by Linda Ellen
Mary June turned in the entry and saw her mother with her customary dour look on her face, watching them from the kitchen doorway.
“Bye Mom. See you later,” Mary June offered, noticing that her father said nothing to his wife. He wasn’t even looking her way. Her mother grumbled a farewell and her father closed the door behind them.
The look father and daughter exchanged out on the front stoop spoke volumes – they were both wishing that the situation with the woman in the house was different, but neither one knew how to change it. No matter what they said or did, it seemed to make no difference. Yes, they knew of the incident that had happened when she’d been a young girl, but both thought that all the years of having a family that cared for her should have made up for some of it.
Her father let out a sigh and visibly seemed to shake off the atmosphere inside the house. “Let’s get you to that dance, honey. I’ve got a feeling you’re gonna have a good time tonight,” he said with a twinkle in his tired blue eyes. “You look like a million bucks. If I was a young G.I., I’d sure grab the first dance with ya.”
“Thanks, Daddy,” she returned and gave him a quick hug before walking with him to the car, positively glowing from his compliment.
Maybe…hopefully…tonight will be the night that something good happens.
She had a feeling it just might.
CHAPTER 3
The USO – Also known as the Louisville Service Club
About 9:30 pm
The USO Club at 5th & Market in downtown Louisville opened nine months to the day before Pearl Harbor. From the beginning, their doors were open seven days a week and welcomed all service men wearing a uniform. And they came – from Bowman Field, from the Louisville Army Medical Depot, from Fort Knox, from the Naval Ordnance Plant, from the Charlestown Powder Plant, and more. It was the place to be for all enlisted men, within traveling distance, to have some good clean fun and know they wouldn’t be fleeced out of their hard-earned pay. They came by buses, trucks, and cars, hitched rides, and even walked, just to get there.
Every Saturday night, the club hosted a fun-filled dance, and as usual, it was standing room only in the big ballroom as the servicemen crowded in the doors hoping to get at least one dance with a home-grown cutie out there on the floor. Since eight o’clock that evening, dance partners had been diggin’ jives, cuttin’ rugs, and jitterbuggin’, as well as dancing in sweet embrace, to the music of Louisville’s own Johnny Burkhart and his Orchestra.
Everyone loved the handsome, charismatic bandleader and just knew he was destined for greatness. His musicians were solid, his crooners sigh-worthy, and his directing equaled any big name in the business. With his dark good looks and his savvy showmanship, the only thing that could mess up such a good thing would be if Johnny himself were to be drafted – and that was a worry everyone tried to put aside when he was up on the bandstand brandishing his baton.
The dance floor was packed with soldiers, sailors, and uniforms of various rank and file dancing soft and close with wholesome USO girls – branded as Louisville’s finest. As the orchestra played the closing strains of Glenn Miller’s Moonlight Cocktail, Johnny flashed his perfect white teeth and nodded with a wink to his piano player. Everyone had been lulled into a cozy, ballad-type mood by the smooth song.
Ahh, but Johnny knew just how to shake things up…
The piano began a distinctive “stepping” rhythm, or as Fats Waller himself had dubbed it, “Baby Elephant Patter”, which everyone on the floor immediately recognized, leading them to begin to hoot and holler over Burkhart’s rendition of the crazy ditty from ’36, Your Feet’s Too Big.
Right away, soldiers and sailors all over the big dance floor began acting comical; clomping around their partners to the beat of the tune as if they were wearing oversized clown shoes. To summarize the meaning of the crazy lyrics, the singer was unabashedly informing an unfortunate fellow that he had extremely large “pedal extremities”, and the fellow’s supposed girlfriend couldn’t stand him because of said malady.
The singer mimicked Fats’ delivery to a T, even down to the scattin’. If he’d been there, Old Fats himself surely would have tipped his hat and grinned. As the silly novelty song continued, it had the guys and girls laughing so hard they could barely dance.
