Rose of Anzio - Moonlight (Volume 1)

by Alexa Kang

  Anthony couldn’t argue with that. Uncle Leon looked so sad and helpless.

  “I spoke to Senator Reinhardt earlier today,” William said. “We won’t stop you if you’ve made up your mind to enlist, but would you wait? The Senator said they have too many people enlisting right now because of Pearl Harbor. So many, in fact, they can’t take the volume of people signing up all at once. There isn’t enough room. All the basic training camps are filled to capacity. Why don’t you wait and see? If you’re drafted, then you go.” He spoke like his usual, reasoned self, but the appealing tone in his voice betrayed how much he wanted his son to stay.

  The way William put it, it was hard for Anthony to refuse, even though he knew his father was only stalling. “And if I’m not drafted, then what?”

  “Then it’s your choice what you want to do.” Resigned, William shifted his eyes to the photos of him, Leon, Lex and Anthony Browning on the display cabinet.

  His father’s reaction gave Anthony second thoughts. If he went to war and didn’t come back, would his father be looking at old photos of him this way too? An older man regretting the loss of too many loved ones for the rest of his days? The last thing he wanted was to cause his parents pain.

  And his mother? This whole time they were talking, he couldn’t even look at her. She hadn’t said a thing.

  “All right. I’ll wait,” he said, almost angry with himself for backing down. “But only until the wave of people enlisting calms down.”

  “Of course.” William let out a sigh of relief.

  The end of the evening left Anthony feeling more conflicted than ever. Part of him wished he didn’t let his father and uncle talk him into waiting. His resolve to stand up for his own country was real, but it was so difficult to disregard what they wanted. Seeing their worried faces made him hesitate. He was his father’s sole heir and only son. His father had great hopes and plans for him. He didn’t have the heart to leave his father with an empty world of broken dreams.

  # # #

  After Uncle Leon left and his father withdrew into the study, he finally had a chance to talk alone with his mother. What she had to say, though, surprised him.

  “I’m very proud of you.”

  “You are?” He sat down next to her on the couch.

  She nodded. “I’m deathly afraid of what might happen to you. Ever since Pearl Harbor, I can’t sleep thinking about you.” She put her hand on his arm. “You’ve grown into a fine young man. I feel so blessed to have you in my life. I can’t bear to think of life without you.”

  Her words weighed on him even more than Uncle Leon’s and his father’s.

  “But I’m so proud to know my son is not a coward. When Leon first told us he could arrange to send you to Chile, your father and I thought it could be a good way out too. We couldn’t help it. But we had doubts. Your father thought it should be your decision.”

  “And you? What did you think?”

  “I think like all mothers do. I want to protect you and keep you out of harm’s way. His offer was very tempting.” She smiled and shook her head. “I can’t, though.” She looked around the room at all the valuable paintings on the walls and their expensive furniture. “Look at us. We’re so privileged. I thought of all the mothers out there who don’t have a choice, and I felt so selfish.” She was close to tears.

  “You’re not selfish, Mom.” He took his mother’s hand.

  “Your father’s right. It should be your choice. If you want to enlist, I’ll understand.”

  His mother was being so brave. It pained him to see her like this.

  “If you want to do what Leon suggested, of course I won’t try to stop you.”

  “I can’t do that.” He wished he knew what to say to comfort her, but that was not an option he would consider.

  “I know. And I’m proud you turned him down.”

  Her support was a great relief. “If everyone ran away like he suggested, who’d be left to protect Alexander and Katherine? I’d like to think I would do that, to protect them if I can.”

  She held onto his hand. “He never got over Lex’s death. It’s hard for him, and he loves you very much. You made up for all the losses he suffered when Anthony Browning died.”

  “I know.”

  “Maybe the Army will never summon you. Maybe the war will end before you have to make any decision. I wish this war would end tomorrow. No, I wish it ended yesterday. But if they do summon you, we must have faith God will watch over you.”

  He felt a great weight lifted off him. At least his mother was on his side, and she understood.

  # # #

  When Tessa heard Anthony returning to his room, she climbed off her bed and went to see him.

  A heavy silence had taken over their house ever since the conscription law was amended. Every night, Uncle William retreated early into his study. Aunt Sophia had lost her appetite. Her cheeks looked hollow and had lost their usual radiance. Uncle Leon came over three times last week. They talked for long hours. She didn’t know what they decided, but all their talk only made them more nervous and gloomier. Then Anthony came home.

  She felt bad being here. When London was bombed, her parents sent her here to keep her safe. Now America was bombed, but Uncle William and Aunt Sophia could do nothing to keep Anthony safe. The situation was so unfair. She wondered if it upset them to see her. Did seeing her remind them that someone else’s child could escape the war but their own child might not?

  She tried to keep herself unobtrusive and stayed out of their way. But she should tell Anthony she was sorry he might have to go to war. She never meant to take his place here. If she could, she would even trade places with him. After all, this began as Europe’s war.

  His door was open. At first, she thought he was studying. But in fact, he looked like he was just staring at a book on his desk. She knocked, feeling a bit awkward.

