Alice's Soldiers

by Robert T. OShea

  Tony walked Alice to the table found her a seat, put a napkin around her neck showed her where the silverware was located on the table and got her a cup of coffee.

  Alice loved the attention, especially when one of her girlfriends had the duty, they got to do cool things like pick up a knife and say” here is a spoon for your big mouth. Oh, honey, you forget to shave today?”

  Alice gets back by saying things like Gloria I heard you’re the easiest girl in the school next to Joeann. It always ended with Grandma Lily coming over and putting her arms around Alice and saying, “you all have enormous mouths.” Alice could put on her napkin, but she knew it made her family members feel good because they were helping.

  Uncle Carmine and his son Carmine Junior arrived; now everyone was here. Alice said to herself, “Only the men make the decisions, in this family, not the women blind or not. Forget it, no one going to listen to a female.”

  When my adopted Mother Clare is not around my Father Freddy DeVan is responsible for my care. Years ago, my father tried to divorce my mother, but the Church said no. So, under the laws of Brooklyn, he divorced Clare and married Lily a beautiful, older woman who was also, Gloria’s guardian and Robert’s and Billy’s Grandmother. Grandmother Lily Kemble is the matriarch of this family. There was no question about it she was the boss.

  Alice said,” everyone, please be quiet. Dear family, I love you all very much. You are all wondering what happened during today’s Mass.” She said “I had a moment of partial sight. It happened near the end of the Mass. For the first time, I was able to see.” When I saw Aunt Joan’s face looking down at me, my heart soared, but when I found out that my dad and brothers, were still in the darkness, it hurt badly. I asked myself who would upset me like this? Alice said, why am I being tested?” The light turned out to be my sight. Alice said, ‘it had something to do with the giant young man standing at the back of the Church. ‘He had a dark tan, he needs a haircut, and he wore a uniform.”

  “Was he good-looking,” Aunt Mary asked?

  Alice said “No.” After I had answered the question, reality caught up with me. I felt like a pipe hit me in the back of my head. I couldn’t hold it back anymore and sobbed with my hand squeezing the gift in my pocket.

  It upset everyone in the kitchen, because, they couldn’t do anything about Alice being blind.

  Alice said, let me finish,” I could see everyone and everything between where I was and where he was. It is hard to explain, she said, it was like a valley of brightness separated by two endless black worlds. For the first time, the individual faces in the pews asked me to look at then, while they stilled stared straight ahead, with their colored dresses, incredible variations of hats, and dark colored suits.”

  Alice continued, I saw, “little kids fussing, one was sitting on the floor with both of his arms wrapped around one of his mom’s legs like it was a regular thing one did. When the priest said it was time to stand, she picked him up kissed his head and held him in her arms.”

  Seeing the inside of our Church was the most fantastic thing. Massive polished wooden beams and walls of baroque stained windows held together the Church, with its commanding height reaching toward heaven, with cold black frames. Marble statues of Saints guarded the church and its parishioners who allowed the wooden pews to march down the aisles. Alice ended her statement; “For a brief period I examined life instead of it looked at me.”

  The kitchen door opened, and someone walked in carrying two brown colored shopping bags. He said, “I overheard you guys talking.” It’s Robert.” I was sitting next to him with Gloria on my lap when he saw you, Alice.”

  Alice asked, “who speaking?” My dad said “it’s Billy, Robert’s brother. Hi Billy, he continued what do you have there and where your brother?”

  Bill was a big strong young man with light brown curly hair, a good smile and overall a nice guy.

  Billy said, “It’s just bagels and a pound of Philadelphia crème cheese from Grandma.”

  Aunts Joan and Mary took the bags and emptied the contents on two large serving plates, Grandma, Lily must have mixed the bagels with some great looking hard rolls. The rolls had hats of tiny black seeds. Aunt Joan got the waiting butter from the refrigerator. Aunt Mary, then to the cheers of the guests, put the essential item on the table, a bottle of brandy.

