A Few More Nights (Slice of Life) (6 page)

            
 
Rolland was the first to notice the subtle changes in Nadine’s demeanor.  Doris and Gerald, her co-workers, also noticed that she was being nicer. Initially, the office assistant was the one who pointed out that maybe she was feeling better since she was eating more, “You know she is normally gnawing on a twig with a cup of tea or something.” Everyone stared at her in disbelief.  For the first time Rolland actually understood what Nadine had been telling him; the office assistant was a moron.

             
Nothing further was said until Nadine slipped into Rolland’s office and asked, “How do I get to Prudhoe Bay?”

             
He was not going to pry, but simply gave her the answers she sought with a few words of caution, “The rules for those types of work places are very strict, please check with him before you take off for parts unknown.” Rolland explained that in the six years Marc had worked for the site, he had only been up once, which was in the summer and it was still cold.

             
Nadine said nothing more until a few weeks later when she asked for a week off.  Caution told Rolland to call his brother and give him a head’s up, but he was more amused by the scenario and knew of the outcome. He would let her roll the dice and let fate do the rest.

              It took two days and sixteen hours of flight time to get to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, which was at the top of nowhere. There was an hour layover in Seattle, then on to Fairbanks.  From Fairbanks, she had to take the commuter to the site which was actually on the Northern end of Prudhoe Bay. There were extra baggage fees for the suitcase of goodies she was bringing to him and his team and her excitement waned when she was dropped off at the main office. It was colder than the hearts of right-wingers on birth control issues, but she needed to see her man.

             
In the distance, she could see the lights from the refinery.  The photos he had shown her on his computer helped her get her bearings.  Five miles or so from this location was the main barracks where he and his crew lived.  The small building where she was left was a main office, set up like a country general store. It held the main radio and communication between the town and the oil site.  She opened the door to let herself in.  She must have looked a sight.

             
A scrawny man, with few teeth who sported a rather large pair of boots, looked at her with a great deal of surprise in his face. Nadine smiled, “I’m here to see Marc Deasley.” Without removing his eyes from her face, he picked up the radio receiver, keyed the mic a few times, and spoke some code on the radio.  She heard Marc’s voice and started to smile, “Marc,” he said very slowly as if to drag out the syllables, “I have a few packages for you and you may want to be on your way right now.  One of the packages is live.”

             
Marc responded, “En route, I am five by five, rolling in on ten.”  The skinny man said his name was Johnny and asked her to come and sit in a very low chair behind the counter.  She started to ask why, but remembered that Rolland said there were rules.  Johnny must has sensed her trepidation, “We don’t get many of your kind around these parts, so we want to be safe.”  Nadine felt offended and was uncertain of what this little man meant by those words until he clarified, “Women are rare in this region; just stay hidden ‘til he arrives.”

             
Nadine was now really nervous. Over the past three months, depending on the weather, they had Skyped, texted and emailed.  She had sent a few care packages, but she really needed to see him.  Feelings, emotions, concerns, and everything else over the past three months had threatened to consume her and she simply needed to see him face to face.  A few minutes later she heard what sounded like a very large truck pull up, the front door banged and she heard his voice. “What you got for me, Big Johnny?”  The thin man pointed behind the desk and Nadine popped up, “Surprise!”

             
The color drained from his face. “What the hell are you doing here?” Taken aback, Nadine’s face began to crumple a bit. Marc never gave her a chance to answer, he started barking out commands at her, at Johnny, and at some guy named Bishop on the radio. He asked about the cabin and told Johnny to reserve it for a few nights. Marc continued to yell at everyone who came through the door, including a young man that had climbed out of the truck with him, “You! Get on the horn, make arrangements to get her on the first thing flying back to Fairbanks, then on to L.A.”  Nadine was suddenly afraid, maybe she should have called.  “Johnny, get Rico on the line, have him go through the cabin and make sure there are no critters hiding in there, get a fire started and bring up some clean linens.”

             
He still had not said anything to Nadine. When he looked at her he was furious. “Johnny, who saw her get off the plane?”

             
She pointed to her suitcase full of fruit and gave him a weak smile, he only responded by asking her through gritted teeth, “Did you tell Rolland you were coming up here?”

             
“I kind of mentioned it to him,” she said and pointed at the suitcase again. He was not interested in anything she had brought.  Marc did not really seem interested in her.  This had been a mistake.

             
“What did he tell you?”

             
“That I should let you know I was planning to come and something about rules.” She didn’t have a chance to finish what she had to say before he physically pushed her to the truck, lifted her up and tossed her inside like a sack of potatoes.  “Keep your head down until I tell you it is clear.”

             
She was truly scared now and it was even colder outside than it was when she stepped off the plane. Marc rumbled around in the back of the truck and found four zip ties along with a pair of wire cutters. She needed to tell him that she really needed to pee, but she stayed down on the seat.  Suddenly there were a bunch of yells and whoops and Marc hurriedly started the truck and sped away, leaving the young man that had rode in with him at the office.

