Scarecrow rapped on Cooper’s hatch and waited for a response.
“Come in.”
“Ready?” Scarecrow asked as he ducked into Cooper’s stateroom. He was awed by Sandy’s choice of an elegant black silk dress with a delicate brocade pattern, discernable only when she moved. The design of her dress left her shoulder and opposite, lower thigh, bare. As he sat, he considered that her signature black pumps and a thin gold necklace with matching earrings, framed by those striking, warm flowing waves of gilt hair, completed her look to perfection.
Scarecrow’s choice of clothing could never compete with Sandy’s attire. Her off-duty fashion choices always managed to leave him in awe.
“You still haven’t told me where we’re going,” she said as she finished inserting her second earring. “I hope we’re not headed to the officers club.”
“Oh, no,” Scarecrow replied with a cryptic smile. “Someplace much better. And much more … private.”
“Good.” She ducked into her head to apply the final touches to her makeup. “I hate the way the junior officers stare at me. They leer, y’know.”
“They’re just used to seeing that tough Marine major in her combat utility uniform,” Scarecrow said. “Not dressed like the queen of the universe, in that incredible dress.” He shook his head with genuine wonder as he spoke, then craned his neck to steal a peek at her sleek hourglass form augmented by her striking, snug black attire.
“You like it?” She grinned while she leaned backwards and peered around the corner.
“To say I like it would be the understatement of the century, Sweeting. You could make a burlap sack look like a Versace original.”
“Oh, aren’t you a darling,” she replied. “Alright, I’m ready. Let’s go to our mystery rendezvous.” She sidled up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “But first, this …” Sandy surprised Scarecrow as she initiated an intense kiss, being careful not to muss up his hair. After a moment of passionate connection, she pulled away. “I’ve wanted to do that all day long. You have that effect on me, y’know.”
“The feeling is mutual,” Scarecrow said as he gasped. “Now let’s go before we start something that’ll cause us to lose our reservation.”
“Reservation? On this ship?” She quickly applied some lipstick, opting to do so after their kiss. “Where could we possibly be going that requires a reservation? We’re too far out to transport back to–”
“Trust me.” Scarecrow placed his finger gingerly on her moist, merlot lips. “Let’s just go, and you’ll find out.”
The couple strolled down the passageway, enjoying each other’s company, off-duty, without salutes, sirs, or any military encumbrances. It was last dog watch and very few crew passed them by, but those who did offered broad smiles, and one even winked at Scarecrow. Sandy wondered what was afoot.
In due course they arrived at a hatch that had its nameplate covered with a piece of card, hastily taped in place.
“Ready?” Scarecrow asked as he pressed the door-open button.
“Okay,” Sandy replied. “But for what, I’m almost afraid to ask. And what was that back there?”
“What was what?”
“That petty officer winked at you.” Her eyes narrowed. “What are you up to, you stinker?”
“They say patience is a virtue.” Scarecrow’s answer matched his cryptic smile. “But your patience is about to be rewarded.”
The hatch hissed open to reveal a small lift. The couple entered and squeezed in, which Sandy didn’t mind. She wrapped her arms around Scarecrow and teased him by nibbling on his ear as he pressed the up button.
“We could just stay in here,” she said, her tone playful. Her hot breath wafted over his neck as she spoke. “I like the forced confinement.”
“Oh no,” he replied as he struggled to retain his composure. “I’ve got something much better planned for us.”
The lift brought them upwards and deposited them into a circular room 30 feet across. Sandy gazed up at the domed ceiling. It was like they were standing inside one-half of a giant ball. To Sandy’s surprise, Frank, the mess specialist, was waiting for them. He smiled with a mixture of satisfaction and anticipation as the lift stopped and Sandy peered with curiosity around the hemispherical room.
“This is the astrometric bubble,” she said.
“Not tonight,” Scarecrow replied as he motioned her into the room.
A table rested in the center of the space. The tablecloth was in stark contrast to the dark metal of their surroundings. The table had only enough room for two place settings, their contents appropriated from the captain’s mess. Two Queen Anne chairs framed the table, and beside it was a trolley with their food service.
