Date: Tue, 24 Sep 2002 21:40:48 EDT
From: Draginacht@aol.com
Subject: David's Initiation 17

Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction and any resemblance to real
people or events is purely coincidental.  The story contains graphic
descriptions of sex between men. Anyone who is forbidden by law to read such
material must stop now.  This story is being posted to the Nifty Archive
solely for the enjoyment of its readers.

*******

David's Initiation 17

*******

Dave finished locking the gate but before walking to the car he turned and
took a long look at the house, the lake and the prairie land that stretched
out before him. He then got into Paul's Boxster and they headed for the Post,
stopping for breakfast at the usual restaurant before continuing. When Paul
reached Post Road, instead of turning left to go into town he turned right.

"Uh... where you going?" Dave asked, expecting Paul to drop him at the usual
place.

"WE are going back to the Post." Came the reply.

"But... but... what if someone notices us... you know?" Dave was expressing his
concern about someone they knew seeing them together. They had been sooo
careful thus far and everything was just fine.

"Dave, I'm not going to drop you off like some tart whom I'm embarrassed to
be seen with. I'm proud of you. I'm proud to know you. And I'll be proud to
have other people know we are friends. We can be discrete, I'm just tired of
hiding." Dave's left hand was still resting on Paul's upper thigh and Paul
used his right hand to remove it to Dave's side of the car. "However, we
probably wouldn't get much benefit out of letting the Security Gate Guard see
that. Let's not freak him out, okay?"

Dave laughed, "Okay."

"Where's a good place to drop you off?"

Dave thought for a few minutes. "The barracks is probably the worst place.
I'm not ready to explain this. I guess the Post Office is best. I need to
check mail any way."

"Post Office it is." Paul announced. They sailed through the security gate;
the `Officer' sticker on the window of Paul's car took care of that. Dave
watched the MP salute and Paul return the salute. He had this strange, out of
place feeling. At the Post Office Dave got out of the car and Paul asked,
"Chapel at 11:00?"

"Sure." Dave smiled. "See you there." Paul drove away.



Tuesday at the Annex Dave and Paul arrived at the same time and went through
their normal warm-up routine before starting their run. Dave was the first to
break the silence.

"Problem with this weekend, Paul. Friday night the Unit is giving me a
farewell party at the NCO club. Most everyone will be there and I have to
attend."

"And you should. Man, that's quite an honor. See, I'm not the only one who
is proud to know you."

"But... what do we do? What about us? How do we get to spend time together?
It's our last weekend."

"I'll think on it and come up with a plan. If you don't like it we'll try
something else. Okay?"

"Yeah, I guess." Dave sounded a little dejected."



Thursday, Dave and Paul met at the Annex again and began their run.

"Paul, you remember me telling you about my roommate, Miguel?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I'm convinced he's gay. I'm sure he's struggling with it and I would
like to help him but I don't know how. Got any suggestions?"

"That's pretty dangerous territory... You know you'd probably have to come out
to him."

"Yeah, but at this point it might not matter. Maybe I should tell him the day
I leave then keep in touch with him."

"That's one option. But that's kind'a leaving him high and dry, isn't it?
You come out to him then blow the scene?"

"Yeah, that's not such a good idea."

"Well, give it some thought. I'm sure you'll handle it well, you always seem
to know how to do things like that."

"Thanks. Now, what about this weekend?"

"I got a surprise. Think you can make a 0600 getaway Saturday morning after a
night of partying?

"Wow! Not much beauty rest there. Yeah, I'll make it, but it better be good."

"Oh, it will be. Just add a bathing suit to you bag. We'll stop for breakfast
along the way."

They finished their run, hit the weight room and finished up with the sauna
before leaving to go back to work.


The farewell party was scheduled to start Friday evening at 1830 hrs. At
about 1805 hrs. Dave and Miguel were in their room getting ready to leave for
the NCO Club when Miguel walked over to Dave and put his arms around him.

"Hey, Miguel, what's this for?" Dave said as he returned Miguel's embrace
and rubbed his hands up and down his roommate's back.

"Dave, I'm gonna be upset to see you leave. I've never had a friend like
you. You make me feel good. I'm really comfortable around you"

"Gee, Miguel, I... I don't know what to say. But thanks, I've thought of you
as my friend since the day we met and it's really nice to know you feel the
same way. Listen, we have to stay in touch. Maybe after you get out in
November you can come visit me. Would you think about that?"