Mary June and Vivian, dancing side by side with sailors dressed in their bell-bottomed whites and “Dixie cup” caps, had been attacked by a fit of the giggles and couldn’t stop as their “swabbies” seemed to be trying to outdo one another with their clumsy playacting. The more the girls giggled, the goofier they got. Viv’s collaborator, a burly seaman that must have been 6’2” and every bit of two hundred pounds of solid muscle, even coaxed her to place her feet over his as he sloppily sashayed her around in circles.
Finally, Viv climbed off his shoes and wrapped one arm around her stomach as she raised the other hand in a cease-fire, gasping between peels of laughter, “Oh stop! I…can’t…breathe!”
Her dance partner laughed and grabbed her back into his beefy hold, calling to his shipmate, “I won Kowalski – my girlie gave up first!”
The couples around them laughed at their antics and managed to finish out the dance. Snickering and applauding, everyone chimed in with the singer for the final, “Your pedal extremities are obnoxious!” The vocalist then uttered low into the microphone Fats’ trademark phrase, “One never knows, do one?” Everyone gave another round of whistles, hoots, and handclaps.
After that, the band took a break and the couples, still chuckling, left the floor to get some refreshment.
“Oh my goodness, that was hilarious! I don’t remember the last time I laughed that hard,” Viv tittered to Mary June and wiped tears of laughter from her eyes as she waited in line for her customary Grapette. The light in her eyes dimmed just a bit as she glanced over at her best friend and added, “I just wish Gene could have made it. He would have loved that last song. Fats Waller is one of his favorites. He said he’d be here…but maybe something came up…”
“Yeah, seems like since he got his promotion to first sergeant, they’ve been keeping him even busier,” Mary June sympathized. “I think it’s swell of him to let you keep coming to the dances. Most guys I know would blow their stacks if their girl was out on a Saturday night dancing with other fellows.”
Viv stepped to the side to let several soldiers go by with sodas in hand, and then flashed a grin at her friend. “That’s just the kind of guy he is – plus, he has no worries that some other fellow in a uniform will sweep me off my feet, ’cause he knows I’m over the moon about him. As he says, it’s okay just as long as they keep ’a their mitts off ’de merchandise,” she giggled, remembering when he had made the teasing declaration. “If any of them try to get fresh, I just wiggle this in their face and they back off,” she added, holding up her left hand to show off the lovely European-cut diamond engagement ring, glistening in the overhead lights on her third finger.
Mary June laughed as well, agreeing, “That should do it.”
The girls moved up a few steps and Viv turned to her friend, letting her eyes give the other girl the once over. “By the way, I love your dress. Is it new?”
Mary June looked down at the lovely creation and smoothed her hands over the full skirt. “Yes, I got it last weekend at Bacon’s.”
“On sale?” Vivian asked, as if there could be any other answer – neither girl ever bought a piece of clothing unless it was on the markdown rack.
Mary June hesitated. “Well…not exactly. Truth is, I used up quite a bit of my savings, but I fell in love with it, and I wanted something more…well, you know.”
“It’s more, all right. You look like a million bucks in it. Your locket looks wonderful with it, too. But that neckline, hubba hubba!” Viv teased, pursing her mouth and whispering, “Whew!”
For the first time, Mary June began to doubt her choice. Glancing down, she bit her lip and quickly met her friend’s eyes. “Is it too low, you think?”
&
nbsp; Viv gave the blue material of the bust area on her friend’s dress another appraisal with a more critical eye. “Well…everything’s covered, so it’s not exactly indecent…and I don’t see cleavage, but…maybe you should try to stay under the warden’s radar, just in case.”
The girls grinned at one another and grabbed pinkies in a secret pact they had started when they were much younger. The action caused them both to giggle.
“In any case, if your Mister Right comes tonight, whoever he may be, he won’t be able to keep his eyes off you,” Viv couldn’t resist adding as she removed a sweater she had been wearing over her cap-sleeved dress and quickly tied it around her waist.
With the smile still owning her face, Mary June turned her head to survey the crowd, and then grinned even larger as she spotted someone familiar at the doorway – a handsome dark-haired man in Army greens. He wore no hat on his head, and he was obviously scanning the crowd for someone in particular. For a fleeting moment, she thought it might be Steve Wheeler…
“Hey pal of mine, I think you might want to look toward the door,” she advised her friend. “But then…that could be his brother…” she added wistfully.
