Chapter Six

Sam loved hockey was very superstitious when it came to the sport. Michael on the other hand knew nothing of the violent ice sport but was willing to learn for the girl he loved. While Sam was teaching she brought up her superstitious nature and that one of her many superstitions during the playoffs was that she had to get a tall iced black tea from Starbucks. Once Michael knew this he had an idea for their next date.

Saturday afternoon Sam and Michael walked to the BX together where they caught a Redball and soon made it to their first destination, Starbucks. After ordering their drinks, Sam convinced Michael to let her pay. “I have a gift card; it’s not even my money.”

“Fine,” Michael replied, reluctantly letting his girlfriend hand the cashier her gift card.

It was a surprisingly nice day outside considering it was still March, so after retrieving their drinks from the counter they decided to sit outside in the sun and talk. Somehow the conversation had found its way to one of the stories that Sam was reading online, it was written by her friend Mel and was about a hockey player. Just like most of the stories that Sam wrote. “It starts out with Mel and her friend going to a Pens game and Mel pretty much falling for Sid. Mel goes to practice and ends up getting hit in the head with Sid’s shot, she and Erin make dinner for Sid, Geno and Max, and then Sid and Mel end up having crazy sex. In the last chapter that she posted there was a line that made me laugh. ‘Don’t stick your tongue out unless you’re willing to use it.’”

“Really?” He laughed. “Are you ready to go get some dinner?” Sam nodded and Michael pulled his phone from his pocket to call for a Redball to take them to Olive Garden. While they waited the wind started to pick up and their almost empty plastic cups began to fly around. The van finally showed up, once they made it to Olive Garden and were seated they sent Cassie a picture of their bread sticks to make her jealous. It worked. Soup, salad and bread sticks was their meal of choice and conversation continued when their mouths weren’t full.

The dessert menu that sat on the edge of the table drew Sam’s attention. “Ooh, everything looks good. Can we get that?” She asked pointing to the picture of the Black Tie Mousse Cake.

“Sure.” When it arrived at the table it looked exactly like the picture and somehow tasted even better.

Having decided that the night was still young and mostly that they didn’t want to go back to base Michael suggested that they see a movie, after all the theater was right across the street. She’s Out of My League was still playing and even though they had seen it the weekend before they both felt that it was good enough to see again. The movie didn’t start until after ten so to kill time Sam and Michael went to sit on the curb on the side of the building. Talking as well as kissing occupied their time until the movie started.

“Thank you for another great night.”

“Anything for you, I love you.”

“I love you too.”

A kiss and hug ended another amazing date.

***

“You ready?” Michael asked, he was nervous and Sam was too.

“Yeah, we should be fine, right?”

“Mhm, hopefully she’s on time.” It was Friday afternoon; everyone was waiting to be released to formation to march to flags, and while meaningless weekend plans were on the minds of everyone else Michael and Sam were worried about his mom. She was driving from California so that they would have a vehicle. Sam was nervous that she wouldn’t be good enough for this woman’s only child, her ‘little boy’. Michael on the other hand was worried that Sam and his mother wouldn’t get along, that the elder of the two women would do something that would show how crazy his family really was and that Sam would want nothing to do with him anymore.

Once they had made it to the parade field Michael went to do his rope thing and Sam literally ran across the grassy field to the second state flag, Pennsylvania. She loved her state and absolutely hated the one that she was in. After all of the state and American flags were taken down, retreat and the National Anthem played, and everyone was released for the weekend Sam quickly made her way back to her room to get ready. Michael had to stay behind for a brief ‘rope meeting’.

Michael’s mom was supposed to be there at five so Sam didn’t have much time to get ready, or so she thought. She showered, cut her bangs that since she had left home had grown to be as long as the rest of her hair, braided her long, light brown hair, and picked ‘the perfect outfit’. She kept her phone with her the entire time, waiting for Michael to tell her that his mom was there and to meet him outside.

‘Where the hell are you?’ Michael asked of his mother.

She had gotten lost and was late. When she finally ended up near base Michael had to walk to the gas station off base to meet up with her and drive on to base. She went to check into her ‘hotel’ only to find out that she would not be staying in the main building but at one of the on the other side of base. Thank God it was a small base.