"Thanks a lot, Dave. I'd like that. I don't have any idea what I'm going to
do when I get out so visiting you seems like a good place to start."

The two men were still holding each other when there was a knock on the door.
They quickly separated as though they were doing something they shouldn't
have been. Dave walked to the door and opened it.

"Hey, Dave; Yea, Dave; Yo Dave." There were about 15 of his friends outside
all calling to him at once. "We came to escort you to the party, man!" one of
the gang explained. "Get your ass in gear and let's move out." "Yeah, yeah,
yeah, party, party, party!" The gang cheered.

The party turned out to be a lot of fun. A few of the NCOs made brief
speeches disclosing some embarrassing moments in Dave's short military career
which generated a lot of good natured laughter. Dave was all smiles and took
the ribbing all in good fun. Captain Lewis even made a brief appearance to
say farewell and wish Dave good luck in pursuit of his architectural degree.

Not being that attracted to alcohol, Dave went light on the sauce and really
enjoyed saying goodbye to so many of the friends he had made in the short
time he had been there. He also took notice of the large quantity of beer
that Miguel was guzzling and decided to make sure he got home safely. The
party began to break up just after 2300 hrs and Dave looked around to find
Miguel. He found him slumped over a table barely able to hold his head up.
Miguel was wasted.

Dave managed to get Miguel on his feet, in a manor of speaking. The two men,
with Miguel's arm over Dave's shoulder and Dave's arm around Miguel's
waist, set off for the barracks. The shortest distance was across the parade
field so that is the route Dave took. Miguel was singing and laughing and
making almost no sense at all. Just before they got to the far side of the
parade field Miguel took his arm from around Dave's shoulder, turned to his
left, bent over, and puked a stream of bear and food particles all over the
grass. Dave managed to keep his arm around Miguel's waist and provide support
so he wouldn't fall face first into his own vomit.

When it looked to Dave like Miguel was finished, he guided his roommate off
the field and sat him down against a tree at the edge of the parade field.

"Okay, Buddy, let's rest here for a few minutes then we'll go to the room.
You think you're gonna be okay?"

"Oh, Man, I'm so fucking drunk. I never been like this before. I don't wanna
be like this, Dave. I'm sorry. I guess I fucked this up, didn't I."

"Hey, Miguel, shit happens. It's okay. We'll get you back to the room and
you can get to bed."

"Shit, Dave, in four days you're not gonna be there. Then what am I gonna do.
I love ya man. I'm gonna miss ya, really miss ya. There's somethin I gotta
tell ya, Dave. I gotta tell you. I love ya, Dave. I mean, please don't get
mad at me or nothin. I can't help it. Oh, fuck! I gotta shut up; I gotta shut
up. I'm sorry Dave. I'm really gonna miss ya, pal. I wish ya weren't goin'.
There's stuff I gotta tell ya." Miguel began crying.

Dave squatted down next to Miguel and drew his head into his chest. Dave
waited until Miguel stopped sobbing before he sprung his question.

"What did you want to tell me, Miguel... that you're gay?"

Dave felt Miguel stiffen and pull away from him. "How did you know?" Miguel
exclaimed in disbelief. "How did you find out? I never said anything or did
anything. You aren't going to tell are you? I'll deny it. Oh, shit, Dave I'm
sorry. Please..." Miguel began sobbing again and Dave pulled his roommate to
his chest again.

"How did I know?" Dave began. Now was the time. "Remember the old phrase, `It
takes one to know one?' Well..."

Miguel pulled away from Dave again. "NO!" he said in disbelief again. "NO! It
can't be! You can't be! Not you! But... But..."

"Yes, Roomy, it's true. All this time and you never knew. Now that we've got
that out of the way, what say we get you back to the room and get some sleep?
I have to get up early."

Dave helped a startled and disbelieving Miguel to his feet and together they
managed to stagger their way back to the barracks. Once inside where Dave
could evaluate Miguel's condition, he made a decision.

"Holy cow, Miguel, you can't stay in our room like that. You barfed all down
the front of your clothes and you stink to high heaven. You need a shower,
clothes and all." Miguel didn't argue; he just did what Dave told him.

They passed their room on the way to the showers and Dave grabbed a towel. In
the shower Dave washed as much of the puke off of Miguel's clothes he could
then stripped him, piling his wet clothing on the floor. He wanted to give
Miguel a blast of cold water but decided against it, better to get him to bed
in a condition more conducive to sleep.

