by Alexa Kang
No. It was not a mistake. She had meant to manipulate everyone around her, including him. He had trusted her enough to never question her motives. When it came to Ellie, he kept doubting himself because of his age. All it took was for Fran to give him a reason to give up, and he easily surrendered his hopes. He convinced himself that Ellie would be better off with Doyle. And now, the scheme to pair Ellie off with Doyle having failed, Fran had decided to send Ellie away.
You fool, Aaron chastised himself. A desperate urgency seized him. He might never see Ellie again.
The jeep slowed down on the road behind several cars in front of him. He leaned out the window to see what was holding them up. Further ahead, a military truck loaded with supplies was trudging along at snail's pace and stalling everyone behind. Impatient, he checked his watch. He was running out of time. Move!
He wished he could make the vehicles move faster with his mind.
Finally, the road widened and the cars behind the truck were able to move into another lane and pass. He hoped he could still make it to the airfield in time. He didn't know what he would say or do if he caught up to her. All he knew was he didn't want her to disappear from his life.
At the Lido di Roma Airfield, the guard let the driver through the entrance and pointed them toward a Douglas C-47 Skytrain at the beginning of a runway out on the field. The driver drove toward the plane. When he stopped, Aaron got out of the jeep as quickly as he could. He spotted Ellie right away among the group of medical corpsmen and nurses who were leaving. She was with Tessa Graham, Tessa's new husband Lieutenant Anthony Ardley, and Captain Warren Hendricks. Aaron ran toward them. It no longer mattered how ridiculous he might look to be running after a girl like this at his age. All that mattered was that he did not miss her.
"Ellie! Ellie!" he called out to her. Everyone turned to look his way. Disregarding the curious stares, he ran up to Ellie. Ellie watched him coming toward her, stunned. Tessa, too, looked surprised, but she immediately pulled on Anthony's elbow and gestured for him to move away with her. They walked toward the airplane with Warren following behind them.
When they were out of earshot, Aaron took a step closer to Ellie. "I thought I'd never catch you. I thought I missed you."
"Dr. Haley," she said, still stunned. "Aren't you supposed to be in Naples?"
"I came back early," he said, excited and out of breath. "I came here as quickly as I could when I found out you're being transferred. I didn't want you to leave without letting you know…" He paused. He didn't know what he meant to say. Behind them, the airplane engine vroomed. The departing personnel began to board the plane.
"Letting me know what?" Ellie asked.
He took a deep breath. Letting her know what? What should he say? Where should he begin? "I, eh…"
She looked at him, perplexed.
The putters of the plane's propeller reminded him that he was running out of time. He looked into her eyes. "Letting you know that I would really, really like to take you out to dinner."
Ellie looked away, trying to suppress herself from laughing. He, too, felt silly and wanted to laugh.
She glanced up at him. "What about Captain Milton?"
"What about her?"
"Aren't you and the captain…" Her voice trailed off. He didn't know what she was hinting at. Warily, she said, "I saw a wood ornament in Captain Milton's room. It looks like one of your wood carvings. Did you ever give Captain Milton a gift of one of your wood carvings?"
"No." He didn't understand why she was asking about a wood carving of all things right now. "I never gave her anything. She did take a little heart I made for a GI once, but it had a chip on it and I was going to throw it away. Why are we talking about this? What does this have to do with anything?"
"She said it was a Valentine's Day's gift."
"It was. The GI needed a Valentine's Day gift for his fiancée. Since I chipped that one, I made him another one."
She broke into a smile and looked at him with renewed hope. He couldn't tell what Ellie was thinking. Maybe she wanted him to carve a heart for her? Maybe she wanted him to give her a gift, like the GI gave his fiancée a gift? Nervous, he said, "If you want, I'll make one for you."
Her face blushed. "That's not what I meant."
The last few of the transferred personnel were now climbing into the plane. "You still haven't answered me," he said. "Would you like to have dinner with me?"
