by Linda Ellen
Now, here he was a month away from his 26th birthday and the boss of a manufacturing company with a very lucrative government contract—living alone in a hotel room with no hint of romance in sight. No Louisville girl had caught his attention yet…well, except one, Julie Banks, but she was out of bounds since she was Gene’s adopted sister. Yes, Steve had raked him over the coals on that score. They’d hit it off like gangbusters, but Gary had acquiesced and slammed the brakes on before anything could develop.
He knew most guys would envy him, and that was the irony of it all. They didn’t know he would change places with most of them—in a heartbeat—especially with his brothers.
No one could see the enormous amount of frustration simmering just below the surface of his polished exterior. He couldn’t seem to escape the sensation that his life was passing him by.
Staring at his own reflection in the glass, he thought again about his secret desire to join the fighting. The yearning never left his thoughts. How he longed to get in on the action! It gnawed at him and badgered him until sometimes he thought he’d go crazy. Sure, he knew that technically he was helping the war effort by producing needed parts for the military’s jeeps, but it just wasn’t enough. Although he’d never felt condescension from his brothers, sometimes, when he looked a soldier or sailor in the eye if they passed on the street, he imagined the other fellow thinking, “What are you, a slacker? Why aren’t you doing your part? Why aren’t you in this war with the rest of us?” It worked on his pride and made him feel achingly like less of a man.
He pressed his lips together in a tight line as he remembered the radio announcement that had shaken the complacency of the nation on that cold December day in ’41. If it hadn’t been for what it would have done to his father, he would have joined the hundreds of other young men at the recruiting office in Houston and signed up the morning after Pearl Harbor. His father had sensed it, as well, and had immediately launched into a long speech about the important work he could do here in the states, in support of the war effort. He knew his dad was scared to death that he would lose him too, so he hadn’t had the guts to break his old man’s heart.
But even now, just thinking about that morning made his frustration level begin to rise and his heart start to pound, until his insides felt like a pressure cooker at about 85%. His hand tightened around a pencil in his pocket almost to the point of breaking.
The telephone on his desk behind him rang, startling him out of his wool gathering. He glanced at the clock on the wall—surprised to see he’d been staring out his office window for over an hour. Talk about being a slacker!
He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair as if to clear it of dream-webs and reached for the black handset.
“Gareth Tucker,” he murmured into the receiver.
“Hey bro!” came the now familiar voice of his brother, Gene, the eldest triplet.
“Hey Geno,” Gary returned, already feeling his mood lightening just to be conversing with one of his identical siblings. Somehow, in spite of the fact that both of his brothers sounded markedly similar, Gary always knew which one he was talking to, whether face to face or on the phone. He figured it was a triplet thing. It warmed him greatly and he realized it made him feel less alone.
“What’s doin’?” his brother asked, making Gary actually grin.
“Oh, I’m workin’ my fingers to the bone here,” he teased. “What’s happening in your neck of the woods? Bury any tanks in mud holes lately? Discover any Nazi spies lurking on the post?”
Gene laughed. “Nope, all’s clear on the western front. Or…is that the southern front—in relation to Louisville?”
Gary snickered. “That’ll work. How’s that beautiful wife of yours? She finished making your new quarters into a home?” he asked, picturing the lovely Vivian Powell—now Vivian Banks—as she looked at their wedding in November. Honey-eyed and blond, she’d made a gorgeous bride. Gary had felt a twinge of jealousy that his brother had found his true love—for that matter—both of his brothers had, but that hadn’t dampened his affection for them. With a twinkle in his sky blue eyes, he remembered how nervous Gene had been right before they said their vows. He couldn’t resist adding, “You get over your jitters yet?”
Gene made a rude noise into the phone. “Man, are you and Steve ever going to let me live that down?” Without waiting for an answer, he went on, “Just wait ’till old Steve-o takes the plunge and see if he gets any last minute quivers—and you when your time comes. But, to answer your questions—Viv’s fine; no, she’s still working at making our quarters into a nest; and by the time Viv and I were eating at our reception, I’d forgotten all about the jitters.”
