Light Conversation

 

Month 11, Day 30

2305 Hours

Bugalu

 

“Good, a chance for light conversation,” the captain said as she sat down opposite Mac. “Sit down, Smitty.”

“Captain, perhaps we’re intruding,” the engineer stated.

“Not at all,” Bugalu told him, surprised by the interruption, but wondering what the captain had in mind. Another woman who always has a reason for her behavior.

“There, see? It’s settled. Sit down and stop dawdling,” the captain told the engineer. She cut a piece off her pie, but paused to ask Mac, “MacDowell, I’ve heard rumors that you’ve started dating.”

“Ah, yes,” Mac agreed, her voice high and choked. “Some.”

“Seems to be a favorite activity,” Burke stated. “Off the record, I imagine even Smitty participates from time to time. Right, Smitty?”

His face turned red. “I don’t care to go into that, Captain.”

Jake tsked. “We’re off-duty,” she reminded him. “You can call me Jane.”

“Never the less, a gentleman doesn’t—” He seemed at a loss for words.

“Kiss and tell?” Burke asked. “Very well, we’ll leave it at that. But what I was about to ask you youngsters is, what are the current trends for dates? Where are the popular places to make out?”

Smitty cleared his throat. “One might wonder if you’re asking in order to use them. Or to raid them?”

“I’m simply curious,” she responded, her voice light. “In my younger days, one of the favorite places was the observatory. They were set up differently then, but they were a popular place for lovers.”

A vise had clamped down on Bugalu’s thigh, bringing his gaze to the redhead. He was thoroughly surprised and confused to see both Mac and Smythe blushing furiously. What in space does that mean?

“It’s still popular today,” Bugs stated. “But since the door can’t be locked, that location isn’t private enough to suite me, personally.”

Burke toyed with her pie as her gaze moved from Smitty to Mac. “I wasn’t asking about you personally, Mr Bugalu. Just asking in general. And I suspect that there are some who like the privacy rooms. There was some consternation when ships started to include them in their floor plans, for that exact reason. Plus there’s a number of privacy rooms, and only one observatory.”

“The observatory is nice for setting the mood,” Bugalu stated, wondering at how violently Mac’s hand was shaking against his leg. “But I don’t need a privacy room; I’m lucky enough not to have a roommate.”

“True,” Burke agreed. “But MacDowell, you have a roommate, correct?” Mac nodded stiffly, apparently not able to speak. “Do you think you would prefer having a date in the observatory or a privacy room?”

There was absolute silence at the table as a beet red Mac stared at Smythe, who was engrossed in his pie and coffee. At long last, she opened her mouth and softly uttered, “I liked the observatory.” Past tense?

Smythe cleared his throat, but didn’t look up. “I didn’t hear you object to the privacy room.”

Now she seemed confused. “Well... That was... different.” Her brow furrowed. “You seemed to object that it wasn’t... intimate enough.”

“You should have locked the door, if you wanted intimacy.”

Burke moved her coffee cup to rest atop her empty pie plate. “I’m a little confused, MacDowell. If you agreed to go to a privacy room on a date, it’s implied that the door would be locked, in order to facilitate intimacy.”

“Well, that isn’t why we were there,” Mac stated. “We just needed a quiet place to talk.”

Burke nodded. “I see. And when you got there, the young man had other ideas. In that case, you tell him to put it back in his pants, and you walk away, find a higher officer to report him to,” she stated firmly.

Bugsy winced. Now she’s going to ask what he needs to put back in his pants. Surprisingly, Mac didn’t ask.

“You are allowed to change your mind,” Burke went on. “Especially if you weren’t informed exactly what he had in mind. Don’t you agree, Smitty?”

The engineer looked up briefly, his eyes bleak. “Absolutely,” he agreed softly.

“But that would make me a tease,” Mac blurted out.

Burke waved a hand in dismissal. “Don’t worry about being called that. It’s a man’s effort to manipulate a woman into doing something she doesn’t want to do.” She sipped her coffee and added softly, “For the most part.”

“Well, what does it mean when a man... changes his mind, in the middle of... you know.”

“Sex?” Bugsy asked in wild disbelief. Who has she been that intimate with?

Mac’s head jerked and she stared at him in horror. “Kissing!” she whispered.

“Colleen!” Smitty groaned, as if what she was saying was painful for him to hear.

“Smitty?” the captain asked him.

He stared at her in distress, then his eyes veered toward Mac, who was staring down at her meal. “I-- I-- didn’t finish a report that was due today,” he stated, pushing his chair back. “I should go do that.”

“As you were,” the captain told him before he could stand up. “The report can wait. We have a young crew member asking for guidance.” Smitty subsided uneasily, but didn’t seem inclined to add to the conversation. He stared at his half-eaten pie and empty coffee cup instead. “Now, what was the question?” the captain mused. “Is the man being a tease, if he changes his mind in the middle of... getting intimate?” She pursed her lips and glanced around the table. “I wouldn’t think it would happen very often. Once a man gets started on that... process, biology urges them to continue. But if it did happen, I’m inclined to believe that, for whatever reason, they had decided that to continue would be... wrong.”

“Wrong?” Mac repeated.

“Any reason will do, if he believes it strongly enough,” Burke continued. “The female is too young, or already has a boy friend. The families don’t approve. There’s no future in the relationship. Even a difference in rank, for Fleet members.”

“That’s a lot of reasons,” Mac muttered at her half-eaten meal.

“And it only takes one of them,” Burke reiterated.

Mac looked up. “So, if a man changes his mind, it’s because he has a good reason. But if a woman changes her mind, she’s being a tease.”

“That’s not what I intended to say,” Burke told her. “All of those reasons—and more—are just as valid for the woman. I don’t feel a woman is being a tease unless she makes a habit of getting started and calling an end to it. But then, I’m a woman. Men see it in more black and white rather than shades of gray.”

Mac considered her lunch some more, moved her green beans into the potato and gravy mixture, then suddenly put her fork down. “Well, this has been an interesting conversation, sirs. Thank you for including me. But I have duty tonight, so I’d better be on my way so I can get ready for it.”

“It was our pleasure to include you and Bugalu in our conversation, MacDowell,” Burke told her graciously. “Thank you for letting us join you. And take over the conversation. Sometimes my curiosity gets engrossed in the strangest of subjects. Such as places to make out on our ship. Smitty, being a senior officer, didn’t seem to have any answer to where ‘the young kids’ make out these days. I appreciate the candor you both exhibited. I hope you have a quiet shift tonight.”

“Thank you, captain. I appreciate the thought. Are you walking me home, Bugsy?”

“Yes,” he agreed, and stood up with her. They deposited their dirty dishes and left the mess hall.