  As the coffee was being poured, Billy continues his story. He said, “the last time I saw Robert, he was sitting in the apartment.” He told me “he saw you, Alice, at Church.” We were late for Mass because we had to help him get dressed. He is having a lot of problems; he wanted to wear his medals to show you, Alice. It will be a while before he can take care of himself. I doubt if anyone is going to see him today. Billy sat down next to his girlfriend Sarah who had saved him a seat.

  Then Gloria, (Tony’s girlfriend since before they had girls.) knocked and walked into the kitchen and joined the conversation. She said, “Hi” to everybody, put down an assortment of cannoli, biscotti, and creme cakes in return for a seat at the table, instead of a chair she landed on Tony’s lap and given a cup of coffee. While buttering a hard roll, she said, “I overheard someone mentioned, Robert.” Listen Alice he’s at Grandma’s. I’m in the bedroom next to him, and I can feel the heat coming right through the wall.”

  Everyone in the kitchen, except Alice laughed.

  Gloria got off Tony’s lap and sat next to Alice, pulled out her make-up purse and worked on Alice’s face and hair. “Don’t worry gruesome he is not going to look at your face,” said, Gloria.

  Aunt Mary said “Gloria, I love that color blond you are wearing.

  “Thank you, Aunt Joan,” said Gloria.

  “I don’t know this Robert person you are talking about, “When I” meet him, we will have a pleasant conversation,” said Alice.

  Uncle Joe laughed.

  I stood next to him at Church, Alice. He’s so hot, sorry, but I see him all the time he picks me up and always says ‘Feed Woman’ and puts me on Billy’s lap, he thinks Billy is Tony. Doubt you will see him around here, but again I saw the giant at Church today. I ran over to Grandma Lily and sat next to her. Robert saw me; he picked me like I was a tiny doll turn me around and said in a monster’s voice ‘Feed Woman’ and then put me on Billy’s lap. Grandma yelled at him, and he stopped. Then he said, I go see Alice now.” Again, Grandma yelled you sit down you are going to scare her to death.

  Gloria said, “Alice, excuse me the guy is burning, even if he has brain damage, I still will go away with him in a second.”

  Tony said, “Keep pushing it, Gloria.” Only his Grandmother Marie laughed.

  Alice couldn’t see the goodies on the table, but she knew they were there. She didn’t say a word.

  Aunt Mary knew her niece since her husband; Doctor Joe said the baby was blind and could read her mind that a plate of a few goodies and a fresh cup of coffee is all she needed to be happy. Aunt Mary filled a plate with Italian treats and placed it in front of Alice. She smiled and started to devour a cannolo as she was thinking of the gift in her pocket, she couldn’t wait to ask Rosemarie (A female Soldier) about it.

  Uncle Carmine stood up and said, I wanna make a toast to the three new officers who are sitting with us. Shot glasses were quickly filled with brandy, Aunt Joan put one in Alice’s hand and hugged her.

  Alice said, to herself, this was the happiest day she could remember her family ever had. All the men were home from Military Service. Now the family was getting ready for their children’s engagements and then their marriages. “My “God” the Grandmothers Lily, and Marie must be thrilled after all these years of taken care of the family babies,” said Alice.

  Alice was still unable to take care of herself. She has been a burden on her family for twenty-one years now it was time for her to move on. Soon the girls would have babies, and the Grandmas would have to go back to work, take care of the newborn babies.
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  Meanwhile, Alice said to herself everyone would still have to take care of her. While she couldn’t even put on her lipstick. Now it was her turn to get out of their way so they can enjoy life, her adopted Mother Clare told her about a nunnery in Sicily Italy that would be good for her.

  Alice had made up her mind she was leaving the family, she already felt better.

  Meanwhile, Aunt Joan said she needed help with placing the knives and forks, and Alice stood up to help and then realized she couldn’t, so she sat down.

  The room’s conversations stopped for a few seconds but continued again when Alice sat down.

  Suddenly Alice was able to see her silverware. She picked up her knife and was in shock as she stared at it. A knocking on the kitchen door broke-up the spell.

  Alice said in a firm voice, “I will get that.”

  The people at the table knew who was at the door.

  The kitchen was silent.