Frank proceeded to open a bottle of champagne he took from an ice bucket opposite the service and poured it into two slim, elegant glasses. A single, long stemmed rose in a slender vase separated the place settings. It was flanked by two tall, lit candles, enhanced by silver filigree holders. Sandy noticed a leather love seat off to one side, the origin of which she knew was from the captain’s office. She failed to understand why it was facing the bulkhead and not into the center of the room.
Frank finished pouring the champagne, and ushered them to their seats.
“Welcome, Sirs,” he said. “First, a photo.” He produced his tablet and suggested Scarecrow crouch behind Sandy as she sat. They offered their best smile as they heard a small, electronic click. “Perfect. I’ll make sure you each get a copy.”
Scarecrow pushed Sandy’s chair in for her, then moved to his own seat opposite. Frank tucked his tablet into his pocket and pulled their napkins from their side plates, placing them in their laps for them.
Sandy peered at Scarecrow with a quizzical expression as Frank opened the food service and proceeded to serve them their meal. Scarecrow denied her a response as he smiled back.
Frank offered a sly smile of his own as he finished serving. It was obvious he was privy to Scarecrow’s plan.
“I’ll leave the dessert in the service, so help yourself when you’re ready.” Frank checked everything one last time, then turned and walked to the lift. “I now leave the two of you to enjoy the rest of your evening.”
“Thanks for everything, Frank. This is perfect,” Scarecrow replied.
“Not quite, Sir,” Frank said. He pressed a button on the lift controls, and the ceiling began to retract into eight wedges, revealing a transparent bubble above their heads. “Bon appetit, you two.”
The mess specialist cast a satisfied smile one last time as he hit the down button on the lift and disappeared beneath the deck. The ceiling continued to retract and Sandy gasped as she gazed at the stars above them. Earth’s moon, a huge globe glowing gray-white hung in space off to their starboard. A hundred million stars flanked the dark rift as it stretched out over their heads, and they felt like they were sitting in open space, with nothing separating them from the cosmos surrounding them.
“Oh, Steve! This … this is … absolutely mind-boggling!” Sandy stared at the vista above them, her head darting back and forth to take in every aspect of the view. They were situated just forward of amidships, with Nautilus stretched out fore and aft like a dark gray metal carpet.
“How did you find out about this?”
“Better eat before it gets cold, Sweeting,” was Scarecrow’s only reply.
“Well, I do confess, this is definitely the most romantic setting I’ve ever experienced.” She reached across the table to grasp his hand. “You’ve really outdone yourself this time.”
“Thank you,” he replied, pleased at her delight. “For you, only the very best.”
Their conversation was sparse as they ate. Instead they chose to enjoy their meal under the stars without chatter. Most of what they did speak to each other, they did so with their eyes. Frank had piped in music–soft, romantic Spanish guitar–for the two senior officers. It didn’t take long to discover that the room was revolving, so that after an hour, they had completed an entire 360-degree revolution.
When they finished their meal, Sandy reached across the table and took Scarecrow’s hand. “Dance with me,” she said, her voice muted as she stood. She was still clutching his hand as he rose in compliance, and together they moved off to one side and embraced. There, they began a slow, graceful motion in response to the soft music that made such action easy to perform. Sandy rested her head on Scarecrow’s shoulder and breathed a sigh of contentment, something she hadn’t known for a very long time.
Afterwards, the pair moved over to the love seat. They sat with their arms around each other and stared out at the wondrous, starry vista that surrounded them. Sandy had brought the rose from the table and twirled it in a lazy arc, sniffing its alluring aroma as she enjoyed relaxing with her beau before the awesome panorama of the galaxy spread out before them.
“Okay, so tell me,” Sandy said as she sat up with an abrupt, feline motion and turned to face Scarecrow. “How did you find out about this room, and how did you manage to arrange all of this? Frank couldn’t have been the only one to help you, I’m sure.”
“Well … yes, it was a bit of a group effort. Jonathan told me about this observation bubble and recommended we dine up here, and then it took a technical team a day and a half to remove the equipment. Hutch and Frank helped me bring everything up. This love seat,” he said as he patted the leather beside him, “is from the captain’s office. You should have seen the stares we got trying to maneuver it down the passageway. And if I’m not mistaken, there are two of your Marines standing guard at the hatch to the lift so we won’t be disturbed.”
“And you did all this for me?”
“Of course.”
