Our Merry Christmas

Chapter 4 - I Choose You

Fleet Week was just as crazy as Chris LaSalle anticipated. One sailor died. Another one was locked up in the New Orleans' jail on manslaughter charges. The rest of the team was every envious of him being able to get away from the intense situations of the time period.

"Hello City Mouse".

"Christopher, it is good to hear your voice" Percy responded.

"Hey, I have my flight time for Friday. I will be in at about 9:20 p.m. Is that offer to stay in your guest room still open?"

"Sure Chris. I will text you the address in a few minutes. You can park in the adjoining parking structure and we will get your pass on Saturday."

Friday came quickly and it was time for LaSalle to board the aircraft to Washington. He landed without incident and rapidly walked to secure his rental. The line had diminished by the time he got to the counter to claim his weapon. He figured since he was coming from a military town to the Nation's capital that there would be a lot of individuals who were 'carrying'.

His phone took him right to Percy's condo in quick order. He called her from the structure, and she surprised him by being at the entrance when he made it to the door. "Hello Country Mouse!"

"Right back at you City Mouse. You look beautiful" he told her.

"Oh, come on Chris. It is 12 a.m. in the morning. Only a hooker looks beautiful at this time of day."

It was a quick walk down the hallway from the elevator to the condo. Chris was surprised at how sleek it was. "So, did you eat" she asked?

"Yeah, I think I'm good for tonight" he responded.

"Well, I bought eggs and bacon. I hope that is alright. We can go grocery shopping for you tomorrow."

"Sure, that sounds fine."

"Look, I am sorry to act like an old lady, but I went in early today so I could take Monday off. I really would like to go to bed. Let me show you where everything is. I set up a password for you on my computer in the office. You can, of course, change it if you want."

LaSalle wanted to laugh out loud. The password she has chosen was 'mayorhamilton'. He took his time once he was back alone in the office. He got up and looked at the many photos and plaques that adorned the walls and other surfaces. He had no idea that his former teammate had acquired all these awards. He recognized several individuals in the photos including a couple of general officers that he had seen in the newspaper.

Later Saturday morning Percy and LaSalle had an extended conversation on their way to her work out facility. He had forgotten how strong Percy was and was a little put off by the crowd of men who had gathered around her and her spotter as she lifted.

He headed to the bag and waited until she came to invite him to join her on the elliptical machines. An hour later the two very sweaty people headed back to the condo.

"So what do you think that you might want to do tonight" Percy asked him?

"Well, I thought I would try and get theatre tickets for next weekend, so how about dinner and dancing or a cabaret show?"

"How about the latter" she responded? "Let me look on-line. I know there must be an act somewhere close. They finally settled on a husband-and-wife duo called 'Kindred the Family Soul'. It was a great show.

They got up Sunday and decided to go to the memorials for Dr. Martin Luther King and President Washington.

The week progressed with LaSalle working ten hours days while Percy prepped in detail for her next mission. Friday night he offered to cook dinner while they visited a couple of hours before retiring early.