Sam’s phone finally played ‘What a Wonderful World’ saying that she had a text. ‘Meet me by the chow hall.’ Shoving her phone in her pocket and making sure that she had her CAC, her id card that would get her back on base and into her room; she walked out to the big blue truck that was waiting for her. Going around to the passenger side she found that the front seat was empty and literally climbed in. “Hi,” she said to Michael.

“Hi, Sam this is my mom, mom this is my girlfriend Sam.”

“Hi,” both women said. Awkward. Although first meetings normally were.

After finding Michael’s mom’s room they were finally able to start towards dinner, until they were almost to the gate and Michael realized that he had left the GPS in his room. Pulling into the parking lot he quickly went to his room. ‘Uh-oh,’ he thought. He was leaving his mother and his girlfriend alone together.

During the few minutes that they were alone they talked a little and Sam was given a beautiful, silver, Celtic knot necklace. She loved her Celtic heritage.

Soon Michael returned and they were on their way, Olive Garden their destination. It was a quick dinner with some getting to know each other, but Sam and Michael had to be back in their rooms by ten so that they wouldn’t get in trouble.

It was weird to go to bed early and the two love birds texted until they finally ended up falling asleep. They both needed sleep a long day lie ahead of them.

The next morning they met for breakfast, all three of them having omelets before going their separate ways again, only for a few hours though. Michael’s mom waited while Michael dealt with the squadron cookout and Sam hung out in her room watching some hockey. The Pens were taking on the Thrashers.

As soon as the game ended though Sam grabbed her bag and was soon in the passenger seat on her way to Dallas. It was a long drive but she spent it talking to the man she loved and listening to music they had picked out just for this trip. Some Gaelic Storm, some selections from RENT, and some of their other favorite songs. Also during the drive Sam was texting her ‘big brother’ Jesse. They talked about how it was the first time that she and Michael would sleep in the same bed, that they had been together for a month now, and that in the month they had been together as much as they had kissed it had never progressed to making out.

When they finally arrived in Dallas they checked in to their hotel and quickly found their room before heading off in search of dinner. Buffalo Wild Wings was their final decision and after dinner they went back to the hotel and took turns in the bathroom changing into their pajamas.

Michael was nervous to be sleeping in the same bed as Sam that night, mostly because his mom was there and would literally be ten feet from them all night, but also because he was worried that his snoring would bother her. He put that out of his mind though when he sat down on the right side of the bed and waited for Sam to join him.

When she did join him the TV turned on and soon they found something that they agreed on, Ghost. It was one of Sam’s favorites and was happy when Michael said that he liked it too. It was the end of the movie though and when it ended Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers stated. At about the first commercial break in the movie both Sam and Michael decided that it was time to get some sleep; Michaels’s mom had already gone to sleep. Michael and Sam both removed one pillow from the bed and placed it on the floor before looking at each other and laughing. They got under the covers before Sam scooted over and was wrapped in Michael’s arms. “Goodnight my love,” Michael said and placed a firm kiss on Sam’s lips.

“Goodnight,” she turned away from him and snuggled close against his chest before they both drifted into a peaceful sleep.

That sleep didn’t last long though, after about an hour they both woke up within seconds of each other. “You up?” Michael asked.

“Mhm,” she turned towards him, a smile on her face. Michael pressed his lips to hers and the next thing Sam knew without even thinking about it she was running her tongue along Michael’s lip and soon they were making out. It was the first time and Michael’s mom was ten feet away. As much as that bothered Michael the more that Sam kissed him it didn’t matter anymore. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Sam.” They slept two hours total the entire night and spent the rest of their time wrestling each other’s tongues.

When Michael’s mom woke up they all took turns showering before checking out of the room and going for breakfast at Denny’s. After they ate Michael and his mom fought over the check, she won. A quick stop at a gas station was the last stop before the airport. While Michael was out of the truck Sam changed it so that the GPS was in French-Canadian. As they began to drive away the female voice said something about where to turn. “What the hell?”

“Sorry,” Sam said with a laugh before changing it back.

When they arrived at the airport they said goodbye to Michael’s mom and started the long trek back to base, holding each other’s hands the entire time. Little did they know that this would be the first of many weekends spent away from base.