Project Whores

Chapter 21

Indigenous. Early Sunday morning, Kyle and Joice were having breakfast in the DFAC. Sunday on Bagram Airforce Base felt just like Tuesday. Or Monday. You always felt like you were at work because you were. "I will miss you," Joice said, taking a sip of coffee. Kyle smiled at her. She was so unpretentious. He would go to Dubai on the charter this morning and catch his commercial flight to Houston tonight, leaving her alone on the base for a few days. "I'll miss you too and speaking of all of that, I have an idea," he said, slyly. "If I extend my R&R a day or two and you cut your time at home down by a day or two, we could spend a couple of days in Dubai and come back to work together."

Joice looked at him and said, "OK, just let me know where to go because I don't know my way around Dubai at all."

"I got you," he said, and laughed. "Email me a copy of your passport and your driver's license when you get a chance, OK? Now the issue is, how do I get in touch with you at home? Do you change your SIM card?" Kyle asked.

"No, I don't think so. My phone just works wherever I go," Joice answered.

"So, it will be alright to call you?" he said, the realization she had a boyfriend she would be sleeping with during R&R making him sick to his stomach.

"Sure, I'll be home alone this time. Dante can't get away just now and I told him I'm tired and I need a break," she said, looking down. Kyle smiled inwardly but just stared at her, making her squirm. Joice rambled to try and fill the awkward silence that was now between them. "So, he and I will just have to see each other over the holidays. I, I guess the reason he took it so well is because we have been discussing going home for good after the New Year," she said, and laughed nervously. "We've been saying we're going home next year for the last four or five years."

Shameful as it was, Kyle was relieved to know she would not see him on this trip. He knew she was now embarrassed and he also knew his silence was adding to her discomfort. Joice was still talking and was adorable when she got tangled up in her own words like this. "So, when are you gonna drop Dante?" he interrupted, while looking in her eyes. She was caught off guard and searched his face for any trace of a smile. "You don't need him," Kyle added, quietly, narrowing his eyes and giving her half the smile she sought. "You need me," he said, barely above a whisper. A smile slowly crept across her face and her eyes told him she agreed with his summation of her relationship with Dante. She promised Kyle she would work on it. He rubbed her hand and thought about how being with her was changing him. He had never been overly affectionate, especially outside the bedroom, but if she was near him, he wanted to touch her.

Once that was settled, it was her turn. "I need to ask you a question," she said, her eyes riveted to his.

"Alright," Kyle replied, bracing himself.

Joice cleared her throat and began, "That night when you and Raquel had that fight, I came back up the stairs to give you the key, and heard you arguing with her. I could not hear what she said, but you said, 'It's in my room come and get it.' When you retrieved your key from me I did not hear from you for the rest of night. It made me think that perhaps you and she tried to reconcile and it hurt me." Joice put her head down and said in a low voice, "The next day, you said you started something with me that you should not have started. Did I misconstrue what I heard?" She looked at him expectantly when she was finished speaking.

Since she threw him a curve ball, Kyle had to think back to that night in order to accurately recall what happened. "First, let me apologize for hurting you," he said, earnestly, "I was focused on trying to get rid of Raquel and I guess I didn't consider how bad all of that looked from your view. She wanted the Rolex back she had given me. Actually, it was still in the box, because I was gonna give it back anyway. I didn't deserve a gift like that from her." Kyle leaned over the table and lowered his voice; "But, what you heard me say, was that it was in my room and I would get it. I got the key from you, and went back and gave her everything in my room that belonged to her, which was basically that watch, two shirts she bought me, and some movies. She never stepped foot in my room that night.