Bobbie and Ray tiptoed around each other, neither acknowledging what had happened on the beach near the pool. Ray maintained his same level of animosity towards her and Bobbie did her best to keep out of Ray’s way.

Ray would turn up to her Wednesday night performances drunk and heckle her. The other crew members would try to settle him down.

“Get off now and show the movie!” Ray would call during her musical number.

“Go back to the kitchen and make me a fucking sandwich,” was one his usual retorts.

Bobbie ignored him and played to John, Craig and Steve who appreciated her performances. Ray never came to her Saturday matinee and he claimed he only came on Wednesday nights to watch the movie.

“Chief, why don’t you just come on over after Bobbie has sung her song?” John Fitzgibbons asked him.

“That bitch doesn’t run my routine for me Petty Officer Fitzgibbons, I’ll come and go as I please,” Ray snarled drunkenly.

Ray was also the only one who bitched about her food and refused to let her make up his room. He ordered Bobbie to leave his sheets outside his quarters so he would make up his own rack.

Ray’s drinking got worse. He had never drank during the day before the incident at the pool but he started to do so. He would go on benders, getting paralytically drunk, locking himself in the workshop cursing about his wife’s infidelity. In his drunken reasoning, so long as he was at work, he wasn’t shirking his duties, even though he was incapable of most tasks.

John Fitzgibbons took on most of Ray’s leadership roles, organising the lookout routines, setting work details and managing the day to day activities at Harris Field.

Bobbie went to Ray’s Quonset hut one day and found four piles of fresh bedding sitting outside his door. She went to see to John Fitzgibbons and told him her concerns.

“He won’t let me clean his quarters but he’s got two weeks of clean sheets piled up outside his Quonset. It’s unhealthy John and if he gets sick he can pass it on to us,” Bobbie explained.

“He’s sleeping one off up at the hilltop pyre. I’m giving you permission to enter the Chief’s quarters and clean it and make his rack. I’m sorry to have to make you do this Bobbie, I can’t imagine what it must be like in there,” John shook his head solemnly.

Bobbie tentatively opened the door to Ray’s quarters and was immediately assailed by the stench. It was booze, sweat, rotting food and she didn’t know what else and didn’t want to know. She had gone to Ray’s quarters as soon as John gave her permission to do so but now she wished she had taken the time to change into fatigues but she knew time was critical. John would try to keep Ray away from his Quonset if he woke up but who knew what Ray would do when he was on a bender?

Bobbie was wearing the uniform she usually wore during the week: a white six-gored skirt, a white blouse, dark blue tie and white pumps. Her jacket was hanging up in her office in the Q store. Her makeup was perfect, her green eyes enhanced by dark eyeliner and mascara and her plump lips defined by bright red lipstick. She tied back her hair to keep it out of the way and went to work.

The first thing she did was open the blinds and open all of the windows to let in some fresh air. There was a seasonal sou’wester blowing and she was grateful for the breeze which began to displace the fetid air in the cabin. She gathered all the trash and bagged it and put it outside and went to work starting in the bathroom.

Like the other quarters, Ray’s had been an officer’s dorm and the bathroom was really just four shower stalls and as many sinks set into a long bench. She scrubbed the shower stall, cleaned the bench, sink and mirrors. She took a deep breath and went into the head and cleaned that next.

Harris Field had a septic tank system that worked by allowing waste to separate into three layers: solids, effluent and scum. Solid waste settles to the bottom where microorganisms decompose them and the middle layer of effluent exits the tank and travels through underground perforated pipes into the drainage field which provided fertiliser for the corn field.

The enlisted men had latrines which were no longer in use. The officers’ quarters had their own head which fed into the septic system so they had the luxury of flushing toilets.

Bobbie took a break, cleaned up, and joined the others for coffee in the mess.

“Sorry to ask you to do this Bobbie,” John said again as they sipped their brews.

“He’s still dead to the world up there on that hill,” John sighed.

“The Chief is dedicated I’ll give him that. He still thinks we’re going to be rescued someday,” Craig smiled wanly.

Bobbie decided not to correct him. She knew that Ray had given up hope after the two search and rescue aircraft had failed to see their signals.

She went back to Ray’s quarters and gave it a good dusting and mopped the deck having picked up his dirty laundry which she put aside to wash and iron later. She made his up his bunk with fresh sheets and as parting gesture she picked some flowers and put them in a vase on the coffee table.

Bobbie went back over to Ray’s bunk and straightened a picture on the nightstand which must have been of Ray’s wife Elaine. There was no doubt that she was a stunner. Bobbie’s inquisitiveness got the better of her and she opened the drawer and found a bunch of letters inside a cigar box held together by an elastic band. The letters dated back to when PT 991 was still on active service.

Bobbie had never read anything so vitriolic and hateful. Elaine described in great detail how she was going out on the town almost every night and bringing home men to their married quarter outside the base in San Diego. Some of the men paid her and some gave her gifts. Some of the men were so-called friends of Ray’s. She described in intimate detail what they did to her and the depraved things she did for them. In the final letter she told him that she was divorcing him.

Under the stack letters were two gold wedding rings. Elaine had sent Ray her wedding ring in the final letter, the other must be Ray’s she reasoned.

Bobbie sat on Ray’s bunk and sobbed. She couldn’t imagine the heartache that Ray felt but she was witness to its effects.

“What are you doing here you bitch!” Ray hauled himself through the door and fell down.

Bobbie jumped up, shocked and surprised. She dropped the letters and ran over to Ray’s prone body.

At first she thought he was drunk but then she saw that he was shaking and sweating profusely. He was delirious and mumbling incoherently.

Bobbie ran from the Quonset and called for help. The men lifted Ray onto his rack and stood around looking concerned and unsure what to do.

“What do we do Bobbie?” John asked, looking forlorn and confused.

“I’m not sure but I’m not leaving him like this. Craig, fill a basin with water and bring me a washcloth and soap. Steve, please help me undress him,” Bobbie realised that she was now in charge of looking after Ray.

They pulled off Ray’s boots and his rancid socks which Bobbie threw outside because of the stink, his fatigues followed. His underwear was also rank and it was consigned to a trash bag and thrown out as well.

Ray lay naked on the bed, his body bathed in a sheen of sweat. He was unconscious and every few minutes he convulsed. There was no time for prudishness and Bobbie took the washcloth and soap and cleaned Ray’s body as best she could, getting Steve and Craig to roll him over so she could do both sides of his body. Craig had to replace the water in the bowl twice because Ray was so filthy.