This time, she laughed. "I'll have to check my schedule," she joked. "But yes. I would like that very much." Her eyes became teary.
He couldn't be happier. All he had done was asked her to dinner, but her acceptance implied so much more.
She turned and looked at the plane. "I have to go."
He wished she didn't.
"Write to me?" she asked.
"I'll write to you. Every chance I get."
She gave him one final smile, then picked her rucksack up from the ground and walked toward the plane. Halfway there, she turned around.
"Don't forget you promised me a date," he called.
"I won't." She continued on. His eyes followed her. At the plane's entrance, she looked at him one last time and waved goodbye.
Away from Ellie and Aaron Haley, Tessa embraced Anthony one last time before saying their final goodbyes. Earlier this morning, she had told herself she would not cry when she left. She didn't want Anthony's last memory of her to be one of a wailing mess. She wanted him to remember her happy. In his arms, she strained to hold back her tears.
"Take care of yourself, all right?" Anthony said, his voice ever so gentle. "Don't forget to write."
"I won't." Tessa took a deep breath. "You too."
"Remember, we're getting closer to the end every day. We're on to the Germans. It'll all be over soon." He gave her one last kiss and whispered, "Eternal City. Don't forget."
"I won't." She rested her head against his chest, feeling his warmth and his presence until time ran out. She could not believe he would be out of reach again. When would they see each other next?
"I love you." Unwillingly, he let her go.
"I love you too," she said. "Be careful."
He picked her rucksack up from the ground. They gazed at each other, their eyes expressing a thousand words that they could not say in the short moments that still remained.
"Don't worry, Tessa," Warren said. "I'll look after him for you."
Tessa squeezed out a smile. "Thank you, Warren. Goodbye."
"Goodbye, and Godspeed."
She looked at Anthony again. He looked right back at her. She tore away from his gaze only when she could delay no longer. Reluctantly, she walked toward the aircraft. When she reached the plane's entrance, she turned around. In that moment, she caught a glimpse of Anthony, looking as sad as she had ever seen him. He always held a positive, optimistic front when he was with her. Always trying to shield her from sadness and pain. He would only ever allow himself to show his own sadness when he thought she was not looking. She wished she could tell him that she knew how he felt too, that she shared all his sadness, fear, and despair. If only he could hear what she was saying to him in her heart.
She looked past Anthony and Warren and gazed at the airfield's entrance from beyond. There was no sign of Jesse. Part of her was relieved that he hadn't shown up. If he had, she didn't know what she would say to him or what would happen. It would be very awkward with Anthony here. Nonetheless, it didn't feel right to leave things the way they had ended yesterday. No matter what, she owed Jesse an answer. But now, she was leaving, and there was no time left for her to do anything about what had happened between them.
A storm raged within her heart as she climbed into the plane. She hadn't known before how much she had grown to care about Jesse.
Inside the plane, she dropped her rucksack on the floor and took a seat. Ellie came on board and sat down next to her. The door of the airplane closed, shutting out Anthony and tearing him away from her.
The airplane began to move. It
accelerated down the runway until it took off and ascended into the air. From the windows, Tessa could see the limited view of the sky. A paralyzing sensation of weightlessness filled her body.
"Feels like we're on a roller coaster, doesn't it?" Ellie asked.
Tessa couldn't tell. This was her first plane ride. The new experience temporarily distracted her, and she was almost thankful for it.
The plane reached its target altitude and the passengers soon settled, searching for ways to pass the time. Seeing that Tessa was upset and wanting to keep to herself, Ellie took out a book to read, although she hadn't turned the page once since she had opened it. She stared at the words, smiling to herself. Tessa doubted that she even saw what was written on the pages. Clearly, she was thinking about Dr. Haley. At least she looked happy. It was so unusual to see Ellie lost in a daydream.