Viv turned quickly and craned her neck to see above the crowd, her dazzling smile brightened when she saw her fiancé at the door searching for her. “No, it’s Gene,” she said aside to Mary June as she began to vigorously wave to her intended. He saw her and waved back with a wide grin.
“You sure?” Mary June asked; a bit disappointed that it was the wrong brother. But then, she knew Steve Wheeler didn’t normally come to the Saturday night dances, as it was quite the drive from Charlestown, Indiana, over the bridge and to the club. After all, gas rationing affected everyone’s non-essential driving. But still, she had hoped…
“Yep, I’m sure,” Viv answered her question. “For one, I’d know Gene anywhere, and for two, look at his sleeves – no one could miss those fancy first sergeant stripes – three rockers above and below and a diamond in the middle,” she explained proudly.
“Yeah,” Mary June acknowledged as she watched her best friend’s guy waving their way. In the next instant, she sucked in a breath as another handsome dark-haired man in Army greens and a Garrison cap came through the door and touched Gene on the sleeve, speaking something close to his ear. Gene nodded and pointed toward them.
Mary June swallowed, frozen in place as a pair of beautiful sky-blue eyes turned toward them – and locked with hers. Funny, they were too far away for her to really see the color, but the power of their gaze sent a shiver straight down her spine.
“Oh look, Steve’s here, too,” Vivian commented, totally unaware of what was happening to her friend. Mary June could only nod in answer as she watched both men begin to make their way over. The girls, by then, were up to the head of the refreshment line and Vivian turned, speaking to Mabel Franks, the woman behind the counter, “Mabel, could I have my usual…and two Dr. Peppers, please?”
The woman laughed. “You must be mighty thirsty, young lady,” she grinned, even as she readied the three soft drinks.
“Oh, I am,” Viv joked with a wink, turning to hand the Dr. Peppers to the fellows as they reached her side.
Mary June quickly made her request, and then the foursome moved over to a table out of the way to partake of their refreshments. Was it her imagination, or did Steve seem to be repeatedly looking her way? Mary June, feeling uncharacteristically shy, could barely meet his eyes, but her entire body was fiercely aware of his presence. Something about the way he wore his uniform…the way he carried himself…that “unaffected” air about him… It didn’t escape her realization that no other guy had ever stirred her in such a way. Oh man…I’ve got to get a hold of myself, or he’s gonna think I’ve gone khaki wacky over him for sure…Just don’t say anything dopey. Don’t say anything dopey. Don’t say anything d…
“Sorry we’re late, sweetheart,” Gene crooned, quickly looking around for Miss Warren, the director of the local USO. Not seeing the formidable woman, he leaned in and gave his fiancée a thorough kiss, which she eagerly reciprocated.
“It’s my fault,” Steve interjected, taking a sip of his drink with a twinkle in his eyes as he watched his brother kiss his fiancée. “I decided at the last minute that I was gonna come tonight and called him to let him know – and he offered to pick me up.”
“Trouble was, the traffic was bumper to bumper,” Gene seamlessly picked up the story. “Seems there was a wreck on the Second Street Bridge and cars trying to get over to Indiana were backed up like you wouldn’t believe. They finally got it cleared.” He shook his head. “For a while, I thought I’d never get there. Almost didn’t think we’d make it at all.”
Steve laughed and met his brother’s identical eyes. “Sorry man. The lanes going the other way were clear – I should have been the one to pick you up.”
“I should think it would make more sense if the two of you drove yourselves, considering the miles between Ft. Knox and Charlestown…” Mary June observed, her eyes immediately opening wide when both men turned the full power of their blue peepers her way as if she’d said the stock market just crashed for the second time.
“What?” she asked in defense, her voice coming out as a squeak.
The men glared at her for a second as if about to tell her off, and then they simultaneously began to chuckle.
“They’re just teasing you, Mary June,” Viv explained, playfully whacking her fiancée on the arm, causing him to laugh mischievously. “Cut that out, she’ll think you’re mad or something. She’s not used to how you two go on.”
