General Winter hesitated. “Ah, no, I can’t say I’ve ever referred to you as a kid.”
Hearing that made Christian smile warmly. General Winter had never treated him as anything but a capable adult, which is more than could be said for some of the other people Christian had met in the general’s age group. It didn’t hurt that not being seen as a kid made it far more comfortable for Christian to enjoy ogling the older man when he had the chance. He might know damn well that he definitely had to keep his hands to himself, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy the view once in a while. And if the general didn’t make it strange by seeing him as a kid, or some sort of son figure, then all the better for Christian’s fantasies.
“Well, that’s good, but I still reserve the right to color on my off time,” Christian told him.
“You color?”
Christian nodded. “I get a good coloring session in now and again. It was something cheap for my foster parents to buy me. Of course, now, as an adult, I can buy the good colored pencils for that sort of thing.”
“Colored pencils, huh?”
“Colored pencils are the superior coloring tool, and no one can change my mind on that. Trust me, my sisters have tried.”
“Clearly they don’t have any taste.”
“That’s what I keep telling them!”
General Winter chuckled, shaking his head. “And I’m sure they’re bound to listen to reason one of these days.”
Christian poked a fork in his direction. “I know when I’m being mocked, but I also know that I’m right, so I’ll deal with it.”
General Winter smiled. “Well, at least you have that going for you.”
“Yes, my ability to withstand being harassed has come in handy more than once in my life.”
“I was referring to your willingness to entertain yourself, to have something you enjoy doing. Both of us know that working in this office isn’t exactly the most leisurely of jobs, and you’re required to do a great deal, and then you go and do double that. It’s nice to hear that you have something other than work.”
That really went a long way toward confirming Christian’s very firm belief that General Winter really and truly did care about the men and women who served under him. It was the same man who had tried, and failed, to get Christian to unload some of his work onto someone else, another assistant. It was also the same person who’d decided to constantly give Christian hell about his chips and candy habit until finally Christian had given in and switched to veggies and fruits.
And to his great dismay, he actually enjoyed them.
“What about you? What do you do in your off time?” Christian asked.
“Crosswords.”
Christian blinked. “Crosswords…”
General Winter laughed. “Yes, crosswords.”
Christian narrowed his eyes. “You just sit around in your quarters, doing crosswords the entire time?”
“Oh, yes. I have whole stacks of finished crosswords lining the shelves and tables of my home. It’s got to the point that I could probably stuff the walls full of them and never have to worry about insulation.”
Christian let out a heavy snort. “Okay, now I know you’re being a smartass.”
General Winter’s eyes twinkled. “A little, perhaps I enjoy giving you a taste of your own medicine.”
“Bah! I’m not that bad.”
Okay, so maybe he was fond of occasionally giving the general a little bit of a hard time. The man was so serious, Christian found it next to impossible to ignore the temptation all the time. Plus, the fact that it did manage to bring a brief laugh or a flash of a smile to the general’s face was more than enough to encourage him further.
“I do enjoy crosswords, though,” General Winter said.
“Just not enough to line the walls of your house.”
“No.”
“So, what do you like to do in your spare time?”
“This all relies on the fact that I have spare time to spend on anything.”
Christian narrowed his eyes. “I’m getting the feeling that you’re trying to avoid answering the question.”
General Winter plucked a chip from his dish. “What do you think I enjoy doing?”
Christian let out a laugh, shaking his head. In truth, he had no idea. He could list, from memory, the general’s measurements, what he did and didn’t like with his food, his sleeping habits and workout schedule, and a whole host of other details that could be considered intimate. But when it came down to what General Winter might do in his spare time, Christian had no idea.
Christian decided to go with honesty. “I’ve worked for you for almost a year now, and I can honestly say I do not know what you do for fun.”
General Winter leaned on the desk, chuckling. “Fair enough. It’s not as if I knew you enjoyed coloring until only a few minutes ago.”
Christian snorted. “I just got done thinking that despite all the different things about you, there are some things I just don’t know.”
General Winter nodded, taking another bite of his own food and chewing thoughtfully. “How’s your sister?”
“She’s doing better. I didn’t get a chance to call her yet, but we texted a bit yesterday. Apparently, she just had a flare-up and had to take the day off. Nothing big.”
“So, the medicine is working well for her then?”
“It’s the first cluster she’s had in months, and it didn’t last days, so I’m going to say they are.”
“A pity it doesn’t get rid of them.”
Christian smiled sadly. “The doctors were honest with her. They said there might be a chance that the treatment wouldn’t work at all, or wouldn’t have that much of an effect. Everyone reacts differently, and we were all kind of waiting with bated breath to see how it would go.”
“Well, it’s good that the treatment is working out for her. I know you were worried for a little while there,” General Winter said.
Christian nodded. “Her and Lily are all I’ve had for years now. Mary’s always been like an older sister to me, even when we got sent to different foster homes. Then she practically adopted Lily too. If it wasn’t for her, Lily would have probably had nowhere to go once she hit eighteen. I might not have either if I hadn’t chosen to enlist.”
