by Diane Moody
Well, Danny, that’s all for now. Take care of yourself. We’re all praying this war ends real soon so you can come back home.
Love,
Joey
Danny reread the letter two more times before refolding it and tucking it in his jacket pocket. He headed back outside with his thoughts thousands of miles away. What he would give to be back home right now, away from all this tedious waiting. Away from the knot of fear that had camped out in his gut. Away from all these strangers.
He took a deep breath, continuing down the slushy road. A Red Cross Clubmobile rolled up to Hangar #2 where several Red Cross Girls got out and made their way into the hangar. Danny remembered the Christmas party planned for the local children that evening. For lack of anything better to do, he decided to check it out. As he walked in, he was surprised how nice the place looked with strings of Christmas lights hung here and there, tables set with pine branches and lots of big red bows. A bandstand was set up at the front as it usually was for the regular Saturday night dances. A few of the musicians ran through scales, occasionally playing a couple bars of a familiar carol.
The room bustled with activity. The Red Cross Girls had obviously dragged a lot of the guys into helping—not that it took much dragging. Hilda Edwards and her Red Cross Girls took the lead in these events, and they had never had trouble persuading the men to help.
“Lieutenant, could you give me a hand?”
Danny noticed the pretty redhead looking his way but assumed she was talking to someone else. He looked behind him and finding no one, turned back around. “Me?”
“Yes, you. We need to get all these boxes here moved over to that table in the back. Then once Santa’s bag shows up, we’ll stuff them inside.”
Danny joined her beside the stack of boxes, each about the size of a shoebox, and following her lead, picked up as many as he could. “Are these for the kids, Miss . . .?”
“Miss Wells, and yes, these are the kids’ gift boxes. We load them up with all the goodies you guys have contributed—mostly rationed candy and a few things sent from home. The kids have a ball opening them.”
Danny followed her across the room. “Ah, that explains it. Our tail gunner has been bugging us for days, rounding up all kinds of goodies ‘for the kids’ or so he said. I have to admit, I wondered if he was stashing most of it for himself, but from the looks of all this, I’d say he came through for you.”
She set her boxes on the decorated table. “What’s his name?”
“That would be Dal Nicholson, ma’am. Nice kid, talks with a real southern accent even though he’s from my home state of Illinois.”
“I know Dal! He’s wonderful! All our girls love him. He’s been such a great help to us this last week.” She looked around the busy room. “In fact, he was here just a few minutes ago helping us put up the tree. It was late arriving because of the weather, but I think we’ll have it decorated in time. Quite a resourceful one, that Dal.”
Danny followed her back for more boxes. “Yes, ma’am, that would sure enough be Dal.”
“You said you’re from Illinois, Lieutenant?”
“Chicago, born and raised. How about you?”
“Tallahassee, Florida.”
“Whoa—from Tallahassee to Framlingham. You must have taken a wrong turn somewhere to end up all the way over here.”
“Not at all. It’s actually quite an honor to be selected as a Red Cross Girl. Lots of girls apply, but they’re rather selective about who they send over here. They require us to be single, at least twenty-five years old, and we also have to be college graduates. Though I have to admit I often wonder how much my degree really helps when I’m up to my elbows in donut batter.”
Danny chuckled. “Clearly it helps. We all love those donuts.” What a stupid thing to say. Smooth. Really smooth. “So, what’s it like, being over here and outnumbered like a thousand to one? Ever get tired of all the whistles?” He felt his face warm and wondered why he couldn’t seem to keep his mouth shut.
“Oh, we go through some rather intensive training that covers all that. In fact, that’s a big part of why we’re dressed in these military-style uniforms. It sends a message. We’re here to boost morale for our boys, but we know where to draw the line.” She smiled at him as they both gathered more boxes in their arms.