Once they had him clean, Bobbie put a cool compress on his head using ice water that Craig brought over from the mess.

“Try to give him some water if he wakes up, just little sips. I’m going over to sickbay to find the field medical journal and see what else I can find,” Bobbie ordered.

The men kept the sickbay in a good state of repair and Bobbie kept it clean, it was on her cleaning detail. The men had rudimentary first aid training, mainly how to deal with battle wounds and basic life support but primary medical support for PT Boat crews was provided at their home base.

Bobbie found the field medical journal and flicked to the section on tropical ailments. Most of the drugs had been cleaned out when Mirrocau Island was abandoned but some rudimentary supplies remained. Bobbie brought some aspirin and basics back to Ray’s quarters.

“I don’t know what exactly is wrong with him so all I can do is treat the fever,” Bobbie said, looking concernedly at a rash that had developed on Ray’s chest.

“What can we do?” John asked.

“Should we move him to sickbay?” Craig interjected.

“No. Let’s not move him now, besides there isn’t much in sickbay we can use to treat what’s wrong with him. John you have to step up and take charge. I’ll look after Ray; you keep the camp running as usual. Ray will be pissed if he wakes up and finds things not running shipshape or the lookout unmanned,” Bobbie tried to make light of the situation.

Bobbie checked Ray’s vitals. His temperature and blood pressure were extremely elevated and his pulse was erratic.

She shooed the men out of Ray’s quarters and tended to him. She wiped away his sweat, put cold compresses on his body and tried to get him to drink water. She ground down two of the aspirin and put them in a glass of water and cradled Ray’s head and got him to drink them.

“Elaine? Elaine? Is that you?” Ray was delirious.

“Shh Ray. Drink some water and lie still,” Bobbie cooed.

“Thanks honey. I’ll fix that faucet tomorrow right after I mow the lawn,” Ray mumbled.

Ray was babbling and feverish. Every now and then he would convulse which really worried Bobbie. The sheet covering him was soaked with sweat and she finally ripped it off him and bathed him continually with a cool washcloth. She couldn’t help notice his large appendage and she grimaced when she had to move it to wipe around it.

“Not tonight Elaine, I’m too drunk,” Ray mumbled incoherently.

“Sure Ray, not tonight,” Bobbie snickered sarcastically.

Afternoon became evening and the other men dropped in sporadically during Bobbie’s vigil to see if they could help. She allowed them to visit for a while and then shooed them away. As early evening became night the men eventually went to bed and around that time Ray’s fever broke and he fell into a fitful sleep.

Bobbie was exhausted and filthy. Her uniform was already dirty from cleaning Ray’s quarters but it had become squalid during her nursing duties. Checking that Ray was comfortable she went over to the mess and poured herself coffee which she sipped gratefully. They she went to her quarters and took a long shower. She fixed her makeup and put on clean underwear. She dressed only in a négligée as the evening was still balmy and walked barefoot back to Ray’s cabin via the mess where she collected more coffee.

Ray had stopped sweating but he was still restless. He complained when she bathed him again but he was still incoherent and unaware of surroundings.

“Leave me alone Elaine, I just wanna sleep,” he mumbled.

Bobbie turned down the lamp beside his bed and sat in a chair reading the field medical journal and she was nearly asleep herself when Ray became restless again. She sat on the side of the bed and got him to sip some water. She put down the glass and was about to get off the bed when Ray’s hand clamped down on her wrist.

“Don’t go Elaine. Don’t leave me alone again,” Ray was crying in his sleep.

Bobbie tried to remove his fingers from her wrist but his grip was tight. She looked down at him, fast asleep but tears streaming down his cheeks.

“Ok Ray. I won’t leave,” Bobbie whispered.

She climbed on the bed and Ray circled his arms around her and held her tight. They were spooning; Bobbie’s back to him.

“You smell nice Elaine,” Ray whimpered.

“Shh, go to sleep,” Bobbie whispered and stroked his arm.

She could feel his breath on the back of her neck, his breathing deep and steady. He was finally sleeping soundly. When she tried to move he held her tight and mumbled something incoherent. She lay still and was soon asleep herself.

Bobbie woke up with a start and then she realised where she was. She was still in Ray’s bed and he was cuddled up to her, clinging to her while he slept. She was almost asleep again when she realised that Ray’s penis was turgid and nestled in her buttocks.

“Shit,” she hissed.

Ray’s cock lay burrowed between the cheeks of her soft bottom pressing the silky négligée against her satin panties. There was no danger of him putting his phallus inside her panties but it was inappropriate. She reached behind herself and tried to extricate it. It felt huge in her slim fingers. It was sleek, and she could feel his pulse through the translucent trunk. It throbbed in her hand when she encircled it with her fingers and Ray groaned in his sleep.

Bobbie decided to leave well enough alone. It was doing no harm where it was and she would never admit it to anyone but it felt kind of comforting. Ray was just experiencing nocturnal penile tumescence like all men did; it was nothing to worry about.

She was nearly asleep when she felt the warm wetness on her bottom. Ray’s penis was pressed hard against her, driving the silky material of her négligée into her intergluteal cleft. It was spasming and she could feel the warm secretions soaking into her négligée and panties and the musky piquant smell of his spend. Ray was holding her tight, his breathing deep and steady. He was still in a deep sleep. He was having a nocturnal emission.

“Jesus!” she whispered.

She fell asleep and didn’t wake up from the deep slumber when she flooded her panties with her own semen. She was unconsciously pressing her buttocks back against Ray’s erection and dreaming a dream that she would immediately forget when she awoke. She was back on the beach at the freshwater pool and a faceless stranger was lying on top of her.

“Rise and shine nurse,” John Fitzgibbons gently shook Bobbie awake, careful not wake Ray Millward who was still fast asleep.

Bobbie blushed as she extricated herself from Ray’s embrace. Craig Bowen stood in the doorway and watched. He looked quite shocked.

“In his delirium the Chief thought I was his wife. He wouldn’t let go of me,” Bobbie stammered climbing off the bed.

“No need to explain yourself to me,” John held up his hands.

“He looks a lot better,” John approached Ray’s bunk.

“The fever broke,” Bobby took a washcloth and patted Ray’s brow.

Bending over the bed like that Craig could see the stain on the back of Bobbie’s petticoat. He was no fool and knew what it was. It sickened him and a jealous rage surged through his brain.

John turned to see a look of intense anger cross Craig’s face.

“Bobbie, go and get cleaned up then go to the mess and get some breakfast. Craig and I will tend to Ray,” John eased Bobbie away from the bed.