  Alice walked around the table grabbed an apron and put it on as she was opening the door. The Sun was blasting through the doorway so no one could see who was there. A voice said hello I’m looking for Alice?

  Alice asked, “if someone would find a seat for Robert as she was looking at a surprise bunch of flowers?”

  Aunt June popped up took the flowers and pushed Alice into Robert and closed the door.

  Chapter Five

  Brooklyn:

  Cement schoolyards and tarred streets were their learning centers. Asphalt jungles didn’t care for grass, trees, or bunnies. The only things Brooklyn boys knew were stooped ball, baseball cards, the Brooklyn Dodgers, yo-yos and fighting. Bullies and goons-controlled Brooklyn. A goon is a big bully. They hated me (Robert) because they couldn’t catch me or be me.

  Flatbush was the roughest neighborhood in Brooklyn, even the States. Comprised of old walk-up row houses, three to four floors high. Cement stoops and sidewalks anchored the tenements down. The neighborhoods went back to a time when the factory owners needed obedient people.

  A timeworn elevated (EL) subway, looped the district, providing income and escapes to Coney Island for the workers and their families. Laborers filled the subway cars in the morning and emptied them at night where hypnotizing blinking bar signs guided their march down the elevator’s steps and into a nest of taverns; the surrounding elevator’s steel girders imprisoned everyone.

  Work seemed to be hanging around. Where it came from and where it went is not known. People had money in their pockets until it was Friday and then they got more work. Where it came from and where it went is not known. The fathers went to work, drank their beer and some of them beat up their wives.

  Meanwhile, their beautiful offspring roamed the streets with nothing to do but join gangs and tortured the general population. In time, they would find out they were just punks. Flatbush wasn’t a blue-collar class neighborhood; It was a no-class one.

  Chapter Six

  Robert 1961

  I got back to Brooklyn after a two-year journey to find something for someone I don’t like anymore. Checked in with the Soldiers and went up to the fourth floor and found my new family. My Grandmother, Lily married my good friend Freddy DeVan; I joined them and my brother Billy, and Lily’s guardian Daughter, Gloria in their five-bedroom apartment.

  After a lot of hugs and thank God’s, you are home. I sat down with my family for dinner. Also, we had a guest from my childhood, Joeann, whom I had an emotional attachment too. She was sitting next to me. We had the typical Freddy feast, with plenty of Pasta and clams, Hard Italian bread and a ton of other delicious items. I refused to answer any of their million questions thrown at me during dinner about where I was, what did I do and did I find the cure? I didn’t reply to any questions because I didn’t know the answers. I did tell them I found something that may work, but there haven’t been any results so far.

  I stood up with a bottle of wine in me. I picked up Joeann turn her around in the air and said, pretty women.

  Grandma screamed and said, “put her down and apologized she one of your best friends.”

  Grandma, I love Joeann and the rest of the kids. Sorry, Joeann, I remembered we used to do that to you all the time. Forgive me, all I have seen for years is dead men, torture people, hospitals, burned cities and a lot of pain. I will find someone. I thanked them for the meal grab a bottle of red and headed to my room. I will tell you all right now I don’t like her anymore.

  As I was closing the door, Joeann stopped me, and with tears rolling down her face she said: “Robert give it to Sunday, you’re spoken for.”

  Robert said,” Good night.”

  Chapter Seven

  Robert and Alice’s

  Early Years 1940-1950

  This story is about two babies; Alice and Robert.

  In 1940, Clare and Freddy DeVan’s adopted Alice while he was stationed in Sicily. Robert, the baby boy, will be introduced to you in a few minutes.

  Alice and her two older brothers, Tony and Steven, lived in Brooklyn, New York City. Tony was tall for his age (six), with tight black hair, a rough but, pleasant face and a thin, sturdy body. Steve (5) also, had black hair, but unlike his brother, he looks like a teacher, a little plum and talkative. Freddy’s boys, Steven and Tony were handsome guys. They were a bit lonely, but they truly loved their tiny sister. When someone asked one of them to rock her until she fell asleep, they were right there. Sometimes she wouldn’t stop crying until she was picked up and at the same that person baby-talked to her. She would then coo and close her eyes. They lived in a three-story brick house one block off Flatbush Avenue. It wasn’t the most elegant neighborhood for a baby and two young boys; it was outright dangerous.