             
“Nadine, this is a 200-man camp.  There are no women here.”  She stayed on the seat trying to hold back her tears. “Over the past six years we have had a few women decide to come up for a surprise visit.”  He was driving really fast, “Three of them we still have not found.” There were horn blasts and more whoops, but Marc kept his eyes on the road.  There were only two options that he had to keep her safe while she was here.

             
Nadine made every attempt to keep the emotion out of her voice, “Where are you taking me? Back to Fairbanks?”

             
“Don’t be daft, that is a 16-hour drive on ice roads!” He was yelling at her.  Nadine was fighting back the tears but she was not a wimp nor was she going to be intimidated by his high handed tactics. 

             
“Well, where the hell are we going?”  She demanded as she sat up in the seat to face him with a hand on her hip.

             
Marc grabbed her by the hood of her hot pink parka and pushed her back down in the seat, “We are going to get married!”

            
 
She thought he was pulling her leg until she saw him pull up in the back of the chapel. While he waited for Bishop to come and get them from the holding room, Marc used the white zip tie to fashion a wedding band. He made two, the second one he put in his pocket.  He left enough room on her finger to ensure the makeshift ring would stay on, but not snug enough to cut off her circulation.  He fashioned one for himself from a red zip tie, the second one he handed to her to put in her pocket.  She wasn’t sure of what to do with it, but kept it anyway.

             
Nadine soon found out that Bishop, was not his name but his job title, when he came from the vestibule to gather them and had papers for them to sign.  Marc signed first, then she signed as Nadine Jordan. He corrected her by asking her to go ahead and sign her married name of Deasley. Bishop said he would fax the forms to HR, but Marc was impatient, and faxed them himself. She didn’t understand when he asked for a few other forms, like conjugal visitation papers, and something else that had a dash 17 Q.

             
Bishop looked concerned, “Mr. Deasley, shouldn’t we complete the ceremony first?”

             
Marc shook his head no, “I need it on record that she is my wife before we even enter that chamber with those men.” The fax machine beeped and he waited for the confirmation report.  Seconds later it spit out. They headed to the rectory.  The church was full of men. “Let’s see her hair Deasley!”

             
Someone yelled they wanted to see her face. One guy with a raspy voice offered Marc $1,000 for a lock of her hair.  Another man offered $5,000 if Deasley would let him come up and “get a sniff of the whiff.” Nadine wasn’t sure if she was trembling from the cold, the fear or the shock of all of this; nobody was going to come up and sniff her anything!  Especially not her cupcake! Her groom-to-be stayed cool and focused on the task at hand while Bishop controlled the crowd. All was going well until the silence was broken by a rather large man that offered Marc $10,000 for the panties she was wearing.

Nadine started to unzip her pretty new parka. The look he gave her made her rezip the coat. She whispered to him, “I could pay off my car with that money.” Marc grabbed her by the arm and turned her to face front.  Of all things to wear in the midst of all this white snow and ice, a pink parka and pink Timberland boots, really? She may as well have put a bulls-eye on her back.

              Nadine was pleasantly surprised when Johnny showed up with some artificial flowers and a veil. The Bishop went through the ceremony and she and Marc were pronounced man and wife.  He slipped on her white zip tie ring and she slipped a red one on his finger. He crowd went wild when he lowered her parka hood and flipped up the veil. She heard several audible gasps and one man even said it out loud, “Is that a black girl Deasley just married?” Someone responded, “Well, they are from L.A. you know; they do things different out there.”  Evidently that answer must have sufficed; the crowd hushed.

             
It all faded away when Marc was instructed to kiss his bride, and oohs and ahhs went through the crowd. Several men wanted the honor of kissing her next when Marc unzipped his parka to reveal the 9mm on his hip. He kept his hand on it as they slipped out the back door, got back in the truck and he pushed her head back down in the seat.

             
This was one hell of a wedding day.

             
Only management and certain support staff knew the location of the conjugal cabin.  Years prior, the company had deemed it necessary to only allow married men to have women on site.  It had to be scheduled, approved, and planned. Nadine’s arrival had broken all of the rules.  Marc’s only hope had been to marry her right away and get the documentation to the company. Technically, after the fax, he was in compliance.  There was a record of her arrival, and documentation on file that he was married; now, to keep her safe until he got her ass on a plane and out of here was a totally different concern.

             
As he drove to the cabin, Marc explained that most of the men on site were single.  The first year of your contract you worked straight through for 18 months; after that, you get a thirty-day break. Men who choose to renew the contract and return have to sign up again for one year, with a 10 day break every six months. “Most of the guys just go to Anchorage to blow off some steam,” he told her as he pushed the truck to about 70 miles an hour across the frozen tundra. This weekend, there was a scheduled celebration before the coldness and harshness of winter kicked in; he mentioned a beast feast of native game and women.

             
“This is a good thing, they will be distracted and we can slip away,” he said as he looked down at the seat.

             
Nadine remained quiet because her feelings were still kind of hurt.  He still had not kissed her as if he was happy to see her, nor said if he had even missed her.  They were married, though. Butterflies had started to roll around in her stomach and for an instant she thought it was something more.  Maybe it was just hunger and she still had to pee.