  He looked up. All of a sudden, she lost all the words she wanted to say. To begin with, nothing irked her more than talking to people about feelings. She was lousy at it even with people she knew well. Years of watching Alina Fey airing her grievances everywhere had made her averse to anything involving talks about feelings. She couldn’t bring herself to openly tell him what she thought.

  “Hi,” he said.

  “Hello.” She stood at the door. She didn’t know how to begin. “Are you going to war?”

  He seemed surprised she asked. “No. Not for now.”

  “Oh.” That was a relief. She wanted to tell him she was glad to hear that but the words wouldn’t come out. Everything she wanted to say was stuck in her throat.

  “You can come in,” he said.

  She entered, wondering what she should do. She had lived here for more than a year, but she had never come into his room. Most of the time, he was away at school and his room was not used.

  He kept his room very organized. His swimming trophies were lined up on a shelf against the wall according to the years when they were won. The clothes he had worn earlier in the day were neatly folded on his bed. She didn’t know why, but she had a strange urge to mess things up a little in here. What would happen if he came home one day and found his trophies in the wrong order?

  “How’ve you been?” he asked.

  Great. Now, instead of her inquiring about him to let him know she felt sorry for what was happening, he was making sure she was okay. “I’m fine. Thank you for asking.” She wandered over to his bookshelf. Advanced Economics. College Physics. The Iliad. Ancient Archeology of the Mesopotamia. Why did the books look so complicated? Did he ever read for pleasure?

  She turned around. He was looking at her, puzzled.

  “Well. Good night.” She hurried out of the room.

  Talking to Anthony wasn’t such a good idea after all.

  PART EIGHT

  The Rose Pendant

  Chapter 25

  “Here, give this a try.” Nadine put two glasses of red wine on the bar, one for Tessa and one for herself. “It’s a
Cabernet. This one is rare now since we can’t get imports from France anymore. I took it from Laurent’s cellar. Good thing he’s got them stocked up.” Laurent ran a wholesale wine import business, which had suffered setbacks since the war began. “It’s time you graduated from those frou-frou drinks Jack used to give you.”

  “Frou-frou drinks?”

  “Those juice cocktails.” Nadine dismissed them with a wave of her hand. “Try wine instead. Wine’s an art.”

  Tessa tasted a sip. She did like the thick, woody intensity of it more than the juice cocktails.

  While Tessa enjoyed her first experience of fine wine, Nadine stared out from behind the bar, mindlessly twirling her hair.

  “What’s the matter?” Tessa asked. “You look down.”

  Nadine took a sip from her glass. “This place has changed. Things aren’t what they used to be anymore.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I used to know almost everyone who came here. Now, so many regulars are gone. All we get are servicemen passing through town.” She tilted her head toward the tables of soldiers. It was true. Men in military uniforms were everywhere these days.

  As they spoke, three soldiers entered. They all looked no older than twenty. Nadine put on her most welcoming face. “Hello, boys. What can I get for you?” She swung her long red hair sideways and threw them a coquettish smile. As if under a spell, the young men came over to her at once. She invited them to sit down and poured them their beers.

  As it looked like Nadine would be occupied for a while, Tessa finished her wine and left the bar, ready to go home. When she passed by a table of soldiers, one called out to her. “Hey, sweetheart, want to join us?”

  She ignored him. Before she left, she looked at Nadine again. The three soldiers sitting before her were now telling Nadine exaggerated tales trying to impress her. Nadine gave Tessa a quick glance and rolled her eyes. Tessa waved goodbye and headed out of the tavern.

  On her way home, servicemen packed the streets and the trains. Nadine was right. This place had changed. Half the population, it seemed, wore olive drab. She wondered what Jack was doing now.

  Thank goodness for Nadine. She filled the void Jack left behind. Nadine reminded her of her father. They often invited unwanted attention because of their jobs. Sometimes, they even pretended to be flattered to keep their patrons happy. But they both understood real love. The way Nadine looked into Laurent’s eyes—Tessa had seen that look before. Her father looked at her mother that same way.

  An inspiration struck her. She wanted to create a new painting, one of Nadine and Laurent. She had taken up painting in school as part of her fine arts class. Everything went along fine until she started painting nudes. The nuns would not allow that. Luckily, Uncle William and Aunt Sophia let her use that little spare room on the third floor. She had turned it into her own private studio.

  Yes. Definitely she would paint Nadine and Laurent. The painting would be a very nice present for them.

  Chapter 26

  Late April.

  Another school year was coming to an end. Although he didn’t frequent local bars, Anthony decided to make an exception tonight. It was the weekend before final exams, and the swim team wanted a fun night out.

  More importantly, this might be the last chance for him to do something fun with them as a group. For all he knew, they could be drafted any time. When school began again next fall, who could guess how many of them would return?

  They had only just sat down at Murphy’s Tavern when he caught sight of Tessa at the bar. Was that really her? What was she doing here?

  The bartender in a provocatively tight dress handed her a glass of wine, and she drank it!