Danny had seen many of the Red Cross Girls on base, but he’d never given them much thought. He’d noticed the way the guys made a big fuss over these American girls, always circling them as soon as one of the Clubmobiles drove up. He just wasn’t the kind of guy who cared to elbow his way through a crowd of guys hoping to have a couple minutes of conversation with a pretty girl. Still, he’d heard plenty of the other guys talk about how nice it was to have someone from back home to talk to.
“But I’ll be honest. I’d never really thought about joining the Red Cross while I was in college. But after my brother survived Pearl Harbor, I—”
“He did? My brother was on the Oklahoma.”
She stopped, her face ashen. “Oh, Lieutenant—I’m so sorry.”
“What? Oh—no! No, he’s fine. I mean, Joey was injured pretty bad. Burned over fifty percent of his body, but he’s okay now. In fact, I just found out he and his wife are going to have a baby. ”
She set down the stack of boxes on the table and quickly put her hand to her chest. “Oh, thank goodness. For a minute I thought—well, it doesn’t matter what I thought. I’m just glad he’s okay.”
“Your brother survived Pearl too?”
“Yes. He had a rough time of it, but he’ll be fine. I mean, someday he’ll probably be all right. It really messed up his head, if you know what I mean.”
“I do. Some of the things Joey told me . . . well, it’s a wonder any of them came out of that in one piece.”
“After Richey came home, I just couldn’t stop thinking about all those wonderful nurses and Red Cross people who were so good to him over there. And that’s when I made up my mind to do my part, so I joined the Red Cross.”
Danny followed her along with another stack of boxes. “He must be real proud.”
“I guess he is. As much as he can be.”
“Lieutenant McClain!”
Danny turned to see Dal Nicholson walking in with several of the girls, a huge tangle of Christmas lights in his hands and an even bigger smile on his face.
“Hi, Dal. Looks like you’ve got quite a mess there.”
“Yes, sir, but I’ve got plenty of help, as you can see. Real nice of you to help out, sir.”
“I could say the same for you.”
“Yes, sir, you sure could.”
“Come along, Dal,” a tall blonde said, tugging at his sleeve. “Let’s string these out and see if we can untangle them.”
He gave Danny his trademark smile with a wink, then followed the girls to a spot in the corner of the room.
“Will you be joining us for the party tonight, Lieutenant?”
“Sure, Miss Wells. I wouldn’t miss it. But please, call me Danny.”
“Danny it is. Then you must call me Sally.”
“Sally it is.”
Later that evening, when Danny returned to the hangar, the room was filled to capacity with the local children and their parents. The band played Christmas carols, the lights twinkled in the soft light, and everywhere he looked, he saw smiling kids.
“Danny!”
He turned to find Charlie walking his way, surprised to find him holding hands with a rather striking female.
“You remember Sophie, don’t you?”
“Sophie? Sophie! I’m sorry, I didn’t recognize you—I mean without the apron and all.” He couldn’t believe it was the same girl. Her auburn hair curled just below her shoulders, a hint of make-up on her pretty face, and a deep blue dress. No wonder he hadn’t recognized her.
“I suppose I could have worn my apron,” she said, smiling demurely, “but I was afraid they might put me to work. And to be honest, I needed a night off.”
/> Danny turned toward Charlie who beamed from ear to ear. “And I suppose your trip into town had nothing to do with this?”
“What? Oh, well, I fully intended to go see Sophie’s father to make sure his place wasn’t in complete ruins after last night.”
“Which, of course, it wasn’t,” Sophie added. “Da never lets things get out of hand. Right after you all left, he fired off a warning shot, and they all scampered into the night like so many field mice.”
Charlie slipped his arm casually around her slender waist. “When I stopped in to see him this afternoon and asked how it went, he didn’t say a word. Just pointed up to the ceiling. That’s when I noticed it was full of bullet holes.”
“Da knows how to keep order.”
Danny tried to picture the scenario. He turned his gaze back to Charlie. “Then Sophie just happened to be there and you just happened to ask her to the party tonight?”
