As she danced out of the kitchen and up a short hallway and into their bedroom, where she kissed her passionately and said loudly, "OK you bastards, give us some privacy and if I find this has been recorded for your pleasure, I will cut all of your balls off, you too Tilley,"
Margarita giggled as the house phone rang. Stella picked it up and didn't say a word and was told. "You are on your own until 0600 ma'am," and the phone went dead, cut off, silenced.
She smiled to herself and started to strip Margarita out of the clothes she had put on. She had laid the naked Margarita gently on the bed. Then standing naked at the side of the bed, she looked down at Mags and climb onto the bed next to her. Looking at this woman child capturing this image to her memory knowing she would have to lock it away, deep into the recesses of her brain where no one could reach.
She lay next to her and brought her thigh up to her core, so soft, so moist, so ready. She eased herself into a position that had her Mags comfortable as they started to rock together, back and forth. Mags held her lover around her neck, looking into her eyes as her body felt the increasing pleasure emanating from her groin. She smiled through tear-stained eyes as she applied pressure of her own onto Stella's region, which she knew would bring forth an almighty climax. They held onto each other as they raced towards their first orgasm of what would be a night of passion and lovemaking.
What little sleep they would get would be interrupted first by one then the other as they in turn feasted on the womanly cores of each other. Their lovemaking went from slow and gentle to fierce and wild, from laughing and giggling to pleading for mercy.
They were both dozing when the alarm went off at 5 am. Instantly, Stella was awake, alert and functioning at 100 per cent. While Margarita rolled over and tried for one last time to make love, Stella was aware of what would happen, there was always going to be one more time. She cuddled her and kissed her head tenderly. Whispered to her that she must shower, Mags wanted to shower with her. Stella smiled and held out her hand to her lover and they took their time, soaping, lathering and caring for each other. While in the shower, Stella told her. "Be careful, Tilley will have people listening to you, all day every day. Don't stay in the house and always go around and lock every window and every door every night. Don't be scared to leave lights on, different ones every night and Change your routine babe, different things on different days,"
"Why, sweetheart, what could possibly happen here on the base?"
"Nothing, but Mags I suspect they will move you around for a bit once I go into the field, standard practice, do these things just for me babe, it will make me feel better about going away,"
"What should I do to keep myself busy, take up painting?" Then Margarita laughed, "I could see what they would do if I started to paint the house different colours,"
"They would bill me, twice over, so don't do that sweetie Even Tilley has her limits so don't push too hard, she is still a friend,"
"I'm missing you already, who am I going to talk to at night, when I'm lonely?"
"Talk to me as if I am there with you, tell me about your day, about what we normally talk about and start planning our wedding. Get Tilley to provide you with a car and driver and go visit places, go to the Barossa Valley, they have fantastic wines,"
"What will I do for money sweetie," Margarita suddenly asked.
"They will make sure you are looked after, trust me on that,"
Once out of the shower, they dried each other and Mags asked, "What do you want for breakie?"
"Just a couple of slices of toast and vegemite, I'll get fed come lunchtime," Stella then put on her stern voice and reminded Mags to eat properly, "No junk foods. Go shopping, sort out a menu and shop for it and cook every night, promise me,"
"Nag, nag, nag, is this what being married to you is going to be like?" Mags pretended to be upset.
"You better believe it and throw some clothes on," Stella replied from the bedroom as she started to dress.
Stella got her uniform out and hung it on the wardrobe door, her boots were shined so she could almost see herself, a mirror reflection, everything had been dry cleaned, and pressed and whoever had done it knew what they were doing. Again she expected nothing less. She looked at her hair and didn't bother trying to make it look any better than it could be, she knew she was in for a makeover before going into the field. No perfume, no makeup, back into military habits now.
She heard a voice from the Kitchen, "Come and get it,"
She yelled out in return "How much time do I have?"
"10 minutes and the front door is open so we'll hear them when they pull up," Mags had her back to the bedroom when Major Stella Murphy slowly walked out into the kitchen.
Quietly Stella told her that "They will be here at 0600 as instructed," Then handed her a T-shirt and some shorts.
Margarita was crying over the kitchen sink, she didn't want to turn around. Her sobbing was very auditable, so Stella turned on the radio and then turned it up loud. Margarita was physically crying uncontrollably, her body shaking as her grief of losing her fiancée was beginning to dawn on her. She wanted to be strong, to put on a brave face. Even in the darkest moments in her life before Stella, she hadn't felt this way. So fearful, so empty, so scared. She felt Stella behind her and without turning around she put her hand up, Stella took hold of it, kissed it and held it to her cheek.
"Margarita, I can stay, honestly, I can babe, there will be no fallout, I promise,"
Without saying a word she shook her head, in between her sobs she managed to say "No .........we gave her ................our word, I will be ok, ..................I will, ..................just give me a little time,"
It was only then that Margarita turned around to face her Stella, her one and only and she saw her in her uniform for the first time and she burst into tears once again. Covering her face in her hands.
At 6 am a car was waiting outside and the Matron had been expecting a tearful farewell so had sent Bianca to sit with Margarita when the Major left. She had with her everything for Margarita that would be required for her to get through the next seven and a half months without breaking. She knew what was expected of her and how extremely emotional it would be. She didn't understand it mind you, but she was ready for it.
She stood there at the door not wanting to interrupt. She cleared her throat cautiously, not wanting to disturb them but to let them know the time had arrived. The Major raised a finger in the air, both as a request for patience and a signal to Bianca not to do anything more.
Stella took a deep breath held onto little Mags for a moment longer then told her, "I can only be strong if you are strong, if I feel you aren't strong then I will be weak and if I am weak others will get hurt, so you must be strong, so I can be strong and in 232 days time we are going to have the biggest party you or I have ever seen. I am going to marry you and we are going to have those 4 kids you want and we will find a big old house in the country and have our normal lives back," She kissed her, looked into her eyes and started to wipe away the tears. Margarita hung onto her as they walked towards the door. Bianca stood aside. Stella stopped just inside the doorway, then said to Mags, "Don't watch me drive away, stay inside, close the door. I love you, Margarita Fitzgibbon, be here when I get home," and with those words, she walked out of the house.
As the door closed behind her the Major knew that Stella was still inside the house with her lover. With each step away from the house towards the car, the Major became stronger and stronger. By the time she reached the car, she was a different woman.
Cold, hard, strong and focused.
[ HERE THE STORY SPLITS INTO TWO -- THE MAJOR'S NEXT 71/2 MONTHS AND MARGARITA'S NEXT 71/2 MONTHS ]
The Major.
The car took her straight to a hangar, where she was instructed to strip out of her uniform down to her underwear. She didn't hesitate and the limited people here weren't interested in seeing her out of uniform. She was handcuffed, a bag placed over her head her legs were shackled. She was ready for it, she had been here before. She closed her eyes but kept her wits about her. She listened to the voices and the noises, she took in the smells and anything out of the ordinary. She knew the Matron was there just by the shower soap she uses. A rough hand stuck some paperwork into the side of her knickers. She had become a non-person for the time being.
