Corpsman, Up!

"I would never let you go, Danika. Never. For any reason."

Her smile faded and she sat there for a moment before getting serious again.

"I really like you, Chance, but you can't know that. I hate saying it out it's been bothering me since you told me your age. You have to know I'll be...40...in just over a year. And you won't even be turning 30 until..."

He didn't say anything again. He waited for her to finish.

"So while I believe you when you say you think I'm, you know, kind of...attractive...you won't be thinking that in a few more years. It's been wonderful hearing you say things like that, but well, I think you can figure the rest out by yourself."

When he was sure she was finished he said, "Are you done?"

"Pardon?" she asked almost defensively.

"I was wondering if you were finished telling me what I think and what I'll be thinking years down the road yet."

He didn't smile, but he said it very politely.

"No. I...I didn't mean it like that, Chance. I was only being honest. That's all."

"I believe you were telling me what you believe. The problem is you're just...wrong."

"Oh?" she said even more defensively as she slowly took her hand away.

"Yes. You're wrong. Plain and simple."

"How so?" she asked.

Chance spent the next few minutes telling her about his father and the kind of relationship they had, as well as how it ended.

By the time he finished, Danika had tears in her eyes as she imagined his dying father trying to make amends.

"Don't be sad," he told her. "I learned more from my dad than I realized. Sadly, most of it was negative, but I learned many things not to be, and when I'm fortunate enough to meet the right woman and hopefully have..."

He smiled then said, "Or...inherit...children, I will always be aware of how much they mean to me and hopefully, how much I mean to them. And I will be there for them in every way possible every day of my life. No matter what."

Danika's eyes had briefly dried but were now full of tears again. As the first ones fell, Chance told her, "That means that when I say 'I do'—I will. Forever, Danika. And were I be so lucky as to have someone as wonderful as you as my wife, there is nothing that could ever make me stop loving you—or...her. Nothing. And especially not her age. Okay?"

Chance saw her reach for her napkin and stopped her.

"Here. Let me," he said as he used his own to gently dab her eyes.

She took two long, deep breaths then said, "You are a very special, very amazing young man, Chance Petersen."

"And you are a very special, very amazing, and very beautiful woman, Danika Morris."

She looked at him, did her best to smile then said, "You almost make me believe you, Chance."

"Almost?" he said with a smile. "How can I get to where you do believe me?"

"By just being your wonderful, honest self?" she said in the form of a question.

He moved his chair closer to her then said, "You are all of those things, Danika."

"Okay," she replied not knowing what else to say. What she did know was that her heart was beating rapidly, and when he held out his hand again it beat even faster.

He smiled at her then slowly leaned in and just as their lips met they heard, "Can I get you anything el..."

The young girl stopped talking and said, "Oh, my gosh! I am so sorry!"

Danika pulled away and didn't look up while Chance turned around and told her, "No, that's okay. And yes, I think we're ready to go."

He glanced at Danika who let him know she was ready so he asked for the check. Their server laid it on the table, apologized again, then walked away.

Danika looked at the piece of paper then smiled sweetly and said, "Rain...check?"

"If you mean on the kiss, then yes. Definitely," he told her before helping her stand up.

When they got to her dad's house, Danika invited Chance in with the caveat that her daughter was still wide awake.

Chance only laughed before saying, "Is that the best you can do?"

Danika laughed, too, then told him, "In the past, just the thought of her being around any guy I dated was enough to keep him from even wanting to come inside let alone stay."

Before she could open the door he took her hand and said, "I'm not like them, and I'll never feel that way about your daughter. Ever."

After having heard how things had been between Chance and his late father, Danika knew he was telling her the truth, and the fact that he could say that and mean it made whatever feelings she was having for him grow even stronger.

Those feelings continued to grow as he smiled at her then said, "I'd like my raincheck now if that's okay."

"Oh. Yes. The raincheck. I think this would be a very good place to redeem it. You know, when a certain genius isn't watching," Danika told him as her eyes danced with his.

As he kissed her, her body reacted while her brain, for some reason, tried to remember the last time that had happened, and she was drawing a blank. Not because it hadn't happened since the divorce, but because the few times it had, they'd made no impression on her. But this one...this one was making a very deep impression on her.

