When Michael arrived home, he inhaled deeply. Tepsi baytinijan, a casserole consisting of eggplant, tomatoes, onions, peppers, potatoes, and lamb meatballs served over rice, was a favorite dish of his. Usually Mona reserved making it for special occasions.
“What did I do to deserve such royal treatment?” Michael said.
He and Mona came together just outside the kitchen. The two of them kissed and Michael said, “Better watch out. You’re smelling so good I’ll want to eat you.”
“I was not aware that I was on the menu,” she said.
“You are tonight’s special.”
Michael took another deep breath, but not to take in the aroma of the food. He didn’t want to eat his favorite dish under false pretenses. It was better just to come out and tell Mona about his trip, rather than put off the news until after they dined.
“I have to go to Las Vegas tomorrow,” he said.
Mona’s posture stiffened just a little. “Las Vegas?”
“I’ll be going with Jake on business.”
She didn’t speak for a few seconds, then asked, “For how long?”
Mona never liked it when the two of them were apart.
“I’m not sure. I hope it’s just for a few days.”
“I see.”
“I didn’t know about the news until late today,” he said.
Instead of answering directly, Mona said, “I need to take our dinner out of the oven, or it will be overdone.”
“You can tell me about this business of yours.”
“Before I do that, I need to backtrack, and I need to apologize. There are some things I should have told you previously.”
“Then I would hear them now.”
After Mona turned off the oven, the two of them sat on the sofa in their small living room. Holding his wife’s hand, Michael said, “Do you remember that night about two months ago when I told you that Jake and I needed to go to Panama City to meet with my client?”
Mona nodded.
“What I didn’t mention is that we went to a strip club where she had been working as a dancer. The reason I didn’t tell you is because I know how much you worry, especially when I’m in a potentially dangerous situation.”
“And were you in a dangerous situation?”
“The night was not without its risks, but I’d like to think I always had control of the situation. In my defense, I should point out that the US government spent millions of dollars on my training to make sure I’m proficient at handling adverse conditions. I know I should have come clean with you, but as much as I didn’t want to let you down, I still felt a responsibility to act as I did for the sake of my client.”
“What of your responsibility to us?” Mona asked.
“I always try to be mindful of that.”
“In one of the first conversations we ever had, you told me that you wanted to be a lawyer.”
“I meant what I said.”
“And are you going to Las Vegas as a lawyer?” she asked.
“I’m going there in the hopes of meeting my client.”
“Will you be putting yourself in danger by traveling there?”
“I’ll try to avoid that.” Michael paused before continuing. He didn’t want to be evasive to the woman he loved. “But if the situation calls for it, I’m prepared to make this a rescue mission.”
Mona surprised him by smiling. “When I thought I was going to die, and you came to my rescue, I wondered if an angel had come to deliver me.”
“You saved my life.”
“You can believe that if you want, but the way I see it, from the moment you came into my life, it was you who saved me.”
Both of them reached for the other’s hands. Mona said, “I do not like the idea of you going into danger, but we will not stand in the way of you and your green feet.”
Michael expressed his amusement by saying in a voice of mock alarm, “What is that?”
It was what Mona had said on the first day of their marriage when she spied Michael’s backside tattoo. As far as she had known, the only tattoo her husband had was the jade-green A+ on his chest. The green feet on his derriere had come as a total surprise.
Since then, whenever either of them wanted the other to laugh, all they had to do was say in a startled tone, “What is that?”
The green feet had been a symbol for pararescuemen since Vietnam. Sikorsky HH-3E helicopters were known for leaving their marks on rice fields and green paddies, massive imprints that looked like huge green feet. Wherever the Sikorsky helicopters went, so did the PJs on their rescue missions, and a catchphrase was born: “green feet mean rescue.”
Mona said, “It was a shocking sight to be sure. I did not expect to see lime-colored appendages confronting me as they did.”
Michael waggled his backside. “I think you secretly like my green feet.”
“I fear you are deluded, husband,” she said.
Mona tried to keep from smiling, but was not altogether successful.