Service Brats
In late autumn 1985, I was nearing the first anniversary of my deployment on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus with the UK armed forces, with 18 months to two years left until the mission concluded. I had arrived just four months after the Turkish occupation of the island's north, which had caused political turmoil and led to the evacuation of many British service families to the UK, replaced by hundreds of single, predominantly male personnel.
However, a year later, the situation had stabilized sufficiently to allow for the return of accompanied service. This enabled families to come back and reoccupy the married quarters, bringing wives and 'service brats' back to the SBA, although they had not yet returned to accommodations in the local towns.
The term Service Brat, or sometimes 'Pad Brat,' might initially seem derogatory when applied to the children of serving members, but it is actually quite the opposite. The term originated in the 1920s when families first began accompanying UK servicemen overseas. They were formally referred to as 'British Regiment Attached Travellers' (or BRATs). The acronym has endured.
Far from being an insult, it is often worn as a badge of honor, as it usually indicates that the wearer is well-disciplined, well-educated, and worldly-wise, having often experienced life in several different countries and cultures. Not bratty at all. (Though I did encounter a few real 'brats' in my time, mainly senior officers' kids, who assumed they held their parent's rank too. They were soon 'counseled' against that assumption!)
The MoD provides school facilities at major overseas bases, but only up to O’Level/GCSE age, so most Pad Brats are no more than 16 or 17 years old. However, daughters of serving personnel are considered dependents until age 19, so occasionally older girls, still living with their parents, accompany their families. Such was the case with Sally.
Sally was the daughter of one of my seniors, and I first met her when she came with her parents to our unit social club one night. She was 18 years old and had just completed A-Levels at school in the UK. She had secured a university place but, like many her age, had decided to defer and take a gap year to 'unwind' before starting her studies again. She chose to accompany her parents to Cyprus when they offered, but she had plans to travel a bit in the region while she was there. Needless to say, the single guys were immediately interested as soon as she walked in.
After spending an hour or so at the bar with her parents while they chatted with friends, fending off advances from admirers, Sally noticed that the comfortable chairs at the table opposite where my smooth-talking friend Chris and I were sitting had become available. She pointed this out to her parents, who nodded, and the three of them came over and asked to join us. I knew her dad well but had never met her mom or Sally before. Introductions were made, and we started chatting, getting to know each other a bit.
Now I should explain. Sally was not a beauty queen. Not unattractive by any means, just rather plain. She was dressed in what might be described as quite 'frumpy' clothes, a roll-neck sweater and pleated skirt, which mostly hid her figure, though it was clear there were quite substantial breasts under there somewhere. Her dark brown hair hung just below her shoulders, and quite heavy-framed spectacles covered her eyes. Think Velma from Scooby-Doo, and you're not far off. (Perhaps that's a bit unkind, but you see where I'm going. And Velma could be quite attractive when the glasses came off. I'm sure of that; I've seen the videos!)
It was obvious from the word go, that Chris had decided he was going to make a play for her anyway, she was female, that was good enough for him. He had the knack of chatting up the ladies, without them realising they were being dragged into his web. This time he had to be a bit careful, as obviously her olds were right there too. But even so, he dominated the conversation with her, and had elicited most of her life story, and hopes and dreams for the future, etc., before too long. But before he could move in for the kill, he was thwarted by dad announcing it was time to go, as he had an early start in the morning (plotting something shitty for us grunts to do, no doubt.) Draining the last of their drinks, they bid us goodnight and headed for home.
It was to be a couple of weeks before we would see Sally again. Chris and I were once more hanging out at the clubhouse, when she walked in. This time, not with parents, but in the company of another girl about her own age. The pair bought their drinks at the bar then, glancing about spotted us at our table. After a quick whispered exchange, they headed over and asked to join us. Sally introduced the new girl as Julie.
Julie, whom Sal had only recently met, was a pretty girl with Asian features. Her long black hair, reaching her waist, was kept away from her face with an Alice band. She wore a white T-shirt and tight, flared denim jeans, which accentuated her slender figure. Julie was a first-year university student who had completed her classes early to join her parents for the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays. She planned to return to her studies after the break.
I could immediately sense Chris was conflicted. Should he abandon his attempts to win over Sally or forsake a potentially longer-term opportunity in favor of a brief fling with the 'hotter' girl?
Throughout most of the evening, he played it safe as we all sat and chatted. We bought the girls a couple of drinks, nothing excessive, which was a change for us, and enjoyed a very pleasant evening in female company, drawing envious looks from the group at the bar. Without her parents around, Sally was much more open and flirtatious than she had been the last time we met and seemed quite taken with Chris’s charm. She discreetly indicated her interest to him.
As closing time approached, Chris made his decision and asked Sally if she wanted to go out with him. It was somewhat insensitive to do this openly in front of Julie, but it gave me the opportunity to ask Julie if she would like to join me on a double date with them. Both agreed, and plans were made. Chris and I were on our shift cycle for the next few days but would be off duty for three days starting that Friday. We decided to meet at the unit bar for a quick drink before heading into town for dinner, and then we'd see how the night unfolded. As always, the unspoken agreement between Chris and me was that if one of us got lucky, we'd part ways and do our own thing.
On the night of the date, as the appointed time approached, I went to find Chris, but he wasn't in his room. His roommates said he had left around lunchtime, and they hadn't seen him since. Assuming he'd meet me at the bar, I headed there, got myself a Keo beer, and waited at the counter for the others to arrive.
Shortly after, fashionably 10-15 minutes late, Sally arrived alone. We exchanged puzzled looks. Like Chris, Julie was missing. Her parents told Sally that Julie had gone out shortly before she called, so we assumed she was on her way. Sally accepted a drink, opting for a non-alcoholic one, and we sat down to wait for the missing pair.
By the time we finished our drinks, about 30-40 minutes later, it was clear we had both been stood up. I know what you're thinking, and I was already there; Chris and Julie had made other plans together. However, that wasn't the case. They both simply decided their chosen dates weren't right for them and ditched us. Their loss. At least, it turned out to be Chris's loss.
I never saw Julie again. Chris got a severe ear bending from Sal the next time they met, where she left him in no doubt what he had missed out on, and the ‘benefits’ I had received in his place!!
So, what did we do now? Well, the choice was made for me by Sally. “Well,” she said “I was looking forward to a night on the town, and I still intend to have one. Looks like you are stuck with me Titus.” Was that a bad thing on my part? No? When Sally arrived earlier, I’d noted that she was looking a lot more desirable than previously. Her hair was brushed and burnished to a sheen and clipped back behind her ears, exposing her face. Gone were the glasses (contacts it transpired), completely changing her features. She wore a soft knit, thigh length dress, which accentuated her shape and the quite low neckline showed the deep cleavage between her, as suspected, quite large tits. All in all, worth a squirt, in my opinion.