"I wish I had a whole stack of rainchecks," Chance told her when the kiss ended.

"We're having a sale on them today only," she told him.

"I don't have a lot of money, but..."

"No. They're free. And they come in unlimited quantities," she assured him.

"Then I'll take two stacks," he said before kissing her again.

Danika wanted to both laugh and cry with the crying part bringing tears of joy. As they stepped inside she wondered whether or not this was this real or too good to be true.

Echo heard the door open and ran to her mother.

"You're back already?" she asked.

"Do you want me to leave?" he mom asked with a smile.

"I perceive sarcasm," her daughter said. "I'll ignore that and get to the point. I was researching the average time of a first date but wasn't able to glean any reliable data. I did some mental calculations and arrived at two hours and thirty minutes as the approximate time. You returned home fifteen minutes early. Is that a sign things didn't go well?"

"No, honey. Things went very well. Or at least I think they did," she told Echo as she looked at Chance.

"Oh, I agree wholeheartedly. I'd say things went swimmingly well."

Echo looked at him then said, "Why would you choose 'swimmingly' to modify the adverb 'well'? Why not 'wonderfully' or 'exceptionally'? Is there a subtle difference I'm missing?"

"No. You're not missing anything. In fact, that was a very perceptive comment," Chance told her.

"Thank you. It's rare that my observations are received in such a positive manner."

"Um...you're welcome?" Chance said with a smile.

"I didn't realize my statement left room for ambiguity, but yes, it was intended to be complimentary in nature," Echo informed him as Danika stood there listening.

"So how's your grandfather doing?" Danika asked as they walked inside.

"I beat him in a game of Scrabble—again. And he's currently losing in a game of Monopoly. I have hotels on Boardwalk and Park Place, plus the three green properties, so bankruptcy is inevitable meaning it's all but over," Echo said.

She looked at Chance then told him, "'It's all but over' is a colloquialism indicating he's on the verge of losing."

He didn't tell her he understood. He just said, "You must be a very formidable opponent."

Echo stopped walking, smiled at him, then said, "I am, actually."

She took her mom's hand then started walking, and Danika smiled at Chance, and using her free hand 'drew' a smile on her face then said, "Wow. That is very rare."

Echo rarely smiled and that, along with so many other things, had given her mother cause for concern. Over the years she'd learned to accept than her daughter's brain was continually processing information at a very high rate leaving it little time for the kinds of social cues so important to other people. For Echo, the information was everything whereas others put a very high priority on the social interaction between themselves and those with whom they were interacting. So seeing any hint of Echo being social was a cause for celebration.

"Well, well. There they are!" George said when the new couple walked in.

He'd moved to the sofa and was trying to sit up straight while looking down at the board.

"She's positively unbeatable," George said. "And my neck is killing me. Could you maybe help me back into the recliner, Dani?"

Danika went to help, but Chance said, "No. Let me."

George was not only thin but small and couldn't weigh much more than 135 pounds, if that. Chance was able to lift him up easily making sure to keep his neck and back straight then help him into the chair doing the same thing. Danika could only offer limited help, and she dreaded getting him in and out of the bed each day. Fortunately, once he was standing, he could shower without needing any help other than getting his shirt and tee-shirt off, if he wasn't wearing shoes. They were a challenge, too, but for the most part, George walked around in white socks all day. Or rather sat around in them.

"Thank you, Chance. You're a saint," George told him.

"I'm happy to help, sir," he told the older man.

"Old age sneaks up on you. One day you're your age then—poof!—you're mine! Trust me on that, okay? You're too young to understand yet, but you will. Mark my words!"

"I have no doubt, sir," Chance said as he recalled sitting in a movie theater when he was 18 when a man about George's age was sitting in front of him. All he could think of was how that man was his age 'just moment's ago' in his mind. It was the same man looking out through the same eyes, but society now saw him very differently, and that helped him understand he would one day be that man. Well, providing some accident or disease...or war...didn't take him first.

"So did you kids have a nice time?" George asked.

Before either of them could answer, Echo said, "Chance reported things having gone 'swimmingly well' which means they went quite well indeed."

"I see. Well thank you for interpreting for me," George said with a smile.

