Author's Note: Two short ficlets I simply had to dash out after watching this utterly delightful Billy Wilder movie. Seriously, people that see pedophilia in this should get their heads examined. To me, it's pretty obvious the Major has started to cotton on to "Su-Su" when he comes to see her in Iowa.
Perspective
Susan had been almost sure that what had transpired on her mother’s porch had been a rather roundabout kind of marriage proposal. Then she saw the Major pacing along the platform and the rest of her doubts had dissipated. He most certainly looked like a man waiting for something, or someone, and her heart jumped in delicious anticipation. The time for double talk and deception was over, and she was going to get on that train and marry Philip Kirby.
***
Philip had been almost sure that he had it all figured out, that the girl, woman, he’d been so drawn to was the same one he’d found on that porch. Still, he found himself pacing nervously as the departure time approached, the niggling question whether there hadn’t been truth to his little speech about why soldiers shouldn’t marry adding to his uncertainty. Then he saw her, an elegant, altogether grown-up vision, and something that was almost giddiness rushed through his body. The time for doubts was over, and he was going to get on that train and marry Susan Applegate.
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Epilogue
There was a moment’s hesitation once they boarded the train, with Philip standing slightly awkwardly at the door to his compartment. Then Susan grinned mischievously and pushed past him: “Don’t be ridiculous now, darling. We’ve already shared once - and after all, we’re going to be married in a few hours.”
He sputtered a bit but did not put up a fight, much too distracted by the way Su-Su’s mischievousness, coming from Susan, had taken on a decidedly adult tone. Even when she plonked herself onto the bottom bunk, bouncing a couple of times, Philip could not see anything childish in the playful glance she gave him through her lashes. Wetting his lips, he swallowed hard and blurted out, feeling a bit like one of his cadets: “Too bad there isn’t a thunderstorm. I wouldn’t mind holding you again…”
She laughed, delighted, even as her stomach did a funny turn, much in the way it had done during their short dance at the ball. Philip’s eyes were hot on her, and she decided that she was not going to waste a single minute of their all-too-short time together. Susan’s smile only wavered slightly as she held out her hand in invitation: “Well, Major Kirby, you are very welcome to hold me - with no excuse at all.”
Sharing her thoughts on their upcoming separation, he did not hesitate to comply. They almost missed their stop in Nevada.
