Romance on the Hammersley

Dilemma

Kate or as she is more commonly known as X to the crew was deep in thought. Since she was at Watsons Bay studying the course she had an affair with her lieutenant who was teaching. He made her feel loved and made so many promises but soon she heard that he took on his promotion from NAVCOM and he didn't have the decency to tell her in person but she heard it through the grapevine.

She wondered what was wrong with her as the first guy who has shown an interest in her made her guard her heart under lock and key. When she heard that he was the CO for the HMAS Hammersley she told herself she wont fall for his trap. Throughout the patrols, he would show interests in her and always wants to talk to her to see if they could start a relationship from where it stopped a few years back.

Kate told him many times no but Mike seems to think no one would like her and he is the only one in her life. Buffer and Swain seemed to have a feeling that their CO is harressing her so when ever Mike asked her for a dinner they would step in and remind her that she is needed by the crew. Swain would also occassionly tell her that Sally is expecting her for dinner when they reached homeport. Even the other males in the crew have picked up the tension between their CO and X and have tried to help her out by inviting her for drinks.

Days have went by and Mike seems to have backed off but theres always something she has to be wary of him. It wasnt until Dutchy came aboard that Kate felt a flutter in her heart. She doesn't know why but whenever she is in Dutchy's presence she feels like a damsel in distress and fights with herself to show that she is not that weak and she is capable of saving herself and her team.

Ever since she came back to homeport recently and saw her brother she felt more relaxed. She just put it down to being on a patrol boart for three months. Paul has helped her to  get back to her old self and without her knowing invited her crew except Mike to watch her perform.

Paul was always her rock. When their mum took them away from dad and was told that she as the mother have the right to take them. What their mother did was a lot more worse. She had followed an opal miner who lived in Australia but that person didnt care and left their mum. Their mum didn't care about her children and left them at home to fend for themselves. Growing up Kate learnt to depend on herself but at least she had a brother. When there was a careers day at school and she learnt about the navy she quickly signed up and within a month she was recruited. Her brother on the other hand was studying so the money that she recieved from the Navy she helped to pay of his course. Thats what you do for family.

Sometimes she wished she could have turned back time and not fallen for Mike. But life is not a bouquet of roses but a box of chocolates