Gary nodded as though his brother could see him. “I know that, you dope. But you’re so all-fired easy to rib, I just can’t resist.”
The two had a good chuckle at that, and Gary could feel his muscles relaxing from his earlier angst. He sat back in his padded executive chair. “So, what’s up, bro?” The thought ran through his mind that Gene had probably felt his anxiety and was prompted to give him a call. His brother’s next words confirmed it.
“You were on my mind, so I thought I’d check in, see how things were going with you. Plus, I wanted to ask if you’d like to hang out with Steve and me some tomorrow, maybe catch a Saturday matinee or something,” he stated. “The girls are doing wedding stuff together, so I’ll be bringing Viv into town anyway. What say you?”
“Sure, I’m game. What time?”
They spoke a few more minutes ironing out the details, and then rang off.
When he placed the receiver back into its cradle, Gary looked around his well-appointed office. The atmosphere seemed lighter, and the room brighter. Earlier it had felt like a posh prison. Now, it was just his office. Wow, what a difference a phone call can make. What a difference a brother can make… Amazed and still trying to become accustomed to actually having siblings, he shook his head as he finished up some paperwork and then called it a day.
As he was gathering his hat and coat, Mabel Pierce—his bespectacled middle-aged secretary—came in with a few papers for him to sign before she went home for the day. He applied ink to paper, and then bid her goodbye and made his way out of the building.
On his way down the stairs, he thought about a decision he’d made when he knew he was going to move from Texas. With gas rationing being an aggravation he hadn’t wanted to endure, he had left his automobile, a 1942 Packard Super Eight 160 Victoria Convertible, with all the bells and whistles, sitting in the garage back home—his father had given it to him on his last birthday. It was simply dripping with chrome, had wide whitewall tires, a cream convertible top, fender skirts, and a running board. And it was bright cherry red. He’d loved it, but…somehow it just didn’t fit his personality. He wasn’t the type to go cruising around town in a flashy car like that.
So, when he’d headed to Kentucky, he’d left instructions with the gardener, Clarence Sinclair, to take it for a spin once a week, just to keep it in good working order. He knew how much of a thrill young Sinclair would get out of that, and it gave Gary a bit of pleasure to think of the young man tooling around Houston with the top down and sunglasses on. The boy no doubt attracted quite a bit of female attention that way.
However, that left Gary to rely on taxis to take him where he needed to go—but that was usually no problem as there were plenty. Cab companies competed for business. As he stepped out the door of the plant, shoving his hands into his smooth leather gloves, sure enough, there was a green and white cab seemingly waiting for him a few cars up at the curb.
Glancing up at the sky as he acknowledged the thickening snowflakes, he huddled into his heavy overcoat and headed toward the vehicle. He’d decided to consider it one of the perks of his new home, as it was almost like having a chauffeur.
As he neared, he saw the big red, white, and blue sign on the back—a picture of a sailor in uniform with the words, “Fight! Join the Navy!” He scowled at it.
He’d seen the signs before. Indeed, it seemed like there was a “Join Up” sign in every window and on every corner. Posters of a blue-jacketed Uncle Sam with his white top hat and pointing his finger, “I want YOU for the U.S. Army.” “Join the U.S. Air Force, Enlist NOW,” “I want YOU for the U.S. Marines.”
Were they all put there to taunt only him? It sure felt like it.
Looking at this sign made him feel like a shirker. Unbidden, he felt his face begin to flush and he cursed the hated malady that made his face flame in an embarrassing blush.
Swallowing back his unrest with a few silent, salty words, Gary opened the back door and slid onto the seat.
The cabbie looked up from perusing a copy of the afternoon Courier and grinned into the rearview mirror. He’d driven Gary many times and had taken to making sure he was nearby in case the executive needed a ride, as he knew him to be a good tipper.
“Afternoon Mr. Tucker. Where to? The Brown?”
