Just a Little Temper Tantrum

By R. L. Keller

(This is for Pauline – she knows why 😊 )

Lee was just headed toward his office, passing by the Admiral’s, when Nelson’s door opened. “Oh, Lee,” the older man looked up from the fist full of papers he was holding.

“Good morning, sir.” Lee paused in his walk. “Sorry I’m late.” While it was barely 0730 this Friday morning, he was usually in no later than 0700.

Nelson smiled as he waved off the apology. Lee was nearly as much of a workaholic as he himself was. “Problems?”

Lee sent him his shy smile. “Forgot to gas up the car last night. Nearly ran out this morning before I could get to a gas station,” he admitted.

“That would have been interesting,” came softly from Nelson’s P.A., Angie, sitting at her desk just outside Nelson’s office. Nelson chuckled as Lee’s smile turned even more sheepish.

“Then you haven’t seen Chip this morning,” Nelson finally continued.

Lee’s smile instantly disappeared. “He called me last night. Said he’d cleared a few days off with you and he’d be back Monday morning. Is there a problem?”

“Humm,” Nelson frowned.

“Sir?” Lee was now also frowning.

Nelson waved off Lee’s concern. “That’s what he meant,” came out softly, before he looked at Lee. “When he left yesterday he mentioned something about being caught up on everything, and he’d see me Monday. I didn’t really pay much attention,” he admitted. “Had my head buried in this mess.” He held up the papers he was holding.

“Sir,” came out firmly and Lee’s expression went hard. But before he could say anything more, Nelson cut him off.

“Chill,” he ordered his suddenly up-tight captain. “Neither he nor you take as much time off as you have coming…”

His turn to be cut off by a quiet, “Look who’s talking,” from Angie’s direction, and he sent her a quick glare as it was Lee’s turn to smile softly.

“There’s nothing pressing. I was going to ask him about a couple of computer upgrades he’d mentioned but it can wait until our usual Monday morning meeting.” He sent Lee a look. “Don’t suppose that you have plans for a little R&R this weekend?”

“Actually, there’s still half a dozen reports I haven’t gotten to yet,” Lee admitted with another shy smile.

“Harrumph,” came firmly from Angie, and both men sent her sheepish grins.

“Par for the course,” Nelson nodded with a quick grin, which Lee acknowledged as well. “It would appear,” he continued to Lee, with a quick nod in Angie’s direction, “that we are being ‘encouraged’ to get our tails off NIMR property.” His voice was firm but there was a quirky grin on his face.

“I’ve found that it doesn’t pay to argue with her,” Lee told him seriously.

“Harrumph,” came out, loudly this time, from the super-efficient woman, causing both men to send her light snickers at the use of one of Nelson’s infamous grumbles. Angie crossed her arms over her chest and glared at both of them before all three finally grinned. With a nod Nelson went back into his office, Lee headed for his, and Angie went back to whatever the men had interrupted.

* * * *

Unaware that he was going to be the object of the conversation at NIMR the next morning, Chip was trying to calm himself down from a temper tantrum. He’d been at it for a while but so far wasn’t having much luck. Actually, it had been building for some time, although until yesterday he’d kept it fairly well controlled. But it finally boiled over and he’d been unable to control it any longer.

Chip was Seaview’s Executive Officer, and as such needed to be on top of ‘everything’. And mostly he was. He was perfectly aware that Nelson and Lee had a special relationship, a special connection to each other, that Chip didn’t share. Normally it didn’t bother him. He had his own special friendship with Lee – brothers in all ways except blood. Just, every so often, Nelson and Lee would know what was going on with a mission but somehow leave Chip out. Oh, eventually, everything would become clear and all would be right once more in Chip’s world.

But each time it happened Chip would feel left out just enough to make him momentarily, albeit quietly, fume, and Thursday it had finally boiled over. He knew he was being stupid; he knew he was over-reacting; there’d been nothing special about this time – it had just been one time too many. But he also knew that he had to get away long enough to screw his head back on straight before he said something that he wouldn’t be able to take back!