Dave dumped Miguel into his bed and left him there to sleep it off. He was
able to get a pair of boxers on Miguel because he didn't want his roommate to
wake up in the morning with no clothes on and wonder what might have
happened.


At 0600 hrs Dave walked out of the barracks and down the street one block.
Stepping in front of the Boxster he lifted the lid, dropped his bag inside
and closed it then opened the car door and got in. The engine came to life
and the Boxster roared down the street toward the Main Gate - his last
weekend with Paul for some unknown period of time.

Dave quickly dozed of and awakened as Paul exited the Interstate Highway and
stopped at a Denny's. Dave noted the time at 0700. Breakfast was fast and
they were back on the road by 0730. About two hours later Dave woke up to see
a row of motels passing by on the right. On the left he saw nothing but beach
and water until it reached the horizon.

"Mornin' sleepy head. Must'a been a rough party last night."

Dave leaned across the car and kissed Paul on the cheek. "Damn you look good
to wake up to in the morning." Then he settled back into his seat. "It was a
really nice party. I didn't have that much to drink but Miguel got blotto. I
had to help him back to the room."

"Is he okay?"

"Oh, he's gonna have a doozy of a headache today but he'll recover. I just
wonder how much he's going to remember about our conversation last night."

"Whata you mean, your conversation?"

"Ha! He came out to me last night. Can you believe that!"

"No shit! How did that come about?" Dave told Paul the whole story. "So, what
now?" Paul asked.

"God knows. Guess I'll find out when I get back." Dave paused for a moment
then, "Where are we?"

"We're in Texas, dude." Dave looked at Paul and rolled his eyes. Paul figured
he owed a more accurate answer. "That stuff to the left is sand and water.
We're at the beach, man."

At that moment Paul drove up to and stopped in front of one of the nicer
motels Dave had seen so far. Dave waited in the car while Paul went in to
register. Upon returning to the car, "We're in luck, they have lots of
rooms," Paul said. He drove around the motel and parked then they grabbed
their bags and Dave followed Paul to their room. The minute the door closed
behind them. Dave practically leaped at Paul, wrapping him in his arms and
engaging in a deep kiss.

"Hope you don't mind, but I need this." Dave said in a quite voice.

"Yeah, me too." Paul replied and they started another deep kiss. They stood
still, their bodies pressed hard against each other, their hands roaming up
and down each other's backs and buttocks. Paul was the first to break the
kiss to say something.

"Let's go swimming for a while and then we can come back here for a `nap'.
Hope you remembered your bathing suit."

"Yeah." Dave replied as he lowered his head to Paul's chest and continued
leaning against him.

They changed into their bathing suits and on the way to the beach Paul
stopped at the car and picked up an old Army blanket. They crossed the
highway at a crosswalk so they wouldn't become fair game for passing
motorists. From the highway the beach appeared to be very close but was
actually quite some distance away. Finding a nice clean place in the sand,
Paul spread the blanket.

Turning to Dave, Paul asked, "ready to get wet?" Without saying a word, Dave
extended his right hand and smiled. Paul grabbed Dave's hand and they began
walking toward the water. The closer they got to the water the faster Paul
went. Hand in hand the two men raced into the water, high-stepping as far out
as the could until Paul lost his balance, splashed down into the surf and
pulled Dave in on top of him. Under the water their lips found each other and
they engaged in some light petting until the need for oxygen forced them to
surface. For more than forty minutes they frolicked and splashed each other
and played like two ten-year-old boys having a great day at the beach. When
they finally ran low on energy they walked out of the water holding hands and
collapsed onto the blanket.

Paul lay on his back gasping for air and Dave lay on his stomach, his head
resting on his folded arms and turned toward Paul. After a few minutes Dave
closed his eyes to think about the moment. Paul looked over and saw Dave's
eyes were closed. He could not resist. He rolled up on his right side,
extended his left hand and began caressing Dave from his rounded shoulders to
just above his swim trunks.

"That feels so good." Dave offered. "Keep it up and I won't be able to walk
back to the room without scaring the locals."

"Hey, they won't care. This is a pretty open-minded community. We could even
swim nude if you like and nobody would object."

"You missed the point. I'm suggesting it's time to go back to the room."

"I caught your drift; I was just testing to see how serious it was."

"It's serious." Dave clarified.

"Let's go." Paul said.