Tessa wished she could think of Anthony in the way Ellie was thinking of Dr. Haley, without all the tormenting sadness and emptiness. Perhaps she should be glad for the time she did have with Anthony, instead of dwelling on their separation. In Rome, they had created such beautiful memories. Those sweet memories of them walking down the aisle together on their wedding day and the magnificent sunset over the bridge Ponte Sant'Angelo that evening. In the heart of the Eternal City, they had vowed to be with each other forever.
No. She had no regrets. Even though they had to separate now, she did not regret that she had come to find him. If she had to, she would do it all over again. She would follow him to the end of this world. She would do anything to be with him. She pulled out her rose pendant to remind herself.
I love you more than you'll ever know.
The image of Jesse, full of pain, cut into her mind and broke her thought.
Jesse. Where was he now? What was he doing? She could feel his pain like her own pain. Her heart went out to him. Why did her pursuit of her own dream have to cause him pain?
Unable to think her way out, she looked around the aircraft's cabin. Sitting on her left, a medic was doodling on a stationery pad. He looked young, not much older than herself.
"What are you drawing?" she asked him.
"I'm drawing me." He showed her a sketch of a comical looking cartoon character with stuffed cheeks and an expanded waist. The character was falling backward with one leg kicking up in the air. Next to the character, he had drawn a large plate of spaghetti. Above the illustration, he had written, "Tyler eating his last Italian meal in Rome." Tessa took one look and chuckled.
"This was me eating dinner last night," the medic said. "I'm lousy with words. I don't write well. I'm better at drawing. I send drawings to my folks to let them know what I've been doing."
"I'm not very good with words either," Tessa said and looked more closely at the medic's drawing. "You're very talented."
"You like it? Here. Look at this one." He flipped the pages of the pad backward to show her another sketch. In that sketch, a private with droopy eyebrows and black loopy eyes had fallen asleep next to an empty bottle. Puffs of air were blowing out of his nose and mouth. An arrow with the words "Wild Turkey—stolen liquor" pointed at the bottle. "My buddy Owen, plastered," was written across the bottom of the page.
"Don't tell the brass, or I'll get into trouble." The medic, who was himself a private, gave her a conspiratorial wink.
"I won't." Tessa gave the pad back to him. "I draw too, but not comics like these. I don't have your sense of humor either."
"What do you draw?"
"I paint. I'm still learning the different styles and techniques, although I haven't painted since I was deployed. I hope to get back to it when the war's over. It's one thing I really miss doing."
"Sorry to hear that." The medic took back the sketch pad and held out his hand. "I'm Tyler. Tyler Renfield. What's your name?"
"Tessa." She shook his hand. "Tessa Graham."
"Lieutenant Graham."
"You can call me Tessa," she whispered. Tyler felt like someone she would have been friends with if they had met anywhere else.
Tyler hesitated, then shrugged. "Okay. Where are you heading? Do you know?"
"I'm joining the 51st Field Hospital."
"We'll both be with the First Army then. I'm joining the First Army's medical detachment. Where are you from? I'm from Philadelphia."
"London," she said. Then, glancing at her wedding ring, she added, "Chicago."
"You're from London and Chicago?"
"I was from London." She thought of Anthony's gentle smile. "Chicago's my home now."
"I see. Look, I'm almost done with my sketch. If you want, I can draw something for you to send home. Maybe a drawing of you on this airplane?"
"You would do that?" Tessa asked. "I would like that very much. Thank you!"
Tyler returned to his drawing. Alone with her thoughts again, Tessa twiddled her wedding ring on her finger and thought of Anthony. As the plane flew farther and farther away from Rome, her thoughts became more and more clear.
Chicago. That was her new home.
Chicago was where her heart belonged.
She took her own notepad out of her bag and began to write the hardest letter she had ever had to write.
On the ground, Anthony watched the aircraft's door slam shut, separating him from the girl he loved. The humming of the airplane engine grew louder. Soon, the plane rolled down the runway and lifted into the air. The sight of the carrier became smaller and smaller until finally, it disappeared into the faraway sky.