So, he’d fudged a little when he’d called Lee to say that he was taking a long weekend off, packed his SUV with his camping gear and a few days’ worth of supplies and headed to a small, secluded beach not many people knew about. A little strange, since this was Southern California. But a friend had passed along the location, together with a comment that those who did know about it were trying to keep it quiet. There was a small sandy beach that only appeared at the base of a steep cliff at low tide, with an equally small spot just above the high tide line where one could put up a small tent. A treacherously small, steep, path down the edge of the cliff kept most people from making the climb down even if the tide happened to be out. Plus, a mountain stream ended in a waterfall over the cliff that, if there was any kind of breeze, could make camping damp and uncomfortable.

He'd gotten to the small spot early enough that the sun hadn’t yet set and hurried to claim the small campsite, thankful that no one else was there. He was hoping that it would stay that way; that anyone looking down from above would see that the small area was occupied and leave him alone. Sweaty from the hurried activity, he stripped down and used the waterfall for a shower – quickly because the water was still cold from the mountains of its origin and the sun was just in the process of going down and the day losing its warmth. Toweling off, he stood there as the light gradually faded, holding the towel in front of him.

He suddenly realized that his anger was fading as well, and chided himself as he returned to his tent and re-dressed. There really hadn’t been a reason he’d reacted so badly to the supposed slight when he discovered that morning that Nelson and Lee had discussed the next mission without him. Again! But he frowned slightly as he pulled on jeans and a t-shirt. They would have notified him of anything important. Eventually! In fact, now that he slowed down his rampantly running brain, there was no doubt a memo already on his desk. He’d left in such a huff that he hadn’t bothered to check, and mentally gave himself a kick where it would do the most good. It was nothing new to have either Nelson or Lee suddenly have an idea or suggestion about something, and the two put their heads together and come up with a solution that they both agreed on. Chip wouldn’t so much be left out as simply being busy with his own duties and notified the next time either of them saw him.

He pondered as he fixed a simple meal over the small campfire he built why this time had so torqued his mind that he’d abruptly left NIMR. Maybe he was just feeling tired. Seaview had had two back-to-back missions, neither all that difficult but there had only been three days between them. They’d only been back in port since Tuesday, and Chip had been pushing to get caught up with half a dozen projects he’d had to put on hold while at sea. Again, nothing new about that, and actually, the projects had then fallen into place so easily that he hadn’t really lied to Nelson when he said that he was pretty well caught up.

So why did I suddenly get so ticked? he accused himself, and didn’t have an honest answer which, when he thought about it, ticked him off even more than the original mini-tantrum. He absolutely loved working at NIMR. He loved being Seaview’s XO, keeping her and her crew shipshape and prepared for whatever craziness always seemed to be happening. He especially enjoyed having his best friend, Lee, as Seaview’s Skipper, working around him on a daily basis. Keeping him out of trouble, he laughed as that thought hit his brain. From their first meeting at Annapolis all those years ago Lee had become the ‘little brother’ Chip didn’t have; his siblings were all girls. Lee hadn’t always appreciated having a ‘big brother’, but that never stopped Chip, and ultimately led to the friendship they shared.

He pulled a can of beer out of the small cooler he’d carried down the steep trail, to accompany the can of stew now bubbling in the pan over the small fire, and ate as the sky darkened completely. Here, away from any man-made lighting, the sky was a magnificent display of stars, here and there obscured by a few passing clouds. Eating slowly, he felt foolish for how he’d let his anger get the better of him; especially as he prided himself on always maintaining his cool in the face of utter chaos. He thought about heading back in the morning and apologizing to both the Admiral and Lee. Nope, he decided. A weekend of cold showers under the waterfall…well, he grinned self-consciously, as long as I’m the only one here, and he knew that he blushed, will be a good antidote to my idiot reactions, and a reminder to not let it get to me again. He cleaned up the cooking pot, that he’d eaten directly out of, finished the beer, and stowed his garbage for carrying out when he left on Sunday. He went to sleep quickly, to the relaxing sounds of night birds calling, soft waves hitting just below, and the twinkling of the stars above.