They stood up, picked up the blanket and walked back to their room. Once the
door closed, with Paul's back to him, Dave reached out, grabbed the bottom of
Paul's trunks and yanked them to the floor. Before Paul could turn around
Dave already had his trunks off and was pulling them toward the bathroom.

"Let's rinse the salt off and then get down to seriousness." Dave suggested.
Paul offered no resistance; he followed Dave's lead. Although the intent of
the shower was to rinse off the salt, they also engaged in some extra
curricular activities, but only briefly. Paul was well aware that for the
first time since they began their relationship, Dave was taking charge. He
found that it excited him. Dave had matured; Dave was going to take him and
he was anxious to submit.

They dried each other quickly and Dave led them straight to the bed where he
crawled onto it then pulled Paul down with him. Dave wasted no time. He
rolled Paul onto his back and climbed on top. They kissed deeply; Dave was
clearly in charge. Dave moved his lips from one part of Paul's body to
another, methodically working his way toward Paul's private area.

Paul gave his full cooperation, trying to anticipate Dave's moves and
adjusting his body to accommodate the demands. He was surprised when Dave's
lips got to his crotch and bypassed his cock and balls. As Dave's head
pressed between Paul's legs, Paul pulled his knees toward his chest to give
Dave access to whatever he wanted. The next thing Paul felt was wet kissed on
his perineum. He moaned. Then he felt a hot, wet tongue lick at his perineum
and he moaned louder. Dave slid his right arm under Paul's hips and lifted
them then slid a pillow under him making Paul's ass more accessible.

Paul felt Dave's tongue move lower and lower. He knew what it was approaching
and the anticipation was driving him wild. He had always dreamed of what he
thought Dave was about to do but had never experienced it.

Dave paused for a moment, taking his tongue back into his mouth making sure
it was coated with plenty of saliva. With both of his hands gripping each of
Paul's buns he extended his tongue dripping with saliva and licked Paul's
pucker.

Paul squirmed and gasped, "Oh, Dave... Oh, Dave..."

Dave continued licking the rosebud. He stroked it and probed it and made love
to it. Paul's body was quivering. From somewhere Dave produced a condom and
rolled it over the head and down the shaft of his cock. Dave must have been
planning this for some time and had been sure to have a condom handy when the
time came.

When Dave felt Paul was ready he redirected his attention to Paul's cock.
After sucking each of Paul's nuts into his mouth, one at a time, he first
kissed then licked the base of Paul's cock. Then he worked his way toward the
glans where he found exactly what he hoped to find, gallons of precum. Dave
quickly engulfed Paul's cock, twirled his tongue around the head picking up
as much precum as he could. He released the love tool and slurped up more
precum that had pooled in Paul's navel. Then he sat back, let the mixture of
saliva and precum dribble from his mouth onto his cock and on to Paul's
pucker.

Not wanting to wait another minute, Dave moved forward, positioned the head
of his cock at Paul's opening and pressed. He watched his glans disappear
rapidly and Paul groaned again. Dave paused momentarily as he looked up to
read the expression on Paul's face. He would be able to tell if he was
pleasing or hurting his lover. Based on the visual feedback, Dave was
definitely pleasing his man. Without wasting any further time, Dave continued
penetration at a moderate pace and soon was completely encased in his lover's
hot canal.

Dave rested for a moment. Paul opened his eyes to check on his surroundings
and smiled at Dave. Then he lifted his head and kissed Dave affectionately
with wet, open-mouthed kisses. Paul lay his head back on the pillow and
relaxed, waiting for the real pleasure to begin. He didn't have to wait long.
Dave began slow, short thrusts. In a matter of a few moments Dave's cock was
stroking Paul's prostate, causing him to moan and pump more precum from the
slit at the end of his cock.

This was the beginning of the transition from Paul taking the lead in their
lovemaking to Dave assuming command. From the beginning, Dave had been
willing to follow Paul's directions. Paul was the officer. Paul had the car.
Paul had the ranch house. Paul had the money. Paul had more experience. Paul
was better educated. And the list continued.

But Dave had absorbed the knowledge and experience Paul had given him and was
ready to take command. He was not conscientiously aware of what he was doing,
he just knew it was what he needed to do. Paul, on the other hand, had been
waiting for this day. It was what he dreamed of that first moment he spotted
Dave across the Annex weight room.

Dave was in command. He didn't shout orders he just coolly controlled their
lovemaking. Twice he brought Paul to the brink of orgasm only to slow or stop
his actions, allowing Paul to pull back before he continued. Once, Paul
reached for his cock with his right hand and Dave took the hand and placed it
back on the bed saying, "Not yet."