Bobbie was confused by John’s knowing look and then she saw the tell-tale stain on the front of her négligée and knew that there would be a matching stain on the back.

“Go now Bobbie, we’ve got this,” John gave her another meaningful stare and nodded at Craig.

Bobbie nervously pulled at her négligée and backed out of the room then she ran to her quarters.

“Oh my!” she cried and then broke into uncontrollable laughter.

She showered, fixed her makeup and put on a fresh uniform. She went over to the mess and found Steve Ford busy in the kitchen. When she tried to take over he ushered her out of the kitchen and made her sit at the table.

“John tells me you nursed our illustrious Chief back to good health,” Steve said putting a plate of fried pork and vegetables in front of her.

Bobbie would normally never eat anything this hearty for breakfast but she was ravenous. She realised that she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast the day before.

“Quite the Florence Nightingale John tells me,” he gave Bobby a knowing look and Bobbie blushed.

“Look… I…” Bobbie stammered.

“You don't have to explain yourself to me missy,” Steve grinned.

“I know about you and John!” Bobbie burst out defensively and immediately regretted it.

“Oh my god Steve I’m so sorry I said that,” Bobbie hated herself at that moment.

“We know you know. You're not a very a good spy. It was obvious that you saw us at the radio shack and we were pragmatic about it. You were bound to find out sometime, this island is too small to keep secrets,” Steve winked at her.

Bobby was amazed at Steve’s demeanour. His behaviour and gesture was almost feminine; like some of the gay actors she had met in the theatre.

“Ray knows and Craig knows and we all pretend like we don’t. We’re so good at acting that you should put us in one of your USO shows,” Steve smiled as he filled Bobbie’s cup with coffee.

“So what was it like sleeping with the enemy?” Steve teased her.

“Shut up! I was just comforting him. He was delirious and he thought I was Elaine,” Bobbie blurted out, blushing even redder.

“John talks too much!” Bobbie pouted and then burst out laughing.

“Hey look who I found,” John announced as he entered the mess with Ray ambling along supported by he and Craig who was also carrying the field medical kit around his shoulder.

They helped Ray into a chair and Steve poured coffee.

“That smells damn good,” Ray grunted.

Bobbie leapt from her chair and went over to Ray and stopped him from picking up the steaming brew.

“Not until I check you out first,” Bobbie started to examine Ray thoroughly.

“Get off me you harridan,” Ray pushed her away.

“Let her examine you Chief or you’re getting nothing,” Steve snatched the coffee off the table.

“This bitch really is running this place now isn’t she?” Ray growled but he let Bobbie take his pulse, blood pressure and his temperature.

“Temperature is normal and your pulse and blood pressure are fine,” Bobby completed her examination.

“Good. Then go back to washing clothes and scrubbing floors where you can make yourself useful,” Ray dismissed her.

Bobbie packed up the medical kit and handed it Craig and left the mess without another word.

“Asshole!” John and Steve said in symphony and left Ray to his breakfast.

Craig looked at the Chief with jealous hatred.

“What’s wrong with those two? They having a lovers tiff?” Ray was snooping around the servery seeing what was on for breakfast.

“Bobbie nursed you last Chief. She’s the one who saw you through your fever. She spent all night tending to you,” Craig explained.

Ray stopped what he was doing, put down his plate and looked carefully at Craig.

“Bobbie did?” Ray tried to recall his memories from last night but they were confused; his dreams, his delirium and the facts were all mixed together and bewildering.

“She probably saved your life or it might have just been some passing malaise. Doesn’t matter. The rest of us faffed around and Bobbie took charge,” Craig said bitterly.

“She spent all night nursing me?” Ray shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, surprised.

Ray was too interested in himself to notice the jealous rage that simmered on Craig’s face as he nodded his head.

“Well she’s good for something besides cooking, cleaning, storekeeping and wailing on that guitar,” Ray filled his plate and sat down.

“The others are right Chief. You are an asshole,” Craig muttered and left Ray alone.

Bobbie was in her office reading the field medical journal. She realised after recent events that they were ill prepared for a medical emergency. Someone needed a better understanding of first aid and rudimentary medicine and she guessed that would have to be her.

Bobbie looked up surprised to see Craig Bowen standing in the doorway. He was wearing his dress whites and carrying a small bunch of tropical flowers. He’d slicked back his unkempt hair and she could smell his aftershave from across the room. Bobbie knew that Craig had a crush on her and he had made passes at her in the past but Craig was a simple man and took her rebuffs like a chastised child.

What Bobbie didn’t know was that Craig was absolutely besotted with her. He spied on her and followed her whenever he had the chance. Craig might have been the least intelligent person on the island and the men often treated him like a simpleton but wasn’t totally stupid.

Craig knew that rescue was unlikely and even if it came it would be a long time coming so he could afford to play the long game.

Craig knew that John Fitzgibbons and Steve Ford were lovers. He didn’t get what they had for each other but he understood the need for companionship and physical love.

Craig knew that deep down that under her makeup, perfume and lingerie Bobbie was really Robert, the survivor of the C-47 crash, but just as Bobbie had rid herself of all vestiges of Robert when she decided to live as Bobbie, Craig had done the same. To him Bobbie’s life had started that Wednesday movie night when she had first performed for them.

So with John and Steve out of the picture the only other man on the island he considered his competition was Ray Millward and Ray and Bobbie hated each other. He had followed Bobbie up to the freshwater pool and witnessed Bobbie and Ray arguing at the signal pyre prior to her going for a swim. He had masturbated, hiding in the undergrowth, watching her change into her swimsuit. He had not seen the aftermath when Ray had rescued Bobbie from the water. Craig was back at the barracks going through Bobbie’s intimates.

Craig liked to steal Bobbie’s intimates, masturbate with them and put them back. Knowing that she was unwittingly wearing underwear that he used to gratify himself excited him. He deliberately left the crusty stocking under his mattress with the girly magazines for her to find. Didn’t Bobbie realise that it was her and not the girls in the magazine that fulfilled his fantasies? Craig had forgotten all about his high school sweetheart Karen who Ray had often drunkenly told him was being regularly ploughed by some college quarterback in his absence.

Ray was an asshole but Bobbie had saved him last night. She had tended to him, bathed him, nursed him and in a final betrayal of trust, she had slept with him.

Craig could no longer play the long game and wait for Bobbie’s hatred of Ray to drive her into his arms. He had seen the mess on the back of her négligée and he knew what it was. He had washed his own semen stains out of her intimates many times. Then he had dried them, folded them and returned them to her room.