  This wasn’t the first time she had been here. Clearly, the bartender knew her from the way they chatted with each other. How could this be? This was not the aloof, introverted girl he was used to seeing at home.

  She took her wine and walked away. As she did, a soldier she passed by propositioned her. What a jackass! She’s only a kid. She gave him the cold shoulder and went to join a group of rough-looking boys.

  Who were those boys? The redheaded one looked about her age. The other two were slightly older, maybe eighteen or nineteen. She was the only girl among them. The guy on her right in the blue shirt was the most disturbing. He kept sidling in closer and closer to her, although she didn’t seem bothered by it. He kept talking to her. Occasionally, she would say something back to him, or nodded, or shook her head.

  Why was she shaking her head? What did he want from her?

  What was wrong with all these guys? Did they not see how young she was? He had to stop this. “I’m sorry,” he said to his teammates. “I can’t stay after all. You all have a good time.” Without any explanation, he left their table and walked over to her.

  He touched her on the shoulder and she turned around. Her eyes widened when she saw him. “Anthony. What are you doing here?”

  “I should be asking you that question,” he said. “You’re coming with me. I’m taking you home. You shouldn’t be here.”

  She drew her shoulder back to get his hand off her. “You can’t tell me what to do.”

  “I can’t? All right. I’ll call my father and tell him to come and get you.”

  She started to say something, but stopped. The threat to call his father made her hesitate.

  “Keep your hands off her.” The redheaded boy stood up from the table. The boy had the audacity to challenge him! He took a step closer to her.

  Tessa got up from her seat. “Fine. I’ll leave with you,” she said to him. “But you’re being a royal pain in the neck.”

  “Tessa, wait. Where are you going? Who is he?” the redheaded boy asked.

  “It’s all right, Henry,” she said. “I have to leave. I’ll see you next time.”

  Not wanting Henry to bother Tessa any further, Anthony glared at him. Henry glared right back.

  “Stop it. Come with me.” Tessa grabbed Anthony’s arm. “Let’s go.” She pulled him toward the door. Before they exited, the sultry bartender came up to them.

  “Tessa, is everything okay? Is this person giving you trouble?”

  He could not believe his ears. With all the rough boys and soldiers making inappropriate advances toward her, this woman thought he was the one giving her trouble?

  “No,” Tessa said. “Everything’s fine, Nadine. I know him.”

  “Are you sure?” Nadine asked, still giving Anthony suspicious looks.

  “I’m sure. I’ll see you later.” She tugged his arm again and pulled him out of the bar.

  Once outside, Tessa stood on the street and refused to go any further.

  “What in the world are you doing here?” he demanded to know.

  “Same thing you’re doing. Enjoying a good drink and passing time with my friends.”

  “Friends? Those are your friends? Hardly. You’re too young to be here, and the guy in the blue shirt was making improper advances toward you.”

  “What guy in the blue shirt? What are you talking about?” she asked. “Tom? Do you mean Tom? He wasn’t making advances toward me, he was asking me questions about working backstage. He’s starting a new job as a stagehand at the Blackstone Theater. I was trying to help him. What is wrong with you?”

  A stagehand? Was that all? He was sure that guy had ulterior motives. Could he have been mistaken? Still, everything felt wrong to him. “You were drinking,” he said.

  “So were you.”

  “You’re a girl.”

  “I can’t drink because I’m a girl? Don’t patronize me.”

  “You’re too young to be drinking. You’re fifteen.”

  “Sixteen. I’ll be sixteen next week.”

  “That’s a very mature argument there.”

  She tightened her lips and turned her back to him.

  “Look. You shouldn’t be here. It’s not safe. The bar isn’t the kind of place where a nice young girl should go. Strange men come here.” He tried t
o reason with her.

  She turned around. “Then why are you here? Are you one of those strange men too? Did you come here to make improper advances to girls?”

  Her question rendered him speechless.

  “I am so tired of you telling me what I should or should not do. You’ve been doing that since the day we met. Even Uncle William and Aunt Sophia don’t do that. Why do you think you can? You’re the only one who talks down to me.”

  He was surprised to hear this. She thought he talked down to her? “I’m not talking down to you. I would’ve done the same thing if I saw Katherine here. You shouldn’t be here.”

  “Don’t tell me where I should be or should not be. You don’t know the first thing about me. I’m not Katherine and all those princesses you know. I don’t need you to protect me. I can take care of myself.”

  They stood staring at each other. He couldn’t understand why they were arguing. He was only looking out for her safety.

  Yet the way Tessa was asserting herself, with her strong will and defiant attitude, he felt unsure how to deal with her.

  “Let’s just go home. Please?” He started toward his car.

  Grudgingly, she followed him, but she refused to talk while they drove.

  “You’re going to stay grumpy the whole night?”

  She ignored him and looked out the window.

  “Your birthday’s next week?”

  She remained silent.

  “Fine. Be that way.” He gave up. He had never met anyone more difficult and irritating.

  When they reached home, she got out of the car and quietly shut the car door. In silent anger, she walked toward the house. He got out of the car and followed her.