Author: usmgrad
Subject: HBX April challenge: Snippets of Life - Obeying Orders

HBX Challenge April 2007
Title: Snippets of Life – Obey Orders
Author: usmgrad
Disclaimer: just borrowing them for a writing exercise, will return them unharmed when finished


Place: Harm and Mac’s home
Time: early evening
Both are still in the military, under different commands

Mac, entering the office, catches the tail end of the phone conversation that began when she left the office.

“Lieutenant, have your summary on my desk … no Monday morning... because I don’t think it’s in your best interest that we discuss this on a Saturday… Lieutenant, I will look at your report first thing Monday morning. Good night lieutenant.

“Over achiever? … break time is over, time to get back to work.”

“What do you mean over, I been on the phone ever since you left … where’s my break? And he just wants to please his commanding officer … a little too enthusiastically.”

“It’s not my fault you can’t get your work done during regular work hours and have to bring it home. Besides this was your idea not mine. I’m just obeying orders. Now where were we?” Turning her back to Harm, Mac looks for the translations she brought home from the office.

“Auf Wiedersehen, adiós, arrivederci, au revoir,” Harm rattles off like it was second nature. As he speaks he notices that during the ‘break’ Mac changed into something ‘more comfortable’.

Looking up from searching, “You’ve gotten too good at saying good bye; maybe we should try concentrate on something else.”

Getting up from his chair, Harm slowly walks toward Mac. “Ah, but good bye is very important to know, I want there to be no mistake when I end a conversation, in any language.”

Turning around, Mac is surprised to see Harm has moved and is standing right in front of her. “Harm, what are you doing?”

“Concentrating on something else, as ordered.”

“Very funny, you need to know more than hello, goodbye, please and thank you. What was the Russian phrase we were working on before the phone rang?”

He looks deep into her eyes and provides her one. But it's not the one she wanted. “Ya lyublyu tebya” (I love you).

Surprised at how easily the phrase rolls off Harm’s tongue, “You’ve been practicing … but that’s not the phrase I was referring to. I’m quite sure you will have no reason to use that phrase at work.”

Taking Mac’s hand, he begins to caress it, “You don’t think I could sway my Russian counterpart with that phrase?”

“I think you need to stick with words and phrases that you would likely use in a legal situation.” Attempting to keep them on task, “Now today at work I wrote down some Spanish phrases…”

Harm leans in and whispering in her ear. “I was thinking about working on another language.”

Distracted by the closeness of her husband, she hesitates for a moment than asks “What language would that be?” He doesn’t respond with words. She pulls away, searching for the answer. He provides it, with that look, the one that makes her weak in the knees, “That’s not one of the languages on the list.”

Kissing her hand and stepping closer, “That may be true; however it is definitely a language that needs lots of practice.” The student has now become the instructor.

“I thought we already knew this language? Nothing left to learn.” Amazed at how her husband has changed ‘gears’ so quickly, from commanding officer to loving husband at mach five.

“Ah, one can always learn something new each time this language is explored.” His lips have migrated from her hand to her neck.

“Harm”, she closes her eyes as he finds that spot that drives her crazy.

“Yes” his arms find their way around her waist and pull her even closer.

“Not in the office.”

Looking up from his current activity, “Why not?” He doesn’t wait for an answer.

“If we are going to …” Mac finds it very difficult to put a sentence together “explore this language … it needs to be a long, private session … not a quick refresher course.”

Harm loosens his hold; the commanding officer appears for just a moment, “Colonel Mackenzie, we are finished for the day.”

Ready to ‘obey’ any order, the Marine in her asks, “Shall we resume tomorrow at 0800?” No response, verbal that is, from her husband.

She tries again, “0900?”



“How about after lunch.”