When the ship has sailed

Prompt: Include this line somewhere in your story: “I’m never doing that again.”

Anita let the stinging needles of the hot shower force their way onto her skin, hoping it would bring some sort of sensation back into her exhausted body. Tired beyond words, where the days tumbled into one another; she wondered for the fiftieth time if she had done the right thing.

Kurt has kept her up again last night, sometimes crying for no reason, other times just seeking her reassurance, her warmth and only whey she wrapped her arms around him that he settled and slept.

She luxuriated in the moment of drying herself with one of her overlarge fluffy towels before creeping into the bedroom. Anita bent over his sleeping form and brushed he soft blond curl away from his forehead and noticed a small cut on his face. She flushed immediately feeling guilty that it may have been one of her rings which had scratched his perfect face and checked the length of her fingernails as well. She patted the cute sailor suit folded neatly on her dresser and looked forward to seeing it on him again; perhaps later today when he awoke.

Kurt stirred in his slumber and gurgled, a small bubble forming at his lips. Anita giggled quietly and moved the soft blanket over his shoulders before sneaking out.

She knew she aught to sleep while he did, but sighed looking across her small unit with the piled washing up, the ironing basket overflowing and mail on the table unopened. Shaking the sleep out of her head, she set about in her attempt to bring order back into her normally organized life. Everything had run so smoothly before Kurts arrival. “He’d only been here for less than a week”, she mused, “what’s it going to be like down the track? Will my life come back to some sort of normality?”

A murmur from the bedroom caused a unbidden wave of love sweep over her and Anita was forced to steal another glance into the bedroom. She squeezed herself and wondered if everyone felt like this; exhausted but elated and a sense of achievement at what she had done, of what she had in that bedroom.

Realizing that the housework would not do itself, she turned towards the kitchen, set on tidying that up at least before the gaggle of her girlfriends crammed into the small lounge, desperate to see Kurt.

With her arms elbow deep in suds she jolted momentarily when strong warm hands crept around her waist and he began to nuzzle her neck. Her head fell back onto his chest as her senses clouded with his masculine smell. She could feel the muscles in his torso as he pressed up against her and she shuddered involuntarily.

“I’ve got to go Anita.”

“Go?”
“You knew this was coming. My liberty pass expires in a few hours.”
“But the ship doesn’t leave till Sunday.”
“I still have my shifts and duties.”

Her shoulders slumped. Kurt ran his hands up her arms and began gently massaging the knots in her back.

“You’re a sweet girl Anita. You deserve better than this.”
“What, better than you?”
“You knew this wasn’t going to last. Get yourself a real boyfriend. Stop selling yourself short.”
“So its alright for you to pick up in every port, but wrong for someone like me to?” She could hardly keep the poison from her voice.

His hands stopped rubbing her back.

“I’m just saying, you deserve better. Another city, another country and other time.. maybe.”
“Yeah.. maybe.”

Anita wriggled her back and shoulders throwing off his hands.
“Your uniform is washed and ironed. Its on my dresser.”

She savoured his hot lips as he kissed her on the neck.

Anita continued to wash the dishes, not turning when she heard the front door close.

“You’re right Kurt.” She whispered softly, the tears now allowed to fall freely. “I am never doing that again.”