Craig knew that Ray still disliked Bobbie taking into account what Ray had had said about her in the mess this morning but Craig needed to claim what was rightfully his before Ray changed his mind. Ray had done something to her last night; the evidence was there for him to see. The thought of Ray pressing his manhood against the woman he loved drove Craig wild with jealousy.

“I’ve brought you some flowers,” Craig offered the pathetic bunch of wildflowers he had picked for her.

In Craig’s mind they were a beautiful bouquet, artistically arranged blooms that would delight any woman. In fact they were an amalgam of foliage and weeds that grew conveniently close to the compound, hurriedly picked. Bobbie was sure that the spray included a cutting of poisonous lantana but she smiled sweetly at him and took the preferred bouquet and set it on her desk.

“Let me get a vase and some water,” Bobbie came around from behind the desk and approached the door.

Bobbie was wearing her white uniform skirt and blouse and she unconsciously smoothed her skirt. She could feel Craig’s eyes on her legs.

“Your skin is so smooth and creamy Bobbie. The rest of us are all burnt and wrinkled,” Craig remain steadfastly in the doorway refusing to move.

“I stay out of the sun Craig and I use moisturiser that I make from coconut milk,” Bobbie explained but she wished Craig would move.

“You’re pretty too. So very pretty Bobbie,” Craig reached out to touch her and Bobbie recoiled instinctively.

She wished she hadn't when she saw the anger flash across his face before his usual vacuous grin returned.

“Don’t you like me Bobby? I picked those flowers for you. I’m wearing my best uniform for you. I’d like us to be more than friends,” Craig stepped into the office and closed the door.

Bobbie forced herself to smile but she stepped back until she felt the desk against the back of her thighs.

“Of course I like you Craig. I like all of you men; you’re like brothers to me but I’ve told you before that I don’t think about you that way,” Bobbie forced herself to smile.

“But what about the Chief? What about Ray?” Craig looked confused.

“What about Ray, Craig? He’s the boss; he’s the Chief, he’s our leader,” Bobbie reached behind herself and felt around the desk, hoping to find something to defend herself with if Craig became violent.

She had never felt scared in his presence before. Although he was older than her she treated him like a younger brother… a simple younger brother. She was suddenly aware of how big Craig was. The rest of the men were rangy but Craig liked to eat, he was a little overweight but under that fat there was a lot of muscle from all the manual labour he performed.

“You and him are always arguing; always fighting. He heckles your shows and behind your back he calls you ‘that bitch’,” Craig said solemnly.

Bobbie couldn’t help but smile.

“He calls me that to my face too Craig,” she replied.

“When you’re not there he tells us that you are undermining him. That you are undoing all the good work he has dome maintaining discipline and running Harris Field just like it was a ship,” Craig’s mind seemed to wonder, something outside the window caught his attention.

He was easily distracted.

“We have our differences Craig but we live with them. Now let me go and get that vase,” Bobbie stepped forward but Craig didn’t budge.

He looked to be in a stupor, his thick lips twisted into a snarl and his eyes burned from under his thick brows.

“You were with him last night. You nursed him while he was naked. I saw you,” Craig growled.

“That’s right Craig I was nursing him. He was naked to I could bathe him and try to bring down his temperature,” Bobbie replied evenly.

“You slept with him. You slept with him and he was naked and you were wearing that négligée that I like,” Craig seemed to be ambling, unsure of his thoughts.

The comment about the négligée threw her. Why did Craig like it? Had he even seen her dressed in it before?

“John and I found you this morning. You were in his bed. He was cuddling you,” Craig adopted an accusatory tone.

“He was sick Craig. He thought I was his wife. He was delirious. I nursed him and comforted him, that’s all,” Bobbie protested.

“I saw it when you bent over the bed. I saw it on the back of your petticoat. Did he sex you?” Craig’s voice rose to a high-pitched scream.

“No he didn’t sex me Craig,” Bobbie stamped her foot angrily and blushed.

“I know what that is. I could smell it! I should know… I sex your stuff all the time,” Craig’s face was screwed up into an evil grin.

The thought of Craig masturbating with her intimates repulsed her but Bobbie tried to keep her face neutral.

“Ray was sweating. You saw him! I told you that he thought I was Elaine and he just cuddled me. I couldn’t get away from him so I let him. He was so hot and sweaty that he probably sweated right though my nightgown,” Bobbie hoped Craig would buy the lie.

“Bullshit he sexed you. But not anymore Bobbie. You’re going to be my gal. The only person sexing you will be me. I think when we’re done here I’ll go and find Ray and he won't be a problem anymore. It will just be you and me and John and Steve. That will work better,” Craig pulled the Colt 1911 pistol from his waistband.

The 45 calibre weapon had been tucked behind his back, hidden under his tunic.

Bobbie froze and a shiver of fear ran through her. Craig was insane and she was trapped in this office with him. From what he was saying she gathered he intended to kill Ray and keep her as some sort of concubine.

“Maybe I should take care of him now. I’ll lock the door and go and take care of Ray and then I’ll come back for you. You can live with me in my quarters and we will love each other forever and ever,” Craig's demeanour was maniacal.

He paced up and down in front of the door then he reached for the handle.

“No Craig! Don’t go yet! Stay here and show me how much you love me and then we can go and see Ray,” Bobbie was scrambling for anything to change Craig’s mind.

If she could delay Craig maybe one of the others would come looking for him or for her? Maybe Ray would have time to leave the camp and go up to his precious hilltop signal pyre? From up there he would be able to see Craig approaching. This was all she could think of. She somehow had to save Ray.

The lights dimmed and a sudden clout of thunder rent the silence and the sound of a tropical rainstorm pounding on the tin roof of the Q store became almost deafening.

“Yeah maybe I should rethink my priorities. Ray isn’t going anywhere and I’ve wanted you for so long Bobbie. Come over here Bobbie,” Craig waved the pistol at her.

Bobbie doubted that Craig would kill her; not if he loved her like he said he did but who knew what a psychopath really thought? He could certainly hurt her.

Bobbie forced herself to let go of the desk and she took the few steps required to stand directly in front of Craig. His aftershave was almost overpowering, he had cut himself shaving and the blood had congealed in a roll of flesh above his collar. Up close, the look in his eyes was truly maniacal and Bobbie began to tremble.

Craig pressed the pistol into Bobbie’s waist.

“Show me how much you love me Bobbie,” he whispered.

Bobbie had never told Craig that she loved him but now was not the time to undermine his fantasy.