"I like teaching you things, Grandpa," she told him having no idea he as being mildly sarcastic again.

"Yes, you do, sweetheart," he said with another smile. "And I love you for it."

"I love you, too, Grandpa," she replied without emotion.

Danika wasn't sure what Echo felt when she said 'I love you' to someone, and her fear was she only said it as a kind of learned response rather than because it was something she felt inside her.

"I should probably get going," Chance finally said.

"Oh, sure. I'll walk you to the door," Danika said.

"No, wait!" Echo called out. "Can Chance stay and play a game of Monopoly with us?"

"Honey, it's getting late, and Monopoly takes a really long time," she told her daughter.

"It's not that late, and I'm off tomorrow. If you're not tired of me by now," he told Danika.

"Oh, no," she said with a happy smile. "I'm nowhere near tired of you. I'd love for you to stay. If you're not tired of me."

"Nope. Not at all. So let's get started!" he said.

Danika nearly cried when Echo jumped up and walked over to Chance and put her arms around him and said, "I love you, too, Chance."

Surprised and even a little bit touched, Chance hugged her back and said, "I love you, too...Echo-Gekko."

When she laughed, Danika felt the tears welling up in her eyes and blinked several times hoping Echo didn't see. Her daughter didn't let anyone else, to include her mother, to call her by a nickname. And yet she'd not only let Chance use the name her father used, she'd laughed at it while she was hugging him!

"Mom? Can we have chips and dip?" Echo asked.

"That's up to your Grandpa, honey."

"Sure! Bring 'em out! Salsa for me, kiddo!" he said as Echo was already on her way to the kitchen.

"I've never in my life seen her hug someone without prompting before. I mean, other than Dad, her father, and me."

"And she laughed when Chance called her 'Echo-Gekko'. That's a first, too, right, honey?" George asked his daughter.

"Oh, yeah. Two firsts. I think she might just like you," Danika told Chance.

He pretended to get all puffed and said in a voice that matched, "Well, you can't really blame her now, can ya? I mean, you are talkin' about yours truly here, right?"

Danika was so happy she laughed much too loudly and found herself wanting to kiss him so badly it hurt.

"Heroic with a sense of humor?" George quipped after having laughed, too. "This one's a keeper. Mark my words!"

She looked at Chance and the way he smiled at her sent shivers through her body. Warm, pleasant...shivers. The kind she hadn't felt in...in...well, much longer than the last time she could remember being kissed.

"Okay. We have Ruffles, Pringles, and Lays!" Echo said.

"Dad? Where did you get all the junk food? I certainly didn't buy that for you," Danika said, sort of scolding her father.

"Oh. Well, I kind of got to know Mrs. Williams from next door," he said.

"Really? Do tell," Danika said.

"Yes. After we came home from the hospital she was watching. She saw my neck brace and after you left—two days later, she stopped by. We've kind of been...talking since."

"Dad! You devil, you!" she said with a smile. "So she brought you these?"

"Uh-huh. And a cheesecake. It was delicious!"

"Wait. You ate an entire cheesecake by yourself?" Danika asked not believing what she heard.

"It was a small one, honey. Very small," he said trying not to laugh as he used his fingers to indicate a small circle.

"Ah, a 'personal-size cheesecake'. I see," she teased. "She lost her husband a few years ago, right?"

"Right. Four years ago this November," he told her.

"So...love is the air maybe?" Danika asked.

He tried to turn toward her and said to her and Chance, "I don't know. You tell me!"

"He's got a point, you know," Chance told her.

"He's does, does he?" she said sweetly as he looked right at her and smiled that amazing smile.

"Oh, I think so," he informed her.

"Okay. Good to know," she said before announced it was time to get started.

Danika went broke around 10 o'clock with her dad following twenty minutes later. She was already sitting next to Chance, but after she lost, he pulled her over closer, and she was more than happy to snuggle right up to him.

Echo owned all the railroads, the utilities, and had hotels on six properties while this time, Chance owned Boardwalk and Park Place plus having hotels on the three yellow properties.

It was almost midnight and there was no sign of a winner when Danika finally said, "Okay, honey. We're gonna have to call this one a draw so we can get home and get you to bed."

