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“You have to do what we just did or you’re not really married.”

“Professor Freddy told you that, right?”

“Sergeant Hessinger is a fountain of information, most of it useful.”

“So, what did he have to say about the Army and lieutenants whose marriage has been truly consummated?”

“As much as I remember—this took place of course before you seduced me, and I wasn’t all that interested in the subject at the time—”

He yelped when she bit his nipple.

“I seduced you?”

“As I remember it, that’s what happened.”

“We’ll fight later. Tell me what he said.”

“Presuming you’re married, as we are now, the sponsor—that’s me—goes to his commanding officer and requests that his dependent—that’s you—be allowed to join him in Germany.”

“Requests? He could turn you down?”

“Commanding officers can do anything. But he won’t. Major Wallace is a good guy. Then, once quarters are assigned—that’s what the Army calls houses—you will get what they call ‘invitational orders’ which will allow you to get on a transport—a Navy ship—and sail to Germany. Bremerhaven, Germany. Sponsors usually meet the incoming dependents on the dock. There will be several hundred of us, but you will be able to spot me from afar. I will be the sponsor with the biggest boner, the painful result of my having been separated from my dependent for six weeks or so.”

“This thing, you mean?” Marjorie grabbed his male appendage.

“That’s it. That’s what I had in mind when I endowed you with all my worldly goods.”

“And you had better not forget who it belongs to now.”

“Indeed.”

“Wait. Why can’t I fly over there?”

“I don’t know, but I will damned sure ask Freddy to look into it. Dependents of senior officers—colonels and generals—sometimes get to fly. But I am the exact opposite of a senior officer. I’ll see what I can find out. Maybe I could say you live in France or England. I just don’t know. I’ll ask Freddy.”

She sighed. “Six weeks or so seems like a very long time.”

“When I asked before, ‘What do we do now?’ I meant right now. Tonight.”

“Re-consummating our marriage is the first thing that pops into my mind,” Marjorie said.

“Keep that thought. But what I was wondering is what do we tell your mother?”

“Nothing,” she replied immediately, which told him that she had already given the problem some thought. “Let her go ahead with her plans for a double wedding.”

“I don’t think Colonel Mattingly would let me come back here now. And I understand.”

“I was afraid of that. I still don’t want to tell her until I have to. You don’t have to tell your parents either. We can wait until we see what’s going to happen.”

“What are you going to tell her about tonight?”

“I’m sure she thinks we’re doing what we’ve been doing. Out of the bounds of holy matrimony. She knows there’s nothing she can do about it. She feels sorry for us that you’re being sent back to Germany right away.”

“So you can spend the night?”

She grunted. “Mom doesn’t feel that sorry. After a while, I’ll take you back out to Camp Holabird and then drive back to Washington. After breakfast tomorrow, I’ll tell her I’m going to quote visit unquote with you again, and come pick you up and we’ll come back here.”

“Here?”