The Colonel's Daughter [Elvis]

Chapter 8 - A Big Revelation in a Small Dining Hall

I was really going to go in for it before she revealed what she did, stopping me, and my mind took up a whole other train of thought, and it wasn't regarding this gorgeous girl here. My heart started to sink as my mind shot at me anything that the Colonel could possibly be lying to me about. As far as I knew, he never lied to me. I even knew that he took a lot of the money I made and used it for his own pleasure. We didn't keep things from each other.

Rainie didn't say anything as I waiting for her to elaborate. I had stepped three feet away from her as she had her lips pursed, her eyes apprehensive. Then, another thought came to mind... "You didn't just say that to get me away from you, did you? The Colonel never lies to me. We're an open book with each other."

"Oh my golly..." she exasperated and shook her head, her gaze hooked to mine. "I didn't say that to get you away from me. Okay, maybe that was part of it, but what I said is true. My father..." She let out a breath and grimaced. "I thought I could just say it, but now that we're in the moment, I don't know if I can."

This was a big deal. My heart met my toes, and my eyes started to sting. "Please tell me. I want to know. What my manager hidin', huh?" I was using too terse of a tone. I softened it. "Please. You can tell me, Rainie. This is obviously somethin' big that I should know. You hopped the Atlantic to tell me."

"I also hopped it to make up with my father, which is taking its sweet time since I'm so stubborn."

A corner of my mouth lifted. "You're definitely your father's daughter in that regard." She said nothing to that, but from her sudden expression, she didn't like my comment. "Okay, how about you just tell me? Get it out, okay? I'll stand here and just listen."

Her brown eyes were glassy and a little bloodshot. "I... Elvis, you're a good person, and what you just said regarding your and my father's relationship... it could honestly ruin it. You'll be hurt."

"I'm happy you care about my well-being."

She gave me a sharp look. "I'm not an unfeeling monster, you know. I may be stubborn and have a hard head and shell, but I'm not a bad person who doesn't care about what other people think and feel, especially good ones like you."

Those tears welled but didn't fall. My heart couldn't drop farther. "Hey, hey, I didn't mean that. I'm sorry. Okay, just tell me. I'm a big boy. I can handle it."

"It's going to hit you more than when you got your draft letter."

That hit me pretty hard, but I was already expecting it. "No matter. And I'm sure the Colonel and I will work it out. And it's a secret, so I won't say nothin' to anyone. I promise."

She stared at my face, hers a little red from her emotions, and her eyes dropped a couple of tears, which made me feel worse. This poor girl. Just what was she hiding about the Colonel that was making her in this state and made her worried enough for my well-being? It was very concerning.

Rainie shook her head. "I'm sorry, I can't. I thought I could just tell you, but I can't. I'm heading back to my room." She noticed what she was wearing. She took it off and handed it to me. I put it back on. "I'll see you later when I have enough courage to reveal something that will alter your life and my father's."

She about left, and her long, wavy blonde hair faced me as I said, "You may be stubborn and have a hard head, but you're no coward. Nor are you a pansy. You lived in war-rittled Germany for the past several years, you got through years of college, you crossed one of the largest oceans on your own, and you grew up with the Colonel as your father. I know his back story and where he came from, and now that I knew you were there, too..."

I saw her head move, like she was nodding. "I appreciate that. And... you don't know all of his back story."

This was it! Maybe I could gently get it out of her. "That's part of the secret, isn't it? His back story?"