She not only wasn't upset at having to quit, she looked at Chance then said in a way one she could, "I believe I've met my intellectual match when it comes to Monopoly."

George was sound asleep in the recliner, and Danika and Chance were too tired not to laugh. And then to Danika's great delight, Echo laughed, too. It seemed genuine rather than her simply copying the behavior of others to try and fit in like when she said, "I love you" back to someone. Other than to Chance, that is.

Echo fell asleep in the car on the way home and Danika said, "All kidding aside, I've never seen her react to anyone quite like you, Chance."

"I'm glad," he told her. "Everyone needs to be loved and understood, and when someone stands out as different—for any reason—it can be hard, especially if it's a child."

"That's so true. Kids are very quick to judge and tease and be cruel. With Echo, they still do that, but it's different because of how she's different from them. But she still needs friends, and other than my dad, her father, and me, Echo doesn't have any friends. Not one. I'm not trying to make you feel obligated or anything, Chance, I'm just letting you know how much I appreciate you being so kind and understanding with her."

"Hey. I told you I really like her, and I do. Different isn't bad. It's just—different."

"I can tell she likes you, too, and that makes me very happy," Danika told him sincerely.

"And how about her mom? Am I doing okay with her so far?" he asked with a smile as he glanced over at her.

"I'd say so," she told him. "Considering how this has been the best day I've had in quite a few years, I think it's fair to say you're doing all right."

"I'm glad about that, too," he told her.

He reached for her hand and when she gave it to him he said, "I'm glad because I feel the same way, Danika."

She wanted to unload all of her insecurities on him and warn him to leave now because of Echo and her age and so many other things, but she not only couldn't speak, she couldn't let go of his hand, either.

She smiled back and said, "That makes me very happy, Chance."

"You make me very happy, Danika," he told her as he lifted her hand up and kissed the back of it.

"So does that mean there might be a second date?" she asked sweetly.

"I believe I bought two stacks of rainchecks. Unlimited. So there'd better be," he said pretending to be very serious.

"Oh, right. Yes, you did, didn't you?"

"I sure did."

"Well, then I'll honor that purchase, sir," she told him. "You have unlimited...access."

When she realized what she'd just said, she covered her mouth and tried not to laugh.

"I did not just say that!"

"I'm afraid you did," Chance said still being overly serious. "I heard you. Loud and clear."

"Maybe that was a Freudian slip," Danika said almost coyly.

"I can live with that," Chance said with a laugh as they pulled up to her house.

Neither of them were aware her loud laughter woke Echo up so they were very surprised when she said, "A Freudian slip, which is also called parapraxis, is an error in speech, memory, or physical action that is interpreted as occurring due to the interference of an unconscious subdued wish."

"What I don't understand is what granting access could mean as an unconscious, subdued wish."

"You are so busted," Chance said as Danika sat there in horror.

"Oh, I'm not going near that one," she told him as he shut the car off so he could walk her to the door.

He leaned over and smiled then said quietly, "How about me? Will you allow me to get...near you?"

She took his hand and placed in over her heart then said, "Can you feel that? If feels like it's going to beat right out of my chest."

He actually could feel it and said, "So...is that a 'yes'?"

She smiled back then said, "Ask me again after a third date."

"I will," he said before leaning over and kissing her.

Echo started explaining the meaning of kissing as Chance got out to walk around and get their doors. She was still going strong when they got to the front porch where she began talking about why men open doors for women or help them get seated.

Danika let Echo in and told her to go get ready for bed as she stood in the foyer with Chance.

"Still not scared off?" she asked.

He helped her with her coat then put his arms around her and said, "Nope. Not even close."

"Hmmm. Maybe you are a keeper," she said with a smile as their lips met again.

"I really want to see you again tomorrow. Or would that be today?" he said knowing it was well after midnight.

"Today is okay," she said sweetly. "And so is tomorrow."

"Get some rest," he told her.

"You, too, Chance," she said before kissing him one more time. "I had an absolutely wonderful time today. Or would that be yesterday?"

Both of them laughed and Chance said, "Me, too. And I'd like more days just like this."

He touched her face then said, "With you. And with your amazing daughter."

"Okay," she said quietly with a pleasant smile.

"Goodnight, Danika," he told her.

"Goodnight, Chance."