Page 33
Story: Orders and Obsessions
“No, not the man I raised.” He stood up right away and said no to the claims. “That’s enough. Take her back to quarantine. We’re done here for now.”
“Sir, the baby is mine and we both want it very much.” The commander hit the table with his fists in anger, and I flinched.
“How could you let this happen, Mason? How could you bring shame on me like this? You got one of the criminals pregnant! Do you know what you’ve done? Do you know what you’re risking by not getting rid of that thing?” He pointed at my stomach. “You! The Lieutenant, my son! You’ll go to jail for this. They’ll shut this whole place down. This is serious.”
“I know, I understand Sir.” Mason looked down.
“You seduced him,” the commander said, pointing a finger at me. “This is your fault.”
“No, I started it,” Mason said in his defence.
The commander sat down and pressed his nose bridge together. “Stop talking, Mason. Not until we’re alone. This is going to make us look really bad. I knew you were incompetent, but this is even worse than I thought. You should never have taken the Lieutenant job; you were always one of them.”
“No way!” I yelled as I stood up. “He’s an amazing Lieutenant. He’s actually too good. He manages all of the generals and recruits, and I can see how stressed he is to make sure they’re up to your standards. He gives out punishments and is very professional.”
“Yes, a real pro knocking up a whore!”
“Don’t call her that!” Mason’s fists were clenched at his sides, and I grabbed his arm and squeezed his bicep to let him know I was okay.
“This might not have happened if you had been a real father to him and put his best interests first instead of locking him up and making him feel like he had done something wrong in your eyes. You made him live alone for the rest of his life. He had no friends, no family, and no father to lean on. Mason has been alone his whole life, so forgive him for finally wanting to be close to someone.”
The commander raised an eyebrow at me.
“You’re not going to make her kill that thing, Mason. You’re so stupid. You’re not good at anything in your life. Do you really think you can be a father?”
I could see the doubts rolling into his face and through everything he believed. I took his hand and said, “Don’t listen to him, Mason.”
“I’m disappointed in you, Mason. Do you really want your legacy to be part criminal? Look at the woman you chose to be the mother of your child. How do you know she’s not lying?
How do you know she’s not sleeping with every recruit and officer who will drop their pants for her? Wake up, dumb boy. They’re criminals. They lie, cheat, and sleep around. You can’t trust anything she says or does.
“Stop,” Mason said in a way that was dangerous.
“Your mother was the same. You couldn’t believe a word that came out of her whorish mouth either. I was stupid to get her pregnant. I was young and stupid. I was a general, and you’re a lieutenant. You should have known better. Don’t make my mistakes, son. Make her get the abortion.”
Mason looked at me and held my gaze with a lot of feeling in his eyes. Telling me something without saying a word that I didn’t get. He turned back to his dad.
“You’re right,” he said to the commander.
I took a deep breath and held it.
“I don’t know if the baby is mine, but Riley says she’s only slept with two people, and I’m one of them.”
I tried to ask, “What are you?” but he cut me off.
“You’re the other.”
The commander laughed and shook his head, but Mason sat up straight and serious.
“That’s crazy.” His dad sounded scared, and I was confused.
“That’s exactly what I was thinking, Sir. Once the baby is born, the DNA test will probably not be useful because you and I have very similar DNA. So, who is likely to get more time in jail?”
“I’ve never slept with her and I never will.”
“Riley, did you sleep with my dad?”
I smiled. “I remember very well how alike you two are, how you both grab—”
“That’s too much,” Mason said, and I closed my lips. The commander sighed and looked like he had lost.
“What do you want, Mason?” he asked in a stubborn way.
“She’ll live with me in my living quarters, where she can get the best medical care. She’ll serve out the rest of her sentence here, where she won’t be sent away. We’ll keep the pregnancy a secret from as many people as possible for as long as possible, and we’ll tell the recruits that she’s gone.”
“Are you going to keep her locked up in your room?” The commander seemed to find this funny.
Mason looked at me out of the corner of his eye to see how I would react. “Not locked, just careful.”
“And when the baby is born?”
“When the baby is born, we’ll take care of him or her here until Riley’s sentence is over, and then I’m leaving.”
“Leaving?” My father and I both asked at the same time.
“Yes. I’m leaving the military. By the time Riley’s sentence is over, the child will be two years old. I never wanted to raise a child here, and I don’t even want kids. At two, my son or daughter would just be starting to make friends, and I’d rather encourage that than scream at people all day to march.”
The commander clearly didn’t like what his son did.
“I have a small fortune. I’ve worked almost my whole life and spent almost none of it. Two years, Sir, and I’m out. I never want to hear from you again.”
“You’re making a big mistake, son. You’re going to start a life with her and have a family. She’s a criminal.”
“Still, she’s been more caring than my real do-gooder father. Let’s go, Riley.”
I didn’t just feel bad.
I was the picture of sickness.
I looked like I had thrown up.
I smelt like vomit.
I was, in fact, vomit.
Mason’s lap was where my head was. He gently played with my hair, brushing it with his fingers and sending shivers down my spine. There was a terrible cartoon on his TV, and I was completely captivated by it.