“Hello Angelo,” Gary returned with a tired smile. “Yes, the Brown, please.”
“The Brown it is,” the man replied as he flipped the meter on.
Pulling up to a stoplight several blocks down 15th, making conversation, the cabbie glanced in the mirror and remarked, “Hey, what’dya think of ol’ Joltin’ Joe, eh?”
With an effort, Gary marshaled his brooding thoughts and turned his head to meet the man’s eyes. “DiMaggio? What’s happened to him?” He hadn’t heard of any accidents regarding Major League Baseball’s Yankee Clipper. He hoped he was all right. Baseball would never be the same without him.
Angelo shook his head with something akin to hero worship. “I was just readin’ in the paper that he done went and enlisted in the Army. Ain’t that a whoopin’? Man, I tell ya, it got me right here,” he declared, pressing a fist to his chest. “Made me wanna go down to the recruitin’ office and sign myself up. Still might. If ol’ Joe Boy thinks it’s the thing to do, then it must be, you know? Ol’ Joe, he’ll whack a few Japs outta the ballpark, ain’t that right?”
Gary mumbled something unintelligible.
Angelo whistled happily as he turned onto Broadway, headed for their destination.
The man had no idea he’d just heaped another ton of weight onto his passenger’s already overloaded conscience.
CHAPTER 2
“Oh, that is so funny!” Julie Banks chuckled into the receiver of the old black telephone in the living room of her parents’ farmhouse in Elizabethtown, forty-five miles south of Louisville.
On the other end of the line, her sister-in-law, Vivian Banks, giggled as she continued, “And then, this big dog came out of nowhere and jumped on one of the men. He lost his balance and knocked two other men down with him. Gene said they looked like bowling pins and the dog had made a strike!”
Julie laughed again and shook her head, imagining the comedic scene. “Seems there’s never been a dull moment for my brother since he got his First-Sergeant stripes. I love hearing his stories,” she added, feeling a rush of love and pride for her sibling. To her, the word adoption meant nothing—in her heart, he would never be anything other than her full brother.
“Oh me, too. And he’s got a tank load of them, as he would say. Seems one or more of his men in the motor pool are always doing something goofy, especially the new recruits.” The girls tittered together in easy camaraderie.
Julie smiled fondly as she settled onto the padded seat of the “gossip chair” and leaned against its attached polished mahogany phone table, thinking how much she truly loved her new sister-in-law. They’d gotten quite close since Julie had been a bridesmaid at Viv and Gene’s wedding a few months back.
Now that her brother and his new wife had moved into married non-commissioned officer quarters on the base at Fort Knox—Viv called her quite often, nearly every day. Julie knew one reason for that was Viv often found herself with time on her hands and she was bored, as she had been accustomed to working a full-time job, which she’d quit when she married Gene and they had moved out to Knox. Also, the one bedroom apartment they had moved into was rather small, so it didn’t take long to do her household chores. Viv had confided in her new sister-in-law that she couldn’t wait until she got in the family way and had a child or two to fill her days with activity.
“By the way, not to change the subject or anything,” Viv laughed, “But tell your mom I’m trying her recipe for Gene’s favorite fried chicken out of the recipe card box she gave me.”
“I will. Let me know how that works out.”
“I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow, sis,” Viv replied.
Julie grinned at that, musing that she loved having another older sister.
At times, she marveled at the differences between Viv and her own sister, Laura. They were the same age, and both had graduated from high school at seventeen. That’s where the commonalities ended, however. Laura was plain, painfully shy and quiet to the point of reclusive, her hair and eyes mousy and pale—while Viv was blonde and beautiful, her honey-hued eyes vivacious, and she was outgoing and fun to be around. No one who saw the newlyweds together questioned why Julie’s favorite brother, Gene, was over-the-moon about his beautiful wife.
“Oh, I see Gene’s jeep pulling up out front, so I’d better check on supper. Gotta keep him in a good mood so he’ll take me into Louisville tomorrow,” Viv added jokingly.
