A. Robert Hill p.59
"The pleasure was mine, General."
General Hammer looked at Major Farley and said to him, "Protocol, Major."
Turning back to Toni and while looking into her eyes he said, "Goodnight," and stepped briskly toward the hotel entrance.
"What did he mean by that word?" Toni asked Collin.
"Means to behave myself, Toni," he chuckled and asked, "Have I been behaving myself?"
"You have been a gentleman," Toni laughed and picked up her drink and sipped it. She set the drink down onto the table and teasingly said, "But if you are going to fly the General back to Port Moresby tomorrow I should not keep you up too late, should I?"
Collin didn't answer her right away. He wanted this night to go on—the war could wait a few more hours. He picked up his drink and finished it. "Well, I've had enough to drink for one night. Suppose we take a short stroll down the beach and let the booze wear off."
"Booze?" Toni questioned. "Oh, you mean the drinks?"
"Yeah, the drinks."
"I think that would be a very good idea but you must remember, 'protocol', Major!"
"Damned if you wouldn't make a good General Officer!" Collin laughed. Reaching over the table he took her hand and they strolled slowly off the patio and out onto the well manicured hotel lawn.
As they reached a sandy portion of the lawn, Toni reached down and pulled off her high-heeled slippers. After a few more steps she said, "It is hard to walk in the soft soil with high heels and I like the feel of the grass and the earth on my feet. You should try it."
"Another time perhaps. Here, let me carry your slippers."
In the pale moonlight Collin saw a palm tree that had, sometime during its life, bent over toward the sea, making what he thought was a perfect bench on which to sit. He guided them toward the palm tree, then stopped and looked into Toni's eyes and said to her, "Toni, I want to thank you for this evening. It has been special for me." He looked away and watched moonlight reflect off the surf as it rolled down the sandy beach and back into the sea. "Sometime, I'll bounce my grandchildren on my knee and tell them about a beautiful young woman I met in Townsville, Australia."