He shivered. All of that was over now. Apartment buildings sprouting up along the coastal roads, traffic jams down in Naha. But there was still something left of the old island ways. He’d seen it in the people’s faces, and in these northern hills, with their tea houses and tinkling wind chimes. He’d heard it in the plaintive notes of the stringed sanshin.
He stood watching the sea with Kat, wondering about his father-in-law and what all this meant to him.
* * *
The old man walked along a rocky path and came to the small shrine with two stone cairns set side by side. He stood in front of it, the sun’s rays warming his bones, as memories came drifting back.
The last time he’d seen her, she had been sitting on back of the motorcycle, her arms wrapped tightly around the young man’s waist, holding him as if she would never let him go.
Other memories came to him. The dark head, bobbing just out of reach in the storm-tossed waves. Holding her body close in the tiny dressing room, where they’d sorted out their love for each other. A young woman’s sleepy eyes, gazing at him from the back of a haycart. A kiss on the lips, a slap on the cheek, a silver necklace slipping around a small white neck. Seeing her battered face looking up at him that morning, in the sun-dappled forest. And the young girl, creeping into his cabin one night, her eyes so full of concern. Both of them waiting for her to grow up. Forgetting that the other, would also grow old.
He pulled a tattered book from his coat pocket and placed it on the small platform of the shrine. Barely discernible figures waved in the breeze from the page. A young girl and her dog, linking arms with a motley crew of friends. All facing the open road.
Perhaps she and Farr would have made a success of it after all. She had always been wiser than he, in matters of the heart.
He turned, and made his way back to the waiting car.
Acknowledgements
There are so many people I want to thank for their help in the creation of this book.
First and foremost to my dear mother; my first editor, who always knew that I would find my way home again.
I wish to express my deepest gratitude to Leslie Lutz. Not only an excellent editor, but an excellent teacher; a rare and happy combination. She taught me so much about writing, and my book is better on so many levels because of her guidance and wisdom.
I would also like to express my warm appreciation to the supportive staff at Matador Publishing. Through their skill and dedication, they turned this conglomeration of words floating in cyber space, into a beautiful book.
I am deeply grateful to Bobbie Lyons; mentor, traveling companion, and dear friend. I don’t know what I would have done without her feedback, support, and analytical eye, that always went straight to the heart of the matter.
I also want to recognize Vickie Stone, and her wonderful team at the Coronado Historical Association, who came up with much needed last minute information. And to Virginia Jones, who knows everything there is to know about the Cherokee Lodge.
I want to express a very warm thanks to my staunch supporters and dear friends. Without their belief in me, I don’t know if I could have survived the discouraging year of rejection slips. To Christina, who was always there to make me laugh and cheer me on. To Maria, Heather and Donna, whose confidence in me kept me going. And to Maryann, who really wanted to read it all. And also to Brenda, the original restless woman. A very grateful thanks to DeeAnna and Peter, who invited me to Germany, and helped me find a place to begin my book—and fed me the most delicious waffles! A very sincere thank you to Kim, who guided me through the intricacies of publishing with much needed advice. And to George Galdorisi. An author in his own right, who took the time to help a fledgling writer, and who was my first reader. And also my debt of gratitude to Marni, whose words of encouragement got me over those brick walls.
I would like to acknowledge my debt and thanks to the following works: My War in SOE: Behind Enemy Lines in France and Burma with the Special Operations Executive by Harry Verlander; The Jedburghs: The Secret History of the Allied Special Forces, France, 1944 by Lt. Col. (Ret.) Will Irwin; Phantom At War: The British Army’s Secret Intelligence and Communication Regiment of WWII by Andy and Sue Parlour; Churchill’s Angels: How Britain’s Women Secret Agents Changed the Course of the Second World War by Bernard O’Connor; The Spy Who Loved: The Secrets and Lives of Christine Granville by Clare Mulley; and Coronado: the Enchanted Island by Katherine Eitzen Carlin and Ray Brandes.
I wish to acknowledge my use of an excerpt from Rudyard Kipling’s poem, “Mandalay” (1890), and an excerpt from Thomas Moore’s poem, “The Last Rose of Summer” (1805).
Reading Group Questions
(Warning: Spoiler Alert)
•The main characters in this book all carry scars. Do you carry scars? How have you managed them?
•How do you feel about Katrinka’s interlude with Josef?
•War can place humans into almost impossible situations. If you had been in Bouchard’s place, would you have cooperated?
•If you had been Lucienne and your son was in danger, would you have remained silent?
•Was Bouchard’s son Paul justified in seeking revenge? Why or why not?
•Were you shocked by Raphael’s reaction to the liberation of France? Explain.
•There are many types of hunger. How do you feel about Katrinka’s business transaction with the little Frenchman?
•Describe Yujana. Do you agree with the advice she gave Katrinka?
•What was Katrinka’s reason for joining the entertainment troupe? Would she have stayed settled otherwise?
•Do you agree with Katrinka’s final choice? Who would you have chosen? Explain.
•In one of the last scenes, Nye is on his veranda and feels Katrinka’s presence. Has she come to say hello, or is she leaving on another journey, and come to say goodbye?
•Do you think Farr and Katrinka would have made a success of it? Why or why not.
Just Another Girl on the Road Page 30