She tentatively reached out and put her arms around Craig’s neck. Craig pressed the pistol harder into her flesh reminding Bobbie what would happen if she tried anything underhanded.

She stood on her tiptoes and put her face to his, closing her eyes so that she didn’t have to look at him. His lips felt cold wet and flabby, they felt repulsive. He jabbed his thick tongue into her mouth and pulled her to him with his free hand. She could feel his hard penis through her clothing. He kissed her awkwardly, his inexperience evident.

Ray was fuming and not just because all three of his subordinates had called him an asshole this morning. He was pissed off because he knew they were right and he knew that he would have to apologise to Bobbie. He was also pissed off because Seaman Bowen was supposed to swing the generators this morning so that the one currently supplying the load could be serviced. The men knew how important it was to keep the equipment they had well maintained because it was all they had.

Ray found John and Steve tending to the cornfield which was their duty station this morning.

“Have you guys seen Craig Bowen?” he called out to them.

“Last time I saw him he was coming out of his quarters in his dress whites. I figured you had told him to put on his best uniform to appear before your mast. I heard him call you an asshole this morning,” John could get away with the jibe, being a First Class Petty Officer.

“Well there appears to be more than enough assholes to go around today,” Ray grunted.

“Better find him quick Chief; there’s a storm coming,” John nodded towards the west from where dark clouds illuminated by flashes of lightning where rolling in.

“I bet he’s gone to follow that bitch around like a puppy,” Ray mumbled to himself.

Ray wouldn’t admit it but it irritated him that Craig fawned over Bobbie. But why should he care?

Ray got soaked crossing the runway and when he opened the door to the Q store he was livid. The store was dark even with the overhead lighting because the storm clouds obscured the sunlight that naturally streamed through the windows. The sound of the rain on the roof was almost deafening. He could see Craig Bowen in Bobbie’s office dressed in his whites. He seemed to be concentrating on something but there was no sign of Bobbie Bingham.

As Ray got closer to the office he could see why Craig was concentrating. Bobbie Bingham was on her knees fellating him.

“Fucking whore!” Ray screamed and scrambled for the door.

Then he saw the gun in Craig’s hand. It was pressed to Bobbie’s head and she was crying, choking while Craig used his free hand to push her face onto his cock. Ray snapped, suddenly filled with rage and unbridled fury.

He ripped the door open so fast that it came off its hinges. Craig was so shocked he had no time to defend himself when Ray slapped the gun away from Bobbie’s head whilst simultaneously slamming a roundhouse punch into the side of Craig Bowen’s head.

Craig fell to the floor but he refused to let go of his pistol but Ray ignored him. He helped Bobbie to her feet and looked into her tear-filled eyes with genuine tenderness and remorse.

“Are you ok? Did he hurt you?” Ray searched her face for signs of injury.

Bobbie just shook her head. She couldn’t speak. She was too ashamed of what Ray had witnessed.

“Stand aside Chief. Bobbie and I have unfinished business,” Craig was on his feet pointing his gun at them.

Ray saw the maniacal gleam in his eyes and realised that Craig was insane. He pushed Bobbie behind him and shielded her with his body.

“Give me the gun Seaman Bowen and we can talk about this. We can work it out; I’m sure there is some sort of misunderstanding,” Ray held out his hand and it was rock steady.

“Bobbie loves me and I love her. We’re going to live together but you keep getting in the way,” Craig said in a voice that seemed disembodied.

“Ok. I can stay out of the way. Why don’t you take me somewhere where we can talk about it? Leave Bobbie here to keep doing her work, she’s very busy,” Ray spoke to Craig like he was talking to a child.

“I want her to watch when I kill you! I want her to see how much I love her!” Craig rambled.

“That’s ok Craig. I understand. But wouldn’t it be better to let her go so she doesn’t have to see it? She will think you're the better man for it. Let her go and she can freshen up for you, maybe put on some nice clothes for you, and you can take care of me here when she’s gone,” Ray said matter-of-factly as if he was offering an alternative to dinner.

“No!” Bobbie cried from behind him.

Ray turned his head to her, still shielding her with his body.

“Let me handle this Bobbie. Let Craig do what he has to do while you go and change into something nice for him,” he gave her a knowing look which meant for her to escape and to get to John and Steve as soon as she could.

“Women, eh Craig? They never know when to just do what they are told,” Ray said to Craig, smiling at him like he was a true friend.

“I think you are tricking me Chief. I think you want Bobbie to leave so you can take your chances with me. You think I’m stupid,” Craig droned, spittle running down the side of his mouth.

Ray wondered if Craig was having some sort of psychiatric attack.

“Give me the gun Craig,” Ray changed his tone.

He was gruff and demanding and he thrust out his hand.

“Fuck you Chief!” Craig levelled the pistol at Ray.

It all happened instantly.

Ray turned and flung Bobbie out of the way so that when the bullet passed through his body it wouldn’t hit her. Craig pulled the trigger and the hammer came down on the firing pin striking the 45 calibre cartridge in the chamber of the Colt 1911 pistol. Craig had not changed out the ammunition or cleaned the pistol since he was shipwrecked on the island and it was faulty and misfired.

Craig look at the pistol in disappointed then he slammed the pistol into the side of Ray Millward’s head as hard as he could and ran out of the office as Ray collapsed on the floor.

Bobbie dropped down beside Ray who was unconscious with blood streaming down his face. She shook him, trying to wake him, all the time scared that Craig Bowen was going to come back and finish what he started.

Ray slowly came around and staggered to his feet with Bobbie’s assistance. He held onto the desk and shook his head; blood sprayed onto the floor and onto Bobbie’s skirt and blouse.

“Are you ok? Did he hurt you?” Ray lifted his face to Bobbie.

“I’m supposed to ask if you’re ok Chief. I’m fine except for the obvious indignity. Let’s get you to the mess so I can tend to that wound, also I need to make sure you’re not concussed,” Bobbie was still supporting Ray who had an arm around her shoulders.

As incongruous as it seemed, she quite liked having Ray’s strong arm around her.

“You’ve only just recovered from your fever Chief, I want to do a full examination,” Bobbie continued.

“Look at you being all nursey. I came over to thank you for caring for me yesterday but that’s probably not my priority right now, nor is you tending to my wounds. We gotta find Craig before he finds a weapon that works. There’s plenty in the armoury,” Ray grunted, he was obviously in pain.

