world’s biggest toy box.”
“Wow!” Danny says, his eyebrows going up. “That’s some Curricula Vitae. I’m impressed.”
“Yeah. The Air Force has been good to me,” I say, as the waiter walks up.
“Why is that?” Danny asks after we order.
“Why is what?” I ask, having lost the thread of the conversation while I drooled over the available steaks.
“Why did your parents disown you? Sounds to me like their buttons should be popping off their shirts.”
“Well, they haven’t disowned me, exactly. Remember I said they were hippies? Flower children of the seventies. War bad, love good. All that shit. I think they still believe that one of the required classes at the Air Force Academy is Baby Killing 101. They’ll never understand, so we don’t talk about it. It helps that my brothers are all on my side.”
“I’ll never understand people like that,” Danny says. “They have no idea what we do.”
I laugh. “I know. You can’t tell them either. All they know is I eat meat, vote Republican, and I’m an officer in the United States fuckin’ Air Force. They think I must be a brainwashed stooge of the military industrial complex. I love ‘em to death, but wow.”
Danny grins. “Wow is right.”
“So, dish. What’s your story?”
“I don’t have a story.” Danny says quietly.
“Now you don’t,” I say. “There must be more to Boomer Anderson than just flying F-16s.”
“Not really,” Danny says. “I’m a lot like you. My mom ran out on my dad and me when I was young. I can barely remember her face. My dad must have really loved her because to this day he won’t say a negative word about her. I haven’t seen her since. I went to college at the University of Texas, joined ROTC there, and got a degree in mechanical engineering. That’s it.”
“And now you fly jets,” I say.
“And now I fly jets,” Danny agrees.
“You like it?”
“Ohhh, yeah,” Danny drawls out. “Better than sex.”
I burst into laughter. “You’re not doing it right then.”
“What? Sex or flying.”
“Sex.”
“How would you know? Ever been in a high performance jet?”
“No, can’t say that I have.”
“Want to?”
“What? Fly in a fighter?”
“Yeah. I can make it happen.”
I think it over. That would be one for the memory banks. “Sure. I would love too. Would you be driving?”
“Of course.”
“Why?” I ask.
“Why what?”
“Why would you offer to do this for me? I thought you hated me.”
Danny is solemn for a moment. “I never hated you, Eliza. I just…never mind, it’s complicated.”
“Huh-uh. Come on. Spill it. I would like to know. If you didn’t dislike me, you gave a damn good impression.”
Danny obviously doesn’t want to talk about it, but silence is a powerful weapon. I wait him out. “It’s not you,” Danny begins, as he cuts into his steak. “I’ve just not had much luck with women.”
“Oh, that’s bullshit and you know it,” I say. “You probably have to beat women off with a stick.”
“That’s not what I mean,” Danny says softly.
I grimace, realizing I have stepped in it now. “I’m sorry. I didn’t understand. Forgive me for prying.”
“It’s okay. It was a long time ago. Mom leaving. Then, I was thinking about asking this girl to marry me, only to find out she was two-timing me. There have been a couple of others. For one reason or another, it always ended in disaster.”
The chick that was fucking around on him must have been stupid. If I could come home to that every night, I wouldn’t be able to fuck anyone else because my ass would be worn out. “I’m sorry, Danny. I didn’t mean to pry. You must know that not all women are like that, especially those that you just work with.”
“I know. That’s what French was giving me a ration of shit about
“Wow!” Danny says, his eyebrows going up. “That’s some Curricula Vitae. I’m impressed.”
“Yeah. The Air Force has been good to me,” I say, as the waiter walks up.
“Why is that?” Danny asks after we order.
“Why is what?” I ask, having lost the thread of the conversation while I drooled over the available steaks.
“Why did your parents disown you? Sounds to me like their buttons should be popping off their shirts.”
“Well, they haven’t disowned me, exactly. Remember I said they were hippies? Flower children of the seventies. War bad, love good. All that shit. I think they still believe that one of the required classes at the Air Force Academy is Baby Killing 101. They’ll never understand, so we don’t talk about it. It helps that my brothers are all on my side.”
“I’ll never understand people like that,” Danny says. “They have no idea what we do.”
I laugh. “I know. You can’t tell them either. All they know is I eat meat, vote Republican, and I’m an officer in the United States fuckin’ Air Force. They think I must be a brainwashed stooge of the military industrial complex. I love ‘em to death, but wow.”
Danny grins. “Wow is right.”
“So, dish. What’s your story?”
“I don’t have a story.” Danny says quietly.
“Now you don’t,” I say. “There must be more to Boomer Anderson than just flying F-16s.”
“Not really,” Danny says. “I’m a lot like you. My mom ran out on my dad and me when I was young. I can barely remember her face. My dad must have really loved her because to this day he won’t say a negative word about her. I haven’t seen her since. I went to college at the University of Texas, joined ROTC there, and got a degree in mechanical engineering. That’s it.”
“And now you fly jets,” I say.
“And now I fly jets,” Danny agrees.
“You like it?”
“Ohhh, yeah,” Danny drawls out. “Better than sex.”
I burst into laughter. “You’re not doing it right then.”
“What? Sex or flying.”
“Sex.”
“How would you know? Ever been in a high performance jet?”
“No, can’t say that I have.”
“Want to?”
“What? Fly in a fighter?”
“Yeah. I can make it happen.”
I think it over. That would be one for the memory banks. “Sure. I would love too. Would you be driving?”
“Of course.”
“Why?” I ask.
“Why what?”
“Why would you offer to do this for me? I thought you hated me.”
Danny is solemn for a moment. “I never hated you, Eliza. I just…never mind, it’s complicated.”
“Huh-uh. Come on. Spill it. I would like to know. If you didn’t dislike me, you gave a damn good impression.”
Danny obviously doesn’t want to talk about it, but silence is a powerful weapon. I wait him out. “It’s not you,” Danny begins, as he cuts into his steak. “I’ve just not had much luck with women.”
“Oh, that’s bullshit and you know it,” I say. “You probably have to beat women off with a stick.”
“That’s not what I mean,” Danny says softly.
I grimace, realizing I have stepped in it now. “I’m sorry. I didn’t understand. Forgive me for prying.”
“It’s okay. It was a long time ago. Mom leaving. Then, I was thinking about asking this girl to marry me, only to find out she was two-timing me. There have been a couple of others. For one reason or another, it always ended in disaster.”
The chick that was fucking around on him must have been stupid. If I could come home to that every night, I wouldn’t be able to fuck anyone else because my ass would be worn out. “I’m sorry, Danny. I didn’t mean to pry. You must know that not all women are like that, especially those that you just work with.”
“I know. That’s what French was giving me a ration of shit about
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