The third time Paul approached orgasm Dave was ready and when Paul begged for
release, Paul encouraged him. Together they leaped into the chasm of physical
exhilaration and pleasure. Paul's body became a mass of rigid muscle as he
arched his back, dug his heals against Dave's butt, threw his head back and
shot an admirable quantity of semen all over himself and Dave. Dave watched
as his lover exploded beneath him, then his own hips thrust time and again,
forcing his seed from his seminal vesicle through his urethra into the condom
protecting them. For the first time, Dave wished he were not wearing a condom
so he could fill his lover with his juice.

Dave was exhausted but he continued supporting his body as he enjoyed
watching his man recover from his overpowering climax. Finally Paul opened
his eyes and when he was able to focus he was looking up into Dave's big,
round, beautiful blue eyes. He reached up and pulled Dave to him in a sated
lover's kiss. Still wrapped in each other's arms, they rolled to Paul's
right and continued kissing until they both fell asleep.

When they awoke almost two hours later Dave was spooned back against Paul's
front side and he could feel Paul' flaccid manhood pressed into his ass
crack. It felt good.

"You awake, finally?" Paul asked.

"Morning." Dave said as he turned over to face his good friend and lover.
They kissed lovingly.

"Morning!" Paul retorted. "Hell... it's 1815 hrs and I'm hungry. You know, we
had sex for lunch and there aren't many calories in that."

"Oh." Dave responded. "Then let's shower and find something to eat! What are
you waiting for!" And he bounded out of the bed and began dragging Paul
toward the bathroom.

They had a little fun in the shower but there was no completed sex for either
of them. They just enjoyed washing each other's bodies. They had noticed
several `dining' establishments during the drive to the motel and on their
return from the beach so they walked out to the street and began searching
for food. When Dave saw a "Subway" he told Paul that would be fine with him
and Paul agreed. The idea of eating anything that was twelve inches long
seemed to appeal to both men. Having consumed their foot-long sandwiches they
continued walking, dropping in to various shops along the way until they
stumbled across a video arcade. Anyone seeing them would have thought they
had just turned thirteen years old. And anyone who watched could have seen
that they had a special relationship of trust and respect for each other.
They had so much fun playing one game after another. After about an hour and
a half of that they tired and left. When they stumbled across a photo booth
Paul made them both squeeze inside for a picture together. Dave sat in Paul's
lap and a second before the picture flashed Paul slid his hand into Dave's
crotch and squeezed. The camera caught the funniest expression on Dave's
face. On the walk back to the motel they stopped at a frozen yogurt stand for
desert.

"Have a seat, stud soldier," Paul said as they entered the motel room, "Over
there by the window." He reached into his bag and pulled out a package
wrapped in fancy paper.

"What's this?"

"Open it." Paul instructed. "I know you turned 20 years old last week and I
saved this for now."

"You promised not to shower me with gifts, you know." Dave reminded Paul
jokingly as he accepted the package. It was soft, not in a box.

"Dave, this isn't exactly a `shower'! Now open it."

Dave, sensing Paul was somewhat anxious for him to tear the paper off to see
what it concealed decided to stretch the process out agonizingly slowly. He
held it up to the light as if trying to see through the wrapping. Then he
shook it. Then he squeezed it. Then he smelled it. His plan was working.

"OPEN IT, damn it!" Paul shouted with a smile and a laugh.

Dave began removing the wrapping ever so carefully and slowly. Finally he
removed the paper to reveal a 3-pack of CK boxer briefs, heather like Paul
always wore. He looked at Paul, "Are you sending a message here?"

"You damned right! Now put them on so I can see if they fit. The smallest
size I could get was a 28-30. I hope they fit."

Dave slowly and provocatively removed his shoes, shirt and shorts; he wanted
to tease Paul as much as possible. Then removed his ratty old briefs that
Paul kept ribbing him about. Paul held out his hand in a gesture that said
`Give those to me' and he tossed them across the room. Dave wiggled his hips
and made a real show of stepping into his new underwear and pulling them up
over his hips. They fit perfectly and Paul had trouble controlling himself.

"Damn! You look sooo sexy in those. Come here and let me see. Turn around. Oh
God! Look at that ass." Dave continued turning and stopped facing Paul. The
Lieutenant could control himself no longer; he reached out and caressed
Dave's hips, buns and abdomen, settling on Dave's package. The tightly
stretched cotton fabric made Dave's body feel irresistible to Paul's touch.
"I just love the way it cradles your equipment. God, you are so sexy! How do
they feel?"

