Posted by Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in Officers Mess - A Family Affair (Tag CNS)
The Officer’s Mess on the Manhattan was closed to all personnel for a private function. A lone table sat in the middle of the room with place settings for four. Fresh bread covered in warmed towels sat next to pats of butter, and wine glass stood at attention, ready to convey the evening’s selections to their diner’s lips. Fresh flowers graced the table, but weren’t so high as to interfere with conversation.

At a quarter to seven, Alexander Cochrane walked in dressed in a dark, charcoal gray suit with a light gray shirt and deep purple tie and matching pocket square. He carried three bottles of wine, two in one hand and one in the other. Looking at the table, Cochrane said loudly “You outdid yourself, Chef!” In answer, the doors to the kitchen swung open and Chef Harv stepped out and nodded. “Almost didn’t come. I’m on vacation, you know.” and he grinned. Alex chuckled and said “Yeah… because you can travel so very far, right?” and Harv chuckled and walked up to him. “True, but I met a very nice Brasinian lady on the station, and she and I were supposed to have dinner tonight.” Before Alex could say anything, Harv waved it off and chuckled again. “Easy there, Skipper. She had to work late. So I’ll be joining her afterwards. That my bottle?” he asked pointing at the single bottle in Cochrane’s hand. Wordlessly, Alex handed him the bottle and Harv looked at the label and nodded. “Oooo… thank you thank you.” he said as he moved back towards the kitchen.

“Besides… how else could I put the moves on your sister if I didn’t come!” and quickly shut the door with a laugh. Alex shook his head and set the two bottles on the table, opened them, and let them breathe while he waited for Zef and the others to arrive.

Cochrane

The doors opened again to admit Zef. She was dressed in a mint green gown. It was simple in design, casual, with long sleeves and golden threads woven in and out of the material and shaped into leaves. Her hair was loose and hung in soft curls and just a touch of makeup helped define her features. She was in smiling. “Hello Harv! Its wonderful to see you again—I apologize I won’t be able to indulge in your cooking artistry tonight. Special diet this week.” She held up the bag containing her dinner.

Then her eyes found Alex. “And hello to you, too.” Her smile grew wider as her glance roamed over him and she shook her head. “My God you’re a beautiful man!”

Zef leaned in for a kiss.

“You know I don’t want to be here though, right?”

—Zef