Bobbie helped Ray through the warehouse and made him wait at the door while she checked outside for any sign of Craig. The coast was clear but the rain was still teeming down. Ray put his arm around Bobbie for support and she helped him across the runway to the main buildings. They expected see Craig at any time but they didn’t.

Bobbie’s skirt and blouse were saturated and they clung to her flesh. Her hair was moulded to her head and her mascara and eyeliner, already ruined from the tears she had shed while Craig defiled her, ran down her cheeks.

When they gained the shelter of the first building Ray made her stop.

“Let me get my breath. You look down that side and I’ll look down this side of the building. If the coast is clear we run for the mess and find John and Steve,” Ray panted, his hands on his knees.

Bobbie nodded and tentatively poked her head around the corner of the commissary building and saw nothing but sheets of rain. Craig could be hiding anywhere. She went back to Ray and shook her head indicating she’d seen no one.

“Ok. Are you ready?” he stared into Bobbie’s face questioningly.

She nodded.

“One last thing,” Ray wheezed.

Bobbie looked at him unsure.

Ray pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She moulded her wet body to his, feeling his flesh through her sodden uniform. He held her tight and kissed her long and hard, his tongue exploring her mouth. He released her as suddenly as he had embraced her.

“Sorry I’m an asshole; let’s go,” he took her hand in his and they ran from building to building without stopping until they reached the mess.

They were both pleased to hear John and Steve’s voices as they approached.

They too had been caught in the storm and had taken off their sodden shirts and were playing around. To those who knew no better it would look like two very masculine men horsing around but Ray and Bobbie could tell there was lot more to their playful cavorting.

“Jesus!” John cried when he saw the blood on Rays face and Bobbie’s skirt and blouse.

“What the fuck happened?” Steve asked as he assisted Ray inside and sat him down at the table.

The field medical kit was still on the table and Bobbie went straight to it.

“Craig had gone crazy. He attacked me and the Chief; he tried to kill the Chief. He’s got a gun but it doesn’t work but he’ll probably get another one and then he’ll come after us again… sorry Chief,” Bobbie realised that she was babbling as she rummaged through the first aid kit.

“What Bobbie said is basically right. We need to find him. He’s not right in the head. Try to reason with him if you can but if he’s armed and he threatens you then shoot him,” Ray winced as Bobbie put a disinfectant-soaked compress on his wound.

“Go to the armoury and get us a rifle and a pistol each and plenty of ammo. We’ll divide the island up into quarters and search it in twos,” Ray was in his element, taking charge of his men.

John went into the kitchen and came out with a shotgun and a handful of cartridges.

“I left this in the cleaning locker when we were getting rid of the rats. They used to hang around the trash pails at the back of the galley. Figure you can use it while Steve and I go and get us armed,” John handed the shotgun to Ray.

“Go! Go!” Ray shouted and his two subordinates ran from the mess.

Ray loaded the shotgun while Bobbie fussed around him trying to tend to the wound on his head. She finally lost her patience and snatched the shotgun from his hands and put it down on the table.

“Let me put a proper bandage on that wound and check you out, then you can play with that gun as much as you want to,” she huffed.

“Yes ma’am,” Ray was surprised by her mettle but he made sure he could snatch up the shotgun in an instant if necessary.

Bobbie had to get very close to Ray to properly examine his wound and she was acutely aware of how close their faces were. When Ray gently pressed his lips to hers she sighed. He took her in his arms and held her gently, kissing her softly and stroking her face.

Bobbie broke the kiss.

“What happened in my office… what Craig was making me do…” Bobbie stammered.

“Never happened. I found him holding a gun on you and we fought. His gun misfired and he banged me up the side of the head and ran away,” Ray brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes.

“What about his side of the story?” Bobbie looked down at her blood-stained, rain soaked skirt.

Ray lifted her chin with his finger and leaned in and kissed her tenderly.

“No one is going to believe a madman,” Ray said with some finality.

It didn’t matter anyway. John Fitzgibbons and Steve Ford found Craig Bowen hanging from the stout limb of a breadfruit tree on top of lookout hill. He was still dressed in his whites but had not left a note.

They buried him that afternoon under the breadfruit tree from which he’d hung himself. The service was quick and sombre and a blanket of solemnity fell over Harris Field.

Bobbie insisted that Ray go to his quarters where she could properly tend to his injuries and John and Steve retired to John’s quarters. There seemed little reason for John and Steve to play out their charade any longer. They had held hands during the funeral service and Bobbie had taken Ray’s hand was they walked back down the hill.

Bobbie made Ray shower and put him to bed then she went to the mess to find them something to eat.

“You can’t sleep. I need to see if you have any symptoms of a brain injury,” Bobbie warned him as Ray snuggled under the sheets.

“Reading that field medical journal doesn’t make you a doctor,” Ray groused.

“Being a Chief Petty Officer doesn’t mean you always have to be an asshole,” Bobbie threw the journal at Ray as she walked out the door.

Ray caught it and smiled. The woman had spunk.

A bouquet of perfume announced Bobbie’s return before she even came through the door. She was wearing full makeup, a pink satin and lace bustier, sheer fully fashioned stockings, black high heels and a see-through white négligée that was open at the front. She was carrying a tray but Ray had no interest in what was on it.

She closed and locked the door behind her, dimmed the lights and walked over to the bed.

“Walking through the sand in these high heels is crazy,” Bobbie sighed.

“I don’t care. Leave them on,” Ray swallowed and pulled back the covers.

“What about dinner?” Bobbie teased as she put the tray on the nightstand, bending over beside him, her buttocks in his face.

“Fuck dinner. You don’t want me to sleep so get in here and keep me awake,” he patted the space beside him on the bed.

“Why Chief!” Bobbie feigned shocked indignance.

“It’s not Chief; it’s Ray. But if you don’t get on this bed and start kissing me right now I’m prepared to order you to do so,” Ray grinned.

Bobbie climbed onto the bed leaving on her heels as ordered. She felt nervous. She didn’t really know what to do but Ray seemed to. He didn’t leap on her like she thought he might, instead he sidled up to her and gently took her in his arms.

“You are beautiful,” Ray whispered, his lips nearly touching hers.

“Stop it,” Bobbie whispered, yearning for him to kiss her.

“No. You’re not just pretty, you’re beautiful, a beautiful person I mean,” Ray stroked her cheek and Bobbie nestled her face into his hand.

“Ray…” Bobbie was about to protest but Ray wouldn’t let her.

“You’re beautiful inside I mean. You care for people, you have an attentiveness and compassion,” Ray complimented her and Bobbie blushed.