“That why you enlisted, to make sure you had somewhere to stay?” General Winter asked with a slight crease to his brow.
“I honestly wish I could say that I signed up because I wanted to serve. That I wanted to follow a higher calling or something like that. I know there are some people who joined and realized they’d found their home, and that it was all they ever wanted. But really? Yeah, I just joined because I knew that if I did, I would have a constant source of income, a roof over my head, and food on the table.”
General Winter wrinkled his nose. “I’ve heard that some of those homes can be...dire.”
He shrugged. “Some of them were okay, some of them were awful, but some of them were pretty great too. Don’t get me wrong, there were people who were obviously just fostering so they could get a check and make themselves look like good people, all while spending the bare minimum on everyone to make sure they stayed alive. Nothing quite like being shoved four to a room, with rationing on food that felt like third world dictatorship levels.”
“It still amazes me that places like that can still exist in this day and age. It was one thing before the advent of stuff like the internet and cell phones, but now? So much has come out over the past few decades about how terrible some homes can be. Doesn’t seem right that it continues,” General Winter grumbled.
Christian laughed. “I mean, shit people are still going to be shit, and they’re going to do shit things, even if the world is changing. Never really thought to look back on them, but I do hope some of those homes are no longer taking in kids. Still, there were a lot of good ones too.”
“All things considered, it might not take much to be better than being half-starved by someone.”
“True. But there was this older couple, lived off their pension and savings. It wasn’t a lot, but they did a lot with what they had. The wife, Gloria, was a great gardener and cook. In the six months Lily and I were there, we learned how to keep the garden, and how to preserve food so that stuff could last for a long time.”
“Oh, so that’s where you met her?”
Christian nodded. “She showed up shortly after I did. She was as loud and pushy as she is now, there was no telling her no. Gloria adored her though, loved her a ‘girl with some spunk’ or something like that. Her husband, Frank, was just as great. Turns out, despite years of working in a factory, he was an artist in his spare time. Used to let us kids watch him sketch and paint if we promised to be quiet, and even taught us some things. I was no good at it, but it’s what got me into coloring.”
“Really? I guess he left an impression on you.”
“I also have a little window garden in my apartment. It’s not growing anything but a few herbs for cooking, but it’s there.”
“I stand corrected. They both left an impression on you.”
Christian beamed. “They were wonderful people. They taught us how to take care of ourselves even if you don’t have much, and they did it like some of the warmest and kindest people I’ve ever met. Those are the kind of homes I like to remember, instead of all the other ones that were miserable and cruel.”
General Winter cocked his head, a small smile playing on his lips. “I think...that’s a perfect way of looking at things.”
Christian snorted. “Well, I like to think so. I thought the same thing growing up, but even the other kids used to say it was stupid. Now, as adults, most people just look at me weirdly or say, ‘how optimistic’ but with that same tone, as if they’re trying not to look at me like I’m a freak.”
Most people assumed that someone who lost their parents at the age of nine, and were thrown into a system, that even today had plenty of pitfalls, shouldn’t be quite as cheerful as everyone said he was. For Christian’s part, he didn’t understand why he couldn’t see some of the good things in life, and choose to focus on them. There were plenty of good things in the world, you only had to keep your eye out for them.
“Reminds me of a quote I heard once, that it takes the same amount of energy to make yourself happy as it does to make yourself miserable, or something like that,” General Winter said.
“Oh, I’m going to have to steal that one.”
“By all means, I’m not sure I got it right, but there it is. And for the record, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with keeping your attention on the positive. I think people are all too willing to look at the problems in the world, myself included. And I think some of them forget that problems aren’t what make the world go round.”
Christian nodded. “And the world needs people who focus on the problems, otherwise we might not take them as seriously as we should.”
“I think you’re giving the pessimists a little too much credit.”
“Maybe it’s just because I’m a happy go lucky person by nature...apparently.”
That brought a laugh from the older man. “Fair enough. All the same, it’s nice to have someone around here who I can rely on to not only do their job well but manage to be an agreeable person as well.”
“Well, that’s not the worst way someone has ever described me,” Christian said with amusement.
General Winter winced, tapping the top of the desk. “Well...okay, that was a terrible compliment, wasn’t it? What I mean to say is, if there was anyone I could have chosen to work alongside during this time, knowing what I know now, I would have chosen you a thousand times over.”
Christian had been joking when he’d made the comment about the general’s compliment. Hearing an even better compliment come out of the other man’s lips left Christian with an open mouth and a still tongue. Color flooded his cheeks as he desperately tried to think of something to say that wouldn’t sound like some cheesy soundbite, and came up with nothing.
The only source of comfort from his embarrassment was the fact that the general looked a little bashful himself. For anyone who didn’t see the man day in and day out, they might think General Winter was simply feeling a little grumpy, or perhaps thinking a little too hard. Yet Christian had no other name for the creased brow and ever so slight amount of pink on the older man’s cheek than embarrassment.