“That’s so sweet.” Sandy stared at Scarecrow for a moment, her eyes thanking him for his efforts in making their evening memorable. Then she leaned over and kissed him. A long, passionate embrace, cradling his face in both hands. When they parted she settled back down and snuggled into his arm.
“Thank you, Darling.” She sighed with satisfaction. “I could stay like this forever …”
Scarecrow remained silent for a time, allowing Sandy to enjoy the moment. They spun in a slow arc, observing as the moon drifted by, a silent guardian illuminating their unique enclosure. They stared at the myriad stars that winked at them, mesmerized by their raw, elemental beauty.
When he felt it was appropriate, Scarecrow reached into his pocket.
“I don’t want to spoil this moment for you, Sweeting,” he said, his voice solemn. “But I want to show you something.”
“What’s that, Lover?” Sandy turned to peer into his eyes. He didn’t return her gaze, but produced a small black container, turning it over in his hand as he continued.
“I found out a little while ago my mother passed away.” He continued staring at the tiny vessel, a somber expression clouding his countenance.
“I’m so sorry, Steve.”
Sandy wrapped her arms around him to console him, resting her head on his shoulder.
“It’s alright. She hadn’t been well for some time. I knew her end was near.”
“But you were up here, fighting snakeheads and rescuing me. You didn’t get to say goodbye.”
“Actually, I did. Just before I joined the Program when I returned stateside to train on the F-35 systems. I made a side-trip up to Illinois to see her. We said our goodbyes then.”
“You have my sincerest condolences, my Darling. I’m very sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you, Sweeting. Mom and I got a chance to talk for a while, and she gave me this.” He held up the tiny box, staring at it balanced between two fingers and his thumb. “She made me promise I would put it to good use. It was her grandmothers. It’s been passed down through three generations, and she wanted me to have it, so I could offer it to someone special.”
“What is it?” Sandy reached for the container. “May I see it?”
“Certainly,” Scarecrow replied.
With a gentle motion, he pulled Sandy’s arm from around himself and sat up. He slid down onto one knee on the deck in front of her and faced her, silhouetted by the magnificent star-field spread out behind him. Sandy was somewhat taken aback that he didn’t just hand her the box. She had no idea what he was doing. He opened the petite container, revealing a diamond ring.
“I love you more than anything in the universe, Sweeting.” Scarecrow stared into her eyes. She gasped and put her hands on her cheeks, a look of astonishment on her face, her own eyes glued to the ring.
“Sandy Denise Cooper …
“Will you marry me?”
Sandy was speechless. She stared at the ring, then at Scarecrow, then back at the ring. He held his breath as she turned to stare up at the stars around them, with the soft, romantic music wafting through the air around them. Tears welled up in her large, viridian-hued eyes as she finally looked back at her beau and nodded her head with vigor, speechless. Then she held out her left hand.
Scarecrow beamed as he slipped the ring onto her finger, her hand quivering with excitement. Sandy pulled him up to herself and wrapped her arms around him, smothering him with kisses.
“Yes! Yes! Yes, I will marry you!” she gasped between oral embraces. “I will! I will!” Tears of joy flowed down her cheeks and she held up her hand to view her ring. “You’ve made me the happiest woman in the galaxy! I love you too, my Darling! I so want to be your wife!”
The Solar Warden officers remained on the love seat for some time, enjoying each other’s presence, silent, drinking in the joy of the moment. Scarecrow lay back on the sofa with his eyes closed, Sandy lying on his chest, the fingertips of his free hand caressing her bare shoulder and back with a gentle motion. He leaned forward and smelled her hair, breathing in deep drafts of her scent mingled with her perfume. He drank in that intoxicating drug that always succeeded in sending him into the equivalent of a narcotic high. He wrapped his arms around her as she held up her hand, examining her ring. There was only one star she was focused on now–the one that glittered with brilliance on the third finger of her left hand.
“Now I know there’s a God who lives, and that He answers prayer,” Scarecrow said, his voice soft as it was sincere.
“How’s that?” Sandy peered up at him, resting her chin on his chest. He looked down into her eyes with a loving smile while continuing to stroke her flaxen hair.
“Because He gave me you.”
“The feeling’s mutual, my Darling.” She rested her head back onto his chest, and reached over to entwine her fingers in his. Then she turned her hand to gaze once more at her ring. They remained quiet for some time.
“Sandy Richardson.” She broke the silence. “I really like the sound of that.”