When would they see each other again?
"Come on, Ardley," Warren said from behind him. "Let's go."
They left the airfield and rode in silence back to Rome. With Tessa gone, Anthony was in no mood to talk. Thankfully, Warren didn't try to engage him in a conversation. Warren was a good friend that way. Whenever things fell to rock bottom, he would come around to Anthony, being near enough to give Anthony support, but keeping enough distance to not intrude upon him.
"Look, donut girls." Warren pointed to the small truck where two Red Cross volunteers were passing out donuts and coffee to the GIs. "Let's get some donuts."
"I don't know..." Anthony didn't want to. He had no appetite.
"Come on," Warren said. "We can't pass this up. We'll be back to inedible rations before you know it." He told the driver to stop.
Not wanting to spoil the fun for his friend, Anthony went along. The music of Harry James' "I'll Get by As Long As I Have You" played on the radio inside the truck. One of the donut girls came out and started dancing with the GIs.
"Hi there, soldier. Where're you from?" The other donut girl in the truck asked Warren.
"Chicago, Miss," Warren said. "Where are you from?"
"St. Louis."
"St. Louis? Oh no! Tell me you're not a Cardinals fan?"
"I sure am."
"Oh! Oh!" Warren put his hands over his heart. "I'm crushed."
"So am I," the girl laughed. "I guess there's no future for us. Here's a donut for you." She gave a donut to Warren, then turned to Anthony. "Would you like one too?"
"Sure," Anthony said, only to be polite.
"Here you go." She handed one to him. "And a cup of coffee for each of ya."
They took the treats and walked away from the truck. On the side of the street, an old woman peddling souvenirs in a cart smiled at them.
"Are those Roman coins?" Warren went over to her, intrigued. "Will you look at that!" He picked one up and showed Anthony.
"You collect coins?" Anthony asked.
"My father did," Warren said. "My little sister and I kept his collection after he died." He picked up another one. "Amazing. It's the bust of Julius Caesar." He handed the coin to the woman. "I'll take this. How much?"
The woman held up five fingers, indicating fifty lire. Warren paid her and took the coin.
"A little on the expensive side, isn't it?" Anthony asked.
"Yeah, but just think how extraordinary this is. This coin's been around since 49 B.C. Besides, Bessie's going to l
ove this."
"Bessie. Your little sister?"
"Yep. We'll add it to father's collection when I get home." He put the coin into his pocket. Watching Warren, Anthony was reminded that everyone else, including Warren, was separated from people they loved and cared about too.
He resolved in his heart that until this war was over, he would do everything he could to look out for everyone, to make sure they all could one day reunite with the ones they loved.
IV
Part Four - Mission: Orion
12
Although Tessa had left only a few hours ago, the circumstances of war did not give Anthony any time to dwell on her departure. When he returned to his base, an order came for him to report to Colonel Callahan at once.
"We're moving on from Italy for our next phase of operation," Callahan told him. "Our next mission, code name Operation Anvil, is set to go. We'll launch our next attack in France on August 15."
His mind still on Tessa, Anthony did his best to push his personal thoughts aside and focus on the news and the tasks ahead.
"Our forces are mobilizing and reorganizing in Naples, Salerno, and Palermo. All American divisions in the Fifth Army, including the Third, will be reassigned to join the Seventh Army to push the Germans out of Southern France."
That would be less than six weeks from now. Anthony wondered if Captain Harding would recover well enough by then to lead their company. "Sir, how is Captain Harding? Will he recover in time to join us?"
"Ah, yes," the colonel said. "That's another thing I want to talk to you about. Captain Harding will no longer be with your company. It's Major Harding now. He's been promoted to direct the transfer and administration of replacement soldiers in Naples."
"We'll have a new company CO then?"
"Yes, you will." The colonel held out his hand. "Congratulations, Captain Ardley."