“I’m honestly not even going to try to come back with anything, because it’s all going to sound stupid. So I’m just going to sit here and feel incredibly touched and thankful that I have someone like you to work under,” Christian managed to say, proud that he didn’t stutter over a single word.
General Winter continued to stare at him for what felt like forever. Christian found himself gazing into the pale green of the man’s eyes for longer than he could ever remember doing before. For a moment, he watched the older man’s lips twitch, and Christian’s heart raced, wondering what was going to be said. He couldn’t help a small twinge of disappointment when the general straightened instead, his features realigning to a state of dignified poise.
“Thank you, Christian, this has been a good lunch. Try to take advantage of the slow day and not work yourself to death,” General Winter said as he retreated back toward his office door.
“I make no promises,” Christian called after him.
“I know.”
It had been an odd moment. Christian couldn’t say how he knew, but he’d been left with the impression that the general needed to say or do something rather than continue their staring match. Maybe the compliment shouldn’t have affected him as much as it did, but Christian couldn’t help basking in the warmth of what had been a genuinely lovely comment as he turned his attention back to his work.
It wasn’t until a few minutes later, as he was checking over the next day’s schedule, that it occurred to him that General Winter had just...talked to him. It wasn’t like they hadn’t had conversations in the past, or passed different tidbits about one another across a room or desk casually. But it was the first time he could remember the two of them just having a one on one conversation. It left him feeling both warm and wondering if maybe the general was a more lonely man than he initially came across as.
Christian glanced at the small cloth doll that was supposed to be Lily. “I really wouldn’t mind being the one who kept him company a little more often.”
Which was something he would never in his life dare to admit to his sister, she’d never let him live it down.
David
Of all the various meetings and obligations he had in the course of his job, personally meeting with specially picked soldiers was probably one of his favorites. It gave him a chance to interact with the men and women who had their boots firmly on the ground and worked with the rest of the base quite intimately. Part of it, he knew, was due to nostalgia. Seeing the newer and younger generation as they learned to navigate the world around them was fascinating to watch. It also didn’t hurt that by interacting with the younger members of the military, it allowed him a glimpse into the changing ways of military life that he might miss if he were to perch too high up.
Oscar Reyes was a good reminder of what David missed, and what he was glad he avoided. An IED had taken half the man’s arm and had made his hip only half as useful as it could have been. As far as Command was concerned, Reyes would have been a better fit thrown behind some random desk to tap away at a keyboard for the rest of his career. Barring that, he might have been given early retirement with all the pretty commendations that wouldn’t mean shit to a soldier like Reyes.
Which was precisely what David tried to get across to the man after they’d made it through all the expected pleasantries. Reyes had listened raptly, his dark eyes searching David’s face constantly as the general spoke. Reyes waited until David was done with his very professional sounding speech before replying.
“No offense, sir, but I’m sensing a ‘but’ somewhere in that explanation,�
� Oscar said.
And therein lay the problem. His hope had been to bring Oscar into the fold, placing him beneath Philip and then inching him into the man’s position. The problem was Philip was still being stubborn and dragging his heels.
David let out a slow breath, keeping his voice steady. “You would be correct. Currently, the position is occupied.”
“Then, why am I here?”
Like he was going to tell the man that there was little more to the problem than what amounted to politics. Soldiers like Reyes generally kept their heads down and away from the constant politicking and maneuvering that happened so often in the upper echelons of the military. David himself had been just like that when he’d been younger, and while he hadn’t lost that attitude, necessity had forced him into the game all the same.
Damn it.
“Because once matters have settled, the position will become a vacancy,” David promised.
The large man raised a brow, as though expecting to hear something else. The truth was, David wanted to lay the entire story out to him and let the man make an informed decision. The problem with politics was, David couldn’t be sure he could trust every single person who came along. While he had high hopes for the sort of person Reyes would be if he was given the chance to take Philip’s place, David would have to wait before indulging the man’s curiosity.
Oscar nodded. “Yes, sir. But that still doesn’t tell me why I’m here now.”
Direct, he liked that.
David nodded. “You’re here now because there’s no point in you wasting away at home, or your family’s home for that matter. While we’re waiting for the vacancy to open up, I can more than easily find something for you to do. For the moment, I’m sure you can help out here in the office.”
“Pure desk work,” Oscar said, his voice tight with disdain.
He could remember the first time he’d been placed into an administrative capacity, and how much he’d hated it. David had sworn up and down that he was never going to be any good at ‘pencil-pushing’. Yet despite that, he’d found a way to make it work. A good administrator in the military was a good leader, and a good leader was capable of taking the shittiest circumstances and making them work in their favor. Considering Reyes had already proven himself to be a capable field leader, David hoped he would find a way to navigate the safe, though not necessarily more peaceful, deskwork.
At My General’s Command Page 4