“You care for the men too,” Bobbie returned the gesture and stroked his cheek.

He had shaved before he showered but she could feel the fine stubble coming back, his thick hair refusing to be tamed.

“I order them around. I tell them what to do. They are right; I am an asshole. And look what happened on my watch,” Ray sighed.

Bobbie stroked his face; her fingers traced the outline of the bandage on the side of head.

“These men are alive because of you. We all owe our lives to you. Your leadership is what keeps this place going,” Bobbie replied.

“Not Craig Bowen,” Bobbie could hardly believe it when she felt the hot tears running down his cheeks.

“No one could save him. There was something wrong with him that none of us saw,” Bobbie kissed Ray’s cheek.

“See what I mean about being beautiful? Even after what he did to you, you defend him,” Ray pulled her closer.

“Shh, do you want to go to sleep? I don’t mind,” She cradled his head gently.

“I want to make love to you,” Ray whispered.

“I want that too,” Bobbie felt herself becoming genuinely aroused now that the subject had changed.

“I’ve never done this before… not this way. I’m not sure I know what to do,” Bobbie lowered her head to her chest.

“Me neither, but I’m so looking forward to figuring it out,” Ray finally pressed his lips to hers.

Bobbie was immediately on fire with lust. Ray’s hard muscled body was naked and she could feel his anaconda-like penis uncoil and become tumescent against her. She was erect in her panties and she gasped into Ray’s mouth when he squeezed her there.

The slippery cool satin of her panties felt deliciously decadent as Ray rubbed the fabric on her penis. His long, strong fingers alternatively stroked and squeezed her while his tongue invaded her mouth.

Bobbie’s fingers found him hard and throbbing, the length and girth of him was alarming, she didn’t know how she was going to accommodate him but she knew that she was going to. She wanted Ray inside her. She wanted that quintessential intimacy that bound a woman to a man.

Ray whimpered as she explored his manhood, sliding her fingers along it, trying valiantly to wrap them around its girth but not succeeding. But she did succeed in exuding a continuous ooze of pre-ejaculate from his glans which she used to lubricate his penis as she fondled and teased it.

“Oh Jesus!” Ray gasped as she cupped his scrotum, feeling the weight of it, feeling his manliness.

“Oh god!” Bobbie gasped as Ray rolled her onto her back and lay between her legs.

She instinctively wrapped her legs around his torso and Ray sighed contentedly as she slid her gossamer-clad legs along his flanks.

Their cocks were pressed together separated by the flimsy fabric of her panties, his monstrous organ pressing on Bobbie’s not insignificant appendage. Ray ground his whole body against her, luxuriating in the feel of the satiny bustier against his torso, the silky satin of her panties against his cock and her diaphanous nylons against his sides and back.

Bobbie was in deep rapture. Lying under this man, feeling his hard body pressed against hers, feeling his cock throbbing against hers as he ground his groin into her.

“Oh Ray,” she simpered through crushed lips.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he whispered, his voice thick with lust.

“You won’t, I’ve came prepared,” she blushed in the dark but Ray couldn’t see it.

Bobbie reached out and found the tray on the nightstand, her fingers found the little tin of Vaseline. She awkwardly scooped out a good dollop as Ray kissed her and ground against her impatiently.

“Let me…” she whispered and Ray suddenly realised what she was doing.

He lifted himself up off her, hovering over her on his hands and knees.

Bobbie turned what could have been an awkward and embarrassing moment into cheeky foreplay by smiling up at him as she greased his substantial manhood.

“Does that feel good?” she smiled up at him coquettishly as she worked the lubricant onto his flesh.

“You’re about to find out how good it you keep doing that but it might stain your bustier,” Ray sniggered.

She leaned up and kissed him and slid her fingers inside her panties and plugged her sphincter with the remaining gel.

“Be gentle with me Ray,” she whispered her gaze suddenly serious but the lust in her eyes still evident.

“Of course I will my love. I’ll never hurt you again,” Ray breathed and lowered his face to hers and kissed her.

Ray lowered his torso onto Bobbie and as he did so she took his manhood in her fingers and guided it to where she desperately needed it. She pulled aside the gusset of her panties and nestled his engorged glans in her sphincter. She had made a conscious decision to leave on her panties, she wasn’t sure that Ray wanted to feel her penis on his flesh.

“Are you ready?” Ray leaned down and kissed her and searched her eyes.

Bobbie clasped her hands around his neck and nodded. She had never looked so beautiful.

Bobbie hissed and screwed up her eyes as Ray slowly pressed his glans inside her tight sphincter. Her face was a picture of both pain and lust.

“Shall I stop,” Ray sounded genuinely concerned.

Bobbie shook her head from side to side. She wrapped her legs around his thighs and tightened her grip around his neck and lifted her buttocks off the bed, slowly impaling herself on his hard throbbing phallus. She didn’t stop until she had it all inside her.

The pain was almost unbearable but at the same time it magnified the delicious and decadent feelings that were radiating from her sphincter and her prostate. His organ filled her anus, stretching it to full capacity and it felt agonisingly painful whilst at the same time unbearably wonderful. Bobbie’s cock was at full tumescence, pressing against Ray’s hard flat belly, distending her panties.

“Oh that is so wonderful,” Ray rained kisses down on Bobbie who lay underneath him, her face contorted with pain and bliss.

“Don’t move,” she whispered, her words choked with agony and desire.

“I can’t. I’ll come if I do,” Bobbie’s tight anus gripped his cock like a velvet glove and he was on the verge of extremis.

“Me too,” Bobbie gasped.

“Oh god!” Bobbie tightened her grip on Ray’s body with her hands and her legs and began to grind against him.

The force of Ray’s orgasm was such that Bobbie felt his cock shudder and convulse inside her. It was earth-shattering and she forced herself to open her eyes so she could see the look of bliss and contentment on his face. His seed flooded her back passage and made it easier for Ray to fuck her, which is exactly what he did.

Ignoring her order not move, Ray pushed Bobbie down on the bed and fucked her with long deep strokes as he ejaculated a torrent of sperm inside her. She writhed beneath him, washed over by an intense orgasm as her own cock exploded with a messy fountain of steaming semen that flooded her panties and glazed Ray’s tight belly.

Ray kissed her and she pulled her body hard against his, wanting to feel his racing heart, wanting to feel his cock palpitating inside her, wanting to feel his essence, wanting to feel his love.

Far from being repulsed when Bobbie’s semen spattered on his belly, it incited Ray to another pinnacle of ecstasy. He had pleasured the woman the he was falling in love with. She was feeling what he felt; the extreme joy and satisfaction of sharing their bodies.