Sophie put a hand on her hip. “I’ll have you know a proper English lady doesn’t accept a request for a date the day of. It’s considered poor taste. Lieutenant Janssen invited me half-way through the evening last night. That would be about the time you and Da were having a bit of a chat.”
He smiled at them. “Well, then. Happy to do my part.”
The band started quietly playing “Here Comes Santa Claus” just as Colonel Moller stepped to the microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls—just moments ago, a whole herd of reindeer landed on the roof of the hangar, and rumor has it Santa is on his way. In fact, there he is now! Boys and girls, let’s give a great big welcome to jolly old St. Nick!”
The kids squealed and rushed closer as Santa and his helpers made their way to the platform.
“Here, Danny, let me hold your punch glass so you can join the other children.”
“Very funny, Charlie.”
A few more announcements were made then the children lined up with their parents in tow, waiting for their turn see Santa and receive a gift box from the man in red. Danny watched the excitement on the faces of the local children as Santa’s helpers handed them wrapped boxes out of his big red bag—the same boxes he and Sally Wells had loaded into the bag earlier that afternoon. That’s when he realized the bouncing red curls of one of Santa’s helpers. In a red dress trimmed with white fur and a hat like Santa’s sitting jauntily on her head, Sally seemed to be having as much fun as the kids around her.
As the music played on, Danny drifted around the room making his way closer to the front while watching clusters of little ones as they opened their presents. They all seemed delighted with the boxes filled with candy and toys, coloring books and crayons, socks and knitted gloves.
A young boy held up an orange. “Mummy, what is it?”
“Oh, it’s a very special treat, William. It’s a fruit called an orange. Would you like me to peel it for you so you can have a taste?”
“No, I want to save it for Christmas day.”
Danny smiled, remembering the joy of saving special presents for the big day when he was a kid. But an orange? Then he realized the child, no more than four or five years of age, would never have known what it was like to live in a world not dominated by war and rationing. No wonder the tyke had no idea what an orange was. He looked up just as Santa’s redhead helper approached him.
“Lieutenant McClain, you came!”
“I promised I would. You look quite festive, Miss Wells.”
“Ah, this old thing? Just a little something I dug out of my closet.”
“Somehow I doubt that. But you look—well, you look lovely tonight.” Something flitted through her eyes just before she looked away. He quickly changed the subject. “It looks as though the kids are enjoying their presents.”
“I never get tired of these parties, especially seeing their faces light up when Santa comes in. And every single one of them says a very polite ‘thank you’ to him. It always amazes me how grateful they are.”
“I’d imagine they’re extremely grateful under the circumstances. Would you like some punch?”
“Yes, that would be nice.”
He extended his hand, gesturing for her to go first as they made their way to the refreshment table. He filled a glass for her then one for himself.
“Cheers,” he said, raising his glass for a toast.
“Cheers,” she mumbled, looking away again while taking a sip, her hand slightly trembling.
“I’m sorry,” he began, “Have I said something to offend you? I can’t help but notice there’s something—”
“No, Lieutenant. I—”
“It’s Danny, remember?”
She took another sip from her glass then set it back on the table. “Danny, I think I should tell you . . . that is, I probably should have told you earlier that I . . . you see, I’m engaged. And I wouldn’t want to give you the wrong impression or lead you on.” She looked down at her hands which she’d clasped together.
Danny studied her for a moment. She was definitely attractive. Actually, she was quite beautiful. And there was no question that he’d hoped to see her tonight. It had been a long time since he’d been around a woman or even entertained the thought of starting something again.
Then another thought crossed his mind. He reached out and took hold of both of her hands, giving them a squeeze. “Thank you.”
“What? I don’t understand.”
“Thank you for being honest with me. But thank you even more for being faithful to that lucky guy who wants to marry you.” He squeezed her hands again then let them go.
She smiled, releasing a long breath. “Oh, yes. Well, thank you. But, if you don’t mind my asking, why would you say such a thing? Why thank me?”