“He really is perfect,” he said, holding the scan pictures up with the other hand.
“Sir, the baby is mine and we both want it very much.” The commander hit the table with his fists in anger, and I flinched.
“How could you let this happen, Mason? How could you bring shame on me like this? You got one of the criminals pregnant! Do you know what you’ve done? Do you know what you’re risking by not getting rid of that thing?” He pointed at my stomach. “You! The Lieutenant, my son! You’ll go to jail for this. They’ll shut this whole place down. This is serious.”
“I know, I understand Sir.” Mason looked down.
“You seduced him,” the commander said, pointing a finger at me. “This is your fault.”
“No, I started it,” Mason said in his defence.
The commander sat down and pressed his nose bridge together. “Stop talking, Mason. Not until we’re alone. This is going to make us look really bad. I knew you were incompetent, but this is even worse than I thought. You should never have taken the Lieutenant job; you were always one of them.”
“No way!” I yelled as I stood up. “He’s an amazing Lieutenant. He’s actually too good. He manages all of the generals and recruits, and I can see how stressed he is to make sure they’re up to your standards. He gives out punishments and is very professional.”
“Yes, a real pro knocking up a whore!”
“Don’t call her that!” Mason’s fists were clenched at his sides, and I grabbed his arm and squeezed his bicep to let him know I was okay.
“This might not have happened if you had been a real father to him and put his best interests first instead of locking him up and making him feel like he had done something wrong in your eyes. You made him live alone for the rest of his life. He had no friends, no family, and no father to lean on. Mason has been alone his whole life, so forgive him for finally wanting to be close to someone.”
The commander raised an eyebrow at me.
“You’re not going to make her kill that thing, Mason. You’re so stupid. You’re not good at anything in your life. Do you really think you can be a father?”
I could see the doubts rolling into his face and through everything he believed. I took his hand and said, “Don’t listen to him, Mason.”
“I’m disappointed in you, Mason. Do you really want your legacy to be part criminal? Look at the woman you chose to be the mother of your child. How do you know she’s not lying?
How do you know she’s not sleeping with every recruit and officer who will drop their pants for her? Wake up, dumb boy. They’re criminals. They lie, cheat, and sleep around. You can’t trust anything she says or does.
“Stop,” Mason said in a way that was dangerous.
“Your mother was the same. You couldn’t believe a word that came out of her whorish mouth either. I was stupid to get her pregnant. I was young and stupid. I was a general, and you’re a lieutenant. You should have known better. Don’t make my mistakes, son. Make her get the abortion.”
Mason looked at me and held my gaze with a lot of feeling in his eyes. Telling me something without saying a word that I didn’t get. He turned back to his dad.
“You’re right,” he said to the commander.
I took a deep breath and held it.
“I don’t know if the baby is mine, but Riley says she’s only slept with two people, and I’m one of them.”
I tried to ask, “What are you?” but he cut me off.
“You’re the other.”
The commander laughed and shook his head, but Mason sat up straight and serious.
“That’s crazy.” His dad sounded scared, and I was confused.
“That’s exactly what I was thinking, Sir. Once the baby is born, the DNA test will probably not be useful because you and I have very similar DNA. So, who is likely to get more time in jail?”
“I’ve never slept with her and I never will.”
“Riley, did you sleep with my dad?”
I smiled. “I remember very well how alike you two are, how you both grab—”
“That’s too much,” Mason said, and I closed my lips. The commander sighed and looked like he had lost.
“What do you want, Mason?” he asked in a stubborn way.
“She’ll live with me in my living quarters, where she can get the best medical care. She’ll serve out the rest of her sentence here, where she won’t be sent away. We’ll keep the pregnancy a secret from as many people as possible for as long as possible, and we’ll tell the recruits that she’s gone.”
“Are you going to keep her locked up in your room?” The commander seemed to find this funny.
Mason looked at me out of the corner of his eye to see how I would react. “Not locked, just careful.”
“And when the baby is born?”
“When the baby is born, we’ll take care of him or her here until Riley’s sentence is over, and then I’m leaving.”
“Leaving?” My father and I both asked at the same time.
“Yes. I’m leaving the military. By the time Riley’s sentence is over, the child will be two years old. I never wanted to raise a child here, and I don’t even want kids. At two, my son or daughter would just be starting to make friends, and I’d rather encourage that than scream at people all day to march.”
The commander clearly didn’t like what his son did.
“I have a small fortune. I’ve worked almost my whole life and spent almost none of it. Two years, Sir, and I’m out. I never want to hear from you again.”
“You’re making a big mistake, son. You’re going to start a life with her and have a family. She’s a criminal.”
“Still, she’s been more caring than my real do-gooder father. Let’s go, Riley.”
I didn’t just feel bad.
I was the picture of sickness.
I looked like I had thrown up.
I smelt like vomit.
I was, in fact, vomit.
Mason’s lap was where my head was. He gently played with my hair, brushing it with his fingers and sending shivers down my spine. There was a terrible cartoon on his TV, and I was completely captivated by it.
“He really is perfect,” he said, holding the scan pictures up with the other hand.