“Would you? Would you spend one in my room?” she asked.
“In the Admiral’s home?” I said, almost frightened at the prospect. I thought, sure, the Admiral had told me he didn’t mind if I bedded his daughter, but to do it in his own home? Would that be throwing the affair into his face?
She replied, “Sure. He won’t mind, especially since it’s you. He’s said more than once to me that I should bring you over for a meal. Well, breakfast is a meal and it would make me very happy. Almost as happy as having your child which is another thing I want to talk about.”
I could see the pitch coming already. She wanted to have my child in case I was killed and didn’t come back. Then she would have a piece of me to hold onto for awhile. “What about a child?” I asked.
She asked, “Would you mind terribly if I stopped using protection to have a baby by you? I’m not asking for marriage and I’m not trying to make you feel like you have to come back to me. I know you might yet meet someone other than me whom you could fall in love with. But, you’ve really gotten to me and I’m about ready to settle down even if you’re not. Plus, I don’t want to do it behind your back.”
“You would, wouldn’t you?” I asked.
“Yes,” she admitted in a girlish voice.
I said, “Well, I’ve already promised you every night until I ship out, so since you’ve already admitted that you’d probably do it anyway, I’ll give you my blessings for now. I won’t get upset if you get pregnant with my child.”
Annie practically leaped on me as her arms circled around my neck and she planted kisses on me. For a moment, I thought she was going to take me in the hover as we sat outside Headquarters.
I drove us back to the Mad Dogs Squadron area and broke the news to everyone in the squadron. I let the Thurman’s Captain take over the squadron and her First Officer took over as ship’s captain. A new officer would be assigned later to bring them up to strength. Then I removed my few items from the ship and returned to my quarters with Annie where we spent part of the afternoon in bed.
Two nights later, I spent the night at her home in her bed. As I entered the home, her father greeted me from the living room and waved me on by as Annie led me away to enjoy her sexual delights. In the morning, he said nothing about our night together as we all sat at the same breakfast table. Instead, he chatted amiably about my upcoming assignment among other things.
“Looking forward to the cruiser, son?” he asked.
I replied, “Uh, yes sir.”
He said, “Well, I know that you’ll do well. Just remember that they don’t turn as fast. They make up for that with the wallop they carry. You’ll get used to it real quick. You remind me of myself a long time ago. Hell, six months of cruisers and you should be commanding a heavy cruiser, if I’m any judge of men. I know that my daughter is.”
“Is what, sir?” I asked.
He answered, “A judge of men. You’re the first man she’s brought home overnight and kept this long. I’d say she’s got her eyes and hooks on you. Pretty soon, you’ll probably have to call me Dad.”
I replied, “Oh…”
I realized then that Annie was capable of stretching the truth, if not of telling some downright deceitful lies to get attention. I wondered if she had been using any protection the entire time and was already pregnant. I decided to confront her after her father left for work.
We saw her father off a short time later. Then she threw off her robe and tried to seduce me on the kitchen floor.
“Enough already. Have you been taking any protection at all during the time since you first got me in bed?” I asked.
“No,” she admitted guiltily.
I said, “I thought not. Your house of lies toppled at breakfast this morning. I’m the first man you’ve had at your home according to the breakfast conversation.”
She said nervously, “Well… in bed, but not the first man I’ve brought home.”
“I see. Just a little stretching of the truth. Okay. Can I believe anything else you told me is the truth about how you feel?” I asked.
She said, “Yes. Well, I do love you. At least, I’ve fallen in love with you.”
“I guessed that much. Are you pregnant already?” I asked.
It was obvious from her face that she was. She didn’t have to answer, but she did. “Yes, and it’s your baby. I’ve known for a few days now. You were on patrol when I found out. When Dad said you didn’t take the Rust Bucket up with you after he told me about how the aliens are so afraid of that ship, I was scared that you wouldn’t be coming back in one piece. When you did, I knew I had to give you a choice about the child or have an abortion. I was going to tell you when you got to your next assignment since you’re leaving now. I didn’t want to make my whole time with you into a lie. I’ve never taken any protection when I fooled around with anyone. This is the first time I got pregnant. Because it’s yours, I didn’t want you to think that I was trying to do it behind your back.”
“I see. You sure do like to live dangerously. I suppose you would like me to marry you?” I asked.
She said, “Yes, well, no. I meant that part, but it would be nice if you did, not only for my sake but for Dad’s. He respects you a lot and is looking forward to you asking me to marry you someday.”
“Is that why he took the basketball in the face?” I asked.
She replied, “No. He didn’t know my feelings then. He did that because it was the right thing to do in his opinion. He didn’t want to see a brilliant career crushed by someone who didn’t play fair. He looked at it as leveling the playing field. I never lied about anything I told you about him or anyone else for that matter. Only about my feelings.”
I said, “I see and I think I understand. Unfortunately, having a family isn’t part of my plans yet. I’ve already stated that I wouldn’t get upset if you got pregnant with my child since you sounded like you wanted to bear it. I’m going to stand by my statement even if you had already made the permission moot. I can’t marry you because I don’t want someone saying that my next promotion was the result of being related to an admiral. What I’ve accomplished is earned by my own effort. It always will be while I have anything to say about it. I take what comes to me and I don’t cry over the bad. I didn’t go crying to the Admiral to bail me out. What I did was merely make a report on what transpired, though I appreciate what he did.”
She said, “Daddy warned me that you would probably feel this way. He said he did at your age. I hope you don’t hate me.”
I said, “No, Annie. I don’t hate you. I guess I’m flattered that you want to carry my child, but I can’t put aside my own principles. Not now. Especially not now. Maybe in a year or two, I’ll return with my goals achieved and ask for your hand, if you’ll have me. And like you said, maybe I’ll meet someone that I’ll fall madly in love with and marry her instead. I can’t guarantee the future. I can only build towards it.”
“I understand. I will have the baby then since you still don’t mind. You’ll be welcome to visit our child anytime you desire. I do hope you decide someday to return and marry me, but I’ll understand if you don’t. It’s not your fault that you’re in this predicament. It’s mine and I’ll carry the burden. Will you stay with me today?” she asked.
“You still want me around even though I just said I wasn’t going to marry you now?” I asked.
She replied, “Not only that, I still want you to have me as much as you want while you’re still here. Besides, if you should get a leave later and come back to visit, I’ll probably be too fat to fuck.”
I decided that if we were going to part as friends, then I shouldn’t just break the relationship off abruptly. I felt somewhat of a bastard for not marrying her, but I gave in to her desires and continued to take her until shortly before I shipped out.