Copyright @ calibeachgirl
All rights reserved, 2010
Late morning, Friday, August 17th
San Diego Naval Base
Meeting The Family Is Not As Simple As You Might Think
I waited at the gate and looked through the families surrounding the sailors leaving the base. Somewhere hidden in the crowed was Mike Hunter, Commander USN, now retired, the man I had hoped to marry. Like a silly schoolgirl going to the prom, I was getting anxious.
After the terrifying events in the Pacific, somehow I knew this was probably my last chance for romance and a possible family.
"Colonel Paras! Colonel Paras!"
I turned and saw an arm waving above a sea of people.
"Mike! Mike, I'm here!" I moved toward the sound of his voice, finally finding him surrounded by of five women. The familial resemblance was astounding and the ones I supposed were his sisters were almost clones of each other separated by a year or two apart.
Hunter looked at an older woman I took to be his mother and when she gave him a slight nod, he quietly approached and stood before me.
I held out my arms to embrace him but instead he took my right hand and gently kissed it. As romantic as it may have seemed, I was astonished at his behavior until I remembered what he said on the ship, his only desire was to serve, please, respect and love me and I was about to enter a world I knew almost nothing about.
"Mike, take me to your family." It almost was a command rather than a request. How easily I slipped back into my commanding Marine officer stance with him. What had caused that response from me I had no idea other than it just seemed the right thing? the correct thing? the easy thing? to do. I didn't know then and I still don't now.
"Yes, Colonel. Please follow me." I thought he would have taken my hand but he didn't. We approached the five women, the oldest one standing there in a very stern manner with her arms folded across her chest.
Mrs. Hunter stood waiting, almost like an old-fashioned school teacher with a yardstick in her hand. "Well, Michael? Aren't you going to introduce us?"
I was having misgivings from that moment. Not so much what Michael was doing, although it did seem a little strange to me at the time but the attitude steaming from the women. Did I really want a mother-in-law like her? More to the point, did I want to have sisters-in-law like them?
And so I was 'examining' them just as much if not more than they were looking at me.
Mike started speaking, "Mother, this is Colonel Maria Paras, USMC. She is the very special lady I've been emailing you about... Colonel, this is my mother and these are my sisters, Brianna, Melinda, Lizabeth, and Brenda..."
Before he could finish, Brianna, the oldest sister, put her hand on his shoulder. "OK, Michael, time to go."
It almost looked like a parent leading a wayward child away.
At the time, I was a little confused that he continued to call me 'colonel' rather than 'Maria,' but I guessed it was just his attempt to show respect since we were still on the base.
He led us away from the crowd and out the gate.
Deep In Traffic With Mother
Once outside the gate I took them to my SUVs parked on the street. As the sisters got into one car with Rico, I led Mike and his mother to the other driven by Philip.
I held the front door open for the mother, hoping that she would get the hint and sit up front. The woman smiled, kissed my cheek and sat in the front with Philip.
I had been surprised that Alessa told Philip to accompany me to San Diego. He was usually stuck to her like glue... and, he was very handsome.
Mrs. Hunter smile faded somewhat when she noticed the .45 automatic on Philip's belt and I think she was going to say something but the two cars abruptly left the curb and headed toward the Coronado Bridge for the San Diego Gaslamp District. I like that bridge for a lot.
Ever since the crash, I had nightmares, bad nightmares. Sometimes I was in the crashing plane, sometimes we both were but it always ended the same...
It had been weeks since we had seen each other although we were talking each night on the phone. That night we had together in my borrowed cabin had stuck in my mind ever since and looking back, I believe that was the greatest motivator in choosing Michael to be with me.
Yes, he was smart, physically fit, good looking and funny but his amazingly educated mouth won me over.
Shallow, selfish thinking... lonely woman selfish thinking... desperate woman selfish thinking. I admit it. At my age and situation, a normal life had already slipped by me, and this situation seemed right at the time.
Even though his mother was sitting in the front seat, I playfully put my hand on his crotch to stroke his dick through his pants. Instead of my anticipated result I felt no physical response at all. I stared at him but he cautiously pointed at his mother, looking to see if she was watching.
I knew he had commanded military personnel in times of extreme danger and so was surprised at how quickly he became subservient in the presence of his mother and Brianna, his older sister.
With the traffic downtown, it took a while for us to reach the restaurant.
I broke the silence. "Mrs. Hunter, have you ever been to a Brazilian steakhouse?"
She turned a little sideways to address me. "No, Colonel, but I hear that they are very nice."
"Please call me Maria... we're going to the Rei do Gado in the Gaslamp district. I hope that you and the girls will like it. General Crowell and I would go there when we worked together in San Diego. Ah, here we are."
The two cars parked in front of the restaurant's reserved curb and everyone got out. Philip and Rico found a sidewalk table to watch the cars and give us some privacy and started drinking their usual iced teas.
Time To Get Something To Eat
Upon seeing me walk in, the owner rushed over. "Good morning, Colonel Paras... I am so sorry to hear about what happened to Colonel Crowell. I am going to miss him very much. I have your party seated in the back to give you some privacy. Please come this way."
"Thank you. Mrs. Hunter?"
I hung back, letting the Hunter women precede me to the table. Seeing them far enough away, I reached for Mike and kissed him, putting all my passion into the embrace but before I could elicit a physical, a romantic, some kind of response Brenda walked up.
"Michael, come here!" Brenda sounded SO disapproving she surprised me.
Mike looked over at his youngest sister. "I'm sorry, we're coming." I saw he was afraid of the young woman and I began to really wonder what bizarre psychological hold they had over him.
By the time we found the table, the girls were already at the salad bar. Mike's mother patted the chair next to her and I sat down.
"Maria, can you tell me a little about how you met? Michael has been a little quiet about that. He said something about national security. I was very angry with him. He tells me everything."
I was stunned. The woman's response was unexpected.
"Mrs. Hunter... We can't talk about it. I'm glad it's over but a very good man has died and a good woman that loved him is missing him forever and his baby will never know him. Please, let's just say that Mike and I were lucky to have found each other."
More prophetic words had never been spoken... at least, by me.
The serious look on my face told the woman to drop the subject and I felt more self-assured in starting to deal with the Hunter women. I believed if I could 'control' the mother then the girls were going to be no problem no matter how they thought about themselves.
I was a Marine, damn it and we don't shit from anyone, let alone a bunch of civilians.
The sisters arrived, announcing their presence with loud laughter and talk.
"Mom, you have to hurry up! This place is great!"
At the same time as they sat down, servers began bringing out the first of many meats to our table. The mother was served first, more out of respect for her age than any perceived power. I declined anything for the moment while I put together a serious plan of action to 'save' Mike from his own family. The sisters were next in order of age. Mike was served last. I think that happened because the Brazilians were trying to flirt with the sisters.