"Great! I like them. Did you do this for me or for you?" Dave was beginning
to see through Paul's actions and he was also beginning to get sport some
wood. Having Paul's hands on him was a little too much to ignore.

"They're for you, Babe. And you sure turn me on." Paul said as he slid out of
the chair onto his knees. Dave thought that might have been the first time
Paul had called him `Babe'. Paul moved his head forward and closed his mouth
around the prominent bulge that had formed in Dave's new boxer briefs. He
just couldn't resist. Dave's new underwear displayed his attributes in the
most erotic way. Paul continued to suck Dave's cock through the cotton,
soaking it thoroughly with saliva. While his mouth was savoring Dave's cock,
Paul's hands were caressing Dave's buns. They felt so delicious inside the
cotton.

Dave capitulated immediately and completely. If Paul was having fun, let him.
Dave laid his hands on Paul's head and began running his fingers through the
short military hair and down the back of Paul's neck. He didn't utter a
sound when Paul hooked his thumbs under the waistband of the shorts and slid
them to the floor releasing Dave's rigid flesh from it's wet cotton
covering. Almost out of control, Paul began devouring Dave voraciously.
Paul's left right hand fondled Dave's scrotal sack while the middle finger
of his left hand found Dave's anus.

"Hey! No fair! Let's get in bed so I can get my share." Dave complained.

Paul pulled off Dave's meat. "Awe... just when I was having so much fun." He
stood up and as he removed his shirt, Dave was unzipping and lowering Paul's
shorts and boxer briefs. They stretched out on the bed in a modified
sixty-nine position, each lying on their sides instead of the normal top and
bottom position. They were in no hurry. They proceeded slowly, trying to make
the moment last as long as possible, their urgency having been sated earlier
that afternoon.

They reached orgasm at different times, Paul first. The climaxes were not the
same mind exploding variety they experienced earlier; these seemed softer in
intensity and lasted for several seconds. After recovering, neither man was
in any hurry to move. They lay still, allowing their hands to make more love
to each other's body, occasionally kissing various elements of their
genitals.

Eventually they lay side by side, turned on the TV and watched some special
si-fi movie. Sometime after 2230 they each got up to use the bathroom, and
once back in bed, Paul pulled Dave into a spoon position. He turned the
lights off and extinguished the TV long before the movie was finished. They
were asleep almost before the screen went blank.

Sunday morning they awoke refreshed and full of energy. But instead of sex,
they went to breakfast and then the beach. This time Paul remembered to take
some sunscreen and they had a lot of fun applying it to each other. They swam
and played in water, there was more surf than the day before. Unlike previous
weekend adventures, on this day they didn't seem to be in any hurry to get
started back to the Post. They went to lunch at the `Subway' then returned
to their room for one more interlude before starting the drive back.

Cruising along the Interstate, Paul started a conversation. "What's your
schedule for the next three days?" Paul asked. He wasn't sure if this
approach would kick of a fit of depression for Dave but it was too late.

"Tomorrow and Tuesday I have to turn in a lot of supplies and clear a bunch
of offices. It's absolutely amazing how much shit you have to give back to
the Army before they'll let you leave. Wednesday morning I go to the
Personnel Office, get my discharge papers, then I'm free. FREE!" Dave shouted
and laughed at the same time. "After that I'll catch the bus to the airport
and go to visit my sister and her family."

"How long will you stay there?" Paul asked.

"I'll leave Sunday morning to go home; my parents are going to pick me up at
the airport. And on Monday it's back to work. No rest for the wicked." Dave
sighed.

They rode in silence for quite a long time.

`I sure wish he could come to my apartment Tuesday evening before he
leaves.' Paul thought but he didn't want to press too hard.

Dave turned to face Paul, "Would it be all right if I dropped by your place
Tuesday evening?" he asked.

Paul almost gasped. Had Dave been reading his mind? "How's 1800 hrs sound?"
he shot back almost too quickly.

"That'll be great. I'll eat at the chow hall before I come."

"Okay." Paul agreed. He felt Dave squeeze his thigh firmly as if to reinforce
their agreement.

It was dark by the time they drove through the main gate at the Post.

"Can you go running Tuesday?" Paul asked as Dave was getting out of the car.

"Damn straight. See you then."