We'd met while I was stationed at Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls, Texas. I'd joined the Air Force to spite my old man and uncle. They were determined I was going to follow them in their commercial refrigeration business and then begin the transition to me as co-owner with my two cousins at the age of 25. I'd been going on service calls and installations with dad from the time I was a young boy. I learned quickly and though I neither diagnosed or serviced until I was about 16, I still knew what the problem was about the same time my dad or uncle did.
At sixteen I could legally work with another licensed serviceman part time during the school year and full-time during the summer. By the time I was ready to graduate from high school I knew that if I wanted any life at all I needed to break away, even if only for a short season. Being 18 I knew that as soon as I was out of school I'd be in a service truck or on an installation crew. From that point forward it would be nothing but work six days a week. I had money saved, in fact I had a lot of money saved but didn't want to sit on my ass and do nothing while I burned through the cash.
My closest friend had graduated a year ahead of me and enlisted in the Air Force. He was constantly telling me I should follow suit, it was a four-year hitch which would get me away from the family business for a short time. I could return to it if that was what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. When I took the aptitude test and talked with the recruiter it was obvious what field they were going to put me in, refrigeration. Initially I wanted nothing to do with the idea until the recruiter made it clear that I would have regular hours, there would be little to no installation, and I would see different places.
I was born at night, but not last night and knew the comment of "seeing different places" was probably not somewhere exotic. At the same time it wasn't in my hometown where I'd be working ten-hour days Monday through Friday, half days on Saturday and pulling standby a week at a time every six weeks. Even if my four years were only in the states, it would be more than what awaited me once out of high school. My parents were furious when I told them. No matter how much I tried to explain they weren't going to listen. I didn't leave for basics on a bad note, but it wasn't on a good note either, we just sort of parted ways.
After basics it was off to technical training. Having come from a life of refrigeration what greeted me at the training center was disappointing, I was way ahead of what was being taught. When I complained to my civilian instructor he explained that he needed to start at the beginning because most of the students had zero experience. With clearance from my squadron commander he began having me help as his assistant when I was in class. It was still boring but far better than just sitting and trying to stay awake.
It was in that class where I'd first met Doug. He was short by most standards, barely making the minimum height requirement when he enlisted. His skin was a light brownish, his facial features looked to be oriental. He insisted he was from Hawaii, I found out later he was from the Philippines. I never understood why he thought he had to be something other than Filipino. Long story short, after five months of schooling we graduated, got orders and went our separate ways. I was given orders for Tinker AFB in Oklahoma, I had no idea where any of the others were being sent.
I'd been at Tinker about six months and was then transferred to Offutt AFB which is located just south of Omaha, Nebraska. As soon as I walked into the shop I recognized a familiar face, it was Doug Sheffield, my former classmate at Sheppard, AFB. He liked to strut his stuff, always crisp starched fatigues, side wall haircuts. The arrogance he'd exhibited at school was worse now that he was in the field. What didn't escape me or my NCO's, was that Doug is a lazy ass. He was never dirty, never had oil stains on his clothes, his uniform looked as good at five in the afternoon as it had at seven that morning.
When you work commercial refrigeration there is no way to escape being dirty and ragged by the end of the day. Some days are better than others, but by and large you look like you've worked a full day. Especially on older equipment that is belt driven, which military bases seem to have an abundance of. Doug was one of those smarmy kiss ass kinds of suck-ups who seems to sail through life day by day without ruffling feathers. He just couldn't figure out why none of the civilian or military guys wanted him on their crew. The 55
th
Civil Engineering squadron sponsored an annual summer picnic/barbecue in late July, food, beer and snacks were provided at no cost to we who were in the 55
th
.
It was at that function where I met Doug's wife Gail. He never wore a ring so I didn't know he was married, although I should have, considering he didn't live on base in the barracks. She was nothing special to look at, certainly not a stare until your eyes bleed kind of specimen. Nicely shaped breasts that matched the rest of her body, a nice butt and slender legs. The first thing you noticed about her face was the dark rimmed glasses framed by equally dark hair that flowed beyond her shoulders. Her facial features were soft and gentle looking.
She was an easy three inches taller than Doug which made him look smaller than he was. That fact added to his "short man syndrome" behavior. What was most interesting is that Doug carried on like a jealous high school kid even though nobody was coming on to Gail. Everyone in our shop respected the fact that as a married woman she was off limits.
I learned that she'd been out of high school a little over a year when they married. She was one of five girls and from what I could ascertain she was looking for a way to get out of dinky town America when she met Doug. I enjoyed talking with her, simple everyday conversation, nothing deep or requiring much thought. I noticed the more she and I spoke the more possessive Doug had become. To the point that with his arm around her waist he dropped his hand and cupped her butt. Her anger filled face grew beet red in a flash, she grabbed his hand and pushed it away. Boy, if looks could kill.
I looked at Doug and asked, "What the hell was that about? Why would you embarrass your wife like that?"
With one of his smug grins he opened his mouth proving what most of us had already suspected, he was as dumb as he behaved. Leaning sideways in front of her he looked at me.
"Just letting you boys know she's my woman and I'll be taking her to bed tonight."
Gail said nothing as she stomped off leaving Doug with egg on his face. He shrugged his shoulders and said.
"Women, unbelievable."
I wanted to smack the little shit, instead I looked him in the eye, "You're a dick head, you know that?"
His next comment made me walk away before I broke the little bastards face.
"A man's got to keep a woman in her place."