Locker Room Talk

Month 10 Day 31

2105 Hours

Capt Jane Burke

It wasn’t like Smitty to hang at her side the entire evening, but Jane was beginning to wonder when he would finally peel off and ask some woman to dance. Every time she glanced his way, he seemed to be watching a certain redhead as she... juggled... the attentions of 3 or 4 men and as many female friends. And occasionally, she had turned away men who asked her to dance, had even started to raise her voice to Evans.

It certainly doesn’t seem like Evans is getting the message. A few more days of recordings and I’ll start debriefing members of the A shift bridge crew. I’ll even debrief Evans, but those questions will be different from what I ask the others. I’ll have to debrief MacDowell, too, so I’d better come up with questions for her.

“The redhead’s a lot colder than she looks,” she heard Moor comment, as she passed behind him and another male. “She’s a real tease.”

“Someone should teach her not to,” Winthrop suggested.

“Enough!” Jane said sharply. Thought Moor had more sense than to hang around with Winthrop. She glanced at Smitty to see how he was reacting to the men’s overheard conversation, but the engineer’s gaze was focused across the room. She glared at the two surprised underlings before her. “I don’t care how good she looks, if she’s not interested, leave her alone. Don’t even try to use your rank that way or you won’t have that rank any longer. I thought it was understood that I won’t tolerate that behavior, but apparently two of my highest officers haven’t gotten the message, so have I made myself clear?”

“But, captain, anybody who comes here looking like that must want to stir up interest,” Winthrop replied boldly.

“Doesn’t mean she wants your interest,” Jane returned. She touched Smythe’s arm to get his attention. “What do you think, Smitty?”

He jerked his attention to her. “About what?”

His mind was a parsec away. Or at least across the room. “About Winthrop’s plans to accost Lt MacDowell.”

Smitty’s eyes rounded in surprise, then narrowed as he glared at the older man. He opened his mouth to speak, glanced back across the room, and closed his mouth again. He shook his head and sucked in a lungful of air. “She’s already taken.”

That sounded like he was reminding himself. Who does he think has caught the girl’s attention?

“Then why come looking like that?” Moor asked. “Maybe the man she thought she had caught is beginning to slip away.”

“You’re gossiping,” Smitty told him. “Some women simply like to dress up from time to time. Not everything they do is intended to catch a man!”

“Exactly right,” Jane agreed. “I would have done it myself, except that apparently I need to be in uniform to remind others of the type of behavior I expect on my ship. So, gentlemen, I hope I’ve made my position perfectly clear.”

“Absolutely,” Moor stated. “Perhaps we’re simply jealous that she isn’t interested in us.”

“Thoughts like that could easily lead one to bad behavior,” Jane told him blandly. “A woman doesn’t owe you attention just because you’re a higher rank. Treat them with the respect they are due because of their humanity and intelligence. Or I’ll know the reason why you don’t, and it had better not be jealousy.” She turned to continue her stroll around the edge of the ballroom, and Smitty doggedly tagged along with her.

“Smitty.”

Jane took another step forward and turned, to find Chef Anna Hamara had her hand on the engineer’s sleeve. Unlike most of the senior officers, Hamara wore a blue dress tailored somewhat in an oriental fashion.

“Good evening, Anna,” Smitty greeted her, placing his hand over hers. “You look beautiful.”

The corner of Anna’s mouth twitched. “Well, I tried, but I can’t compete with the younger ladies.”

“I think you’ve got that turned around,” Smitty told her. “None of them have your poise.”

Anna gave him a genuine smile. “Thank you, Smitty. Apparently, I needed a bit of flattery.”

“It’s not flattery when it’s true,” he returned. “Now, have you got the next dance open? I think we should show the youngsters how it’s done.”

“Well, I’m a little rusty. I think I stepped on Ferguson’s feet 3 times, but only twice with MacGregor. If you’re willing to risk it, I have got the next dance open. To be truthful, I was going to ask you.”

“Oh, it’s a case of great minds thinking alike, then,” Smitty said with a smile. The music had ended and people were leaving the dance floor. Smitty led the chef out so they were ready once the music began again.

Good. Now I don’t have to watch how I say things when I bawl people out. But how do I read that? Smitty’s perfectly comfortable and complimentary with Anna, and too often angry and disparaging with MacDowell. Of course, Anna is the same rank as Smitty, and the redhead isn’t. But is that all it is? He was good friends with Anna before Michael got in the way. And didn’t act much differently, back then. Without anything else to go on, I’d have to say he’s still just friends with Anna. As for young ladies of a lower rank, he’s usually courteous and polite, even if he finds it difficult to pull out the skills and knowledge he wants them to have.

So what’s different with MacDowell? I’m left with the same suspicions I had before. And I’m not sure he heard a single word I said to Moor and Winthrop. Even if he did, he probably wouldn’t believe they were meant for him as well. Men never do.

No, that’s probably not being fair to Smitty. She cast a glance around the room, saw the redhead dancing with Drake. What is that, his 3rd or 4th dance with her? No more than Tall Bear or Bugalu, but they aren’t a superior rank to her. Do I need to have a talk with him as well?

In the next moment, Ferguson tapped Drake on the shoulder, obviously asking to cut in. Drake looked to MacDowell for guidance, she gave a slow nod, and then waltzed off with the cook. Well, at least Drake isn’t so besotted he won’t let another man cut in. As long as MacDowell agrees.