Ray lay on top of Bobbie exhausted but she found the weight of his body pleasing. Every now and then he would quiver. His cock was still inside her and Bobbie could feel it slowly contracting but the fullness of it made her feel contented. She felt Ray snuffle and she lifted his head from her shoulder and looked at him.

He had been crying again.

“Did I do something wrong? Is it Elaine?” Bobbie regretted mentioning Ray’s wife the second she had said it.

“No it’s you silly,” Ray stroked her face.

“How badly I’ve treated you. How utterly despicable I’ve been to you. And how lovely you are. I suppose I was jealous,” Ray whimpered.

“Jealous of me?” Bobbie was astounded.

“Jealous because the men love you. Jealous because you were undermining me, giving the men something I couldn’t,” Ray whispered.

Bobbie opened her mouth to reply but Ray wouldn’t let her.

“Jealous because I’ve wanted you all along. I wanted you to be mine,” Ray lowered her head.

“I’ve always been yours Ray. I think you know that. I’ve just been waiting for you to take me,” Bobbie leaned up and kissed the tip of his nose.

They stayed in bed late the next day. They heard John and Steve moving around the camp but they weren't disturbed. Bobbie got out of bed mid-morning and went to the galley and prepared lunch. She didn’t wear her uniform; instead she wore a summer dress.

The men sat at their usual places around the table but something had changed and it wasn’t just that Craig was gone. Steve Ford was sitting so close to John Fitzgibbons that he was almost in his lap and they were constantly touching each other like a married couple.

Bobbie served the men their lunch and then prepared a plate for herself and came out of the galley to join them. She usually sat between John and Steve but of course today that wasn’t possible. Ray stood and pulled back the chair next to him and then pushed it in behind her as she sat. Bobbie was self-conscious and scraped her chair along the floor to give Ray some room.

Ray scraped his chair along the floor until he was sitting as close to her as he could get. He entwined his fingers in hers on the table top. John and Steve just smiled at each other and began to eat.

Harris Field changed considerably from that day on. Steve and John cohabitated together and Bobbie moved in with Ray. The rank structure broke down and they behaved like two couples who were the closest of friends. Ray was still their tacit leader and when important decisions were required he made them.

Work details were shared but Bobbie kept her domestic duties, she felt that was where she fit in and was of the most use; she was comfortable with her place in their little society. She still entertained them every Wednesday and Saturday and when they dined together as couples.

Nearly a year later Ray was standing on lookout hill looking out to sea, holding a flaming torch in his hand. A US Navy destroyer cruised off the coast paralleling the island about five miles out. If Ray ignited his signal pyre it was sure to be seen.

Ray dropped the torch in the sand and stomped on it to extinguish the flames and watched the ship sail into the distance.

He came back down the hill and saw Bobbie hanging out washing on line and his heart filled with love. She shrieked and squealed playfully when he threw her over his shoulders and took her to their quarters to make love.

Ray hadn’t given Bobbie time to undress and she lay on the bed with her head on his chest, her anus throbbing contentedly, feeling Ray’s issue dribbling into her panties which were soaked at the front from her own emission.

“I need to change my clothes and fix my makeup before dinner,” Bobbie made to get off the bed.

Ray held her down on the bed and reached into his bedside table and took the letters from inside the cigar box. He held them up so she could see them.

“Do you know what these are?” he fanned the letters.

Bobbie shook her head but she felt herself choking.

“They’re poison is what they are and when I get off this bed I’m going to burn them,” Ray said grimly.

“Good,” Bobbie could hardly speak.

Ray threw the letters into to the trashcan, a good shot from where they lay on the bed across the room. Then he reached back into the cigar box and took out the two wedding bands. He held them up and studied them and Bobbie expected him to throw them after the letters.

Instead he rolled over on his side and took Bobbie’s left hand. She began to cry when Ray slid the wedding ring onto her ring-finger, stopping at the first knuckle.

“What do you think?” he whispered.

Bobbie couldn’t answer. She was choked and her eyes were full of tears.

She just nodded and Ray slid the ring all the way on her finger. He gave her the other ring and slid it on his ring-finger.

“I love you,” Ray’s voice was choked with emotion.

Bobbie tried to tell him that she loved him too but his passionate kiss prevented her from speaking.

*****

Epilogue

In the year 2010 the Republic of Palau leased Mirrocau Island to a multinational development corporation that immediately went to work building an exclusive five-star resort. Work was stopped briefly when a grave was uncovered by a construction crew.

“You gotta see this boss,” the Filipino foreman said, bursting into the American Project Manager’s office.

The work crew stood in a group looking down into the uncovered grave where the remains of two people lay side by side.

“A man and a woman by the looks of it. She’s wearing what looks like an evening gown and he’s wearing a US Navy Chief Petty Officer’s summer ceremonial uniform,” one of the crew commented.

“What the fuck? This island was uninhabited until recently,” the Project Manager scratched his head.

“There was a base here during World War Two; Harris Field. We demolished all the old buildings to make way for the hotel and we redeveloped the old runway,” the foreman commented.

“Yeah, well no one gave a fuck. So long as the right people got paid we had no remit to keep any of that old crap,” the Project Manager carped.

“This is different boss. These are people. We need to inform the Battle Monuments Commission, these could be war graves,” one of the workers piped up.

“Bullshit! Those jerks will shut this site down for months!” the Project Manager seethed.

“What’s going in here? What part of the resort is this?” the Project Manager snatched the plans out of the foreman’s hands.

“This is going to be the garden for the wedding chapel,” the foreman pointed to the plans.

“Fill it in! They can stay here. No one saw anything. Pay the crew double-time for the week Lupe,” the Project Manager scanned the faces of the work crew looking for a dissenter.

“I’ll do it myself boss. You guys get back to work,” Lupe ordered his crew.

The Project Manager and the work crew dissipated. They didn’t want to be witnesses to what was probably a Federal crime.

Lupe took his time. He made garlands of frangipani and hibiscus flowers and placed them on the remains of the man and the woman. When he bent over the grave to lay the laurels on the remains he noticed that the man and the woman were wearing wedding bands and that their fingers were entwined. They had been buried holding hands.

“May you rest in peace together forever,” Lupe made the sign of the cross and began to shovel sand into the grave.

The End

Author's note: I guess I'm becoming an old softie, what with these happy-ever-after endings and romantic entanglements. I cried writing the last few paragraphs and the epilogue; what did you think? Drop me a comment please.