“Oh? Going to see your parents?”
“Well, yes, but mostly because Mary June wants to do some wedding shopping. I miss her, since I quit work and the USO to stay home and be a soldier’s wife.”
“Oh Viv, could I tag along tomorrow?” Julie suddenly gushed. “I have a few things I want to get in town and I’d love to see what that’s like,” she teased, meaning bridal shopping. “Maybe I can get a thing or two for my hope chest.” Although I don’t know if I could fit more in, it’s stuffed now.
“I’d love for you to come! I’m sure Mary June will be glad to see you. And don’t you worry, sweetie—someday your own Mr. Right will sweep you off your feet and you’ll be inviting me along for your own bridal outing.” Viv replied. “Gotta run. Gene and I will pick you up first thing in the morning, around nine.”
“Thank you! I’ll be ready.”
They rang off and Julie placed the handset back in its cradle. Rising slowly and pondering what Viv had said, she wandered through the dining room and into the kitchen. As she began to retrieve the dishes from the cupboard to help her mother get dinner on the table, Viv’s voice echoed in her mind—Your own Mr. Right. That seemed highly unlikely, at least in the near future as nearly every eligible young man in E-town and the surrounding small towns had either been called up to serve, or had moved into Louisville to work in one of the many defense plants there. Almost every boy from her graduating class was gone. Ten were serving overseas—thus far, two had been injured and one killed. The few men who were left, working on farms or small businesses in town did not appeal to her at all.
Matter of fact…the only time her interest had been piqued in the past six months had been at Gene’s wedding—when she’d spent a good part of the day talking with Gary Tucker, one of Gene’s identical brothers. What a day that had been! It was amazing enough that Gene had met and was getting to know his brothers after all these years, after being separated as newborns and adopted by three different families. To see them all together at the wedding and watching them interact was fascinating. Then, to top it all off, Steve Wheeler, the second of the triplets and Gene’s best man, had dropped to one knee right there at the reception and proposed to Vivian’s best friend and maid of honor, Mary June Harriman—just after she’d caught the bouquet!
It had all been wonderful…but for Julie, the highlight had been the time she’d spent with Gary. He had been so attentive, interesting, funny, and kind as they had walked down the aisle together and all through the photograph taking. The only drawback had been that he looked and sounded so much like Gene, except for a slight Texas twang that would show up now and then. Oh,
but it couldn’t possibly work…could it? Dating my brother’s…brother? I mean…wouldn’t that feel like, well…being romanced by my brother? Still and all, they had really been hitting it off until he had come back from having a conversation with Steve and then he had acted…kind of standoffish. She still wondered what all that was about…
“Were you talking to Viv on the telephone, honey?” Phyllis Banks, Julie’s mother, asked as she turned from stirring a big pot of beef stew on the stove and glanced over at her daughter.
“Yes. She and Gene are driving up to Louisville tomorrow and she said I could tag along and go wedding shopping with her and Mary June.”
Phyllis’ leaf-green eyes twinkled with affection and Julie figured she was thinking of her delightful daughter-in-law. Indeed, her mother had said more than once that from the moment she had met Viv, she had been thankful that her beloved son had won the heart of such a wonderful young woman, and that she and Gene were perfect for one another.
“That’s good. I’m sure you girls will have fun.” She hitched a thumb over her shoulder indicating the window above the sink, through which they could both see snowflakes outside just beginning to stick. “But I hope those don’t pile up into inches.”
Julie glanced outside, her brow furrowing for a moment as she contemplated being stuck at the farm for another weekend. “Me too,” she mumbled. Turning back to continue setting the table, she silently added a heartfelt prayer for God to hold back the flakes, despite how beautiful they might be.
Placing the last of the silverware next to the soup bowls, she reached into the cupboard for the water glasses. “Do you need anything I can pick up for you while I’m in Lou’vul, Mama?” she asked, using the familiar shortened version of the city’s name that was favored by most locals.