  Freddy was a solid built, strong man. He loved his family. Freddy other love was cooking. He had worked the best restaurants in New York City and finally; got a chance to open his place: a small diner in Brooklyn on Flatbush Avenue. That’s what he did. The business took off because there wasn’t any competition in Flatbush, for a place where one could sit down, eat, smoke, drink coffee, complain, and gossip. The breakfast crowd was overwhelming; the supper demand was getting there. Times were decent again; they forced many of the filthy food pushcarts with their cold, stale, and rotten smelling food to fold up, leaving the field open for Freddy. But, after a good run, The Army delayed his dream, they put him into the latest war.

  Instead of abandoning the diner, Freddy’s asked his Mother, Marie to watch over the business until he came back. His two sons, from his first marriage, (His first wife died from the Black Plague.) Steven and Tony were taking care of by his two brothers Joseph and Carmine. Uncle Joe and Aunt Mary took in Tony. Uncle Carmine and Aunt Joan took in Steven.

  Three years later Freddy returned to Brooklyn. He was impressive, with his rank, Master Sergeant. His many shoulder stripes went along with a row of shiny medals that was stabbing him in his chest.

  Freddy returned to the Nation of Brooklyn to bring home his new wife, Clare, and their adopted baby, Alice. He also wanted to bring back into the fold his two sons, Tony and Steven. They were all going to live together at his Mother’s, Marie’s house on Bleecker Street, which was a block and a half from the Diner.

  “It thrilled his wife’s Clare” she found a good man, got away from war-ravaged Italy. She also got an immediate family and a safe and warm place to live. Clare was a thin, beautiful Italian, but from the unfortunate side of town. Her husband sent her as much of his paycheck as he could with his monthly love letter. Clare’s English wasn’t too bad, and her baby girl was adorable.”

  Freddy expected to finish his military commitment in a year and then return to his wife, children, and business. Marie and Clare were doing their best to hold on, but times were getting harder. Between the various rationed items, such as sugar, milk, and bacon; and the underlying poverty due to no work, times were impossible.

  Marie was a natural hard-working wom
an. “She had a smile and never missed Church or a beer on Friday night. One of Marie and Tracy’s (only employee) problems was having cash on hand to purchase supplies for the Diner.” But the Diner was still hanging on, thanks to the local Vendors who took care of Freddy’s family with free supplies. The Vendors were all Italian, and they knew and loved him and his family. They were aware of his family’s wreaked financial condition. The Vendors believed the baby with the pitch-black hair, was a Princess when they heard she could climb a table leg, hold on, and order everyone around. But no one could understand her (Baby-talk).

  It wasn’t unusual for Marie to find cans of coffee, a crate of eggs and a few cartons of milk, along with packages of butter and bags of flour when they opened the back door. The only employee, Tracy was a short, attractive blond who lived across the street from the DeVan family in an old walk-up with her mother and two baby girls. Tracy needed the few bucks she picked up at the Diner, and she loved cooking and talking to people. The Diner was made for Tracy.

  Every day around three o’clock a few women would gather for a coffee break at the Diner, with Marie and Tracy. They called the group a coffee club. It was just a bunch of women taken a break from the demands of poverty to sit and bullshit with their fellow members. Every day a different woman would bring a cake, or a tin can full of fresh homemade cookies. These women lived a hard life. Their men were either dead or in the War, waiting to die. If one of the girls couldn’t bring a treat to the coffee cub, another woman would take her turn. The lady who was having a miserable time would get a kiss, hug, and even a few bucks in their pocket.

  Let’s get back to the story.

  A strange happening in Brooklyn:

  As usual, Marie left her house (In the morning) for work late. She was in a mad rush to get to the Diner, to open it by six in the morning. She knew Tracy was already there because that woman was a go-getter. Marie said to herself; I got to get Tracy a key.