Commandant Lewis tried to suppress a smile but failed. “Very well. You do know that you have marked yourself out for the other Cadet officers?”
“Why is that, Ma’am?”
“You don’t happen to be studying to be a lawyer, are you?”
“No, Ma’am.”
“I also see a flag in your file, do you know why that is?”
“I haven’t seen my file,” Catie said. “I would have no knowledge of any flags.”
“Probably not, it’s well hidden; it would only come up if you were subject to severe disciplinary action. I only noticed it when I was comparing your file to Cadet Baker’s file. You are dismissed.”
Catie stood up and saluted the commandant, made an about-face, and exited the office. Once out the door, she let out a sigh and practically ran back to her room.
◆ ◆ ◆
“Cadet Baker, please have a seat,” the commandant said after Baker came into her office for his interview.
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“Would you like to explain what happened yesterday?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“Then proceed.”
“I lost my temper,” Cadet Baker said. “No excuses, Ma’am.”
“Why did you lose your temper?”
“Two reasons, Ma’am. First, Plebe MacGregor is impossible to break or fluster. None of the Cadet officers have been able to make her flinch. Second, I think I’m overcompensating for the emphasis we have on women here. At the Citadel, women only made up fifteen percent of the class. Here, every time I turn around, I’m confronted with an accommodation that we have to make for the women.”
“What kind of issues?”
“Different thresholds on the PT test, different thresholds on punishment exercises, having to pair everyone up, privacy issues.”
“So, you would be happy to go to the toilet while a bunch of women were looking on?” the commandant asked.
“No, Ma’am. But that’s just it. We’re setting up for the second half in Guatemala, and we have to have privacy screens. If it was just guys, we wouldn’t need them.”
“So, your problem is that you have to pack an extra five kilos of gear?”
“It sounds stupid when you say it like that,” Cadet Baker said.
“Does that give you a hint?”
“Yes, Ma’am. I’m making a big deal out of nothing. I guess I’m projecting my stress on the one thing that stands out,” Cadet Baker said.
“Ma’am, I want to apologize. I know I’ve let you down, and I understand you have to kick me out. But I’ve set a poor example; I just hope that the others can see past it. I’ll issue a formal apology if you think it will help.”
“We’re not kicking you out,” the commandant said.
“You’re not?!”
“Unless you want us to.”
“No, Ma’am. I really want to stay. But I’m not sure that would be fair to Plebe MacGregor.”
“She told me she’d be disappointed if we kicked you out,” Commandant Lewis said. “And you and she both know that she’s going to have a target on her back after yesterday.”
“I’m sorry, Ma’am.”
“Well, sorry isn’t going to help Plebe MacGregor. I’ll let you know your punishment after I’ve had some time to think about it. For now, you are still restricted to quarters.”
“Yes, Ma’am. And thank you for not kicking me out.”
“Dismissed.”
◆ ◆ ◆
Blake entered the commandant’s office from a side door, “Well, that was interesting.”
“I’d say so,” Commandant Lewis said.
“So, why did you want me here?” Blake asked.
“I wanted your input on what we should do with Cadet Baker.”
“Not about Plebe MacGregor?”
“I think she’ll be fine. As you heard, I’ve decided not to expel Cadet Baker.”
“What’s his story?”
“Well, you heard the interview with him. He claims he was overcompensating for the emphasis on women and just let his temper get away from him.”
“He sounded plausible. And appeared to be honestly apologetic,” Blake said.
“He did, and he was,” the commandant said. “What do you think about his punishment?”
“It’s your decision,” Blake said. “I’ll support whatever you decide.”
“I’m inclined to give him a second chance as a cadet officer. Move him down to command one of the flights instead of the squadron,” Commandant Lewis said. “But, I’m concerned about retaliation against Plebe MacGregor.”
“I think that should be a concern regardless of what you do with Baker,” Blake said. “One thing you might consider is sending him on to Guatemala early, as part of an advance team. That would obscure the punishment and let tempers cool, and a few extra days down there will allow the instructors there to take care of discipline.”
“I like that idea. I’ll talk to my staff and see if we can make that work. Do you think Plebe MacGregor will be able to deal with the flack she’s going to be getting?”
“It looks like she’s pretty unflappable. I read the file you gave me. If your staff does their job, then she should be fine.”
“I tend to agree; she’s quite the young lady.”
“I agree.”
“You wouldn’t happen to know the story behind that flag in her file?”
“Nope, might be something about that rebel streak she seems to have.”
“Maybe. Admiral, I want to thank you for stopping by.”
“My pleasure.”
◆ ◆ ◆
“How much trouble are you in?” Joanie asked.
“I don’t know, but if you don’t get showered and dressed, we’re both going to be in trouble.”
“I just got back from PT,” Joanie said. “I’ve got six more minutes. Rumor is that Cadet Major Baker has come down with a serious flu.”
“I’m not surprised; now go shower!”
◆ ◆ ◆
The next morning it was announced that Cadet Major Baker would be leading an advance team to prepare Guatemala for the first experience with the Academy class. There were some hints that he would be running the obstacle courses multiple times to make sure they were suitable for cadets.
“Plebe MacGregor, you seem to be up on all the proper labels,” one of the first-class cadets hollered during lunch. “What do they call a sailor who serves on a surface ship?”
“Sir, this Plebe doesn’t know of a particular label,” Catie replied.
“What would you suggest as a proper label?”
“Wet comes to mind,” Catie replied, eliciting laughs from almost everyone at the table.
“Then what would you
