Laura glanced at the huge pile of paperwork left on her desk. She sighed, looking at the clock. Already 6:30 pm, all her co-workers had gone home hours ago. Of course, Laura didn't have anything to go home to at this point. Being in the middle of a rather unpleasant divorce, she preferred to stay here, where she could keep busy and not have time to think. She enjoyed the peace and quiet after everyone had gone home. Except that the last few days, there was to be no peace even here. Just then, her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of the phone.
"Good Evening. Sgt. Sanders speaking, can I help you?" she answered, the words coming automatically. She listened, frowning, as one of the members of the engineering battalion that was on temporary duty here started thru his nightly list of complaints. Laura prided herself on being a professional, and always having the utmost respect for her military peers. However, these ones were truly beginning to get on her nerves. As she made notes while listening, a familiar face appeared in the doorway, raising his hand in greeting. Laura motioned him into a chair. When her phone call concluded, Laura turned to her visitor, smiling.
"How's it going?" she asked brightly. Mark was also in the battalion which was a current source of irritation to her, but he was different. He was young, Laura guessed around 23, and he was always upbeat and happy; like she herself used to be. Somehow the two had instantly become friends from the first day he made it a point to introduce himself to her. He liked to talk, telling her about the individual members of the battalionβ¦who got along with who, who was going to be a problem, etc.. He had been a big help in smoothing some of the rough spots when her temper had made her a few enemies amongst his comrades.
Mark looked at Laura, trying to figure her out. This one was a real puzzle to him. He liked her, they had hit it off as friends from the start. But she had a bad reputation around the base as a mean-tempered bitch. It just didn't quite "fit" to him; she had treated him well since the first day they met. He even managed to coax the occasional smile from her as he sat chatting in her office in the evening. But, this particular evening, he wasn't here to pass the time in idle conversation. One of his buddies had put him in what he felt was an awkward situation. Knowing that he had developed a friendship with the aloof sergeant, he had been asked to introduce a friend of his to her. Normally, he would have refused. But he thought that perhaps it would do them both a world of good. He shuffled nervously in his chair and glanced at his watch. The plan was, his buddy was supposed to come in to talk to him, which would give Mark an opportunity to introduce them.
Laura noticed Mark fidgeting, she wondered what was up. He seemed nervous this evening. The idea struck her that he was going to ask her for a date. She really hoped that was not the case, as she would hate to ruin their friendship. However, she was certainly not in the market for another man at this point in her life. As she opened her mouth to speak, another man appeared, asking if she knew where Mark was. She gestured toward the chair where he was, her eyes never leaving the new arrival. She knew she was staring at him, but she couldn't seem to stop herself. He was altogether a remarkable looking man. Tall, she estimated 6'3", with a powerful build. He was dressed in his PT clothes, running shorts and a gray T-shirt, which set off the beautiful cappuccino color of his skin. He had dark eyes, dancing with mirth. His wide smile suggested that he found constant amusement in life. So much in contrast to she herself, who rarely if ever smiled these days. She found herself drawn to him, to his excitement, his utter enjoyment of lifeβ¦these things that radiated from him even at first glance.
Mark smiled to himself, feeling that neither one would hear his obligatory introductions the way that they were staring at one another. But he'd been asked to do so, therefore he would.
"Oh. Laura, this is Sgt. Ward" Mark introduced.
Laura never took her eyes from him as he extended his hand in greeting, saying, "You can call me Trace".