             
Moments later, they arrived at the cabin.  The fire was going and Marc stood her in the corner like a child.  His weapon was unholstered as he checked the bedroom, under the bed, looked in the bathroom, pulled back the shower curtain, and even scanned the ceiling and shelves for hidden cameras. When he was finally satisfied, he removed her parka and sat her in front of the fire. With ease and care he removed her boots, her jeans and the sweater she wore underneath.  Her feet and hands were checked to ensure she had not gotten too cold and he went back to her ankles and noticed the slight pooch of her tummy.  “I need to get you hydrated.  It will take care of some of the swelling around your ankles, wrist, and tummy after such an extended flight.”

             
She had just started to sip at the water when a knock came at the door of the cabin. Marc quickly checked his weapon, and ensured there were enough rounds in the clip while pushing her into the bathroom.  Every item of clothing he had removed from her was shoved into her hand, and he put his fingers to his lips indicating that she should stay quiet and hidden. She couldn’t wait any longer, she had to go. It felt as if she peed for at least five minutes.

             
It was no surprise to Marc to see his supervisor at the door.  The only reason Vincent Horne had been allowed inside was to keep the cabin warm. Vincent was one of the best engineers in the world and Marc respected his knowledge on the job, in the field, and trusted him with his life.  He did not, however, trust him with his woman. Vincent was the first to speak.

             
“So I hear you had a live package to arrive, Deasley,” he said while peering over and around Marc’s shoulder.

             
Marc pulled the papers from his back pocket, “Yes, my wife came for a surprise visit.  I have faxed over the marriage certificate to HR and filed the paperwork with corporate letting them know she is on site for a few days.” Vincent knew that Marc was a shrewd man and even commented on it.  Marc let nothing slip by him, “I am nothing if not thorough.” The two men stood toe to toe.

             
Vincent broke the standoff, “Well, Deasley, you going to let me meet the little lady?”

             
“With all due respect sir, no, I am not.”  Vincent Horne was twice as curious now.  Since Marc’s return, he had found him staring off into space or smiling for no reason. Several occasions when they were patrolling the lines, Marc broke out into sporadic spurts of laughter at thoughts that were running through his mind.  There were text messages that had come through in the middle of the night that had left a goofy smile on his best engineer’s face. Whomever he had met must be quite the woman, because the changes he had seen in his number one were astounding. “Marc, we have worked side by side for six years.  You seem so happy, I just wanted to say congratulations and shake her hand.”

             
Marc was not budging, “I will let her know you send your regards.” His hand was now on the hilt of his weapon as he moved forward to back Vincent out the door. His supervisor was not moving.

             
“Is that her perfume? It is absolutely intoxicating.”

             
Marc took that statement as a threat, he unsnapped the weapon, “I will be returning to my post shortly sir,” and he opened the door to push the man outside, “I will come and find you then.”

             
Vincent knew there would be no give. Whoever she was, she must be special.

Marc secured and locked the door when Vincent left. “Nadine, I need you to wash off whatever oil, scent, perfume or soap you are wearing.  Do it now!”  She hurriedly turned on the faucet to wash her hands, her throat, her wrist and anywhere else she rolled on her favorite oil. When she returned to the living room Marc was coming back inside with a double-barreled shot gun.  He loaded two rounds and handed her the box.

“Point, squeeze and shoot anything that comes through that door that is not me, whether it is on two legs or four. Don’t ask questions, don’t hesitate, and don’t try to reason. Point, squeeze and shoot, got it?”

She no longer could help it, the tears began to flow, and she yelled at him, “I just wanted to surprise you for your birthday!”  She started to bawl uncontrollably. It had been so long since he had celebrated his birthday that he really hadn’t realized that today he actually turned thirty-six years old.

Marc burst into laughter and took her into his arms. “Well, now I get to celebrate my birthday and our anniversary all in one.” He wiped away her tears and looked her in the eyes. She was still inconsolable, “I even brought a pineapple and fresh veggies to make you a special dinner.” She cried louder. He held her close but she only socked him in the stomach.

“I even learned to fucking cook!” The weapon had dropped to the floor as she flung herself onto the very dusty sofa.

Marc sat beside her and pulled her onto his lap. “This is the best birthday present ever, do you want to know why?”

Like a small child that had experienced a bad dream, she wiped away tears, snot and any other liquids that were currently overtaking her face; for good measure, she even used the back of her sleeve, “Why?”

Marc kissed her lightly on the lips, “Today, I realized how much I truly am head over heels in love with you.  I am so in love, I just threatened to shoot my boss for wanting to even look at you.”

“Really, you are in love with me?”

“Yes, my Beauty, I am.”

She threw her arms around his neck and peppered his face with kisses, “I am head over heels in love with you, too!”

They both broke into laughter.  Marc knew he had to get back to work, but he could not resist adding, “Well, I guess I don’t need to ask you to marry me now.” She looked at her plastic wedding ring and laughed harder.

He stayed only a few minutes more. Instructions were given on what to do and how to secure the cabin, as he climbed into his truck.  “See you when I get home from work, I should be back by seven.”

Now this would be a birthday he would never forget.