood there, transfixed as Maggie took it all in, glancing from one to the other, trying to understand what was happening. After a moment, the elevator doors tried to close, and Lee grabbed for them, stopping their progress. With his eyes still fixed on the man in front of him, Lee was the first to speak.

  “Hello, Uncle Anty.”

  CHAPTER FIVE - A VERY REAL GODFATHER

  ig Tony Bruno responded immediately . “Little Lee Raines, I do believe! My God! How are you?” The words were tumbling out as the burly man came forward and enveloped Lee in a huge bear hug. The two men flanking him were caught by surprise, one of them with his hand inside his lapel. Surprises were obviously not to their liking. But the famous Anthony Bruno wasn’t about to slow down just because his bodyguards were in shock.

  “My God, Lee. How long had it been? You’ve grown up. Who is this beautiful woman with you? Are you married? Is this your wife? I heard you were in the Navy. Are you out now? Where do you live now?” He would have gone on, but Lee started laughing.

  “Hold on Uncle Anty! I can’t keep track of the questions.” Lee surprised himself with this response. When he had first seen Tony, total terror had gone through him, leaving his legs shaking. But the other man was so obviously happy to see him that he gathered himself quickly.

  Freeing himself from the bear hug, he pushed Anthony to arm’s length and said, “Let’s see. It’s been about fifteen years. No, I’m not married. This is my fiancée, Maggie Gardener. Maggie, this is Anthony Bruno, an old friend of my father’s.” The two shook hands and smiled. Lee was relieved to see that Maggie didn’t react at the name. She apparently didn’t know who, or what, Anthony Bruno was.

  “Yes, I’m still in the Navy. In fact, I’m being transferred now. I’m on my way to the Navy Yard in Philly for duty.” He deliberately dropped that fact. His recent training had taught him to never pass up an opportunity to gather information. This was definitely such an opportunity.

  “Oh, Lord! You’re coming home! I have to hear more.”

  Glancing down at his watch, Anthony said, “I have a meeting in an hour. Would the two of you join me for a quick drink? Then maybe after the meeting we can get together for dinner? No, can’t do that. It will be too late. Will you still be here tomorrow? Come on, let’s get a drink, and you can tell me everything. We’ll get together tomorrow for certain. Oh, by the way, my friends here are from Philadelphia also. Please meet Pete Mancini and Joe Scarfa.”

  Tony positioned himself between Lee and Maggie, taking an arm of each, and started toward the closest bar. Lee didn’t object. The two “friends” fell in step behind them.

  Big Tony was still talking non-stop. Thinking back, Lee didn’t remember him being at all talkative. Maybe he’d already had a few drinks? Could it be that the old gangster was truly this happy to see him? Or could it be that he was happy for a more ominous reason?

  There were several bars in sight around the casino floor. Uncle Anty led them to an enclosed bar with a piano player lazily playing big band tunes. It was the kind of place where one could talk without fear of eavesdroppers. Lee noticed that the service was immediate and extremely courteous. The waiter addressed Tony as “Mr. Bruno” even though he said that he hadn’t tried this particular bar before this. He was obviously a celebrity in this town.

  The conversation moved to Lee’s return to Philadelphia. Tony wanted to know all about it, so Lee obliged. “I’m going to be there in about two weeks. I’ll be working in the Navy Yard. I’m not entirely sure what my assignment there will be. That’ll be up to the shipyard commander.”

  Tony nodded and asked, “Where will you be living? Are you moving back to your old home?”

  “No. I don’t think I can ever live there again. Too many memories. Besides, it’s rented out. My Uncle Mike handles the rental for me. I’ll probably just live on base at the BOQ. Hadn’t really given it much thought.”

  The old mobster smiled thoughtfully and replied, “I knew Mike was handling your place. I’ve called him a few times to see how you were doing. You gave us all a real scare when you let those Viet Cong put a hit on you. But it looks like you pulled through all right.”

  “Yeah. Geez, Tony, I had no idea that any of you knew about t
hat. Yes, I survived - mainly because of the lady sitting with us. Maggie was the nurse that worked on me in DaNang until I was well enough to handle the ride back to the States.”

  That set the burly man off again, talking non-stop, this time to Maggie. “Little miss, what I have is yours. I have a lot of respect for our military and I’ve heard stories about the courage that you nurses showed over there. We all owe you for serving in a place like that. You didn’t have to go there. Not only that, but you saved my godson. I owe you. I will always owe you. If you ever have a problem and need help, you just have to ask for Anthony Bruno.”

  Lee’s mouth had literally dropped open during this little speech. When the mob boss paused, he interrupted. “Uncle Anty. Your godson? What the hell do you mean? I didn’t know I had a godfather. I thought you were just one of my father’s clients.” At this, the old mobster settled in his chair, somehow looking older and smaller than he was. He took a drink, then answered.

  “Yeah, Lee. When you were born, I was very close with your parents. Your middle name is Anthony for a reason. We were the best of friends. Before your birth, I agreed to be the godfather of their baby, and we went through the ceremonies. But a couple of years later, your parents decided to try to separate themselves from their South Philly roots. They moved to the suburbs and opened a legit law office. They pretty much quit going to church, so I guess the godson thing was less important to them. I still did a lot of business with your father, but over time we lost the closeness that we once had. I would stop over to see you often, but it just wasn’t the same. After while, I got the impression that your parents were ashamed to have me in their home, so I didn’t come over as often. That’s where we were when they died.”