He nodded for her to go ahead of him, pointing her toward the chairs around the outer perimeter of the room. As soon as they sat down, he took a minute, trying to figure out how to convey what he was thinking.
Finally he just looked up at her and blurted it out. “Because I was once in love with someone. I loved her, and I wanted to marry her, then we were apart for a few months one summer, and she got engaged to someone else.”
“Oh, I see. Goodness, that must have been horrible.”
“It was. Pretty much ruined my sophomore year at college, that’s for sure. I’d never really dated much, so I guess I just wasn’t ‘up to par’ on these things. I just assumed she was as crazy about me as I was about her.” He stopped, nervously flicking his finger against the crease in his slacks. “I’m rambling and telling you a lot more than you need to know.”
“Not at all, Danny. Remember this afternoon when I told you we go through a lot of extensive training? We learn all about being good listeners. I know I kind of joked about them teaching us where to draw the line when it comes to men making advances, but more than anything, the reason we’re here is to be like that girl next door back home. Just someone to talk to. So please, go on. Your girlfriend got engaged to someone else. That must have been awful for you.”
He turned to face her. “It was. I’d never been so shocked in all my life. But the thing is, when you told me a minute ago that you were engaged, I wanted to hug you—and not for the reason you might think, but because you let me know you’re spoken for. I really appreciate that. Instead of flirting or letting me think I could ask you out, you remained faithful to your fiancé.” He ran his hand through his hair. “All I’m trying to say is, well, it’s mighty refreshing to meet a girl who doesn’t lead a guy on.”
She pulled off her Santa hat and laughed. “Oh, thank goodness. I was afraid I’d hurt you or—”
“Not at all, Sally. In my own unbelievably pathetic way, I was just trying to say thanks.”
“Well then, you’re welcome. But I should probably be thanking you instead. You wouldn’t believe how many guys aren’t distracted at all when I tell them I’m engaged. In fact, if anything it seems to encourage them to try harder.”
He shook his head. “Some guys have all the nerve.”
“Okay, Lieuten
ant, you can cut the sarcasm.” She stood up and placed the Santa hat back on her head. “I’m glad we had this talk.”
“Me too. And I hope we can be friends. I’m running low on those right now.”
“I’d love that. I really would. Well, I need to get back. See you around?”
“Absolutely.”
39
29 December 1944
Framlingham, England
“Lieutenant McClain? Mission today, sir. Time is 0300. Rise and shine.”
Danny felt the nudge on his shoulder and covered his eyes against the glare of a flashlight shining in his face. “Thank you, Corporal.”
“Have a safe flight, sir.”
He sat up, wiping the sleep from his eyes. He hadn’t slept well. In fact, the orderly’s wake up call had startled him. He heard the call repeated down the rows as the others who would be flying today were awakened, but assumed he was dreaming.
The sleep fog finally cleared as Danny realized the significance of this day. First mission today. Oh, Lord, it’s finally happening.. Butterflies danced through his gut.
He quickly dressed, gathered his shaving gear, threw on his coat, and trudged out the door with the others. The frigid air scattered away the last trace of sleepiness as he followed the others to the ablution center. How many times had they been reminded about the importance of a close shave on flight mornings? In order for the oxygen mask to fit tightly and securely around your mouth, an extra close shave is imperative on flight days.
After a quick stop back in his quarters, he hopped on the six-by-six truck with the others for a trip to Combat Mess. Flight crews were served real eggs instead of powdered on the day of their missions, along with ham, corned beef, pancakes, and lots of other options they didn’t normally have. Danny wasn’t the least bit hungry, but he knew it could be ten, maybe twelve hours before he’d have a chance to eat again. He tried to get down what he could, washing it down with strong coffee. He sat with Anderson and Pendergrass, and wondered if they were as nervous as he was. The room felt strangely surreal. The cigarette haze was nothing unusual, but the peculiar silence bugged him—silence occasionally interrupted by those acting out their nerves with horse play.