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approaches made sense and which didn't, and hadn't realized until grad school
that the level of her talent was virtually unique.
There was a buzz at the door. Nachtegall had arrived to take her home. She
said good-bye to Dykstra, but she knew she'd had more than just a unique
encounter with a legend she'd found a new friend.
And . . . something more. But she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
* * *
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- Chapter 2
If the Sunshine Bob had left at the door had suffered from cloudy skies, the
girl he flew back to Luna
City was as bright as a crisp, clear, Rocky Mountain afternoon.
"Oh, Bob! He was everything you said he was, and more. He was so kind, and
down to earth, and brilliant
! And there I was, talking to the legend, and . . . and . . ."
"Holding your own?"
"
Yes
! He treated me like an equal. And I think he liked me, apart from my
abilities, I think he liked me as a person." Her smile lit the interior of the
shuttle, and dispelled the shadows outside.
"I get the picture," Nachtegall said. Dykstra was something else. Even at his
age, he could still charm the young ladies. The lieutenant wished Samantha
would gush about him that way.
Later, Nachtegall reported to Moore the bare details of Samantha's visit. The
major wasn't interested in hearing more. Then Bob went to Dykstra's to see
what the old professor's view was of Sunshine.
"What a thoroughly delightful woman," Dykstra said. "And what an appropriate
nickname.
`Sunshine' it's obvious how she got it."
"She was thoroughly impressed with you, too, Chris. She gushed all the way
back to Luna City, pleased as hell that you treated her like an equal."
"She deserves that kind of respect. She has the gift, or the spark, call it
what you will. She's better than or equal to any of the others Moore has
gathered here. But I couldn't convince her to join us yet. I hope she decides
in our favor. She would add a dimension to our work that we haven't even
touched yet."
Nachtegall sensed dj vu. Hadn't he heard this sort of bewitched infatuation
earlier today? "You feel more than just respect for her intelligence, don't
you, Chris?"
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"Is it that obvious?"
Nachtegall nodded.
"She reminds me of someone, Bob. Someone who was very special to me. Jennifer
didn't look anything like Samantha, but somehow I think they share the same
spirit." Dykstra smiled faintly, wistfully.
Jealousy nipped at Nachtegall's heart. "You're not in danger of falling in
love with her, are you?"
"What?" Dykstra laughed. "Are you worried about my heart, lieutenant? Or is it
your own that you should be minding?" Dykstra's look went in ten centimeters
deep.
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- Chapter 2
"She does have that effect on men, doesn't she?"
"She's a married woman," Dykstra said.
"And you're five times her age," Nachtegall said.
"There's no reason to bring that up."
* * *
After the afternoon meeting with Dykstra, Samantha knew she had some serious
thinking to do.
She was fixing herself a snack when she remembered she hadn't checked her mail
yet today.
There was a letter from Steve.
Eagerly she brought the letter up, redirected the output to the big screen of
her TV, and sat down just as the image of her husband formed. "Honey, you look
so good," she said out loud. "I wish you were with me." She also noticed that
he needed a haircut, and he'd lost weight.
Steve said: "Hello, my darling Sunshine. I'm sorry this is a few days late,
but our . . . operations . . . had me tied up pretty thoroughly.
"I miss you, sweetheart. I want to be with you more than anything else in the
Universe. Sometimes some of the other guys catch me staring out the port into
space, and they say, `Look, the Moon's come out again,' because they know I'm
mooning over you. But I don't care. I love you, Sammi, and I always will.
"You know I can't tell you about what I'm doing, but this military service
actually turned out to be kind of interesting. My talents are being well used
. . . ." Her eyes were fixed on the screen, just looking at him, drinking him
in. The pain of their separation tore at her even as she melted inside while
he spoke of the infinitely important mundane, important because it was all
about him.
She wanted him back so badly.
Damn war
, she thought anew.
" . . . should be back on leave month after next, Sammi. They're giving me a
whole week! Oh hon, the things we'll do!"
"You got that right, lover," Samantha said.
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