Steve wrapped his lips around the straw sticking out of his bottle and allowed his eyes to roam down the front of Mary June’s dress for a brief moment as he pulled in a deep draw of the bubbly liquid. Mary June, watching the combination of those actions, felt tingles sizzle like sparklers from her head to her toes.
She grasped her Coca Cola bottle and sipped as Steve echoed his sibling’s reaction to Viv’s comment.
“She has a point there,” he conceded. “But then…riding all those miles in the same vehicle gives us a chance to be together and shoot the breeze. Don’t get much chance of that, with Uncle Sam keeping Mr. First Sarge here so busy all the time,” he added with faux jealousy toward his brother.
The barbs and teasing kept on for a few more minutes, but Mary June mostly stayed silent. Mainly, she was basking in being near Steve Wheeler again, and truthfully hadn’t realized how much she enjoyed his company. One thing about him, however, was that his personality was so vastly different from Gene’s. She was used to Gene’s easy, kind of quiet and smooth persona. He mostly said what he meant and meant what he said. But, she was finding out that Steve was a jokester. Those kinds of people usually rubbed her the wrong way and kept her feeling off balance and on edge.
She hadn’t realized he was like that the first two times she had seen him. Then again, the first night as his “blind date” to the Brown Hotel for dinner, he had been rendered almost speechless by the bombardment of information thrown at him in that luxury suite on the tenth floor. Then, the second time, the giddiness of watching people they loved get engaged had everyone cracking jokes and teasing.
But now – some of the things coming out of his mouth, she just didn’t know how to take!
“I’ll be back in a few, sweetheart. Gotta see a man about a dog,” Gene informed his girl just then, leaning over to give her a quick kiss.
“Think I’ll go, too. Hold the leash for you,” Steve declared as both men stood and guzzled down the last of their matching Dr. Peppers.
“Okay Pal, you’re a pal,” Gene replied, although he gave his brother a friendly punch in the arm as both of them chuckled and headed in the direction of the main hall and the men’s room.
Vivian just laughed and shook her head at their antics, but Mary June’s mouth had dropped open.
“Did he mean what he just said?” she squeaked, pivoting her head from their retreating backs to her fri
end’s face.
“What who said?” Viv asked, drinking down the last of her grape drink.
“Steve!” Mary June whisper-shouted.
Viv looked into her friend’s eyes. Seeing the seriousness of her question, she couldn’t help but giggle.
“You mean you thought he was offering to…Mary June! What a thing to ask! Of course not!” She shook her head in amazement. “Steve just says things like that. You’ve got to take him with a grain of salt sometimes. Well…most of the time,” she added with twinkling eyes.
Mary June just moved her head back and forth in wonder.
A minute later, the band queued up and began a fast song to get everyone back out onto the dance floor – a fine rendition of Gene Krupa’s Let Me Off Uptown. The beat really leant to the guys twirling and jiving with the girls.
Vivian and Mary June looked at one another, and the engaged young lady sighed. “Oh well, duty calls and my guy isn’t here, so…” she shrugged as she accepted an invitation to dance from a soldier in the Army Air Corps. Mary June tossed the empty bottles in the trash, and then nodded in answer to a tall, redheaded Army private who bashfully asked her to dance. They made their way out onto the floor and he took her awkwardly into his arms. His coordination left a bit to be desired, but Mary June did her patriotic duty and smiled her way through the rollicking dance. He only stepped on her foot a few times…
Mary June glanced toward the doorway periodically and finally saw the guys making their way back in. They were laughing together at some private joke as they stood side by side next to the doorway, watching the action. She could see that Gene’s eyes sought out the love of his life like a tail gunner setting his sights on a Zero, but Steve’s gaze seemed to wander the room, as if he weren’t interested in any particular girl…
When the zippy song ended, the band immediately transitioned into the silky-smooth Irving Berlin ballad Cheek to Cheek, from the 1935 Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers movie Top Hat. The tall carrot-top bowed formally over her hand, as if he were a lieutenant in the Union Army back in the “War Between the States”, and thanked her for the dance. She smiled at him, using the automatic one she reserved for “dead hoofers”, and then almost immediately felt a warm hand touch her shoulder.